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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 --SIXTEENTH DAY--FRIDAY, March 7, 1862.
OPEN SESSION.
The House met pursuant to adjournment, and was opened with prayer by the Rev. Mr. Ford.
On motion of Mr. Burnett, leave of absence was granted to Mr. Breckinridge, on account of illness in his family.
Mr. Smith of Virginia moved that leave of absence be granted to his colleague, Mr. Chambliss, on account of sickness.
The motion was agreed to.
Mr. Hanly offered the following resolution; which was read and agreed to, to wit:
Resolved, That the Committee on Military Affairs be, and they are hereby, instructed to inquire into the expediency of constructing fortifications forthwith on the Mississippi River, at or near the following points, to wit: Memphis, in the State of Tennessee; Helena, Napoleon, or Montgomery's Point, in the State of Arkansas; Natchez and Vicksburg, in the State of Mississippi and the mouth of Red River, in the State of Louisiana; and that they be, and they are hereby, required to report the result, of their inquiries, by bill or otherwise, at an early day.
Mr. Royston introduced
A bill to repeal all laws imposing a duty upon goods imported into the Confederate States of America from foreign countries, except the United States;
which was read first and second times and referred to the Committee on Commerce.
A message was received from the Senate, by their Secretary, Mr. Nash; which is as follows, to wit:
Mr. Speaker: The Senate have agreed to the following House resolution:
The Senate have also agreed to the following House resolution, with an amendment:
They have also passed the following House bill:
And they have also passed bills of the following titles:
In which bills I am directed to ask the concurrence of the House of Representatives.
Mr. Dawkins presented resolutions of the legislature of Florida, touching a military railroad; which was referred to the Committee on Military Affairs, without being read.
Also, a bill for the relief of Joseph S. Arnow; which was read first and second times and referred to the Committee on Claims.
Mr. Wright of Georgia gave notice that, at the prescribed time, he
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would move to amend the rules of the House by adding thereto the following, to wit:
No member, having made a speech, shall at the conclusion thereof call the question, or the previous question, nor shall any member offering a resolution, or motion, or amendment, call the question thereon, when so offering it.
Mr. Munnerlyn presented the petition of William A. Harris, of Georgia, to establish a post-office on the Isabella and Nashville public road, in Worth County, in that State;
Also, the petition of sundry citizens of Berrien County, Ga., to change the name of the post-office at Griffin's Mills to Video; which were referred to the Committee on Post-Offices and Post-Roads, without being read.
Mr. Villeré offered the following resolution; which was read and agreed to, to wit:
Resolved, That the Committee on Naval Affairs be instructed to inform this House what would be the required appropriation for ten small screw steamers, of light draft, carrying from three to four heavy guns, and when they could be built to the best advantage.
Also, a letter from Peter Marcy in relation to the construction of a Navy; which was referred to the Committee on Naval Affairs, without being read.
Mr. McDowell offered the following resolution; which was read and agreed to, to wit:
Resolved, That the Committee on Military Affairs he instructed to inquire into the expediency of reporting a bill authorizing the State authorities to tender troops to the Confederate Government by brigades.
Mr. Miles presented the memorial of Lieutenant-Colonel Polignac on the subject of an increase of pay in the Army; which was referred to the Committee on Military Affairs, without being read.
Also, a bill to purge the military service of ignorant and inefficient officers; which was read first and second times and referred to the Committee on Military Affairs.
Mr. Gardenhire offered the following resolution, to wit:
Resolved, That when the House is in secret session, the Doorkeeper shall be allowed to retain the assistant doorkeeper.
Mr. Villeré moved to lay the resolution on the table.
The motion prevailed.
Mr. Foote introduced
A bill to support public credit, and for other purposes;
which was read first and second times and referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.
Also, a bill to impose an export duty on cotton and tobacco the growth of the present year, unless the blockade of the ports of the Confederate States shall have Sooner terminated; which was read first and second times and referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.
Also, a bill to prohibit the exportation of cotton or tobacco of the present crop, except in certain cases; which was read first and second times and referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.
Mr. Wilcox presented a communication from Colonel Steele in relation to goods taken from him by the Federal Government; which was referred to the Committee on Claims, without being read.
Mr. Lyons presented
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A bill to regulate the fees of clerks in the courts of the Confederate States;
which was read first and second times and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Mr. De Jarnette presented the memorial of certain citizens of Prince George County, Va., in relation to the depredations of the public enemy on private property; which was referred to the Committee on Claims, without being read.
The Chair presented a message from the President; which was read as follows, to wit:
Executive Department, March 5, 1862.
To the Senate and House of Representative:
I herewith transmit to Congress the report of the Postmaster-General, and invite attention to the recommendations contained therein.
JEFFERSON DAVIS.
On motion of Mr. Wright, the message and the report of the Postmaster-General were referred to the Committee on Post-Offices and Post-Roads, and ordered to be printed.
The Chair presented a message from the President; which was read as follows, to wit:
Executive Department, March 6, 1862.
To the Speaker of the House of Representatives:
I herewith transmit a report from the Secretary of War, in answer to a resolution of the House of Representatives of the 4th instant which I referred to the Department for the information therein contained, or for copies of the reports called for, if they had been received.
JEFFERSON DAVIS.
On motion, the message and accompanying documents were laid on the table.
The House then proceeded to the consideration of joint resolutions relating to the manner of paying members of the Provisional Congress the arrearages of their pay and mileage; which had been returned from the Senate with an amendment.
On motion of Mr. Garland, the resolution and amendment were referred to the Committee on Pay and Mileage.
A message was received from the Senate, by their Secretary, Mr. Nash; which is as follows:
Mr. Speaker: The Senate have passed, without amendment, a bill of this House of the following title, viz:
A bill of the Senate to regulate the destruction of property under military necessity, and to provide for the indemnity thereof, was taken and read the first and second times.
Mr. Smith of Virginia moved to refer the same to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Mr. Chilton demanded the question; which was seconded, and the motion was lost.
On motion of Mr. Hanly,
The rules were suspended; and
The House proceeded to the consideration of the bill; which is as follows, to wit:
The Congress of the Confederate States of America do enact, That the military authorities of the Confederate Army are hereby authorized and directed to destroy cotton,
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tobacco, military and naval stores, or other property of any kind whatever, which may aid the enemy in the prosecution of the war, when necessary to prevent the same, or any part thereof, from falling into the hands of the enemy.
Mr. Pugh moved to amend the same by adding thereto the following words, viz:
And in the order of payment under the sequestration act, the owners of cotton, tobacco, and other property destroyed under the provisions of this act shall be preferred to those persons whose property, rights, and credits, found within the limits of the United States, may be or have been sequestered by the Government of the United States or any State thereof.
Mr. Pugh demanded the question; which was seconded.
Mr. Lyons demanded the yeas and nays.
The demand was sustained,
And the yeas and nays are recorded as follows, viz:
Yeas: Arrington, Ayer, Clapp, Clopton, Curry, Foote, Foster, Lyon, McQueen, Pugh, and Swan.
Nays: Ashe, Barksdale, Batson, Bonham, Boteler, Boyce, Horatio W. Bruce, Burnett, Chilton, Chrisman, Clark, Conrad, Cooke, Crockett, Currin, Dargan, Davidson, Davis, Dawkins, De Jarnette, Dupré, Elliott, Ewing, Farrow, Gaither, Gardenhire, Garland, Garnett, Gartrell, Graham, Gray, Hanly, Heiskell, Herbert, Hilton, Holcombe, Holt, Jenkins, Jones, Kenan of North Carolina, Kenner, Lander, Lewis, Lyons, Machen, Marshall, McDowell, McLean, McRae, Menees, Miles, Moore, Munnerlyn, Perkins, Preston, Pryor, Ralls, Royston, Russell, Sexton, Singleton, Smith of North Carolina, Smith of Virginia, Staples, Strickland, Tibbs, Trippe, Villeré, Welsh, Wilcox, Wright of Georgia, Wright of Texas, and Mr. Speaker.
So the amendment was lost.
Mr. Lyons moved to amend by inserting after the word "indemnity" the words "pro rata with other claimants on the fund."
The vote being taken, the amendment was lost.
Mr. Russell moved to amend by adding the following, to wit:
But no person shall be entitled to indemnity under this act unless he or she shall have used all practicable means to prevent the damage of such seizure of his or her property by the enemy.
The amendment was lost.
Mr. Davis called the question, which was upon ordering the bill to be engrossed for a third reading, and the call being sustained,
The bill was engrossed and read a third time; and
The question being upon the passage of the same,
Mr. Smith of Virginia demanded the yeas and nays; and
The House sustaining the demand, the vote was taken,
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Yeas: Arrington, Ashe, Baldwin, Barksdale, Batson, Bonham, Boteler, Horatio W. Bruce, Burnett, Chilton, Chrisman, Clapp, Clark, Clopton, Conrad, Cooke, Crockett, Currin, Curry, Dargan, Davidson, Davis, Dawkins, Dupré, Elliott, Ewing, Foote, Foster, Gaither, Gardenhire, Garland, Gartrell, Graham, Gray, Hanly, Heiskell, Hilton, Holcombe, Holt, Kenan of North Carolina, Kenner, Lander, Lewis, Lyon, Machen, Marshall, McDowell, McLean, McRae, McQueen, Menees, Miles, Moore, Munnerlyn, Perkins, Pugh, Ralls, Read, Royston, Russell, Sexton, Singleton, Smith of North Carolina, Staples, Strickland, Swan, Tibbs, Trippe, Villeré, Welsh, Wilcox, and Wright of Texas.
Nays: Ayer, Boyce, Farrow, Garnett, Herbert, Jenkins, Jones, Lyons, Preston, Pryor, Smith of Virginia, Wright of Georgia, and Mr. Speaker.
So the bill was passed.
Mr. Russell moved to reconsider the vote on the passage of the bill.
The motion to reconsider did not prevail.
The House then took up for consideration Senate bill to regulate the compensation of members of Congress; which was read the first and second times, and
On motion, the same was referred to the Committee on Pay and Mileage.
Mr. Ralls moved that the House do now adjourn.
The motion did not prevail.
On motion of Mr. Garnett, which was seconded,
The House resolved itself into secret session.a
[Note a: a Journal of secret session of this date not found.]
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