Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1864-02-02
srAUNToN, VIRGINIA, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 1854.
CoNFEDERATE STATES CONGRESS-
On Saturday, the 23rd ult., the Senate was not

CONFEDERATE STATES CONGRESS
On Saturday, the 23rd ult., the Senate was not
| in session.
The most important proceedings of the House
were the passage of bill to extend the provls-
| ion of an act, approved May st, 1868, IN rela
/ tion to the receipt of counterfeit treasury Notes
J by public f6cers, to the lst of January, 1854
| Resolutions of thanks to all the brigades ane
| other loops who have re-enlisted for the war:
were unanimously adopted
| The bill to increase the efficiency of the army
/ by conscribing free negroes as teamsterS, COOKS
| &C., was taken up-
Mr. Baldwin, of Va, moved to amend the ilrst
section of the bill by addng,ssAnd 10 free negro
! engaged in the production of food or forage,
shall be taken under this act.
Mr. Baldwin said that in no exemption law
that had been passed by Congress yas there any
provision for the producing class Of the country.
The solitary exemption made in favor OF TINT
class was passed on the idea Of police. Hera-
| presented section OF Virginia where alnlOststhe
! entire agricultural interests were cOTducfed by
whites and free negro laborers, although it was
| slave holding community. He could state, On
reliable authority, that the late bill repealing ex-
| empiipn by substitution would be the meanssof
| closing one thousand farms which had hithGrto
produced surplus of supplies for the army and
restricting them to q sufficiency for the support
| of their families. Whatever may be the. benefs
cial effect of that measure in othor localities in
! in driving into the army those who have been
skulking just duty to the country, it had swept
like tornado through his district, leaving des-
olaton in it's track. Farmers are hiring out
| their negroes, and disposing of their personal
property, with view Of being compelled to go
| into the army. The slaves had escaped to or
/ been entieed away By the Yankees, Snd to aYoia
| the hardships of that, many had employed Zee
| negroes to work on their farms and relieve the
pressure on the farming Interests. Under the
! cir Y,ota ha pranoSpd bill WOud result
serious injury to his district, at least. In some
/ districts ii the white men and free negroes are
taken, the women would superintend and con-
duct the operations OF the slaves, but eircum-
stances already alluded to, rendered it impossi-
| BILE in the district he represented.
! 1t seemed that there was a sort of stampede
| panic in Congress. 1t was no secret that the
| question of our success did not depend on
the number Of men, so mnch as on that OF the
great question of supplies. They are already
scant enough, and yet it was proposed to make
additional raids on them by this sort of legls.a
ton. The cry was sspiace every body in the ar
my,'' but he was unwilling to hazard our success
and fortunes on single effort. lie and the peo-
pie whom he represented had embarked in this
war forever, if need be, and intended to continue
to fight despite every obstacle and disadvantage.
When the government shall come to the
clusion that the war is to be fought on interior
lines, and the idea is abandoned that everything
we have is to be dragged into and staked on
single efUrL, inc COnEUe1C0 Oh tue pcOptt VIII
be restored. For one he hoped the Government
would eschew such mad policy. and husband its
resources of men and supplies for long war.
Pending the consideration of the bill, the hour
for the special order arrived and on motion Of Mr..
Jones, the Hons, went into secret session.
In the Senate, on Monday, the 25th, Mr. Phe-
Ian introduced bill to amend the act to punish
drunkenness instha army. The bill was referred
to the Military Committee. 1t transfers Jurls-
diction Of courts marital to the military courts.
The bill declaring persons owing military SER
vice to the Confederate States, who seek to a.
void such service by removing beGond the con-
troll and jurisdiction of such States. alien enc.
miles, &C.. was further debated and finally r5com-
mitted to the Committee cf the Judiciary.
In the House, the Speaker laid before the
House the Senate bill in relation to the collection
of tho tax In kind of Tobacco, approved April
24th, 1862 which was taken up for consideration.
The bill was ordered to a third reading and pass
ed. It provides that the tax in kind of tobacco
shall be collected by Agents appointed by the
Secretary cf the Treasury instead OF by Post
QuarternlaSters.
Mr. Baldwin, of Va, submitted a resolution
| that lie committee on Post Offices and Post
Reads inquire into the expedency OF providing
by law for settling on equitable terms, the &C.
counts of mail contractors. prevented from car
rying the mails by the act of the pubic enemy.
Agreed to.
In the Senate, on Tuesday, the Goth, the most
important action was the ioption, by vote OF
Is to 6 of the resolutions declaring Col. A. G.
Myers Quartermaster General, and required By
law to discharge the duties of the Office and that
Gen. A. R. Lawton is not authorized by law to
discharge the duties of said Office.
! Another portion OF the proceedings embraces tie
adoption Of resolutions of thanks, prompted by
the receipt OF most cheering news from ar
mics.
The House was engaged most of tho time in
the discussion Of the bill fixing the timo of the
assembling of the next Cong 'ess in regular ses-
sion ana the bill, as it came from the Senate,
annainting the first Monday in May, was passed /;
after which, the House went into secret session,
on the special order.
In the Senate, Wednesday the 9th, the House
hill tn amend the act in relation the receipt
of counterfeit Treasury notes by public officers
and the house bill to fix the rank pay, and allow
ances of a1jutants of regiments aud battaiIonS,
were severaly taken up, considered and reject
| ed.
The bill introduced by Mr.. Semmes, for the
| establishment and regulation of territorial com
! mauds in the army, was next taken up, consider
1 ed and rejected.
| Tn the House, Mr.. GartrelI, from the same
| committees reported favorably on the joint reso-
IntIon from the Senate in relation to the salaries
| of the Judges of District Courts of the Confeder-
| ate States for the State Of Virginia. The reso
! luticn provides that the act of the Provisiofa
| Government shall be construed so that the sal
aries of said JuCgeS snail Do lne same aS InOSe
| of the Judges of the highest judicial officers Of
| the several States in which they are residents.
The General Assembly Of Va, having fixed the
| salaries of the highest State Judges at So, ,000
the resolution gives District Judges the same
salary.
The resolution was up for consideration, and
1 supported by Messrs. Gartrell, Heiskell aud Gar
Ian /, and opposed by Messrs. Jones, Baldwin
/ Clark, Gather, and Ewing.
Mr. Ewing, of KY. moved to recommit ths
resolution to the committee, with instruction
to report an amendment making an increase o
salaries for a limited time, or, if increased with
/ out Limitation, the Constitution prohibits tht
reduction of their salaries when the currenc,
shall be SO far restored to justify smaller sal
! aries.
/ Mr.. Baldwin. of Va moved to allend the a
nlcndment Of Mr.. Ewing. by nstructing the com
mittse to inquire whether all OF said Judges hay'
! beeu poninated to the Senate and confirmed ac
i cording to the requirements of the Constitution
The s peaker ruled amendment to the amend
!. ment as nc germane to the subject, and out 0
| order.
| Mr. BALDWIN said he did not wish to vote fo
an increase of salaries to Judges if the tenure
| of ofice of any of them depended on the Will. o
/, tho Presi ent, and they mad not been renomina
ted and confirmed as tho Constitution required
and appealed from the decision of the Chair.
hir. Hilton, of Fla, moved to lay the appea
on the table, wich was carried.
Mr.. Miles, of S, G., introdaed q bill to punlsl