Confederate Congress.
Friday, Sept 19, 1862.
Senate.--The Senate met at 11 o'clock, A. M., the
President (
Mr. Stephens) in the chair.
Prayer by
the Rev. Mr. Brown.
Mr. Maxwell submitted a memorial of certain ladies of
Florida, pensioners under the former
Grounder the Confederate Government.
Referred to the
Committee on the Judiciary.
Mr. Hill offered the following: ernment, praying a renewal of their pensions
Resolved, That the
Secretary of War inform the Senate why it is necessary to require sick and wounded soldiers in
Lynchburg.
Warrenton,
Staunton, and other places, to send to the office in
Richmond to obtain furloughs and discharges; and the rules now required to be observed in furloughing soldiers, what officers have charge of the duty, what are their hours of business, and what are the regulations to enable sick and wounded soldiers to draw their pay, rations, clothing, &c.
Mr. Hill, in explanation of his resolution, said he had been informed there were a number of soldiers at the places mentioned in the resolution who were unable to get furloughs on account of unnecessary obstacles which were put in their way. I under stand, continued
Mr. Hill, from some inquiry I have made, that it is necessary for the friends of the soldiers at these places to send to
Richmond to get furloughs.
In a great many instances fathers and brothers have made application for furloughs for their invalid relatives, and have been told they must go first to
Richmond and bring certificates.
I have known them to come here, get certificates, go back to
Staunton and
Lynchburg, come back here, and again be compelled to returntallion account of some trifling informality.
Now, it seems this is an outrage upon humanity and decency.
It matters not whether a man is until for further service.
I have applications from men with arms off, others with hands off, some with wounds in their legs; yet able to travel — it is absolutely necessary for them to send or come all the way to the city of
Richmond, that a certificate of a surgeon may be obtained to show his condition, before he can get a furlough.
I call the attention of the Senate to a letter I have received this morning, which seems to me to present an argument in favor of the resolution.
The writer says he joined the army in May, 1861, and continued to discharge his duties without the loss of a day or a cross mark against him up to April, 1862, a period of eleven months. He was sent to a hospital in
Lynchburg, where he has been ever since.
He obtained a certificate of disability of the surgeon in charge, which was turned over to the surgeon of division, and he has not heard from it from that day to this.
This man says he is 54 years of age — he has a large family dependent on him for support and he has been in the army ever since May, 1861, and to this day has not received one cent of pay. Now, think of it,
Mr. President. An old man, 54 years of age, with a family dependent upon him for life, in the army seventeen months, and not one cent of pay received.
How he is to get out I do not know.
Mr. Phelan.--Will you give the name, company, and number of the regiment?
Mr. Hill.--Yes, I will; and hope it will get into the papers, and be read by everybody.
He is a very respectable gentleman from
Jefferson county, Ga., company D, 10th regiment Georgia volunteers; not allowed to go home, not allowed to go anywhere, not allowed to support his family not allowed to have one dime of pay; somebody is in fault.
I do not know who. If this was a single, application,
Mr. President, I might make no serious complaint, but they are numerous.
Again, sir, I cannot for my life know what they are to do in this city.
I cannot find out anything about the matter: I did learn the rules and, as the Senate knows, I some time ago, when outrages of this kind were mentioned, here expressed the opinion that they were unfounded.
I used to know the rules, and know how to advise a sick man who had no other friend to refer to, with reference to getting a furlough.
Two days ago, a young man, unable to travel, and knowing no man in the city but myself, applied to me to get his furlough.
I applied to the physician who was attending on him, and obtained a certificate of his disability.
I carried it to
Dr. Moore.
The
Doctor, knowing the facts, promptly approved of the application, and told me, under the recent rules, I must go to Gen Smith's office to get the furlough.
I went off to
Gen. Smith's and told him what I wanted — showed the certificate and the approval of the
Surgeon General.
He told me I must go to his Adjutant.
I went to his Adjutant, showed my certificate, with the approval, &c., &c. The Adjutant said it must come from the
Hospital Surgeon directly that he had no doubt that it was all right the approval of the
Surgeon General was all right but that it was not in form — It must come from somebody about the hospital.
He said if I would go to the hospital and have it sent by the hospital surgeon, the furlough would be granted.
I was nearly broken down, so I hired a back.
When I got to the hospital I was very politely received, and told I was certainly entitled to a furlough.
I thought I began to see daylight again.
I took the certificate, jumped into a back, came back to
Smith's office, but could not find the
Adjutant.
A gentleman was there, but without the state on his shoulder.
I was told he could grant furloughs, but it turned out, after exhibiting all my documents, that he did not have enough gold lace to enable had to do the business.
Why all this troubles.
Did not have the proper certificate?
Yes. Did it not have the approval of the
Surgeon General?
Yes. Was it not all in form?
Yes.--What then?
It had been sent in the wrong way, it must be sent by the
Surgeon.
Why, he sent it by me — is not that his signature?
Yes, but he must not send it by an individual.
Senator — Perhaps he suspected the messenger [Laughter]
Mr. Hill.--Perhaps he did; but he did not say no. If he had, I would have suspected him. --[Laughter.] He said that if he allowed applications to be presented by individuals, he would have a crowd of individuals.
The gentleman was too nice, too retard, too ‘"trinity dressed."’ to allow ordinary mortals to come ‘"twist the wind and his nobility. "’ The
Surgeon told the one rule and he another; had I did not learn whether the certificate was sent to his worship in a box of a basket.
Anyhow, I left it with the understanding that I could got it next morning.
I waited patiently this morning until half past 9 o'clock, thinking they had gotten up by that time, and then sent a messenger to the hospital with a note, respectfully asking to have the furlough sent up. I was told I sent too early; they did not attend to business: but soon in the day; must wait till evening.
After some further discussion, during which it was stated that a bill had just passed both Houses of Congress simplifying and expediting the process of getting sick furloughs, so that 24 hours will suffice for it, the resolution of
Mr. Hill was adopted.
Mr. Sparrow presented a memorial from citizens of
Louisiana, in relation to the protection of the cotton interests.
Referred.
Mr. Haynes--A memorial from citizens of
Tennessee, asking that Confederate Treasury notes be made a legal tender.
Referred.
By
Mr. Oldham--A bill to amend an act to divide
Texas into two Judicial Districts, and to provide for the appointment of Judges and officers in the same.
Referred to Committee on the Judiciary.
By the same, the following resolution:
Resolved by the Senate of the Confederate States of America, That when necessary, the
General-in-Chief or a Chief of a division of the army may appoint a
Provost Marshal to take charge of prisoners, with a suitable guard or other police force.
- 2.
That the War Department has no lawful authority to appoint or employ Provost Marshals; to clothe them with any authority whatever over citizens not belonging to the army, or with police powers and duties, for the peace and good order of any of the towns in any State of the Confederate States, and that all such attempted exercise of the power is illegal, unauthorized, and void.
- 3d.
That the Secretary of War has no Constitutional or lawful authority, to limit or restrict the exercise and jurisdiction of the civil judiciary tribunals of the States of this Confederacy, established by the Constitution and laws of the States respectively, and all orders issued by his command tendering to restrict, or in any respect to interfere with their civil exercise of the jurisdiction of such civil judiciary tribunals, are illegal, unauthorized and void.
- 4th.
That it belongs to Congress to fix the rank and pay of all officers and servants in the employ of the Confederate States, and that the Secretary of War has no power without the consent of Congress, to prescribe the rank and pay of Provost Marshals.
Mr. Hunter, from the
Committee on Finance, to which was referred a bill to provide for the payment of sums due mail contractors, asked leave to be relieved from the further consideration of the same and that it be referred to the
Committee on Post Roads. So ordered.
From the same, a bill to supply deficiencies in the appropriations for the engineer services of the War Department.
Passed.
From the same, a bill to appropriate money for engraving and printing Treasury notes, and for other purposes.
Passed.
From the same, an act to amend an act to provide for auditing accounts for the Post Office Department, recommending that it do not pass.
Fill tabled.
Mr. Semmes, from the
Committee on Flag and Seal, reported a bill establishing a seal for the
Confederate States, accompanied with a design for the seal.
The bill enacts.
‘"That the device of the seal of the
Confederate States shall be; in the foreground a soldier in the position of charge bayonets; in the middle distance, a woman with a child by her side, in front of a church, both with hands uplifted in the attitude of prayer.
For a background, a homestead on a plain, with mountains in the distance, beneath the meridian sun. The whole surrounded by a wreath composed of the stalk of sugar cane, the rice, the cotton, and tobacco plants.
The margin inscribed with the words, '
Seal of the Confederate States of America,' and motto '
Our homes and our Constitutions' beneath."’
The bill passed.
The debate that sprung up on the introduction of the bill was very interesting, not only on account of the criticisms elicited and the distinctions marked out between classic and romantic art, and the various phases, developments, and tendencies of each school, but by reason of the arguments on the political, etymological, and other aspects of the question.
Messrs. Semmes,
Yancey,
Preston,
Clay, and
Wigfall, took the lead in the debate.
The Senate then resolved itself into secret session.
House of Representatives.--The
House met at 11 o'clock, and was opened with prayer by
Rev. Dr. Moore.
Mr. Baldwin, of
Va., from the Committee of Ways and Means, reported a bill to authorize an extension of time for selling property for taxes in default.
This bill was taken up, engrossed, read a third time, and passed.
Mr. Moore, of
Ky., from the Judiciary Committee a bill to authorize the
President of the
Confederate States to institute a for the and of in the assails of the
Confederate States.
Read first and second times, upon the calendar, and ordered to be
the
Committee on Military Affairs, reported back a bill to provide for the temporary organization of forces in States or parts of States which are now invaded, or may hereafter be invaded, by the enemy.
Mr. Harris, of
Mo., moved that the consideration of the bill be postponed, and that it be printed and made a special order.
This motion was discussed at length, after which the vote was taken, and the motion prevailed.
Mr. Miles, of
S. C., from the
Committee on Military Affairs, reported back Senate bill to amend an act for the establishment and organization of a
general staff for the Army of the
Confederate States, with a recommendation that it pass.
This bill provides that ‘ "hereafter the
Quartermaster General shall have the rank, pay, and allowance of a
Brigadier General."’
The bill was taken up for consideration.
Mr. Barksdale, of
Miss., moved to amend by inserting after the words ‘"
Quartermaster General"’ the words ‘"the
Commissary General,
Chief of Ordnance, and the
Chief Officer of the Engineer Corps."’
Mr. Miles opposed the amendment.
He admitted the efficiency of the officers named, but the bill was designed to preserve a distinction observed in the old service, and he hoped it would not be allowed to fail because of amendments upon which members might disagree.
No one who had observed the manner in which the
Quartermaster General had discharged the laborious duties of his office, would deny that he deserved the promotion here proposed.
Mr. Barksdale concurred in the compliment to the
Quartermaster General, and thought the promotion due him; but contended that if it was just and proper that we should thus increase his rank, pay and allowance, it was equally just and proper in regard to the officers named in his amendment.
Their duties were equally important, and he thought it unjust in this body to institute a system of favoritism and discrimination between them in the legislation of Congress.
Mr. Jones did not arise for the purpose of opposing the amendment, but to offer another.
He moved to insert before the words ‘"
Commissary General,"’ the words ‘ "
Surgeon General"’
Mr. Foote opposed any amendment.
The newspapers of the morning would show that a similar amendment proposed in the Senate was defeated by a decisive majority.
The amendment of
Mr. Jones to the amendment of
Mr. Barksdale was agreed to, and the question coming up on the amendment as amended, the ayes and noes were called, and it was rejected by the following vote: Ayes 30, noes 49.
The bill was then engrossed, read a third time, and passed, as follows: Ayes 45, noes 34.
Mr. Lyons, of
Va., moved to reconsider the vote by which the bill was passed, and, after some discussion.
Mr. Wilcox moved to lay the motion on the table, and the motion prevailed.
The special order the
Senate Exemption bill — was then taken up, when.
Mr. Miles, from the
Committee on Military Affairs, reported, on behalf of that committee, the
House bill, with amendments, as a substitute to the Senate bill.
Both bills were reported at length, but no definite action was had upon either, when the
House adjourned at 4 o'clock.
