Confederate Congress.
Friday, Sept. 19TH, 1862.
Senate. The Senate met pursuant to adjournment.
Prayer by
Rev. Mr. Young.
Mr. Davis, from the
Committee on Claims, reported a bill to provide for the payment of certain claims against the
Confederate States in the
State of Missouri, and recommending its passage. --Passed.
The Senate then went into Executive session.
When the doors were opened the Exemption bill was taken up as the unfinished business of Wednesday.
The consideration of the pending amendment, offered by
Mr. Semmes, was resumed.
The amendment exempts ‘"one overseer on each plantation cultivated exclusively by negro labor, and owned by any person in the military service of the
Confederate or State Governments, or any minor, or widow, or unmarried woman, or person not of sound mind."’
Mr. Phelan offered an amendment providing the mode of detailing an overseer on each plantation owned and cultivated as indicated in the original, and imposing a tax of five dollars per head on each slave on such plantation between the ages of sixteen and forty-five, to be paid into the treasury of the
State.
Mr. Phelim withdrew his amendment.
On motion of
Mr. Orr the amendment submitted by
Mr. Sparrow was laid upon the table in order to allow
Mr. Sparrow to submit a modification of his original amendment, making it read: ‘ "And owned by any person absent in the service, &c.,"’ and providing that affidavit be made by three respectable neighbors of the plantation aforesaid; that such person is necessary for the public safety, which affidavit shall be furnished to the enrolling officer.
Mr. Clark moved to amend so as to read ‘"in the military service."’ Disagreed to. Ayes 4, noes 9.
Mr. Yancey moved to strike out the works ‘"and owned by any person absent in the service of the
Confederate States,"’ and insert ‘"upon which as many as 20 slaves are worked and owned by persons not residing on the same."’ Disagreed to. Ayes 10, noes 14.
The amendment of
Mr. Phelan was again introduced, and after articulate the question being ordered, the vote was cause and resulted — ayes noes 18.
The amendment was disagreed to.
On motion of
Mr. Davis, the vote by which the amendment of
Mr. Yancey was disagreed to, was reconsidered.
The amendment was rejected.
Mr. Orr submitted an amendment providing for the exemption of all persons exempted from military by duty ordinance of any State Convention.
Pending the question, the Senate adjourned.
House of Representatives.--
House met at 11 o'clock.
The Chair laid before the
House a communication from the
Secretary of the Treasury, in response to a resolution of the
House inquiring what legislation is necessary to facilitate the business of his Department, in which the
House was referred to his regular report to Congress.
Mr. Kenner moved that the communication be laid on the table and printed.
Motion agreed to.
Mr. Jones of
Tenn., presented a communication recommending that some provision be made for the benefit of disabled soldiers and the families of those in the war. Referred.
Mr. Kenner, of
La., from the Committee of Ways and Means reported a bill to authorize the
Secretary of the Treasury to offer a reward for the apprehension and conviction of parties engaged in forging of steering counterfeit Treasury notes, the reward thus feared not to exceed five thousand dollars.
Mr. Lyons of
Va., moved to amend the bill by striking out five thousand and inserting one thousand. did not prevail.
The bill was then engrossed, read a third time, and passed.
Mr. Kenner, of
La., from the Committee of Ways and Means, reported back the bill to compensate the Marshall and their assistants for taking the census in 1860 in those States now forming the Southern Confederacy.
In their report, the Committee of Ways and Means say: ‘"The bill proposes to provide compensation to
Marshall and their assistants for a price rendered in taking the census of 1860, under appointments made by the
United States.
The services were rendered to the
United States, and the right to compensation from that Government had accrued before the secession of the
Confederate States.’
The question presented by the bill, then, is simply ills.
Is there any obligation upon the
Government of the
Confederate States to assume and pay for services rendered to the
United States by persons.
At the time of the rendition of such service, belonging to the
United States, but since the separation forming a part of the
Confederate States.
The committee, in considering this question, have not had referred state to services rendered before the separation by
Marshall and their assistants, in taking the county of 18th, but have embraced in their examination other questions of a similar character, which may, and doubtless will, arise where citizens of the
Confederate States may have had unsettled transactions with the
Government of the
United States at the time of the separation.
If we acknowledge the principle that because the States now composing the
Confederacy derived some benefit and advantage from the taking of the census in that the
Confederate States ought therefore to assume and pay a debt due from the
United States, we establish a precedent unsafe to the treasury and of questionable obligation.
Such a president would require the payment of all just claims held by citizens of the
Confederate States against the
Government of the
United States for services rendered before the separation; for, in all such cases it might, as well as in the present, be allowed that such services were, to some extent, beneficent to the
Confederate States while they formed a part of the
United States.
Your committee, therefore, recommend that the bill committed them do not pass.
The bill, as well as the report of the committee, was postponed and placed upon the calendar.
Mr. Kenner also reported back from the same committee
House bill relating to the further issue of Treasury notes, with Senate amendments, with a recommendation that the
House concur in the amendments.
The bill was taken up, the amendments concurred in, and the bill passed.
Mr. Miles, from the
Committee on Military Affairs, reported back certain joint resolutions from the Senate to provide medals for meritorious services, and asked that they be laid upon the table; which was agreed to.
He also reported back a bill in relation to partisan rangers, which was ordered to be placed upon the calendar and printed, with a recommendation that it pass.
Mr. Hilton, of
Fla., from the same committee, reported back a bill providing for the appointment of Adjutants for independent battalions.
This bill was engrossed, read a third time, and passed.
Mr. Garnell, of
Va., from the same committee, reported back a resolution of thanks to
Major General J. Bankhead Magruder, and presented a substitute from the committee, which was adopted in lieu of the original resolution.
Mr. Foote, from the
Committee on Foreign Affairs, reported back sundry resolutions touching the free navigation of the
Mississippi and the opening of the markets of the
South to such of the
Northwestern States as shall cease their participation in the present war upon the
South.
The resolutions were modified and accompanied by a report from the committee.
Mr. Barkadale, of
Miss., from the same committee, submitted a minority report on the same subject.
The resolutions, with the reports, were laid on the table and ordered to be printed.
The Speaker announced that the hour had arrived for the consideration of the special order, being the Exemption bill reported from the
Committee on Military Affairs.
Mr. Machen, of
Ky., moved to postpone the special order until the Senate had acted upon a similar bill now under consideration in that body, and the motion prevailed and the order was postponed.
Mr. Chambers, of
Miss., called up his motion to reconsider the vote by which the
House on Wednesday passed a bill to authorize Quartermasters and Assistant Quartermasters to administer oaths in certain cases.
The motion to reconsider prevailed.
On motion, the vote by which the bill was ordered to its engrossment, was also reconsidered.
Mr. Jones, of
Tenn., moved to lay the whole subject on the table.
Negatived.
Mr. Smith, of
N. C., presented a substitute for the bill, which was agreed to.
Mr. Sexton, of
Texas, moved to amend the substitute by adding ‘"in order that they may be enabled to draw the pay to which they may be entitled."’--The amendment was agreed to.
Mr. Chambers moved to amend, by adding a proviso as follows: ‘"That no Quartermaster or
Assistant Quartermaster shall pay out money upon an affidavit administered by himself."’ Not agreed to.
The bill was then engrossed, read a third time, and passed, as follows: ‘ "The Congress of the Confederate States do enact, that the oath required to enable sick, wounded, or other soldiers, to receive their pay, may be taken before any Quartermaster, who is hereby authorized to administer the same, or before any
Justice of the Peace having jurisdiction, or any other officer having the right by the laws of the
State to administer oaths, in order that they may be enabled to draw the pay to which they may be entitled." ’
The next special order — the bill from the Committee of Ways and Means, known as the Tax bill — was then called up, when
Mr. Bruce, of
Ky., asked leave in offer a resolution of inquiry, that the Committee of Ways and Means be, and it is hereby, directed to call upon the
Secretary of the Treasury for the amount of each and every appropriation made since the establishment of this Government, amount of interest-bearing bonds, &c.
Objection being made to the reception of the resolution, it was not considered.
Mr. Wright, of
Ga., from the
Committee on Hospitals, asked leave to report a bill from that committee to regulate the granting of furloughs.--Leave being granted, the bill was taken up by the
House and discussed at some length by
Messrs. Wright,
Clarks,
Smith, of
N. C., and others.
The following is a copy of the bill:
‘"
The Congress of the Confederate States do enact, That furloughs for a period not exceeding sixty days shall be granted a sick or wounded soldier confined in any Confederate hospital, upon the evidence of the certificate of examination of his attending surgeon, and on the recommendation of the principal surgeon in charge of the hospital."’
Mr. Chambers, of
Miss., moved to amend by adding the following words: ‘ "And the soldiers to whom such furloughs are granted shall be entitled to transportation home and back."’ This amendment was agreed to.
Mr. Gardenhier moved to recommit the bill to the
Committee on Hospitals, and on this the ayes and noes were called, and resulted — ayes 35, noes 36.
The bill was then engrossed, read a third time, and passed.
On motion of
Mr. Machen, the
House, at 3½ o'clock, adjourned.
