| PREVIOUS | NEXT | NEW SEARCH |
A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774-1875
Journal of the Confederate Congress --EIGHTY-FIFTH DAY--SATURDAY, April 25, 1863.
OPENS SESSION.
The House met pursuant to adjournment, and was opened with prayer by the Rev. Mr. Duncan.
The Speaker announced that the first business in order was the election of a clerk of the House to succeed Robert E. Dixon, deceased.
Mr. H. W. Bruce nominated Albert R. Lamar, of the State of Georgia.
No other person being placed in nomination, the House proceeded to vote, and
Mr. Lamar was unanimously elected.
The Speaker then administered to Mr. Lamar the oath of office, and he entered upon his duties.
Mr. Hodge, by unanimous consent, introduced the following preamble and resolution; which were adopted, viz:
Whereas the House of Representatives has been deprived of a most faithful public officer in the death of its late clerk, Robert E. Dixon, and it is meet on so solemn an occasion that it should honor the dead who served it while living: Therefore,
Resolved, That his funeral expenses and cost of transportation be paid out of the contingent fund of the House, and that his body be transmitted under the care and superintendence of the Doorkeeper to his family at their residence in Columbus, Georgia.
Mr. McQueen moved to reconsider the vote by which Mr. Chilton's amendment to the resolution offered by Mr. Garnett, relative to the call of committees, had been adopted; which was agreed to.
Mr. H. W. Bruce moved to reconsider the vote just taken.
The motion was lost.
The Speaker laid before the House the following Senate resolution, viz:
Resolved (the House of Representative concurring), That the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives adjourn their respective Houses, sine die, on Friday, the first day of May next, at two o'clock postmeridian.
Page 421 | Page image
Mr. McQueen moved to strike out "Friday, the first day of May," and insert "Tuesday, the twenty-eighth day of April," and upon his motion called the question; which was ordered.
Mr. Conrad demanded the yeas and nays;
Which were ordered,
Yeas: Arrington, Ashe, Bell, Boyce, Chilton, Clopton, Conrow, Curry, Farrow, Foote, Foster, Garland, Goode, Heiskell, Holt, Kenan of North Carolina, McLean, McQueen, McRae, Munnerlyn Royston, Simpson, Singleton, Smith of Alabama, Smith of North Carolina, Staples, Swan, Trippe, Wright of Georgia, and Wright Tennessee.
Nays: Atkins, Baldwin, Barksdale, Batson, Boteler, Eli M. Bruce, Horatio W. Bruce, Chambers, Clapp, Collier, Conrad, Crockett, De Jarnette, Elliott Ewing, Freeman, Gaither, Garnett, Graham, Gray, Hanly, Harris, Hartridge, Herbert, Hilton, Hodge, Jones, Kenner, Lewis, Machen, Menees, Miles, Moore, Perkins, Preston, Pugh, Read, Russell, Sexton, Vest, Villeré, Welsh, Wilcox, Wright, of Texas, and Mr. Speaker.
So the motion was lost.
The question recurring on the passage of the resolution,
Mr. H. W. Bruce demanded the yeas and nays;
Which were ordered,
Yeas: Arrington, Ashe, Barksdale, Batson, Bell, Boyce, Chambers, Clopton, Collier, Conrad, Conrow, Crockett, Curry, Elliott, Farrow, Foote, Freeman, Garland, Graham, Hanly, Harris, Heiskell, Herbert, Hodge, Holt, Kenan of North Carolina, Lewis, McLean, McQueen, McRae, Miller Moore, Munnerlyn, Pugh, Read, Royston, Sexton, Simpson, Singleton, Smith of Alabama, Smith of North Carolina, Staples, Trippe, Wright of Georgia, Wright of Tennessee, and Wright of Texas.
Nays: Atkins, Baldwin, Boteler, Eli M. Bruce, Horatio W. Bruce, Chilton, Clapp, Ewing, Foster, Gaither, Garnett, Goode, Gray, Hartridge, Hilton, Jones, Kenner, Machen, Miles, Perkins, Preston, Russell, Swan, Vest, Villeré, Welsh, Wilcox, and Mr. Speaker.
So the resolution was agreed to.
Mr. Curry moved to reconsider the vote just taken, and thereupon called the question; which was ordered.
Mr. Conrad demanded the yeas and nays; which were not ordered.
Mr. Curry's motion to reconsider was lost.
Mr. Conrad asked leave to change his vote on the passage of the resolution, upon the ground that he had voted in the affirmative for the purpose of moving a reconsideration.
Objection was made, and Mr. Conrad was not permitted to change his vote.
The Speaker laid before the House a communication from the Secretary of the Treasury, respecting the produce loan; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.
The Speaker also laid before the House a communication from the Attorney-General relative to certain claims; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.
Page 422 | Page image
Mr. H. W. Bruce, from the Committee on Enrolled Bills, reported as correctly enrolled
And the Speaker signed the same.
Mr. Chambers, from the same committee, reported as correctly enrolled
And the Speaker signed the same.
A message was received from the Senate, by Mr. Nash, their Secretary; which is as follows, to wit:
Mr. Speaker: The Senate have passed, without amendment, bills of this House of the following titles, viz:
Mr. Hartridge introduced the following joint resolutions; which were read the first and second times and referred to the Committee on Military Affairs, viz:
Joint resolution of thanks to the officers and soldiers engaged in the defense of Fort McAllister, Georgia.
The Congress of the Confederate States do resolve, That the thanks of Congress are due, and are hereby tendered, to the officers and soldiers engaged in the defense of Fort McAllister, Georgia, on the first February and third March last, for the gallantry and endurance with which they successfully resisted the attacks of the iron-clad vessels of the enemy.
Resolved further, That the foregoing resolution be communicated by the Secretary of War to the general commanding the Department of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, and by him made known in appropriate general orders to the officers and troops to whom they are addressed.
Mr. Gray introduced
A bill to be entitled "An act supplementary to an act to raise money for the support of the Government, and to provide for the defense of
Page 423 | Page image
the Confederate States of America, approved February twenty-eighth, eighteen hundred and sixty-one;"
which was read first and second times and referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.
Mr. Wilcox introduced
A bill to be entitled "An act to change the place of holding the district court for the western district of Texas;"
which was read first and second times and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Mr. Wilcox presented a memorial from officers and members of Company B, Seventh Regiment Texas Mounted Volunteers (Third Regiment of Sibley's brigade), asking compensation for horses and equipments lost in the service; which was referred to the Committee on Claims.
Mr. Boyce presented a memorial from sundry clerks in the Executive Departments, asking for an increase of salary; which was referred to the Committee on Claims.
Mr. Lyons presented a petition from Nicholas Carroll and others in relation to liquors seized and confiscated by the provost-marshal of Richmond; which was referred to the Committee on Claims.
Mr. Machen offered the following resolution; which was adopted, viz:
Resolved, That the Committee on the Judiciary be instructed to inquire into the expediency of prohibiting by law the trade carried on between citizens of the Confederate States and the United States, and report by bill or otherwise.
Mr. Royston presented a joint preamble and resolutions adopted by the general assembly of Arkansas relative to the erection of a manufactory of clothing for the army of the Trans-Mississippi Department; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.
Mr. Bell introduced
A bill to be entitled "An act to fix the salary of the Commissioner of Patents;"
which was read first and second times and referred to the Committee on Patents.
Mr. Herbert introduced the following resolution; which was read first and second times and referred to the Committee on Military Affairs, viz:
Resolved, That the thanks of the country are due to Major O. M. Watkins and the gallant officers and men under his command for the brilliant victory achieved by them on the twenty-first day of January, eighteen hundred and sixty-three, off Sabine Pass, attacking two of the enemy's gunboats and capturing them thirty miles at sea.
Mr. Russell offered the following resolution; which was adopted, viz:
Resolved, That the President be requested to inform the House whether, in executing the act of October eighth, eighteen hundred and sixty-two, to repeal the law authorizing commutation of clothing and requiring clothing to be provided by the Secretary of War in kind, he has caused the soldiers to be charged with the value or cost of the clothing furnished to them by the Government, and whether the soldiers are required to pay or account for the price or cost of any such clothing.
Mr. Russell also introduced the following resolution; which was adopted, viz:
Resolved, That the President be requested to communicate to the House the reports of the battle of McDowell.
Page 424 | Page image
Mr. Barksdale introduced the following resolution; which was adopted, viz:
Resolved, That the President be requested to furnish this House with a copy of the finding of the court of inquiry in the case of Commander John K. Mitchell, Confederate States Navy, in command of certain vessels at New Orleans during the attack on that city.
Mr. Wright of Georgia presented a series of resolutions passed by the legislature of Georgia, recommending an increase in the pay of soldiers.
The resolutions were read and referred to the Committee on Military Affairs.
Mr. Trippe presented a series of resolutions passed by the legislature of Georgia relative to running the blockade between the Confederate States and United States, and requesting the Senators and Representatives from Georgia to secure the passage of an act of Congress to prevent the same.
The resolutions were referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Mr. Garland presented a memorial from Johannes Roth and others in relation to the ship Princess Royal.
The memorial was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Mr. Curry presented a memorial from the Alabama Baptist State Convention in favor of such legislative enactments as will prevent the unnecessary violations of the Sabbath.
The memorial was referred to the Committee on Post-Offices and Post-Roads.
Mr. Boteler presented a memorial from Capt. David Meade relative to the loss of $1,000, of which he asked to be relieved by Congress.
The memorial was referred to the Committee on Claims.
Mr. Goode presented a petition from sundry citizens of Pittsylvania County, Va., in relation to the arrest of deserters.
The petition was referred to the Committee on Military Affairs.
Mr. Trippe presented a design for a Confederate flag; which was referred to the Committee on Flag and Seal.
Mr. Barksdale presented a design for a Confederate flag; which was referred to the same committee.
Mr. Atkins presented a design for a Confederate flag; which was also referred to the same committee.
Mr. Barksdale, under a suspension of the rules, reported back from the Committee on Printing a Senate bill (S. 13) to be entitled "An act in relation to the public printing," with a recommendation that it do pass.
The question upon postponing the further consideration of the bill and placing it upon the Calendar being decided in the negative,
The bill was taken up, and having been read as follows, viz:
A bill to be entitled "An act in relation to the public printing."
Page 425 | Page image
of the journals shall not contain unnecessary breaks, blanks, or paragraphs, but all matter relating to one subject shall be included within the same paragraph, according to the usual rules in relation to ordinary composition. The Attorney-General shall arrange the acts and resolutions under appropriate titles, affix marginal notes to each section, and index the same. Three thousand copies of said acts and resolutions shall be printed in form and style equal in every respect to the laws of the United States as annually published by Little & Brown. Fifteen hundred copies of the journal of each House shall be printed on good paper, in small-pica type, the text of which shall be in pages of fifty printed lines, exclusive of folio, and containing twenty-nine ems to the line. The index, in pages of same size, shall be printed in bourgeois or brevier: Provided, That no proposals for the printing of the journals shall be made until further ordered by Congress. The Attorney-General shall advertise one time, in one paper published at the capital of each State, or other place, as he may deem advisable, within said State, for sealed proposals for the delivery to him, at his office, on or before a day to be designated, of the acts and journals complete, in accordance with the above specifications. Said proposals shall state the rate per page for the text and the index, separately, at which the person offers to contract; and the party offering to perform said work for the least sum shall be entitled to receive the same. The printing of the acts and journals shall not necessarily be embraced in a single contract, but the acts may be awarded to one person, and the journals, or either of them, to other bidders. The persons obtaining such contracts shall enter into bond with good securities, in such amount and within such time as the Attorney-General may require, conditioned for the faithful performance of their contracts. Should any party fail to execute a bond as required, his contract shall thereby be forfeited at the option of the Attorney-General, and the party rendered liable for damages for such failure. Upon forfeiture of any contract, another may be made with the next lowest bidder, and so on until the list of bidders is exhausted, or the Attorney-General may again advertise for other proposals. Should no proposal for all or any part of said work be reasonable, the Attorney-General may reject them, and report the fact to the next session of Congress. Any person obtaining a contract may print and sell, on his own account, any number of said acts or journals.
Page 426 | Page image
body thereof shall not be printed on type smaller than long primer nor larger than small pica, and for such work the Public Printer shall receive the following compensation: For composition, one dollar and twenty-five cents per-one thousand ems; for presswork, folding, and stitching, one dollar and twenty-five cents per token. Bills and resolutions upon which final action is yet to be taken shall be printed in small-pica type, in pages eight inches long by four and a half inches wide, the lines of each section numbered in the margin, and with space between the lines not wider than a bourgeois line. For the composition on such work the Public Printer shall receive one dollar per one thousand ems; for the presswork, folding, and stitching, one dollar per token. The pay for yeas and nays shall be fifty cents per one hundred copies for either House. The compensation for all miscellaneous printing ordered by Congress shall be one dollar and twenty-five cents per one thousand ems, and presswork of the same one dollar and twenty-five cents per token. For all strictly rule-and-figure work the compensation for composition shall be one hundred per cent higher than for plain work. Composition shall be charged but once for documents ordered by each House of Congress unless the type has been distributed.
Page 427 | Page image
Mr. Perkins offered the following amendment.
Provided, That nothing contained in this act shall be so construed as to take from the Speaker of the House the right to revise and correct the said Journal before it is filed with the Attorney-General: And provided further, That he is authorized to employ such additional clerks for making the transcripts as he may deem necessary, to be paid out of the contingent fund of the House;
which was agreed to.
Mr. Baldwin moved to postpone the further consideration of the bill until Tuesday next, and that it be printed; which was agreed to.
Mr. H. W. Bruce, from the Committee on Enrolled Bills, reported as correctly enrolled the following Senate bills:
And the same were signed by the Speaker.
Mr. Hilton introduced
A bill to be entitled "An act to increase the rank, pay, and allowance of adjutants of regiments and independent battalions;"
which was read first and second times and referred to the Committee on Military Affairs.
Mr. Welsh introduced
A bill to be entitled "An act to declare that martial law can not exist within the Confederate States, and prescribing a penalty for declaring the same;"
which was read first and second times and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Mr. Smith of North Carolina introduced
A bill to be entitled "An act to provide for the payment of certain claims against the Confederate States, and making appropriation therefor;"
which was read first and second times and referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.
Mr. Conrad moved that the consideration of reports from the Committee on Naval Affairs be made the special order at 12 o'clock m. on Tuesday next.
The motion was agreed to.
Mr. Miles introduced
A bill to be entitled "An act to improve the condition of railroads, and to facilitate transportation;"
which was read first and second times and referred to the Committee on Commissary and Quartermaster's Departments.
Mr. Kenner moved that Monday next be set apart for the consideration of reports from the Committee on Ways and Means; which was agreed to.
Mr. Chambers, from the Committee on Military Affairs, to which had been referred
A bill to be entitled "An act to provide for the compensation of persons employed by commanding generals as provost-marshals from civil life,"
reported the same back, asked to be discharged from the further consideration thereof, and that it do lie upon the table; which was agreed to.
Page 428 | Page image
Mr. Chambers, from the same committee, reported
An act to provide compensation for certain provost-marshals, commandants of posts, and provost guards;
which was read first and second times.
Messrs. Welsh, Read, and Vest asked leave to attend a coroner's inquest, with the privilege of recording their votes on the pending question when they returned.
The leave of absence as asked for was granted.
The question upon postponing the further consideration of the bill and placing it upon the Calendar being decided in the negative,
The bill, which is as follows, was taken up for consideration:
A bill to be entitled "An act to provide for compensation to certain provost-marshals, commandants of posts, and provost guards."
The Congress of the Confederate States do enact, That persons who have been appointed provost-marshals and commandants of posts from civil life by the commander of a department shall receive a rate of compensation for the time actually in service, not to exceed the pay of a captain of infantry. Persons taken from civil life to serve as provost guards shall receive the same rate of compensation for the time of actual service that is allowed to soldiers of the Provisional Army for a like grade of service: Provided, That such compensation shall be made under rules and regulations to be prescribed by the Secretary of War.
Mr. Gray moved to amend the bill as follows, viz: After the word "Department," in the fourth line, insert "in places where the writ of habeas corpus was suspended by the President, under authority of Congress."
The amendment was agreed to.
Mr. McRae moved to amend the bill as follows, viz: Add at the end of the first section
Provided, That in cases in which officers who have been in the military service of the States, and whose terms as State officers had expired, have been appointed commandants of posts by commanding generals of departments, the pay of such commandants of posts shall be the same as that of officers of the Provisional Army of the Confederacy of similar rank to that which those officers held in the State service.
Mr. Hanly moved that the House adjourn.
Mr. De Jarnette demanded the yeas and nays;
Which were ordered,
Yeas: Baldwin, Barksdale, Boteler, Eli M. Bruce, Clapp, Collier, Conrow, Currin, De Jarnette, Ewing, Farrow, Freeman, Gaither, Goode, Graham, Hanly, Herbert, Hodge, Holt, Lyons, Machen, McQueen, McRae, Miles, Moore, Munnerlyn, Preston, Pugh, Russell, Sexton, Simpson, Singleton, Villeré, Wilcox, Wright of Georgia, and Wright of Texas.
Nays: Arrington, Ashe, Atkins, Batson, Bridgers, Horatio W. Bruce, Chambers, Chilton, Clopton, Conrad, Curry, Garnett, Gray, Heiskell, Hilton, Jones, Kenner, Lewis, Marshall, Menees, Perkins, Royston, Smith of North Carolina, Staples, Strickland, and Trippe.
So the motion prevailed.
And the House, at half past 2 o'clock p. m., adjourned to 11 o'clock a. m. on Monday next.
PREVIOUS SECTION .. NEXT SECTION .. NAVIGATOR
| PREVIOUS | NEXT | NEW SEARCH |