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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 --TWENTY-SIXTH DAY--WEDNESDAY, March 19, 1862.
OPEN SESSION.
The House met pursuant to adjournment, and was opened with prayer by the Rev. Dr. Doggett.
A message was received from the Senate, by the hands of Mr. Nash, the Secretary of that body; which is as follows, to wit:
Mr. Speaker: The Senate have disagreed to the first, second, and third amendments of this House to the bill of the Senate (S. 11) entitled "An act to regulate the compensation of members of Congress," and have agreed to the fourth and fifth amendments.
The Senate have passed a bill of the following title, viz:
In which I am directed to ask the concurrence of this House.
Mr. Bonham moved to suspend the rules for the purpose of taking up for consideration a bill from the Senate to regulate the compensation of members of Congress.
The motion prevailed;
When,
Mr. Bonham moved that the House do recede from its first amendment to the bill.
Upon which he called the question; which was seconded, and
Mr. Curry demanded the yeas and nays; and
The demand being sustained, the yeas and nays are recorded,
Yeas: Baldwin, Bonham, Horatio W. Bruce, Burnett, Chambers, Chilton, Chrisman, Conrad, Conrow, Cooke, Crockett, Dupré, Elliott, Ewing, Farrow, Foote, Garland, Gentry, Gray, Hanly, Harris, Miles, Moore, Pugh, Read, Sexton, Smith of Alabama, Swan, Tibbs, Vest, Villeré, and Wright of Texas.
Nays: Ashe, Atkins, Barksdale, Batson, Boteler, Boyce, Chambliss, Clapp, Clopton, Currin, Curry, Dargan, Davidson, Davis, De Jarnette, Foster, Gaither, Garnett, Gartrell, Hartridge, Heiskell, Herbert, Hilton, Holcombe, Holt, Jenkins, Jones, Kenan of Georgia, Kenan of North Carolina, Kenner, Lander, Lewis, Lyon, Machen, Marshall, Mences, Perkins, Preston, Ralls, Royston, Russell, Singleton, Smith of North Carolina, Strickland, Trippe, Welsh, Wilcox, Wright of Georgia, Wright of Tennessee, and Mr. Speaker.
So the motion was lost.
Mr. Jones moved that the House do adhere to all its amendments to the bill, and called the question.
The House refused to second the call.
Mr. Davis moved to lay the bill and amendments on the table.
The motion was lost.
Mr. Chilton moved that the House do insist on its amendments, and called the question; which was seconded, and the motion prevailed.
The Chair presented a communication from the President; which was read as follows:
Executive Department, March 18, 1862.
To the honorable the Speaker of the House of Representatives:
I herewith transmit a communication from the Secretary of War relative to a resolution of the House of Representatives of the 12th instant, requesting a copy of the report of Maj. Gen. Braxton Bragg, of the bombardment of Pensacola, on the 22d and 23d of November last.
JEFFERSON DAVIS.
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On motion, the message and accompanying documents were laid on the table.
The Chair presented a message from the President; which was read as follows:
Executive Department, March 18, 1862.
To the honorable the Speaker of the House of Representatives:
Sir: I herewith transmit a communication from the Secretary of War relative to a resolution of the 14th instant, requesting a copy of Gen. George B. Crittenden's report of the battle of Fishing Creek.
JEFFERSON DAVIS.
On motion, the message and accompanying documents were laid on the table.
Mr. Royston introduced
A bill fixing the compensation of certain officers therein named;
which was read first and second times and referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.
Mr. Royston offered the following resolution, to wit:
Resolved by the House of Representatives of the Congress of the Confederate States of America, That the regular hour for the meeting of the House shall be nine o'clock antemeridian each day, Sundays excepted.
The resolution was lost.
Mr. Holt presented a letter and two designs for a flag from Mrs, Sarah Thomas Chandler, of Geneva, in the State of Georgia; which were referred to the Committee on Flag and Seal.
Mr. Clapp presented the memorial of sundry citizens of Marshall County, Miss., in relation to Sunday mails; which was referred to the Committee on Post-Offices and Post-Roads, without being read.
Mr. Barksdale presented the memorial of sundry citizens of Pineville and vicinity, in Mississippi, requesting the establishment of a post route from Lake Station, in Scott County, Miss., to Flowers Plain, via Pineville, in Smith County, Miss.; which was referred to the Committee on Post-Offices and Post-Roads without being read.
Mr. Harris offered the following resolution; which was read and agreed to, to wit:
Resolved, That the Committee on Military Affairs be instructed to inquire into the expediency of providing, by pension or otherwise, for the relief of discharged, sick, or disabled soldiers, and for the relief of the families of soldiers and officers who may be killed in battle or die of wounds received or disease contracted in the military service of the Confederate States.
Also, a bill for the relief of the families of soldiers in the service of the Confederate States; which was read first and second times and referred to the Committee on Military Affairs.
Mr. Foote, from the select committee appointed to examine into the disaster at Fort Donelson, to whom was referred
A resolution of thanks to the commanders of regiments and companies and privates engaged in the fight at Fort Donelson, by unanimous consent, reported the same back, with the recommendation that it pass with an amendment.
Mr. Crockett moved to postpone indefinitely the further consideration of the resolution and amendment.
Mr. Pugh moved to lay the resolution and amendment on the table. The motion prevailed.
Mr. Gray offered the following resolution; which was read and agreed to, to wit:
Resolved, That the Committee on Military Affairs be instructed to inquire into the expediency of the Government taking absolute control and management of all railways, with their rolling stock, during the war.
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Mr. Sexton offered the following resolution; which was read and agreed to to wit:
Resolved, That the Committee on Ways and Means be instructed, in case they should find it necessary to report any future bill providing for levying a tax, to inquire into the expediency of prohibiting altogether the taxation of credits; or, in case they should deem this inexpedient, of providing that all holders of promissory notes or evidences of debt, hearing interest, may be authorized, in rendering a list of such notes or evidences of debt for taxation, to deduct therefrom the amount of their indebtedness as principal debtors upon similar notes or evidences of debt, so that they shall be required to pay taxes only upon the excess of their assets above their liabilities.
Mr. Baldwin offered the following resolution; which was read and agreed to, to wit:
Resolved, That the Committee on Claims inquire into the expediency of providing by law for authorizing the War Department to ascertain and pay damages done to private property, real or personal, taken possession of or used in the military service.
Mr. Swan offered
A joint resolution authorizing the preparation of geographical and topographical map;
which was read first and second times and referred to the Committee on Military Affairs.
Mr. Kenner, from the Committee on Ways and Means, by unanimous consent, reported
A bill to provide for the means of the public defense, and for the support of the Government;
which was read first and second times, placed on the Private Calendar,ordered to be printed, and made the special order for Saturday next.
Mr. Pugh, from the Committee on Military Affairs, by unanimous consent, reported and recommended the passage of
A bill to encourage the manufacture of saltpeter and small arms; which was read first and second times, engrossed, read a third time, and passed.
The House then proceeded to the consideration of the special order of the day, which was a bill to carry into effect the latter part of the second clause of the sixth section of the first article of the Constitution of the Confederate States of America, which had been reported back from the Committee on the Judiciary, with an amendment.
The bill having been read as follows, viz:
That the principal officers of each of the Executive Departments be entitled to a seat on the floor of either House, with the privilege of discussing any measure appertaining to his Department;
And the question being upon agreeing to the amendment proposed by the committee, which is as follows, to wit: Add, at the end thereof, the words
But each House reserves to itself the power of prescribing the rules according to which the privilege is to be exercised,
The same was agreed to.
Mr. Kenner moved to amend by inserting after the word "House" the following words, to wit: "during the existence of the present war."
Pending which,
On motion of Mr. Clopton,
The House resolved itself into secret session.
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SECRET SESSION.
The House being in secret session,
Mr. Clopton, by unanimous consent, was allowed to make a verbal alteration in a bill to provide further for the defense of the Bay of Mobile and the Alabama River, by striking out the words "and to cause to be enlisted" and inserting in lieu thereof the words "consisting of."
The Chair presented a message from the President; which was read as follows:
Executive Department, March 18, 1862.
To the honorable the Speaker of the House of Representatives:
I herewith inclose a report of the Secretary of War, supplementary to a report heretofore made by him to the House of Representatives and referred to in that document.
JEFFERSON DAVIS.
On motion of Mr. Miles, the message and accompanying documents were referred to the Committee on Military Affairs and ordered to be printed.
Mr. Miles moved that 2,500 copies of the report of the Secretary of War and the accompanying documents be printed, and injunction of secrecy be removed; which was, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Printing.
Mr. Davis introduced
A bill to amend an act recognizing the existence of war between the United States and the Confederate States, and concerning letters of marque, prizes and prize goods, approved May 6, 1861;
which was read first and second times and referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Mr. Barksdale, from the Committee on Printing, to whom referred a motion to print 2,500 copies of the report of the Secretary of War and accompanying documents, reported favorably on the same; which was agreed to.
On motion of Mr. Wilcox,
The House adjourned until 12 o'clock to-morrow.
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