General Assembly of Virginia.
[extra session.]
Senate.
Wednesday, March 27, 1861.
The Senate was called to order at the usual hour--Mr. Johnson in the chair.
A number of bills, reported from the House this morning, were read a third time and passed, as follows: incorporating the Patrick Springs Female College; to repeal an act passed April 2d, 1858, entitled "an act requiring the Banks of the Commonwealth to resume specie payments; incorporating the Piedmont Land and Improvement Company; constituting a part of the Ohio river a lawful fence; to amend the 14th section of an act providing additional protection for the slave property of citizens of this Commonwealth; incorporating the Staunton Savings Bank; to incorporate the Monongahela Savings Bank, in the county of Monongalia; to amend and reenact an act passed March 22d, 1860, entitled "an act to incorporate the Knob Turnpike Company, in the county of Washington, and incorporating the Abingdon and Tennessee Turnpike Company; incorporating the Staunton Savings Bank.
The Senate bill incorporating the Southern Agency, reported from the House with an amendment, was referred to a special committee--Messrs. Paxton, Thompson and Armstrong.
The Code.--The bill appropriating a sum necessary to pay for the preparation and publication of the second edition of the Code of Virginia, reported from the House with an amendment allowing $2, instead of $2.50, per copy for the Code, was taken up, the amendment agreed to, and the bill passed.
The joint resolution from the House relative to the sale of old muskets by the Executive to Joseph R. Anderson & Co., gave rise to a discussion, in which Messrs Brannon, Stuart, August, Carter, and others, participated.
Mr. Brannon proposed a substitute.
The whole subject was afterwards referred to the Committee on Military Affairs.
On account of the absence of members, the Covington and Ohio Railroad bill, which had been made the order of the day, was laid on the table, and made the order of the day for to-morrow.
The resolution authorizing the Governor to contract for the manufacture of arms, was called up by Mr. Brannon and adopted.
Mr. Johnson called up the resolution offered by himself a few days since, giving the exclusive right to Col. A. W. McDonald to make publication of certain manuscripts obtained by him in his late mission to England.--Adopted.
Voluntary Enslavement of Free Negroes.--The unfinished business of yesterday, the bill authorizing the voluntary enslavement of free negroes, without compensation to the Commonwealth, coming up,
Messrs. Paxton and Armstrong offered amendments, which the President (Mr. Claiborne in the chair) pronounced out of order, because involving the same principle as voted on and rejected yesterday.
Mr. Neeson appealed from the decision; on which the yeas and nays were called, and resulted — yeas 13, nays 18.
The Senate refusing to sustain the Chair, the amendment of Mr. Armstrong was considered and rejected — yeas 17, nays 18.
The vote on the passage of the bill was recorded as follows:
Yeas.--Messrs. Brannon, Bruce, Carson, Carraway, Claiborne, Coghill, Day, Dickinson of Price Edward, Douglass, Finney, French, Hubbard, Johnson, Lynch, Marshall, McKenney, Nash, Newman, Pate, Pennybacker, Quesenberry, Smith, and Thompson--28.
Nays.--Messrs. Armstrong, August, Dickenson of Grayson, Gatewood, Greever, Layne, Logan, Neeson, Newton, Paxton, Stuart, Townes, and Wickham--13.
Belmont Bridge Company.--The bill suspending the levying of taxes by the State on the Wheeling and Belmont Bridge Company for six years, was next called up and passed.
Virginia Canal Bill.--On motion of Mr. Neeson, the House bill to incorporate the Virginia Canal Company and to transfer the rights and franchises of the James River and Kanawha Company thereto, was taken up and the amendments proposed by the Senate's Special Committee considered.
All the amendments recommended, which were of an unimportant nature, supplying omissions, were concurred in.
Pending the consideration of the bill, on motion of Mr. Neeson, the Senate adjourned at quarter to 3 o'clock.
House of Delegates.
Wednesday, March 27, 1861.
The House was called to order by the Speaker at 10 o'clock.
A communication from the Senate announced the passage of a number of bills.
The bill imposing taxes for the support of government, with the amendment proposed thereto by the Senate, was taken up, and, on motion of Mr. Haymond, referred to the Committee on Finance, and the amendments ordered to be printed.
Senate bill releasing the title of the State to 556¼ acres of land in the county of Hanover, to John H. Taliaferro, was read a first and second time, ordered to its engrossment, and, on motion of Mr. Newton, was passed.
Mr. Chapman, from the Committee of Roads and Internal Improvement, presented a bill appointing Superintendents of the Staunton and Parkersburg Road, which, on his motion, was read the requisite number of times and passed to its engrossment.
Mr. Magruder, from the Committee of Propositions and Grievances, presented a bill to provide for a special election in the town of Marion, in the county of Smyth, which, on his motion, was carried to its engrossment and passed.
The engrossed bill refunding the sum of money paid by the county of Middlesex for a set of weights and measures, was called up on motion of Mr. Evans, and passed — ayes 101.
Mr. Bassell, from a special committee, reported a bill (which was read twice,) appropriating $25,000 to build the North western Va. Lunatic Asylum.
The following resolutions giving further time to the securities of P. P. Winston, late Sheriff of Richmond city, to pay certain bonds executed by them, offered on the 22nd day of January, by Mr. Robertson, was taken up on his motion, and adopted: ‘
Resolved, by the General Assembly, That the Auditor of Public Accounts be hereby authorized to arrange the payments of the bonds executed by the sureties of P. P. Winston, late Sheriff of the city of Richmond, in such manner as to require only one-half of the instalment due January 1st, 1861, to be paid, and the residue of said instalment, and the whole of said instalment due January 1st, 1862, to be paid in two equal instalments, the first upon the 1st of January, 1862, and the second upon the 1st of January, 1863:Provided, however, that said arrangement shall not be made, and the same is not hereby authorized, until the sureties in the several bonds, as well as the principal therein, shall by instrument of writing, to be by them executed, assent to the terms of this joint resolution, and to the arrangement hereby authorized to be made as aforesaid, and the authority granted by this resolution shall not be deemed to be vested in the Auditor, only upon and after the execution of the instrument aforesaid. ’
The National Difficulties.--Mr. Martin, of Henry, offered the following resolutions, which were read by the Clerk:
- 1. Resolved, That, in the opinion of this General Assembly, there is at present no adequate cause to impel Virginia to dissolve her connection with the Federal Union; but, on the contrary, she should labor for such an adjustment of the existing difficulties as will secure the peace, and protect the rights and equality of all the States.
- 2. Resolved, That it shall be the duty of the Commissioners, and officers who shall be appointed according to law to superintend and conduct elections for the General Assembly, at the next election, in the month of May, to open a separate poll, to take the sense of the qualified voters upon the question of remaining in the Federal Union. In order to ascertain the sense of the said voters thereupon, the said officers shall cause to be kept a separate poll, with two columns, the one to be headed, "For remaining in the Union, with proper constitutional guarantees," and the other, "For Secession;" and the names of those who vote for the former shall be written under the former heading, and those who vote for the latter, under the latter heading.--When the said officers meet, as provided by law in the elections for members of the General As — Assembly, held at the same time, they shall ascertain and make return of the number of persons voting for each proposition; they shall deliver the said poll-books to the Clerk of their respective counties and corporations, to be preserved in his office, and shall forth with transmit a certificate, containing the aggregate vote for each proposition, to the Governor. Upon the receipt thereof, the Governor shall ascertain the result and make proclamation thereof, and shall also transmit a copy of his proclamation, containing the said aggregate vote, to the Convention, for their information.
