Virginia Legislature.
[Extra session.]
Senate.
Saturday, January 14, 1865.
The Senate was called to order at noon. Prayer by
Rev. Dr. Jeter.
Joint resolutions from the House of Delegates, instructing our representatives in Congress to urge the passage of a law appropriating money to pay for horses killed or unavoidably lost in the military service, and providing for the appointment of a joint committee to examine the accounts of the commercial agent, were read by the
Clerk.
The first was laid on the table and the latter was agreed to; when, in accordance with its provisions,
Messrs. Hart and
Spiller were appointed said committee.
A bill was adopted by
Mr. Coghill, from the
Committee for Courts of Justice, providing for the protection of Confederate currency from improper depreciation by restricting the sale of exchange thereof at less than its nominal value.--Read a first time and ordered to a second reading.
House bills amending and re-enacting the eleventh section of chapter one hundred and thirty-two of the Code of
Virginia, in regard to fiduciaries; also, an act entitled "an act releasing from taxation deeds required to be recorded a second time, where the county records have been destroyed by the public enemy" and Senate bill amending the second, sixth and twenty-second sections of an act passed March 7, 1862, entitled "an act to amend an act entitled an act amending the charter of the town of
Danville, " were read the third time and passed.
Mr. Spitler introduced a resolution inquiring into the expediency of increasing the compensation of sheriffs and other officers for conveying insane persons from their homes to the asylum.
Secret business engrossed the rest of the session.
House of Delegates.
The
House met at noon, and was opened with prayer by
Rev. Dr. Woodbridge, of the Episcopal Church.
Mr. Anderson, from the Military Committee, reported a bill to organize and enroll the home guards for local defence.
The bill, on his motion, was read the first time, and ordered to a second reading.
The Speaker submitted to the
House a message from the
Governor, taking ground against the action of the Legislature in exempting from military service certain members of the reserve forces upon the ground that their ages exceeded that of fifty years. The Governor insinuates in his communication that their discharge was without warrant in the
Constitution.
The communication was laid on the table and ordered to be printed.
Pending the discussion of the communication, the
House went into secret session, upon motion of
Mr. Deane, of
Campbell.
When the doors were re-opened business was resumed.
Mr. Deane offered a resolution to disband the battalion of second-class militia organized for the defence of the city of
Lynchburg, and to provide for the organization, in a better form, of a local force for the defence of the said city.
The resolution was agreed to.
Mr. Huntt submitted a resolution, directed to the
Committee on Confederate Relations, inquiring if a more effectual mode cannot be devised to secure the speedy shipment to Confederate prisoners of war confined in Northern dungeons of packages sent them by their friends to promote their comfort and well-being.
Mr. Castleman introduced a joint resolution, addressed to our representatives in Congress, calling upon them to urge the passage of a bill to mount and equip the cavalry, and make that branch of the service more efficient.
The resolution was ordered to be laid over under the rules.
Mr. Hutchinson introduced a joint resolution to encourage the production of supplies, and recommending the repeal of all laws now upon the statute books in relation to impressments.
The resolution lies over under the rules.
The Committee on Propositions and Grievances reported adversely to the resolution of
Mr. Hall, of
Wetzel, in relation to the opening of Capitol Square gates.
The bill for the relief of
Tucker Carrington, of
Mecklenburg, to allow him eighteen hundred dollars for a slave hung by sentence of the court, in addition to one thousand dollars already appropriated, was taken up and lost, not a constitutional majority voting in favor of the bill.
The
House, after the disposition of some other business, adjourned.
