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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 --THURSDAY, February 21, 1861.
OPEN SESSION.
Congress met pursuant to adjournment.
The Journal of yesterday was read and approved.
Mr. Chilton laid before Congress two communications from William P. Barker; which, on motion of Mr. Chilton, were referred one to the Committee on Military Affairs and the other to the Committee on Patents.
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Mr. Fearn presented to Congress a paper on the subject of an armory from Samuel P. L. Marshall; which was referred to the Committee on Military Affairs.
Mr. Cobb offered the following resolution:
A resolution of inquiry as to an export duty on cotton.
Resolved, That the Committee on Finance be instructed to inquire into the expediency of laying an export duty on all raw cotton which may be exported from the Confederate States to any foreign country by any other channel than through the seaports of this Confederacy;
which was read three times and adopted.
Mr. Shorter, chairman of the Committee on Engrossment, reported as correctly engrossed and enrolled
An act to establish the treasury department;
An act to organize the department of state;
An act to establish the navy department;
An act to establish the war department;
An act to establish the post-office department;
An act to organize and establish an executive department to be known as the department of justice; and
An act to determine the salaries of the Vice-President and of the heads of departments.
On motion of Mr. Harris,
Congress went into secret session; and after remaining some time therein, adjourned till 12 o'clock to-morrow.
SECRET SESSION.
Congress having gone into secret session,
The Journal of yesterday was read and approved.
Congress resumed the consideration of
A bill to be entitled "An act to prescribe the rates of postage in the Confederate States of America, and for other purposes."
Mr. Crawford moved to strike from the first section the following words, to wit: "not exceeding three hundred miles" and further to strike out the words "and for any distance exceeding three hundred miles, double that rate;" which was lost.
On motion of Mr. Waul, the word "three," where it occurs in the first, section, was stricken out and the word "five" inserted in lieu thereof.
Mr. Crawford moved to strike out the following words, they being the last sentence of the second section, to wit:
The publishers of newspapers or periodicals may send to each other, from their respective offices of publication, free of postage, one copy of each publication;
which was lost, the States voting as follows:
Yea: Florida, Mississippi, and South Carolina, 3.
Nay: Alabama, Georgia, and Louisiana, 3.
On motion of Mr. Chilton, the following was adopted as the beginning of the first section, viz:
The Congress of the Confederate States of America do enact, That from and after such period as shall be announced by the proclamation of the Postmaster-General there shall be charged the following rates of postage, to wit:
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Mr. Cobb moved to amend the bill by adding the following as additional sections, to wit:
Be it further enacted, That every deputy postmaster at whose office any mail matter is delivered from any contractor, or other officer, or agent, in the postal service of the United States of America, which matter shall have upon it the postage stamps of the said United States, shall forward the said matter by due course of mail, without prepayment of postage, to this Confederacy. And all deputy postmasters in the Confederate States to whose office such mail matter shall come, shall collect on all such matter, before delivery, the postage due thereon under the rates established by this act.
And be it further enacted, That it shall be the duty of all the deputy postmasters appointed under this Confederacy to deliver any mail matter directed to offices without the territorial limits of this Confederacy and within the United States to any contractor, or other officer, or agent, in the postal service of the said United States.
Pending discussion thereon,
The following communication was received from the President:
Mr. President: The President has approved and signed on this day the following bills which passed the Congress:
ROBERT JOSSELYN,
Private Secretary.
February 21, 1861.
On motion of Mr. Stephens, Congress went into executive session; and after spending some time therein, resumed the consideration of business in secret session.
Mr. Hale moved to amend the amendment offered by Mr. Cobb by substituting for Mr. Cobb's amendment the following:
Be it further enacted, That the Postmaster-General of the Confederate States be, and is hereby, authorized to make all necessary arrangements for the transmission of mails between the territories of this and other governments, subject to the approval of the President, until postal treaties can be effected;
which was agreed to, the vote thereon being taken by States with the following result:
Yea: Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina, 5.
Nay: Georgia, 1.
The question then recurred on the adoption of Mr. Hale's amendment as an additional section of the bill, and which was agreed to.
Mr. Conrad moved to amend by adding the following additional sections, to wit:
Be it further enacted, That until such arrangement be made that every deputy postmaster at whose office any mail matter is delivered from any contractor, or other officer, or agent, in the postal service of the United States of America, which matter shall have upon it the postage stamps of the said United States shall forward the said matter by due course of mail without the prepayment of postage, to this Confederacy. And all deputy postmasters in the Confederate States to whose office such mail matter shall come, shall collect on all such matter, before delivery, the postage due thereon raider the rates established by this act.
Be it further enacted, That it shall be the duty of all the deputy postmasters appointed under this Confederacy to deliver any mail matter directed to offices without the territorial limits of this Confederacy and within the United States to
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any contractor, or other officer, or agent, in the postal service of the said United States.
The vote being taken on the amendment by States is as follows:
Yea: Florida, Georgia, and Louisiana.
Nay: Alabama, Mississippi, and South Carolina.
Mr. Crawford for the State of Georgia moved to reconsider the vote taken by States upon the motion to strike out the last clause of the second section of the bill; which was lost, the States voting as follows:
Yea: Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina, 3.
Nay: Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi, 3.
The bill as amended was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading; which having been done and read a third time, was passed.
On motion of Mr. Kenner, it was ordered that when the act prescribing the rates of postage for the Confederacy shall be published that the report of the Committee on Postal Affairs relative thereto be also published with the act.
On motion of Mr. Stephens,
Congress adjourned till 12 o'clock to-morrow.
EXECUTIVE SESSION.
The Congress having gone into executive session, the following communication was received from the President, viz:
Executive Department,
Montgomery, Ala., February 21, 1861.
Hon. Howell Cobb,
President of the Congress.
Sir: I hereby transmit for the advice of the Congress the following nominations, to wit:
JEFF'N DAVIS.
The question being,
Will Congress advise and consent to the nominations made by the President as above communicated?
It was unanimously decided in the affirmative.
There being no further executive business, the Congress resumed the consideration of the business upon the Calendar.
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