Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-07-04
VIRGINIA Stair CONvEN ZION.
SECOND SESSION.
" ID ~Y-TCOETIECED1

Daft ~ Inc StGte.
Tue PREslDENr.-Therc is portion Of ths
ordinance in which occurs q blank, and il read.
as follows:
"Ihe Governor shall issue commissions tt
the captains Of companies that have been duly
elected, and are ready for service; but sucl
companies may be mustered into service be
fore -----aud without waiting
for such commissions"
| Mr.. Woops.-I move to fill the blank by
the insertion Of the words, III Justice O! tbe
Peace"
Mr.. PRIcg.-Tbat would exclude The Az
shority Of q field otlic cr. l therefore more.to
amend the amendment by adding the words,
"a Geld officer or" so that it will read, may
DO mustered into service before a justice o! tie
peace or a field officer. und without waiting
FOL. such commissions"
Mr.. Woops.-I accept the amendment.
The motion to ill the blank was agreed
| to.
Mr.. Woops.-I desire to make two or three
additional amendments.
In the second section, third line, after the
word company" aGd the words ''ot infantry
or mounted men,"
The amendment was agreed TO.
Mr.. WooDs.-In the third section, first line,
after tho word FURNISH" insert ti,o words
their horses"
The amendment vas agreed IT,.
Mr.. WooDs.-1n the fourth section, first
liue, which now reads, "lhe Governor shall
issue commissions to captains" &c, strike out
the word "shall" and insert "may."
The amendment vas agreed to.
In the same section, after the word "cap.
tains," insert the words land lientausnts."
The amendment was agreed to.
In the fifth section, after the word ARMS
in the first line, inser. the words "horses or
.qaipage," SO that, as amended, it will read,
"sny arms, horses, or cquipage furnished by
such volunteers, which may be lost or injured
in the service, Shall be paid for by tue State"
Tho amendment was agreed to.
NJ. WuITFIELD.-It is not my intention 10
| detain the Convention, but | desire to state that
| believe this ordinance, if passed, is calculated
TO derange our entire military organization. |
know nothing Of military %atf.irs; but,a as | under
stand, it is proposed to enlist mon 10 serve three
months 10 a certain locality, liable to be trans
ierred from the East to the West or from the
West to the East, besides which they may be
exempted from q draft made by the State. TO
prevent this, | move the following amendment:
land that the companies raised by this ordt
nance shall not be compelled to serve beyond
the sections in which the said companies may
reside, provided that nothing herein contained
shall exempt any member Of said companies
from being drafted uuder the militia laws OF the
State"
NJ. GARNErr.-l object TO, at least, one por'
ton Of the amendment which has just been OF.
fsred.
think ne may as we'll give up the war it,
sell If we are to depend, for the defence OF the
State, upon the militia, for in their present IN
complete state Of organization, a more iaeth
cient force cannot be brought into use.
think tho ordinance we'll enough as il stands.
II was submitted to the highest military au'
thoritv in the State and approved in all its pro.
| visions, aud the ordinance iIstl[ was prepared
after the consultation with gentlemen both in
this house and out OF 1t, WHO fully concurred
in the necessity Of its provisions.
Mr.. BALDwiS.-Mr. Prcsidentit seems 10 me
that this Convention is about 10 rush into leg
~islatiou, upon q matter of more magnitude than
it is aware Of. | have supposed that the war
in which VIC are engaged is not merely a Wal
Of Virginia, but u war OF the Confederate
State, and that it was to be conducted under
the authority End according 10 the directions
Of the general government. That has been
my impression. | have also believed that ii
was 70 DO conducted at the expense of the
Confederate States. Now, SIT, it happens that
the seat of this war is upon our own t~urrit5.S
The Commonwealth will consequently be
subjected 10 serious losses, which must bt
borne BIZ her alone, and will not fall IN eny
degree upon any other Of the Confederate
States. Our people will sufr:r from pecuni"ry
losses tina. vii, be confined to them alone. In
this view Of the case, it seems 10 Inc that EIr-
sinia ought to be ready 10 transfer to the ser
vice Of the Confederated States, wiz, prompt.
ness and ~alacrlty, all the military strength, SC
! that she need not incur in this reSpec: my Of
charges of the war. Suppose we raise Ten
thousand troops, how can we calculate the
| expenses chargeable to The State and the ecu
| eraI Government. unless they are placed At the
disposal Of tea, G vernnent. Here it is pro-
posed to cali into the ie!d three months vo!ua
! teers, who ar, to come armed With their own
guns, TO bring their own horses and DO paid
from tho treasury Of tho State Of Virginia.
no: only paid for their own services, but paid
Tor the lUss Of their guns, their horses and
! their equipments, should such result in the
cxigencies Of the var. Now, sir, l ask where
is the propriety of Virginia maintaining Ill
army Of ten or fifteen or twenty thousand
troops. Ii the troops are wanted, and | sup
pose We shall need oil we can get, our true
policy is, if I'VE have resources OF this cAarac
ter, to ctr.r them to the military authorities Of
the Confederate States, ~ a part Of our con.
tributious to6ards the common cause, and asi
The Government to accept them in the common
service and pay them from the ccnrnon fund.
But il VIC are to constitute u separate army,
organized and acting independently Of the
army of the Confederate States, without regard
to the regulations, which govern that army or
lis officers, to be payed for by the State, we shall
not only incur a great and unnecessary ex'
pensc, but experience the utmost confusion in
our " and the service Of the COnfedeTacy.
This Convention, in its anxiety to contribute
to the common cause, seems " forget that the
true policy is to give, to the common govern.
mens conducting tho war, and representing
the entire Confederacy, such powers over the
military as they may require. Not only THIS.
but it appears to have been forgotten that we
nay bankrupt the State. By sutjscting it to
expense for which we can never ask any re-
Enumeration from the Confederate government
Suppose We should 50 before Congress at
any time in the future, and with this ordinance
in our hand, aad ask compensation for the
volunteers raised under it's provisions-What
answer would be made to usY Why we should
be told, this is your own military organization
and wo have nothing to do with it You have
seen fit to wage war on your r account, and
you must pny for it. This must be the result,
I say then, again, wc aro going into o mas-
ter of more Importance than members are
aware Of, and 1t would be the part Of prudence
to examine well into all circumstances sur
rounding this ordinance before We consent to
an outlay Of millions CT dollars, which proper.
~ come within the scope Of expenditure by the
General Government. We have already recog.
nizcd it as responsible for the conduct OF the
var, aud the efficient organization Of The en-
tire military furce in the field, and it is but
courteous to that government that VIC should
canEr- Nth than 70 learn how Ear these trnacs