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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 --NINETEENTH DAY--MONDAY, September 8, 1862.
OPEN SESSION.
The House met pursuant to adjournment, and was opened with prayer by the Rev. Mr. Wellons.
A message from the President was received, by his Private Secretary, Mr. Harrison.
The Chair laid before the House a message from the President; which is as follows, to wit:
I herewith transmit a communication from the Secretary of War in response to resolutions of your body requesting information concerning the prosecution of the work on the railroad for connecting the Richmond and Danville with the North Carolina Railroad, and also concerning certain orders said to have been issued by Maj. Gen. Thomas C. Hindman in the Trans-Mississippi Department.
JEFFERSON DAVIS.
which, with its accompanying document, was read and ordered to be laid on the table and printed.
Also, a message from the President; which is as follows, to wit:
I herewith transmit a letter from the Secretary of War in response to a resolution of the House of Representatives requesting information relative to arrests, by military authority, of citizens of the Confederate States.
JEFFERSON DAVIS.
which, with its accompanying document, was laid upon the table and ordered to be printed.
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Also, a communication from the President; which is as follows, to wit:
Confederate States of America, Executive Department,
September 6, 1862.
To the House of Representatives:
I herewith transmit a letter from the Secretary of War, inclosing a communication from the Quartermaster-General, in response to a resolution of the House of Representatives requesting information relative to the payment of troops. The organization of the Army of the Confederate States gives a paymaster to each regiment by devolving the payment of troops on regimental quartermasters, a system by which we avoid at the same time all danger from delay in payment by the absence of the proper officer, as well as the hazard of transporting large sums of money from camp to camp, as would be the case if a corps of officers were employed for the sole purpose of paying the troops. The failures to pay regularly, as required by regulations, should disappear with the prompt and regular supply of funds to the quartermasters of the different regiments. The ability of the Government to do this, it is hoped, will increase with the further development of the means of the Treasury Department.
JEFFERSON DAVIS.
Confederate States of America, War Department,Richmond, September 5, 1862.
His Excellency Jefferson Davis,
President Confederate States of America.
Sir: I have the honor to inclose a letter from the Quartermaster-General in response to a resolution of the House of Representatives relative to the payment of troops.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
GEO. W. RANDOLPH,
Secretary of War.
Quartermaster-General's Office,
September 3, 1862.
Hon. George W. Randolph,
Secretary of War.
Sir: In reply to the communication of the President to the War Department, accompanying a resolution of the House of Representatives relative to the payment of troops, referred to this office for consideration and report, I have the honor to explain that the Army Regulations do not require the troops to be paid monthly.
Paragraph 1056 is in these words: "The troops will be paid in such manner that the arrears shall at no time exceed two months, unless the circumstances of the case render it unavoidable," etc.
Circumstances have arisen in numerous instances to cause four months, and occasionally six or eight months, to elapse between the dates of payment. This failure to pay is attributable not to the fact that quartermasters do not promptly forward their estimates for the funds requisite, but to the difficulty in obtaining money from the Treasury after requisitions have been sent in, owing to causes which, no doubt, will be fully explained by the honorable Secretary of the Treasury. It not unfrequently happens, though, that, owing to interruption of mail communication between the seat of government and the points at which the quartermasters are stationed, the estimates fail to reach the Department in season to be acted on, so that payment to the troops may not be deferred.
Again, a particular body of troops, after having been estimated for in one military department, may be removed to a different and distant point before the quartermaster's estimate has been acted on or responded to. The quartermaster whose duty it may be to procure funds to disburse to the command to which they are removed will not have embraced them in his estimate, and payment to them will, of course, be delayed.
The practice prevailed with the United States Government to pay troops at the end of every two months; never for a less period were companies mustered for pay.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
A. C. MYERS,
Quartermaster-General.
which was read and, with its accompanying documents, referred to the Committee on Military Affairs and ordered to be printed.
The House then proceeded to the consideration of the special order of business for the morning hour, which was a bill to provide for the further issue of Treasury notes.
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Mr. Kenner of Louisiana called for the question; which was ordered and was upon the amendment offered by Mr. Johnston, striking out the third section.
Mr. Collier asked that the vote be recorded by yeas and nays;
Which being ordered,
Yeas: Arrington, Ashe, Batson, Eli M. Bruce, Chambliss, Chilton, Collier, Conrad, Conrow, Crockett, Dawkins, Ewing, Gaither, Gray, Hanly, Heiskell, Holcombe, Johnston, Lyons, Marshall, McLean, Perkins, Preston, Swan, Vest, Wright of Texas, and Mr. Speaker.
Nays: Baldwin, Barksdale, Bell, Bonham, Boteler, Boyce, Horatio W. Bruce, Chrisman, Clapp, Clark, Clopton, Cooke, Currin, Curry Dargan, Davis. Farrow, Foote, Freeman, Gardenhire, Gartrell, Gentry Goode, Graham, Harris, Hartridge, Herbert, Hilton, Holt, Jones, Kenan of Georgia, Kenan of North Carolina, Kenner, Lander, Lyon, McQueen, Menees, Miles, Moore, Munnerlyn, Pugh, Read, Royston, Russell, Smith of Alabama, Smith of North Carolina, Strickland, Tibbs, Trippe, Villeré, Wilcox, Wright of Georgia, and Wright of Tennessee.
So the amendment was lost.
Mr. Foote moved that the vote by which the amendment was rejected he reconsidered.
Mr. Kenner of Louisiana called for the question: which was ordered, and Mr. Conrad asked that the vote be recorded by yeas and nays;
Which was agreed to,
Yeas: Arrington, Ashe, Ayer, Batson, Boyce, Bridgers, Eli M. Bruce Chambers, Chambliss, Chilton, Collier, Conrad, Conrow, Crockett, Davis, Dawkins, Ewing, Foote, Foster, Gaither, Goode, Gray, Hanly, Heiskell, Hodge, Holcombe, Johnston, Kenan of Georgia, Lyons, Marshall, McLean, McQueen, Menees, Perkins, Preston, Smith of Alabama, Swan, Vest, Welsh, Wright of Texas, W right of Tennessee, and Mr. Speaker.
Nays: Baldwin, Barksdale, Bell, Bonham, Boteler, Horatio W. Bruce, Chrisman, Clapp, Clark, Clopton, Cooke, Currin, Curry, Dupré, Freeman, Gartrell, Gentry, Graham, Harris, Hartridge, Herbert, Hilton, Holt, Jones, Kenan of North Carolina, Kenner, Lander, Lyon, Machen, McDowell, Miles, Moore, Munnerlyn, Pugh, Read, Royston, Russell, Sexton, Smith of North Carolina, Strickland, Tibbs, Trippe, Villeré, and Wright of Georgia.
So the motion to reconsider was lost.
The hour having arrived for the consideration of the special order of the day,
Mr. Kenner moved that its consideration be postponed until the bill under consideration be disposed of; which was agreed to, and Mr. Heiskell called for the question.
The question was ordered, and was upon the amendment offered by Mr. Machen.
The amendment was lost.
Mr. Conrad then moved to amend the third section of the bill by adding at the end thereof the words
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Provided, That until six months after a treaty of peace such payment shall be made in Treasury notes not bearing interest;
which was agreed to.
Mr. Chambliss moved that the fourth section of the bill, which is as follows, be stricken out, viz:
The issue of Treasury notes under the denomination of five dollars is authorized to be extended to ten millions of dollars.
Mr. Kenner called the question thereon; which was ordered, and the motion was lost.
The bill was then engrossed, read a third time, and passed.
Mr. Kenner moved further to postpone the regular special order of the day in order to report a bill from the Committee on Ways and Means; which was agreed to, and Mr. Kenner, from the Committee on Ways and Means, reported a bill making appropriations to comply with the provisions of certain acts of Congress, etc.; which was read the first and second times.
The rules were suspended, and the bill was taken up.
Mr. Jones of Tennessee moved that the rule requiring its consideration in Committee of the Whole be suspended; which was agreed to, and the bill was then engrossed, read a third time, and passed.
Mr. Lyons, by consent, presented a design for a Confederate flag; which was referred to the Committee on the Flag and Seal.
The Chair announced as the additional standing committees under the resolution of Mr. Heiskell the following, to wit:
Mr. Elliott, from the Committee on Enrolled Bills, reported as correctly enrolled
Joint resolution of thanks to Capt. Raphael Semmes, officers, and crew of the steamer Sumter;
And Speaker signed the same.
On motion, leave of absence was granted Mr. Ralls.
The House then proceeded to the consideration of the regular special order of the day, which was a bill to fill up existing companies, squadrons, battalions, regiments, etc.
Pending which,
On motion of Mr. Chambliss,
The House adjourned until 12 o'clock to-morrow.
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