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A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774-1875
Journal of the Confederate Congress --MONDAY, February 11, 1861.
OPEN SESSION.
Congress met pursuant to adjournment.
Prayer by the Rev. A. J. Battle.
The Journal of Saturday was read and approved.
Mr. Perkins, from the committee appointed to wait on the Hon. Alexander H. Stephens and notify him of his election as Vice-President of the Confederate States of America under the Constitution of the Provisional Government, reported that the committee had discharged that duty, and that the Vice-President would respond personally in the Congress this day at 1 o'clock, if it suit the convenience of Congress; which report was concurred in, and the hour of 1 o'clock p. m. appointed for hearing the response of the Hon. Alexander H. Stephens, Vice-President-elect.
Mr. Conrad offered the following resolution:
Resolved, That a committee composed of five members be appointed by the Chair, whose duty it shall be to prepare and report a bill providing for the establishment of the executive department of the Confederacy.
The resolution was read three times and adopted.
On motion of Mr. Stephens, the Congress reconsidered the vote by which the resolution for the appointment of standing committees was adopted on Saturday.
Mr. Stephens moved to amend said resolution by striking out the words "a committee on military and naval affairs" and by adding thereto--
a committee on military affairs, a committee on naval affairs, a committee on Territories, a committee on public lands, and a committee on Indian affairs.
The amendment was adopted, and the resolution as amended was adopted.
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The Chair laid before the Congress a communication from -- --relative to a flag for the Confederate States of America; which was referred to the Select Committee on the Flag.
The hour or 1 o'clock having arrived, the Chair announced the order for the hour to be the reception of the response of Mr. Stephens to the communication of the committee informing him of his election to the office of Vice-President of the Provisional Government.
Mr. Stephens then said:
Mr. President: I have been notified by a committee of this body of my election to the office of Vice-President under the Provisional Government established for the Confederate States of America; the notification is in a letter, which I beg leave to read:
Montgomery, Ala., February 9, 1861.
Sir: The Congress of the Provisional Government for the Confederate. States of America have this day unanimously elected you to the office of Vice-President of the Confederate States, and we have been appointed to communicate the fact, and to respectfully invite your acceptance.
In performing this pleasing duty, allow us to express the hope that you will accept; and we beg to suggest that it would be most agreeable to the body we represent, as you are a member of the Congress, that you should signify to it, in person, your consent to serve the country in the high position to which you have been called.
We have the honor to be, very respectfully, yours,
To Hon. Alexander H. Stephens.
From this it appears to be the general desire that I should in person make known to the body in a verbal response my acceptance of the high position to which I have been called.
This I now do. In this august presence, before you, Mr. President, before this Congress and before this large concourse of people under the bright sun and brilliant skies which now smile so auspiciously upon us, I will take this occasion also to return my most profound acknowledgments for this expression of confidence on the part of Congress.
There are special reasons why I place an unusually high estimate on it. The considerations that induced me to accept it I need not state. Suffice it to say that it may be deemed questionable whether any good citizen can refuse to discharge any duty that may be assigned him by his country in an hour of need.
It might be expected that I should at this time indulge in some remarks upon the state of our public affairs, the dangers that threaten us, and the most advisable measures to be adopted to meet pressing exigencies. Allow me to say, that in the absence of the distinguished gentleman who has been called to the chief executive chair I think it best to forbear to say anything on such matters. We expect him here in a few days--by Wednesday of this week at farthest--unless providentially detained longer. When he comes we will hear from him on all these difficult questions, and I doubt not we shall cordially and harmoniously concur in the line of policy his superior wisdom and statesmanship shall indicate. In the meantime there are matters we may very profitably be directing our attention to. Such as providing necessary postal arrangements, making provision for the transfer of the custom-houses from the jurisdiction of the separate States to the Confederacy, and the imposition of such duties as will be necessary to meet present and expected exigencies. In the exercise of the power to assess duties we are limited to the objects of revenue. A small duty, not exceeding 10 per cent upon importations, it is believed will be sufficient.
And above all, in the interim between this and the arrival and inauguration of the President, we can be directing our attention to the constitution of a permanent government, stable and durable, which is one of the leading objects of our assembling.
I am now ready to take the oath of office.
The President then administered to Mr. Stephens the oath prescribed by the Constitution.
On motion of Mr. Barnwell, the communication of the committee, together with Mr. Stephens' response, were ordered to be entered upon the Journal.
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Mr. Rhett moved that 12 o'clock instead of 11 be the hour of the meeting of Congress to-morrow; which was agreed to.
And,
On motion of Mr. Perkins,
Congress then accordingly adjourned until 12 o'clock, to-morrow.
SECRET SESSION.
The Congress having gone into secret session, the Journals of the secret sessions of Friday and Saturday were read and corrected.
Mr. Toombs moved that the injunction of secrecy be removed as to the fact of the appointment of a committee to prepare a permanent constitution, and also as to the names of the members of said committee; which motion prevailed.
Mr. Lewis offered the following as a clause to be inserted in the permanent constitution for the Confederate States of America, when the same shall be framed and adopted, viz:
In all additional cases involving a constitutional question the Supreme Court shall consist, in addition to the district judges, of the chief justices of each State of the Confederacy, a majority of whom as well as a majority of the district judges, shall be necessary to a quorum;
which resolution, after being read the first and second times, was referred to the Committee on Permanent Constitution.
Congress then took a recess, to reassemble in open session at 1 o'clock p. m.
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