The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1864-07-23
Conflict Between Jefl. Davis and
the states OF Georgla, NIississip.
ias Alabama and North Care.

az
10 me Senate and House Of Representatives
~ Congress assembled
Inc undersigned, Governors of their re
spective States, beg leave respectfully t
invite the attention of Congress to the fac
that the States Of the Confederacy hav
great need of.mauy articles for State u.s.
which can only be obtained by importa
ton. And the Legislatures Of several o
the states have made appropriations TO
the purpose Of exporting cotton and othel
productions, and importing necessary ar
ticles for the use of the States, Including
clothing, shoes, blankets and other arti
cles lndispensably necessary to the com
fort OF their troops in Confederate service
VINO frequently suffer from want of neces
the power of the Confederate Government
70 furnish. These expectations and i'm.
portatiens are to be made by the Govern.
0rs OF the States under the authority Of the
Legislatures, at the risk and expense Of the
states, upon vessels purchased or charter
ed for that purpose.
The Governors of several of the States,
IN the execution Of their State Legislatures
nave purchased or chartered steamers pre-
paratory to the expectation Of cotton
which they have now on hand as the prop
erty OF the States, to place funds abroad
with which to purchase supplies, to be re-
turned upon the vessels to Confederate
ports for State use. At this point, they re-
greet to say, that they are met by an order
from the Secretary Of the Treasury, under
the authority of the President, which pro-
hibits the Custom House officer from
granting clearances to vessels owned or
chartered by the States with State cargOes
some of which are now abroad, unless they
will consent to allow the Confederate Gov
eminent to use one-half the storage room
OF their vessels upon terms which would
mt, ~
ed BY all the endorsements with which
they have to contend, they cannot consent
to this; and believing rs they do that the
order has grown out Of an erroneous con-
struction of thelate actOf Congress, which,
as they understood it, exempts the States
from all the restrictions thrown around ex-
portatt0ns and importations made by pri-
waite individuals or companies and feel
Ing assured that those who represent the
sovereign States and people would fail to
carry out the views or wishes Of the peo-
pie or governments of their respective
States. ii they should attempt by any law
or regulation to prohibit the States from
the expectation OF their own productions
upon their own vessels, or such as they
may charter for that purpose, and the Inn
portati0n of such supplies as they need,
The undersigned appeal with confidence to
Congress to remove said restriction, and
enact such laws as shall secure to all ves-
sells in the service of the States speedy
clearances, upon application to the Custom
House officers at the ports from which the
vessels are expected to go to sea.
While the undersigned are aware or the
importance of explorations and importa-
tons by the Confederate Government, and
would gladly facilitate its operations in ev-
cry proper way, they are of the opinion
that 1t 10 better that each Government
should conduct its own business and affairs
tor itself. n
But, independently OF this view Of the
case, they cannot yield their assent to the
doctrine that the Confederate Government
has any right 70 impose any such restric-
tons upon the States, or compel them to
submit to any such terms. When in their
power to assist the Confederate Govern
ment with State vessels, they will do so
with great pleasure, but they will not con-
sent to do this under compilation.
They deny that the provision in the Con-
stitution which authorizes Congress to reg
ulate commerce "auiong the several States
conters the power to destroy the commerce
Of the States, or to detain any State vessels
till they consent to relinquish half their
storage room to the Confederate Govern
ment. II Congress has the power to place
this restriction upon the commerce and
vessels Of the States, it may claim for the
Confederacy three-fourths or nine-tenths
Of the room, or may deny the right of a
State to clear vessel upon any term. The
clude the power to destroy it, or to put any
such restrictions upon II. ii
The undersigned beg leave further to
submit to the consideration Of Congressthe
question Of the propriety Of allowing the
State to export produce and import sup
plies necessary for State use, free of export
and import duties, as the importations are
In sN ~
of our cause.
In considering this question, it 10 hoped
Congress will not fail TO take into the ac-
count the fact that the Legislatures Of part
II not all the States, have passed laws ex-
empting cotton and other property belong
ing to the Confederate Government within
the limits of the States, from all State tax
OF reciprocity and comfy, apart from the
want Of constitutional power In Congress to
tax State property, 1t Is not the duty Of
Congress to exempt State property, inclnd-
ing expectations and importations by the
States from all Confederate taxation. The
undersigned beg leave TO add that it is not
their intention to import articles ofluxury
public use and for the comfort of the troops
from their respective States, in military
service.
J. e. Brown, Governor Of Georgia.
CHAs. CLARK, Governor Of Mississippi.
+. III. WATTS, Governor of Alabama.
2. B: Vance, Governor Of n. Carolina.
April, 1854.
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT.,
MILLEDoEvILLE, May 8, 1884.
have purchased thirty thousand SOL
diers' blankets for the State OF Georgia,
now in the Islands, and have to send out
cotton to pay for them. The steamer Little
AIDA, chartered by the State, has been
loaded for three week with about three
bales Of cotton ready for sea. She
lies thirty. miles from Charleston. I ask
clearance for her to 60 out now, while we
have dark nights. She il detained at hea-
w expense to the State. ! solicit an early
reply. ]. e. BROWN.
His Excellency Jefferson Davis, Richpond.
RICHMOND, May ~; 1854.
His Excellency, Governor Brown:
Your telegram Of the 9th to the President
In relation 70 the steamer AIDA, has been
referred to the Department. On the 18th
Of April telegram was sent you stating
that the act Of Congress imposing. restric-
tons on export Of cotton required that reg
ulations Of trade should be Uniform.
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