The Senate met at 11 o'clock A. M.
Mr. Semmes, of
La., submitted a resolution, that the
President of the
Confederate States be requested to communicate to the Senate a copy of the report of
Gen. Bragg of the
battle of Chickamauga, with all the reports of subordinates that have been received.
Agreed to.
The following bill was then taken up and considered:
The Congress of the Confederate States of America do enact, That the salaries and compensation of all civil officers and employees in the
Executive Departments at
Richmond, whose compensation or salaries do not exceed the sum of two thousand dollars per annum, shall be increased, from the 1st January, 1864 to 1st July, 1864, one hundred per cent:
Provided the same shall not thereby be increased beyond the rate of three thousand dollars per annum; and the salaries of all civil officers whose compensation is above two thousand dollars, and does not exceed the sum of three thousand dollars per annum, shall for the same period of time be increased fifty per cent.
Mr. Brown, of
Miss., offered the following amendment as an additional clause:
‘
But it is expressly declared that the increased compensation provided for in this act shall not be paid to any officer or employee of the
Government who is liable to perform military duty, or is able to bear arms in the field, unless such officer or employee shall first obtain a certificate from the head of the department in which he is employed that his services are absolutely necessary to the
Government, and that his place cannot be supplied by any one, known to the head of the department, who is not subject to military service; which said certificate shall be filed with the
Secretary of the Treasury before the money is paid; and it shall be the duty of said
Secretary, at the beginning of each session, to communicate a list of all such certificates to Congress.
’
The amendment was agreed to.
Mr. Semmes moved to amend by inserting the words, "in the
President's office and, " after the word "employees." Agreed to.
The bill, as amended, was then passed.
The following bill was then taken up and passed:
‘
A Bill to be entitled an act making allowances for officers of the Navy of the
Confederate States under certain circumstances, and to amend an act entitled an act to provide for the organization of the navy.
Approved March 16th, 1861.
’
- Section I. The Congress of the Confederate States of America do enact, That the commissioned and warranted officers of the Navy of the Confederate States, on duty, are hereby allowed rations, quarters, and fuel, or commutation therefore, as are now or may hereafter he allowed officers of the army, as follows, viz: To Admirals, the same as Generals; to Vice-Admirals, the same as Lieutenant-Generals; to Rear Admirals, the same as Major-Generals; to Commodores and Captains, the same as Brigadier- Generals and Colonels; to Commanders and First Lieutenants, the same as Lieutenant-Colonels and Majors; to Second Lieutenants and Lieutenants for the war, the same as Captains and Chaplains; to Masters and Passed Midshipmen, the same as Lieutenants; and to officers of the medical, pay, and engineer corps, and to boatswains, gunners, carpenters, and sail-makers, the same as to the foregoing officers of the line of the navy with whom they have assimilated rank.
- Sec. 2. That all the navy officers in the foregoing grades shall have the same privilege of purchasing commissary and quartermaster's stores as are now or may hereafter be allowed to officers of the army.
Mr. Clay, of
Ala., presented a communication from the
Confederate States Chief Engineer at
Mobile, submitting a plan for employing slaves in the engineer department, which was referred to the Military Committee.
On motion of
Mr. Hill, of
Ga., the bill fixing the time of the next meeting of Congress on the first Monday in May, 1864, was taken up and passed.
On motion of
Mr. Maxwell, the Senate resolved into secret session.
The doors being reopened, on motion of
Mr. Maxwell, of
Fla., the privilege of the floor of the Senate was extended to
Major General John C. Breckinridge, of Ky.
On motion of
Mr. Clay, of Ala, the Senate adjourned.
The
House met at 11 o'clock, and was opened with prayer by
Rev. Dr. Edwards.
Mr. Goode, of
Va., offered a resolution that a special committee of five be appointed, whose duty it shall be to inquire into the expediency of authorizing the impressment for the use of the army of a share of the pork and bacon held by all persons in the country who have a full supply for the year on hand; said impressment to be made at prices to be agreed upon or to be fixed by local appraisers, without appeal.
The resolution was adopted.
Mr. Wilcox, of
Texas, introduced a bill to authorize commanders of corps to detail field officers as members of court-martials, under certain circumstances.
Also, a bill to authorize the
President to assign judges from one court martial to another; both of which were referred.
Mr. Hartridge, of
Ga., offered a resolution, which was agreed to, that the
President be requested to inform this
House whether authority has been granted by the War Department to any person or persons to raise new companies, battalions, or regiments of troops, since September 27, 1862, in portions of the country in which the conscript law has not been suspended by the
President; and, further, if such authority has been granted, to whom and in how many instances it has been granted, and how many companies, battalions, or regiments have been raised under such authority.
Mr. Dargan, of
Ala., introduced a bill to regulate the fees of
District Attorney and Marshals of the
Confederate States; which was referred.
Mr. Russell, of
Va., offered a resolution that the
Committee on Elections inquire into the expediency of authorizing the citizens of
Maryland serving in the army to elect a delegate to this House, with rights similar to those conferred on delegates from the
Territory of Arizona and from the
Indian nations, and without the power to vote.--The resolution was rejected.
Mr. Zillere offered a resolution that the
Committee on Naval Affairs inquire whether the vessels constructed for harbor defence are adapted to the purpose; and if not, whether steps have been taken to improve those now in process of construction.--A greed to.
Mr. Wilcox, of
Texas, from the Committ-
ee on Military Affairs, reported back a bill to provide payment for horses captured, killed, or permanently disabled in the service.
Mr. Boteler, of
Va., offered a substitute so as to make the bill retroactive in its operation.
The bill and substitute were laid on the table and ordered to be printed.
Mr. Hilton, of
Fla., from the
Committee on Military Affairs, reported back a bill providing that chaplains be allowed to draw forage for one horse.
The rules were suspended and the bill taken up for consideration.
Mr. Farrow, of
S. C., moved to amend the bill so as to allow rations and forage to ministers in regular standing who have been commissioned by
Evangelical Churches to serve as missionaries in the army.
The amendment was first adopted, but a motion to reconsider prevailed and the amendment was lost.
The bill as reported from the Military Committee was then put upon its passage and agreed to.
The
House then went into secret session, and took up for consideration the bill reported from the
Committee on Currency.
