Mr. FINCK. It will be impossible for me in the course of the few minutes allowed me to enter fully upon any argument in regard to this measure. What is the particular question involved? It is no less a question than that of the power of Congress to upset and over turn a State government, and to substitute a government of its own in its place. This bill, Mr. Speaker, proposes by its 1st section that there shall be appointed by the POTUS, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, a Governor for the State of Louisiana. Here is a proposition for the appointment of a Governor of a State to be made by Federal authority a Governor to be so appointed for a State in the Union, having all its courts and its legislative and executive depts organized and in full operation. This bill goes upon the theory that Louisiana is one of the States of this Union; because it is described in this bill as “the State of Louisi ana.” The 1st section provides That the POTUS shall nom iSneantaetaen, adp, pboyinatnd with the advice and consentof the a ana, Governor for the State of Louisi who shall hold his office for one year, unless sooner removed by the President, by and with the advice and consentof the Senate, or unless sooner supersededby a successorelected under the provisions of this act. such Governor so appointed shall have attained the age of 30 years, shall be aizen of the U.S and of the State of Loucisiti anol. The 2nd section provides That the President shall forthwith nominate and, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, appoint a provisional council, consisting of 9 persons, who shall have the same qualifications as are herein Prescribedfor the office of Governor, and who, beforebeing confirmed o, make, sign, the Senate, shalion oath and file with said Sotag the same oath as is Prescribedfor the Governor. such councilors shali continue to removed by the President, tbhyeairnodffiwceit, huntlehsess advice and consentof the Senate, until a Legislature shall be duly elected and qualified under the provisions of this act. such Ho!council shall, with the Governor, have all legislative power in such State. Now, here is involved in this bill the important propositions of the power of the Federal Government to make the Governor and the Legislature for a sovereign State of this Union. Where do you get your power to do that? I deny at the outset that there is any power under our Constitution for the Federal government to appoint the Governor for the people of the State of Louisiana, or to intervene and select a Legislature for that State. What is the Federal Government and what are the powers conferred upon the legislative branch of the Federal Government? It is a Government created by a written Constitution, enjoying and exercising certain fixed and limited powers. And by a provision of that Constitution it is prohibited from the exercise of any power which has not been conferred upon it by the Constitution of the U.S. And no such power as is assumed by this bill is conferred either upon the General Government or any dept of it. ou might as well invade the jurisdiction of the State of NewYork, depose its Governor, set aside its Legislature, and appoint a new Governor and a new Legislature for the people of that great State, because that power is assumed by the provisions of this bill. Sir, I deny any such power. From the earliest rec ords of our history, from the 1st settlement of the American colonies by ourancestors, the people of each of the colonies and each of the States have exercised the right of regulating their own internal concerns. These are rights that belong to a free people. Now, by this revolutionary legislation you seek to overthrow these 1st principles of government, to ignore the great doctrines which were established by our fathers, and which are written down not only in our past history, but in the constitutions of the several States and in the Constitution of the Federal Government. You not only propose to do that by this bill, but you propose to do more. ou propose by this bill to exercise the right of declaring who shall be the electors in the States of the South, or at least who shall be the electors in the State of Louisiana. From whence do you obtain that power? Is it con: tained within the Constitution of the U.S.? Have you a right to go into the State of Ohio, or into the State of NCarolina, and declare who shall there exercise the right of suffrage? If you cannot do it in Ohio, you cannot do it in Louisiana, because it is one of the States of this Union, equal in all its rights and dignities with the other States of the Union. Now, I utterly deny the doctrine of the Gentfrom Pennsylvania {Mr. STEVENs] that Louisiana is held as a conquered territory. I hold, as this bill declares, that Louisiana is to day one of the States of the Union. And being one of the States of the Union, you have no power whatever to invade its jurisdiction, and appoint its Governor and Legislature. And why do you propose to do it? Is Louisiana today in a state of rebellion against the Government of the U.S.? Not a word of evidence to that effect is before this House. Is her government not republican in form 7 We have no allegation in this bill to the contrary, and every man knows that her government is republican in form. And by what arguments do you propose to support this bill? The only argument I have heard, is that in July last a riot took place in the city of NewOrleans. Is it upon that ground that this bill is to be passed into a law? A riot did, indeed, take place there, most shocking and terrible, and a disgrace to all those who united to bring it about or to carry it on. But the fact of that riot does not add a particle to the constitutional power of Congress to invade that State and frame a government and appoint a ople. Governor and Legislature for its H. the hammer fell]