Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1865-02-03
House OF Representatives.

House OF Representatives.
The House resumed the consideration Of
the Senate OH ITO provide for the employ
meht of free negroes and slaves to work
uro1 Notifications and re form lnh1Alabor
connected with the defences ef 80 coun>
try"
Mr. j NJ Leach offered the following pro-
viso to tbs third section
'.Protided further, That in no event
shall any portion of said slaves or free ne
groas so impressed have arms placed in their
hands, or be mustered into the Confederate
States service, or be used at any tilue as
soldiers in said service. y
This proyiso was .aii oa The table by a
vote Of SO to 25
Mr. SGewms!@e. Of Georgia, moved to
amesd the third 50 as to provide that pay
,leus shall be made for any slaves who may
lie OF be lest tostheir owners by reason OF
such employment. at valuations to be fixed
under the first section Of an act to regulate
impressments, passed March 26, 1868,
which places the valuation Under the con
troll Of vicipage boards. The ameudmen
was adopted : ayes, 40 !; noes. %
Mr.. Colyar, Of Tennessee, moved to
strike out the condition Of Tie clause, which
restr cts the impressment to one out Of every
/ five male slaves Of those employed in az
Elicultural or mechanical pursuits, SO that
not more than 5ne out of e7ery FIVE male
slaves wi,hiu the ages of eighteen and forty
shall be taken from any one owner, ire
spectiyc of the employment III which such
slaves are engaged.
The amendment, after an animated de
bate, was adopted -yeas. 50 nays, II. Y
Mr.. Niles, Of South Carolina, in behall
ofthe Committee on Military Affairs, moved
to Strike oct the clause exemptiGg from i'm
pressment, under this act, such slaves in
any locality, or Of auy pers3n, who shall be
exempted by the laws or regulations Of any
State from impressment to labor on the for
ti6cations or other public works of the Oon-
federate States, aud to insert the following:
r'Dut no such slaves shall be taken from
any owper or estate where cne: half OF the
male saves between the ages Of eighteen
and forty, belonging to such owner or es-
tate, shall have absconded to the enemy, or
been abducted by them. .
The motion IVES not agreed to-ayes, 8 !;
noes, 60.
Mr. Miles thought it rather surprising
that, although the Committee on Military
Affairs had instructed him to move this
amendment, but one member of the COM
,ilittee had voted in favor Of it.
J Mr. Wickham, Of Virginia "a member Of
the Military Committee, stated that he had
voted with the prevailing side in order to
move reconsideration Of the vote BY which
The amendment was rejected.
Mr. Miles.-That makes two votes from
the committee, | believe. will now silnp-
y move to strike cut the provision referred
TO, without Offering anything in lieu there
Of believe if this clause is retained we
viii get very few slaves under this act.
1I'he motion to strike out Was adopted -
ayes, 80; noes, "a.
< The amendment uee the committee striking
out the proyiso s'that if the Governor OF
any State shall certify to the Secretary of
War, or the Commanding General Of the
Trans Mississippi Department, that slaves
cannot be impressed in any locality in such
State Without great detriment to such local
|ity. then the quota of said locality shall be
impressed from other portions of such
State" and inserting provirion ..that the
Secretary of War shall be authorized to ex-
empt from the operations of this act any 10.
cality where, IN his Judgment, the labor of
the slaves therein is indispensable to the
production of grain and provisions for the
support of soldiers families and non-pro-
dpcers in such locality; and the Secretary
Of War may exempt from snpsersment
slaves necessarily employed on works Of iu-
ternal improvement Of Importance to the
conhmo8 defence; but nothing contained in
this proviso shall be oonstrnea ~ diminish
the quota OF slaves in any State authorized
to be il pressed uudor the provisions of this
act, was rejected
| Mr Fuller, Of Forth Carolina, offered a
proyiso, to be inserted at this end of the
| fourth section, declaring that each State