General Assembly of Virginia.
[extra session.]
Senate.
MondayFeb. 4, 1861.The Senate was called to order at 12 o'clock, Lieutenant Governor Montague in the Chair.
Prayer by the Rev. Mr. Seely.
A message was received from the House, through its Clerk, announcing the passage of House bill ‘"amending section 107 of chapter 35 of the Code of Virginia, and providing for the correction of erroneous assessment of taxes on land."’ The bill was read twice, and referred to Committee on Finance.
House bill to amend the ‘"act to increase the capital stock of the Danville Railroad Company, and for other purposes,"’ was taken up, and Mr. Thomas, of Henry, moved that the rules be suspended, with the view of putting the bill on its passage, but on motion of Mr. Townes, the bill was laid on the table.
The President laid before the Senate a communication from the Governor, transmitting joint resolutions adopted by the General Assembly of Kentucky, concerning the appointment of Commissioners and the calling a Convention of States. The President also laid before the Senate a communication from the Governor, transmitting a communication from the Governor of Minnesota enclosing joint resolutions adopted by the Legislature of that State.
Mr. Taliaferro, when the resolutions from Minnesota (which are of a threatening character) were being read, objected to the further reading.
Mr. Finney moved to lay the Minnesota resolutions under the table.
Mr. Brannon moved that the Governor's Message and the Kentucky resolutions be laid on the table and printed, but that Governor Letcher be instructed to send back those of Minnesota without comment.
Mr. Thomas, of Fairfax, suggested that it would be more dignified to let the resolutions take the course of those which preceded them.
Mr. Finney accepted the amendment of Mr. Brannon, and a division of the question was then made, and the Kentucky resolutions were laid on the table and ordered to be printed.
Mr. H. W. Thomas's motion was then lost, by the following vote:
Yeas.--Messrs. Armstrong, Carson, Christian French, Greever, Logan, Marshall, Neeson, Newlon, Richmond, Stuart, Thomas of Fairfax, and Townes.--13.
Nays.--Messrs. Brannon, Claiborne, Coghill, Day, Early, Finney, Gatewood, Isbell, Lynch, Nash, Paxton, Smith, Taliaferro, and Thomas of Henry. --14.
The motion of Mr. Brannon, to have the Minnesota resolutions sent back, was then adopted by the following vote:
Yeas.--Messrs. Brannon, Carson, Christian, Claiborne, Coghill, Day, Early, Finney, French, Gatewood, Greever, Isbell, Logan, Lynch, Nash, Newlon, Pate, Paxton, Richmond, Smith, and Taliaferro.--21.
Nays.--Messrs. Armstrong, Marshall, Neeson, Stuart, H. W. Thomas, C. Y. Thomas and Townes.--7.
Resolutions, &c.--By Mr. Brannon, for incorporating a company to construct a railroad from some point on the Manassas Gap Railroad to the Ohio river, near Letart's Falls, in Jackson county; by Mr. Christian, for repealing the act entitled ‘"to restrict the taking of oysters in certain months,"’ passed March 31st, 1860.
Mr. Nash reported a bill to incorporate the Springfield and Deep Run Mining and Manufacturing Company.
Mr. Day called up the resolutions offered by Mr. Stuart concerning the alleged intended attack on the forts in the State, and on the Federal capital, and (Mr. Stuart concurring) he offered the following substitute:
‘ Whereas. It has been extensively reported through the public prints in different parts of the Union, that certain rash and ill-advised citizens of Virginia meditate, if they have not already set on foot, a conspiracy to seize the fortifications and other property of the United States within the limits of Virginia, and to invade the District of Columbia, on or before the 4th of March next, and by violence and force of arms to take possession of the public buildings and other property of the United States within said District for the purposes of obstructing the operations of the Federal Government: Be it therefore.
Resolved, That in the opinion of the General Assembly there is no just ground for believing that any such attacks are meditated by the citizens of Virginia, and that, therefore, all preparations intended to resist the same are unnecessary so far as this State is concerned.
Messrs. Isbell and Stuart then addressed the Senate.
Mr. Claiborne moved to lay the preamble and resolutions on the table. On this he called the yeas and nays, and it resulted as follows:
Yeas.--Messrs. Brannon, Carson, Claiborne, Coghill, Early, Finney, Gatewood, Lynch, Nash, and Paxton.--10.
Nays.--Messrs. Armstrong, Christian, Day, French, Greever, Isbell, Logan, Marshall, Neeson, Newlon, Pate, Richmond, Stuart, Thomas of Fairfax, Townes.--15.
The preamble and resolutions were then adopted.
Sundry bills were advanced a stage.
Adjourned.
’
House of Delegates.
Monday,, Feb. 04, 1861.The House was called to order at 12 o'clock M. by the Speaker, and opened with prayer by Rev. J. B. Deshiell, of the P. E. Church.
Bills Reported.--To amend an act entitled an act incorporating the Belleville and Williamsport Turnpike Company, and providing for a subscription on the part of the State, and changing the name of said company to the Williamstown, Belleville and Ravenswood Turnpike Company.
Bill Passed.--The bill incorporating the Berkeley Border Guard Armory Company was read the requisite number of times and passed.
Petition.--Mr. Bassell presented the petition of citizens of Upshur, praying that constables be confined to the Districts for which they were elected.
Resolutions of Inquiry into Expediency.--By Mr. Duckwall, of amending the 6th and 7th sections of chapter 150 of the Code of 1860; by Mr. McKenzie, of authorizing the Second Auditor to receive from any railroad or other company who has received State bonds at par in payment for State subscriptions or loans, to pay, in settlement of interest due the State, the bonds of the State at par; by Mr. Crump, of amending the 55th section of chapter 85 of the Code of 1860, so as to authorize the committee of a lunatic to afford a maintenance or advancement to such of the children of an insane person as shall have attained their majority; by Mr. Myers, of incorporating the Farmers' and Mechanics' Insurance Company, of the city of Richmond; by Mr. Magruder, of amending the law for ascertaining and running the boundary line between Albemarle and Fluvanna counties; by Mr. Gilmer, of amending an act passed March 20th, 1860, entitled an act to establish a Circuit Court for the town of Danville; by Mr. Medley, of authorizing Wm. T. Ballon and G. B. Major, trustees, to sell a church lot in the county of Halifax; by Mr. Richardson, of exempting from military duty all employees of the several telegraph companies, such as superintendents, operators, line repairers and battery keepers; by Mr. Haymond, of requesting the Governor to report to the House the number of stand of arms contracted to be sold to J. R. Anderson & Co., how many has been delivered, and when the balance are to be delivered, by whom sold, and by what authority, with a statement of the number of stand of arms still remaining in the arsenals, and also what progress has been made in the repairs of the Armory.
Kentucky and Minnesota.--A letter was received from Gov. Letcher, in which he says: ‘"I herewith transmit two communications from his Excellency Beriam Magoffin, Governor of Kentucky, enclosing joint resolutions adopted by the General Assembly of that State. The first series of resolutions is in respect to your invitation to all the States to appoint Commissioners to assemble in Washington city this day, to unite in an earnest effort to adjust the present unhappy controversies. The second series recommends the call of a Convention of all the States, pursuant to the fifth article of the Constitution of the United States."’
‘"I transmit, also, herewith, a communication from his Excellency Alex. Ramsay, Governor of Minnesota, enclosing joint resolutions adopted by the Legislature of that State, on the state of the Union."’
The resolutions, both from Kentucky and Minnesota, were read by the Clerk. The tenor of those from Kentucky is sufficiently indicated in Governor Letcher's letter. --Those from Minnesota are inserted for the information of the Southern people, because they embody the utmost limits of Black Republican assurance. They hail from St. Paul, and read as follows:
- 1. Resolved. That one of the vital and necessary principles which, from the basis of all free Governments, is that the constitutional majority must always rule, and therefore the right of the people of any State to withdraw from the Union, thereby hazarding the liberties and happiness of the millions comprising the Confederacy, can never be acknowledged by us under any circumstances; we regard secession, on the part of any State, as amounting directly to revolution, and precipitating civil war with all its sad train of consequences.
- 2. Resolved. That the people of Minnesota reiterate their unalterable devotion to the Constitution of the United States, and that if its provisions are strictly observed, it will, in its own words, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.
- 3. Resolved, That Abraham Lincoln and Hannibal Hamlin, having been constitutionally and legally elected President and Vice President of the United States, at a general election, fully and freely participated in, on the same day, by the people of every State of the Union, South as well as North, that any attempt to dissolve or destroy the Union, on account thereof, in without excuse or justification, and should receive the condemnation of every patriot in the land.
- 4. Resolved. That we have heard with astonishment and indignation (!!) of the recent outrages perpetrated at Charleston, South Carolina, by firing upon an American steamer, sailing under the flag of our country, and that we expect of the General Government the strongest and most vigorous efforts to asserts its supremacy, and to check the work of rebellion and treason. Fully impressed with our duty to make every possible effort to uphold the Union and to maintain the authority of the General Government, we hereby tender to the President of the United States, for that purpose, through the Governor of this State, aid in men and money to the extent of our ability.--When one or more States erect the standard of disunion, and place themselves in military array against the Government bequeathed to us by our ancestors, we can discover no other honorable or patriotic recourse than to test, both on land and ocean, the full strength of the Federal authority under our National flag.
- 5. Resolved, That we declare to each State of this Union our sincere desire to secure a renewal of that fraternal feeling which ought always to exist between citizens of a common country, and which distinguished the nation for more than half a century. Especially do we express to those patriotic citizens of the Southern States who have nobly and manfully exerted their utmost effort to prevent the catastrophe of dissolution, our sincere gratitude and highest admiration.
- 6. Resolved, That the most sincere thanks are justly due to that distinguished patriot and veteran, Lt. Gen. Winfield Scott, for the prompt and decisive steps he has taken to stay the tide of revolution, and for the determined spirit he has evinced in maintaining the honor of our Government.
- 7. Resolved, That we never will consent or submit to the obstruction of the free navigation of the Mississippi river, from its source to its mouth, by any power hostile to the Federal Government.
- 8. Resolved, That the Governor of this State is requested to transmit a copy of these resolutions to the President of the United State, to Lieut. Gen. Winfield Scott, to each of our Senators and Representatives in the Congress of the United States, and to the Governors of the several States.
On motion of Mr. Hopkins, the second series of resolutions from the State were laid on the table, ordered to be printed, and referred to the Committee on Federal Relations.
On motion of Mr. Mallory, the Minnesota resolutions were laid on the table.
A number of House bills were read and ordered to their engrossment.
Adjourned.
