Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1864-02-17
Proceedings Of the House of Representatives
in Secret Session ON the Military Bill.

Proceedings Of the House Of Representatives
in Secret Session the Military Bill.
Yesterday the injunction of secrecy on the mill
tary bill in the House Of Representatives was dis
solved, and the bill, as amended, returned to the
Senate. We. have the following synopsis of the
House proceedings in secret session:
TIE first section of the bill was amended by re-
dncipg the maximum of the military age from fifty
five to .forty.fve;" requiring that such persons
shall be in the military service for the war, in tho
JislG' &c.
The following substitute for section two, offered
by Mr.. Chiffon, of Alabama was adopted: |
"All duties as provost and hospital guards, and
clerks or as clerks, guards assistants, employees
or labourers, in the commssary and quartermaster
departments, in the ordnance and medical bureaus,
and in the execution Of the enrolment acts, and all
similar duties, shall hereafter he performed by per-
sons Who have been disabled from active service in
the field, end who, by board of surgeons, shall
have been reported fit for these duties; and when
these shall have been exhausted the President shall
call upon the Governors of the several States for
the quotas of persons required to make up the
number needed for the performance of the above
mentioned duties, which quotas shall be taken from
persons not liable to military service in the army OF
the Confederate States" d"
In the fourth section, among the list of exempts,
are included, by amendment offered by Mr.. Simp-
son, of South. Carolina, officers Executive and
Judicial Of the Confederate and State governments,
except such State officers as tine several States may
have declared may hereafter declare, by law, to
be liable to military duty"
An amendment with reference to the exemption
of the press, offered by Mr.. Funston of Virginia
was adopted. 1t extends the exemption q one
editor, formerly limited to newspapers published on
the 10th of April, 1862, to those published "prior
to that date and since the beginning of the war;
said editor to be a practical printer''
On motion of Mr.. Smith, Of North.C Carolina, the
following was added to the list of exempts: 1.-THE
public printer and those employed to perform the
public printing for the Confederate and State 60
vernment"
In contrast with its illiberality to the press we
have the following amendment engineered by Mr..
Holcombe of Virginia, and professor in the Uni.
versity of Virginia, extending exemption to new
Glass; viz: "all presidents and teachers of colleges
academies, and theological seminaries, who have
been regularly engaged as such for two years pre-
vious to the passage Of this act PROVIDED that the
benefit of this exemption shall extend to those
teachers only whose schools are composed OF twenty
students or more"
Physicians over the age Of thirty five years are
exempted, mot including dentists"
On motion of Mr.. Smith, of North. Carolina, the
following was inserted:
"AEdfor necessary subsistence there shall be also
exempt one white man, the head of q family OF
eight or more white persons who are dependent on
his labour for support"
The following vas inserted in the exemption
clause on metion Of Mr. Miles, Of South Carolina:
1.-The President, treasurer, auditor and superln-
tendent of any railroad company, over whose rail-
road military transportation is performed and such
officers and employees of such company as the
President superintendent of such railroad COM
pany shall certify, on oath to be necessary to the
efficient operation of such railroad: Provided that
the number of persons exempt by this act on
any railroad shall not exceed one for each mile OF
such railroad in actual for military Transports
ton and shall be reported by name and descrip-
ton, with the names Of any who may leave the en-
ployment of the said company or may cease to be
necessary to the efficient operation of the railroad
at least once amonth, to the Secretary of War, or
such officers as he may designate for that purpose
and, Proridsd further, that such President or su-
perintcndent SHALL in each such monthly report
certify, on oath, that person liable to military
service has been employed by this company since
the passage of this act, in any position in which it
was practicable to employ one not liable to militia
~ service and capable performing efficiently the
duties of such position" ."
On motion of Mr.. Hartridge, Of Georges, the
"And be 1T further enacted, That there shall be
exempted from military service under the provi-
sons of this act the white officers of any fire COM
pany organized and in existence in any city of the
Confederate States the LIST day of January, 1864
and composed of free persons of colour and slaves
Provided that not more than three officers shall be
exempted for each company: and Provided fur
tAer, that the persons claiming this exemption were
officers Of such companies on the said LIST day of
January, 1864"
The following was stricken out from the original
bill:
"That the President be, and he is hereby author
lied to grant detaih under general rules and regu-
lations to be issued from the War Department eli.
Their from persons between forty five and fifty five
years of age or from the army in the field, in all
cases where, in his judgement, justice, equity and
necessity require that he should make such details,
and he may revoke such order of details whenever
he may think proper"
And, in lieu of the above, the following, offered
by Mr. Pugh, of Alabama, was adopted:
In addition to the foregoing exemptions, the
Secretary of War, under the direction of the Presi
dent, shall exempt or detail such other persons as
he may be satisfied ought to be. exempted on &C
count of public necessity; and to insure the produc
ton of grain and provisions for the army and non
producers, he shall grant exemptions or details, on
farmers or planters he may be satisfied will be
more useful to the country in the pursuits of agri
culture than in the military service: Prooided
such exemptions shall cease whenever the farmer
planter or overseer shall fail diligently to employ
in good fath his own Skill capital and labour, ex
cusively in the production of grain and provisions
to be sold to the Government and non producers al
prices not exceeding those fixed at the time for like
articles by appraiser of the vicinage under the au
thority Of the law imposing the tax in kind, or the
law regulating impressments."
NORTH CAROLINA.
No dearer legacy could be- left to a son of the