Mr. FINCK. Mr. Speaker, I do not suppose any WON? I may utter on this occasion will arrest th redetermined action of the large majority of this House, but I propose to call the attention of the House and the country, in a few remarks, to the strange spectacle which is now being exhibited by the repres'entatives of only a portion of the States of this Union. What do we see? A determined and persistent effort to exclude from the national Legislature the Representatives of 11 States. We see a majority of the Representatives of the 25 States here represented saying, in a proposed amendmentto the Constitution, to be followed up by legislation, to the 11 States which are unrepresented, that they shall never come within these walls unless they consent to and adopt all the conditions which shall be imposed by this majority of the 25 States. More than this, and I say it here because I have the firm conviction that it is true; the majority on this floor represent today aminority of the people of the U.S. Take my own State, Ohio, with 194,000 Democratic voters at the election last October. She has on this floor but 2 members representing that immense vote, while the 224,000 who voted the Republican ticket for Governor Cox in 1865 have 17 Representatives on this floor and in the Senate they have both members. lfafair vote of the people of Ohio were taken today as to whether the restoration policy of the President orthe obstruction policy of the radicals of this Congress should be sustained, I believe a majority of the people of Ohio would be in favor of sustaining the policy of the President and of the 2 Democratic Representatives of that State on this floor. Mr. Speaker, this is not the time to make amendments to the Constitution. Time will not allow me to examine the whole of this proposition, and I will confine my remarks to the 2nd and 3rd sections. Now, what is proposed by the 2nd section of this amendment? The purpose of the section is to reduce representation in this House in all the States which exclude the negro from voting. To exclude from the count the entire colored population of the States whose constitutions or laws may deprive these people of the right of suffrage. “bile this section admits the right of the States thus to exclude negroes from voting, it says to them, if you do so exclude them they shall also be excluded from all representation; and you shall suffer the penalty by loss of representation. It seeks to do by in direction that which gentleman shrink from doing in a direct manner, namely, to compel the States to ado t negro suffrage. Why do you not present this question in an open and square way, and make the issue of negro suffrage direct before the people? hat is to be the effect of this amendment? In order to avoid the effect of this proposition before the people at the coming October and November elections, you have worded it in the manner in which it is presented to this House 59 as to enforce, if possible, through motives of interest, negro suffrage in those States where they reside in large numbers. How will this amendment affect such States? Let us take it as applied to a few of the States of this Union. Take the State of Maine. According to the census of 1860, Maine had 167, 724 white males over the age of 21 years. How many black males had she over that age? Only 362. So. then, it does not at all affect the power and influence of that State on this floor. But look at Maryland. By the census of 1860 she had a population of 128, 371 white male citizens of t ca e of 21, and at the same time she had a population of 38,030 black males over that age. This proposition, therefore, strikes from the number of Representatives of the State of Maryland one 4th of her representation on this floor; and takes away at least one of her members. Take the State of SCarolina. It is well known that her black population are in the majority. By the census of 1860 she had 68, 154 white males over the age of 21, and 92, 923 blacks over that age. More than 1/2 of the representation of that State will therefore be excluded. Mississippi is in the same condition. That State by the same census contained 84, 338 white males over 21 years of age, and 98, 510 blacks. So she will lose in the same proportion. NewHampshire had in 1860 a white male population over the age of 21 years of 91, 944. How many black males do you suppose she had over that age? Only 149. “ ledisinterested gentlemen from such States are for changing the basis of representation, so that it shall increase relatively t ieir power here. They propose, while they believe they have the power to do so, to make this great change deeply affecting the rights and interests of States which are denie all right to discuss and vote on such a grave proposition in either House of Congress, and thus reduce by at least 25 the number of members to which the States to be affected by this amendment are now by the Constitution and laws of the U.S. entitled. But Icannot dwell upon this 2nd section. Considering the fact that eleven States are now denied all representation here, it is an effort outside of constitutional power to change this Gavernment. What did tedistinguished Gentfrom Massachusetts [Min BOLYTWELL] declare one month ago on this floor in reference to this question. He used this language: "Well, sir. I am for a Union, and for that Union only in which there is substantialjustice amongthe men and betweenthe Statescomposmgit." Not the Union, not the old Union, of which that old do [pointing to the flag over the Speaker's cliair] is emblematic; no, sir, but for “a Union.” He further said: “I acceptone fact, and no gentlemancan escape the forceof that fact and that is, that theseeleven Statesare not to dny representedin the Congressof this country and with my consent they never shall be until this inequality is adjusted or its adjustment provided for.” That is the proposition, that these 11 States are not to be represented until the inequality of representation, of which gentlemen now complain, shallbe provided for. Provided for, how and by whom? By the remaining 25 States through 2/3rds of their representatives upon the floor of the Senate and HoRep. Sir, there is no warrant for such a thing in the Constitution. But I cannot dwell upon this proposition in the limited time that is allowed me. There is another section in this amendment to which I will now refer. There was a celebrated 3rd sectionin‘the proposition which passed b the Senate and now pending before this 1 case. I ask the Clerk to read what the gem tleman said a month ago on this same questiou. On the day the final vote was taken in this House on the amendments reported by the Jtcommittee of 15 the Gentfrom Pennisylvania rallied his friends to the of that celebrated 3rd section. “Thesuptpoirrdt section or nothing, ” was his cry. IWill ask the Clerk to read what the gentleman said on that occasion.