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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 --FIFTY-FOURTH DAY--THURSDAY, January 12, 1865.

Journal of the Congress of the Confederate States of America, 1861-1865 [Volume 7]
FIFTY-FOURTH DAY--THURSDAY, January 12, 1865.

OPEN SESSION.

The House met pursuant to adjournment, and was opened with prayer by the Rev. Dr. Duncan.

The Speaker laid before the House a Senate joint resolution "in relation to the appointment of a joint committee on the subject of exchanges."

The joint resolution was taken up for consideration and passed.

Also, joint resolution "requesting the President to appoint a day of fasting, humiliation, and thanksgiving."

Mr. Ayer moved to refer the resolution to a committee.

The motion to refer was lost, and the resolution was adopted.

Mr. Chrisman, under a suspension of the rules, introduced

A resolution "instructing the Committee on Ways and Means to report a bill to prevent trading in specie;"
which was adopted.

Mr. Sexton, under a further suspension of the rules, from the Committee on Post-Offices and Post-Roads, reported

A bill "to regulate the pay of postmasters;"
which having been read the first and second times, the question was taken on postponing the bill and placing it on the Calendar, and decided in the negative.

The bill was then engrossed, read a third time, and passed.

Mr. Marshall, from the Committee on Military Affairs, reported back, with amendments, Senate bill "to authorize the commanders of the reserves to order and assemble courts-martial and to revise the proceedings thereof;" which was read a first and second time.

The question being on postponing the bill and placing it on the Calendar,

It was decided in the negative.

The bill was read a third time and passed, and the title was read and agreed to.

Mr. Wickham, from the Committee on Military Affairs, reported back Senate bill "authorizing the President to appoint commissioners of exchange," with sundry amendments.

The amendments were concurred in, and the bill was read a third time and passed.

Mr. Lester, under a suspension of the rules, from the Committee on Rules and Officers of the House, reported back the resolution referred to them "authorizing the Clerk of the House to employ an

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additional assistant clerk, provided such clerk shall not be liable to military duty," reported and recommended that the resolution do pass.

The question being on the adoption of the same, the report of the committee was agreed to.

Mr. Rives, under a suspension of the rules, from the Committee on Foreign Affairs, to whom was referred sundry resolutions on the subject of peace, reported back the same with the recommendation that they lie on the table; which was agreed to, and the resolutions were laid on the table.

On motion of Mr. Orr, the House resolved itself into secret session; and having spent some time therein, resumed business in open session.

Mr. Ayer moved that the House adjourn; which motion prevailed, and

The Speaker announced the House adjourned until to-morrow morning at 11 o'clock.

SECRET SESSION.

The House being in secret session,

Mr. Foster moved that the House resolve itself into open session; which motion did not prevail.

Mr. Orr, by consent, from the Committee on Foreign Affairs, reported the following resolutions:

• (1) Resolved, That the independence of the Confederate States of America, based upon the constitutional compact between the sovereign States composing the Confederacy and maintained through nearly four years of gigantic war, justly claims from their former associates and from the world its recognition as a rightful fact.
• (2) Resolved, That we hail with gratification the just and sound sentiment manifested by a large portion of the people of the United States since the last session of our Congress, that all associations of these American States ought to be voluntary and not forcible, and we give a hearty response to their views and wishes for a suspension of the present conflict of arms, and an appeal to the forum of reason, to see if the matters in controversy can not be properly and justly adjusted by negotiation without the further effusion of blood.
• (3) Resolved, That being wedded to no particular or exclusive mode of initiating or inaugurating negotiations looking to a peaceful settlement and adjustment of the questions now in issue between the United States and the Confederate States, it is the judgment of this House that if it should be more agreeable to the Government and people of the United States, or even a large and respectable portion of them, that the question should be submitted to the consideration of commissioners from each State, one or more, in the character of a convention of all the States, than to plenipotentiaries appointed in the usual way, then such a plan of initiating negotiations should be acceded to, or proposed on our side, such convention being acceded to or proposed as an advisory body only, the commissioners or delegates to it, being authorized by the treaty-making power of each Government, respectively, not to form any agreement or compact between States, but simply to confer, consult, and after freely entertaining and hearing all propositions and suggestions, to agree, if possible, upon some plan of peace, to be proposed by them to their respective Governments. The mode of inaugurating negotiations, in the opinion of this House, would be relieved of all possible constitutional objections by the consent of the proper constitutional authorities of the two Governments. With such consent the proposed delegates would but act, in any view of the subject, as commissioners appointed in any other way, to negotiate for peace, and whatever they might agree upon or propose would be subject to.the approval or disapproval of the two Governments, respectively.
• (4) Resolved, Inasmuch as the authorities at Washington have heretofore rejected all formal offers for a free interchange of views looking to negotiations

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  made by our authorities, and as we deem it a high duty not only to our gallant citizen soldiers in the field, but to the whole body of our people, as well as our duty to the cause of humanity, civilization, and Christianity, that the chosen representatives of the people of the several States of the Confederacy upon this floor should omit or neglect no effort in our power to bring about negotiations, if possible: Therefore,

• (5) Be it further resolved, That the President of the Confederate States be informed of these resolves, and that he be requested to grant permission to three persons to be selected by this House (the members from each State voting in such selection by States, and a majority of all the votes being necessary to a choice in each case) to cross our lines, who shall immediately proceed to ask and obtain, if possible, an informal interview or conference with the authorities at Washington, or any person or persons who may be appointed by them to meet the persons so sent on our side, to see if any such plan of inaugurating negotiations for peace, upon the basis above set forth, can be agreed upon; and if not, to ascertain any other or what terms, if any, of a peaceful settlement may be proposed by the authorities at Washington; and the said commissioners shall be authorized to bring into view the possibility of cooperation between the Confederate and United States in maintaining the principles and policy of the Monroe doctrine in the event of a prompt recognition of the independence of the former by the Government of the latter, and to report the result of their efforts and action to the President and to this House; and should this effort fail, we shall have the consolation of knowing that we, in our high and responsible trust, have done our duty. We shall have given assurance to our people that we have done all that we, in our position and capacity, can do to end the strife upon just and honorable principles, and the rejection of the overture by the President of the United States will afford additional evidence to the people of these States that he is waging this unnatural war not for peace or the good of his country, but for the purposes of the most unholy ambition, while it will demonstrate to our people that his object as to them is nothing short of an unconditional subjugation or extinction.

Mr. Perkins, from the same committee, in behalf of himself and his colleague, Mr. Snead, submitted a minority report; which was laid upon the table.

Mr. Orr moved that the resolutions be postponed until Saturday next, made the special order for that day at 12 o'clock, and printed.

Mr. Staples moved to amend the motion of Mr. Orr by striking out the same and inserting in lieu thereof the following, viz:

That the resolutions be postponed until the bill "to amend the act to organize forces to serve during the war" be disposed of.

Mr. Dupré called the question: which was ordered.

Mr. Orr demanded the yeas and Mays:

Which were ordered,

And recorded as follows, viz:
• Yeas ... 42
• Nays ... 38

Yeas: Barksdale, Batson, Baylor, Branch, Burnett, Carroll, Chilton, Chrisman, Clark, Cluskey, Conrad, Conrow, Darden, Dickinson, Dupré, Ewing, Farrow, Foster, Funsten, Gholson, Goode, Gray, Hanly, Hatcher, Hilton, Holliday, Johnston, Lyon, Miles, Miller, Norton, Perkins, Pugh, Read, Rives, Russell, Sexton, Simpson, Staples, Welsh, Wilkes, and Mr. Speaker.

Nays: Anderson, Baldwin, Bell, Blandford, Boyce, Bradley, Eli M. Bruce, Horatio W. Bruce, Clopton, Colyar, Cruikshank, De Jarnette, Echols, Elliott, Fuller, Garland, Gilmer, Holder, Lamkin, J. M. Leach, Lester, Logan, Machen, Marshall, McCallum, McMullin, Menees, Moore, Orr, Shewmake, J. M. Smith, W. E. Smith, Smith of Alabama, Triplett, Turner, Villeré, Wickham, and Witherspoon.

So the amendment of Mr. Staples was agreed to.

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Mr. Lyon submitted the following amendment to the motion of Mr. Orr, as amended:

Add at the end thereof the following: "and until the tax and other bills for the relief of the Treasury shall be disposed of."

Pending which.

Mr. Read moved to reconsider the vote by which the amendment of Mr. Staples was agreed to.

Pending which,

On motion of Mr. McMullin,

The House resolved itself into open session.

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