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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 --FRIDAY, February 22, 1861.
OPEN SESSION.
Congress met pursuant to adjournment.
Prayer was offered up by the Rev. Mr. A. D. Pellicer.
The Journal of yesterday was read and approved.
Mr. Hale laid before Congress a communication relative to a flag for the Confederate States, together with designs for a flag from H. A. Pond; which were referred to the Committee on Flag and Seal.
Mr. Wright introduced a bill to be entitled
An act to form a volunteer division in the Army of the Confederate States of America;
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which was read twice, and on motion of Mr. Wright referred to the Committee on Military Affairs.
Mr. Brooke offered the following resolution:
A resolution for the relief of William P. Barker.
Resolved, That William P. Barker, a citizen of the State of Alabama, be authorized to file in the office of the Attorney-General a specification of an invention claimed to have been made by him as an improvement in the mode of casting ordnance, and that the same shall from this date operate as a caveat to protect his said invention until an application can be made for a patent according to law;
which was read three several times and adopted.
On motion of Mr. Barnwell, Mr. Memminger was excused and relieved from further service on the Committee on Commercial Affairs;
Whereupon, Mr. President appointed Mr. Miles to be a member of said committee.
On motion of Mr. Smith,
Congress went into secret session; and after spending some time therein, adjourned till 12 o'clock to-morrow.
SECRET SESSION.
The Congress being in secret session, the following proceedings were had:
Mr. Shorter offered the following resolution, viz:
Resolved, That the committee to arrange for public buildings be authorized to buy or lease amansion for the residence of the President of the Confederate States;
which was read the first and second times.
On motion of Mr. Conrad, the same was amended by striking out the words "buy or."
Mr. Crawford moved to postpone the resolution indefinitely; which motion was lost.
Mr. Conrad moved to amend the resolution by adding the following words, viz. "Provided, That the rent of said mansion shall not exceed five thousand dollars per annum."
The motion was lost.
The resolution was engrossed, read the third time, and on the question of agreeing to the resolution, the vote having been taken by States is as follows:
Yea: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi.
Nay: Louisiana and South Carolina.
So the resolution was passed.
Mr. Barnwell, from Committee on Finance, reported
A bill to raise money for the support of the Government of the Confederate States; which was read a first and second time and ordered to be printed and placed on the Calendar.
Mr. Clayton, from the Judiciary Committee, reported
A bill in relation to the slave trade, and to punish offenses against the same; which was read the first and second times, ordered to be printed, and placed on the Calendar.
Mr. Clayton, from the same committee, also reported a bill to establish the judicial courts of the Confederate States of America; which was read the first and second times, ordered to be printed, and made the special order for Monday next.
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Mr. Conrad, from the Committee on Naval Affairs, made the following report, to wit:
The Committee on Naval Affairs beg leave respectfully to report that the committee, believing that in the present condition of our affairs, With the limited means at our command and with no navy-yard in our possession except that of Pensacola, which is commanded by the guns of Fort Pickens, any very extensive naval preparations in time to meet the dangers that threaten us are impracticable, have for the present limited their inquiry to such naval means as might serve as auxiliaries to forts and arsenals and cooperate with land forces in the defense of rivers and harbors.
The committee having no means of informing themselves on this subject, and (the Executive Departments, whose appropriate duty it would be to furnish this information, not being yet established) they summoned to their aid several gentlemen of reputation and experience lately attached to the Navy of the United States and another formerly a distinguished officer of the Corps of Engineers, and requested them to prepare a report upon the subject. This report was promptly made, and the committee herewith append it.
The committee think that the suggestions therein contained are highly important and call for immediate action, but, as the duty of carrying them into effect has now devolved upon the Executive, the committee will simply recommend that a copy of this report and of the documents accompanying the same be sent without delay to the President.
On motion of Mr. Conrad, it was ordered that the report, with accompanying documents, be immediately laid before the President.
Mr. Bartow, from the Committee on Military Affairs, reported a bill to provide for the public defense; which was read the first and second times, ordered to be printed, and placed on the Calendar.
Mr. Bartow, from the same committee, reported the following resolution, to wit:
Resolved, That the President of the Confederate States be requested to communicate, in such manner as he may deem expedient, to the governors of South Carolina and Florida the resolution of Congress concerning Forts Sumter and Pickens;
which was read the first and second times, engrossed, read a third time, and agreed to.
On motion of Mr. Brooke, the bill to establish a patent office, and to provide for the granting and issuance of patents for new and useful discoveries, inventions, and improvements, was removed from the Calendar and made the special order of the day for Tuesday next.
Mr. Crawford, from the Committee on Commercial Affairs, to whom was recommitted
A bill to declare and establish the free navigation of the Mississippi River, together with amendments thereto, reported a substitute as an amendment to the same; which, being taken up and the first section having been read,
Mr. Hale moved to amend the same so as to make it read as follows:
The Congress of the Confederate States of America do enact, That the peaceful navigation of the Mississippi River is hereby declared free to the citizens of any of the States upon its borders, or upon the borders of its navigable tributaries; and all ships, boats, rafts, or vessels may navigate the same under such regulations as may be established by law and such police regulations as the States within their several jurisdictions may establish;
which was agreed to.
Mr. Withers moved to amend the first section so as to make the concluding clause of the same read as follows:
and all ships, boats, rafts, or vessels may navigate the same under such regulations as may be established by the States within their several jurisdictions;
which was lost.
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The second section being read as follows:
Mr. Hale moved to amend the same by striking out the words where they occur, viz:
shall forfeit four times the amount of the value of the duties chargeable on the said goods, wares, or merchandise so landed, sold, or disposed of in violation of the provisions of this act, to be recovered,
And to insert in lieu thereof the following words: "and her cargo shall be forfeited and may be seized and sold;"
which amendment was lost.
On motion of Mr. Memminger, the same was amended by adding after the words "it shall be lawful to enter the said goods, wares, and merchandise at any port" the words
or to forward them under bond or seal, according to the regulations customary in such cases, when consigned to any port or place beyond the limits of this Confederacy.
On motion of Mr. Conrad, the section was further amended by inserting after the word "port," where it next occurs after the amendment of Mr. Memminger, the words "and on payment of the duties on said goods to obtain from the collector a license to land at any point on the river."
The fifth section having been read,
On motion of Mr. Walker, the same was amended by inserting after the words "goods, wares, and merchandise," where they first occur, the words "subject to the payment of duty," and after the words "a manifest of the cargo on board," where they first occur, the words "subject to the payment of duties."
On motion of Mr. Harris, the said section was further amended by adding as the hast clause thereof, the following proviso:
Provided, however, That until ports of entry shall be established above the city of Vicksburg, on the Mississippi River, the penalties of this act shall not extend to the delivery of goods above that port by vessels or boats descending said river.
The report of the committee as amended was then adopted in lieu of the original bill.
The bill was then engrossed as amended, read a third time, and passed.
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Mr. Shorter, from the Committee on Engrossment, reported as correctly engrossed and enrolled
An act to prescribe the rates of postage in the Confederate States of America, and for other purposes.
On motion of Mr. Sparrow,
The Congress adjourned until 12 o'clock to-morrow.
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