| PREVIOUS | NEXT | NEW SEARCH |
A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774-1875
Journal of the Confederate Congress --TWENTIETH DAY--THURSDAY, December 12, 1861.
OPEN SESSION.
Congress met pursuant to adjournment, and was opened with prayer by the Rev. Dr. Johns.
Congress then resolved itself into secret session.
SECRET SESSION.
Congress being in secret session,
Mr. Clark offered the following resolution, to wit:
Resolved, That the injunction of secrecy be removed from the President's message and the accompanying documents in relation to the admission of Missouri as a member of the Confederate States.
Mr. Garland moved to refer the resolution and the documents referred to in the same to a special committee of five; which was agreed to; and
The Chair in obedience thereto announced the following committee:
Messrs. Garland of Arkansas, Clark of Missouri, Curry of Alabama, Kenner of Louisiana, and Currin of Tennessee.
The Chair presented a communication from the President; which was read and, with the accompanying documents, referred to the Committee on Finance, and which is as follows, to wit:
To the Congress of the Confederate States:
I herewith communicate to Congress an act of the provisional government of Kentucky, to appoint a commissioner to the Confederate States of America, on the subject of banks; and also the commission of John D. Morris, esq., who has been duly accredited to me as the commissioner appointed under said act.
It appears from the terms of said act, that various banks in Kentucky have, in violation of the State constitution, at the dictation of foreign military power, contributed large sums of money to assist in the subjugation of the people of Kentucky; that the State of Kentucky is a stockholder in said banks, the stock having been purchased with the funds raised by taxation of all the people, and is entitled to control the said funds and to prevent their being used for the subjugation of her people.
To prevent such injustice, the act authorizes the governor to appoint a commissioner to proceed to the capital of the Confederate States; to confer with the proper authorities as to the most practicable manner of securing all moneys and other assets
Page 561 | Page image
of said banks; and the Confederate States are requested to cooperate with said commissioner in securing said moneys and assets.
In pursuance with the request of the provisional government of Kentucky, I submit the matter to your consideration and invite such cooperation as you may deem it advisable to afford.
JEFFERSON DAVIS.
Richmond, Va., December 11, 1861.
Congress then resolved itself into executive session; and having spent some time therein, again resolved itself into legislative session.
Mr. Rhett, at the instance of the State of South Carolina, moved to reconsider the vote by which the resolution of Mr. Kenner, relative to an adjournment, was passed by the Congress on yesterday.
Mr. Foreman called the question; which was seconded, and the vote having been taken thereon, the motion to reconsider was agreed to.
Mr. Rhett moved to amend the resolution by striking out therefrom the word "adjourn" and by inserting in lieu thereof the words "take a recess."
The amendment was agreed to.
Mr. Rhett moved further to amend by adding at the end of the resolution the following words, to wit: "and that members shall receive their mileage during said recess."
Mr. Waul moved to amend the amendment by adding thereto the following words, to wit: "but they shall not receive any per diem during said recess."
Mr. Kenner called the question; which was seconded, and the vote having been taken thereon, the amendment to the amendment was not agreed to.
Executive Department,
Richmond, December 12, 1861.
Mr. President: The President has this day approved and signed
An act to divide the State of Tennessee into three judicial districts.
ROBERT JOSSELYN,
Private Secretary.
Mr. Atkins then moved to lay the amendment of Mr. Rhett on the table; and
The motion was agreed to;
When,
Mr. Venable offered as a substitute for the resolution as amended the following, to wit:
That any member whose engagements of business or otherwise may render temporary absence desirable be privileged to be absent from attendance on the Congress from the eighteenth of December to the thirteenth of January next.
Upon which Mr. Harris of Mississippi demanded that the yeas and nays of the whole body be recorded; which are as follows, to wit:
Page 562 | Page image
Yea: Mississippi and Missouri, 2.
Nay: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia, 10.
So the substitute was not agreed to.
Mr. Rhett called the question, which was upon the adoption of the resolution as amended; and the call being sustained,
Mr. Freeman, at the instance of the State of Missouri, demanded that the yeas and nays of the whole body be recorded thereon; which are as follows, to wit:
Yea: Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Tennessee, 4.
Nay: Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia, 7.
Divided: Florida, 1.
So the motion to adopt the resolution as amended did not prevail.
Congress then proceeded to the consideration of the unfinished business of yesterday; which was the bill to increase the pay of the Provisional Army.
Mr. Harris moved to amend the same by striking out therefrom the words "noncommissioned officers."
Page 563 | Page image
Mr. Sparrow moved to lay the bill and all pending amendments on the table and called the question; which was seconded;
When,
Mr. William Ballard Preston, at the instance of the State of Virginia, demanded that the yeas and nays of the whole body be recorded thereon; which are as follows, to wit:
Yea: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Texas, 7.
Nay: North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia, 3.
Divided: Florida and Missouri, 2.
So the motion to lay on the table prevailed.
On motion of Mr. Sparrow,
Congress then resolved itself into executive session; and having spent some time therein, again resolved itself into legislative session.
The hour of 1 o'clock p. m. having arrived,
Mr. Morehead moved to suspend the consideration of the special order of the day, for the purpose of a call of the States for bills, resolutions, etc.
The motion was not agreed to.
And Congress proceeded to the consideration of the special order of the day; which was
A bill to regulate the mode of filling vacancies of field officers in certain volunteer regiments and battalions.
Mr. Curry moved, as a proviso to the bill, the following, to wit:
Provided, Said appointment of major shall be made from the officers or privates of the battalion or regiment.
On motion of Mr. Harris, the further consideration of the bill was postponed for the present.
Mr. Johnson of Arkansas moved that Congress do now adjourn.
Upon which motion Mr. Curry called for a vote by States.
Page 564 | Page image
And the vote having been taken thereon, resulted as follows, to wit:
Yea: Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, South Carolina, and Virginia, 7.
Nay: Alabama. Louisiana, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas, 5.
So the motion prevailed, and the Chair declared the Congress adjourned until 12 m. to-morrow.
EXECUTIVE SESSION.
Congress being in executive session,
Mr. Garland, from the Committee on the Judiciary, to whom had been referred the nominations of George P. Scarburgh, Walker Brooke. and Thomas C. Reynolds, as commissioners under the act for the sequestration of the property of alien enemies, etc., reported the same back and recommended that Congress advise and consent to the same.
The report was agreed to, and Congress advised and consented to the said nominations.
The Chair presented to Congress the following communication from the President, viz:
Richmond, Va., December 11, 1861.
To the Congress of the Confederate States:
I nominate John G. Walker to be brigadier-general in the Provisional Army, agreeably to the recommendation of the Secretary of War.
JEFFERSON DAVIS.
The communication was referred to the Committee on Military Affairs.
The Chair also laid before Congress a communication from the President, submitting for the constitutional action of the body, treaties recently made with the Chickasaw and Choctaw, Creek, Seminole, and Cherokee tribes of Indians; which were, with the accompanying documents, referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs, with instructions to print such papers relating to the subject as they may think proper.
Congress then resumed business in legislative session.
PREVIOUS SECTION .. NEXT SECTION .. NAVIGATOR
| PREVIOUS | NEXT | NEW SEARCH |