WASHINGTON, March 26.
SENATE. – The Senate to-day in executive session, confirmed the nomination of Col. Gordon Granger, of the 20th Michigan cavalry, to be a Brig. Gen. of volunteers and Noah L. Jeffries, to be Assistant Adjt. Gen. in the volunteer service. They also confirmed the following nominations:
Henry W. Reed, of Iowa, to be Agent of the Indians of the upper Missouri; John Evans, of Illinois, to be Governor of the Territory of Colorado; Wm. H. Evans of Ohio, Consul at Maranham; Edward H. Perkins, of Pa., Consul to Santa Cruz; J. Y. McMoth, of Ohio, Consul to Tangiers.
WASHINGTON, March 27.
SENATE. – Mr. Sumner presented several petitions in favor of the emancipation of slaves.
Mr. Hale offered a resolution asking the Secretary of the interior to transmit to the Senate all correspondence in relation to the bark Augusta.
Mr. Hale also offered a resolution that the committee on naval affairs be instructed to inquire whether there was not any laxity on the part of officers of the blockading squadron on the coast, specially at Charleston, and whether there was any foundation for the statement of the British Consul at that part of the armed troops on ships of the Confederate States have been allowed to go in and out of the port of Charleston, and no attempt made to stop them. Adopted.
The joint resolution giving pecuniary aid o the States, in case they should emancipate their slaves was taken up.
Mr. Henderson said he felt disposed to vote for the resolution. There was a strong objection to it in the Border States, and they believed that this was an attempt to abolish slavery in those States, and then in other States. He was sure there was no such intention on the part of the President, and he thought there was no such intentions on the part of the members of the Senate. Although the subject of slavery was the cause of the rebellion, yet there were other interests. His State (Mo.) were deeply interested in having the Mississippi river kept open to its mouth. He had opposed all agitations. He had also opposed the bill for the abolition of slavery in the Disctrict of Columbia, not because he considered it unconstitutional, but because it was inexpedient to bring the subject up for discussion. The south had been occasionally frightened by some story of an abolition monster, yet if Congress should abolish the petty amount of slavery in the District of Columbia, he did not believe that his State would secede, but hoped that if the Senators were determined to do this thing, they would be quick, for the great State of Delaware, by getting a peep behind the curtains and discovering the awful plot to emancipate the few slaves she has – already nearly free – might go south for her constitutional rights, where certainly her constitutional rights will be preserved in full force. The two Senators from Kentucky are getting excited, and the Senators from Virginia and Maryland are getting suspicious of some dreadful thing to happen. He had been opposed to the bill for the cultivation of the cotton lands, though he supposed it harmless, for the reason that it might have a bad effect upon the Border States. Yet if the statement is true that slavery should by the corner stone of the government, he was willing to fight to the last with the North against such government. Nothing would tempt him to raise his hand against the government. All the revolution he would want was the ballot box. He did not think there were fifty thousand slaves left in Missouri, as large numbers of them had been taken South, the people in that State had lost property equal in value to the whole amount of her slaves, at the commencement of this war; he regarded the President’s message not as a threat, but as a prophecy, which he felt would be fulfilled everywhere. If the war continued , he for his part was perfectly willing that the proposition should go to the people of his State, and the matter left entirely to the States. Ninety-six days of the war expenses would have paid for all the slaves in Missouri, Kentucky, Delaware, Maryland and the District of Columbia, ant the expenses of the war for two years, will pay for all the slaves in the country.
Mr. Pearce, from the finance committee reported a bill to allow arms ordered by States, to aid the suppression of the rebellion, to come free of duty.
On motion of Mr. Fessenden the naval appropriation bill was taken up.
A long discussion ensued on the completion of Steven’s battery. No action was taken on it, and the Senate went into executive session.
HOUSE. – Mr. Fenton asked, but failed to obtain leave to introduce a resolution instructing the committee on the conduct of the war to inquire into the cause of the exposure of large bodies of our troops belonging to the army of the Potomac, consisting of regiments, brigades, and in some instances of whole divisions, who have been deprived of shelter for days and weeks in consequence of having their orders to march countermanded, then be again ordered to march, and again countermanded, without adequate food, and as to who is responsible for this needless exposure and suffering of our troops.
The House went into a committee of the whole, on the tax bill. Among other amendments adopted was a proposition that a tax on goods and wares and merchandise manufactured pursuant to contract under this act, shall be paid by purchasers before the delivery thereof. Several sections of the bill were then acted upon, when the committee rose.
Mr. Rice, of Mass., from the committee on naval affairs, reported a joint resolution appropriating $40,000, to enable the Secretary of Treasury to test the pans and material for rendering ships and floating batteries invulnerable.
The House, in committee of the whole on a state of the Union, resumed the consideration of the tax bill.
Mr. Sheffield offered an amendment that upon all sales of goods, wares, merchandise and other property and estates, which shall be used for consumption or for investment, (excluding jobbers or middle men,) a tax of one per cent. on the amount of such sales shall be paid.
After discussion, the amendment was temporarily withdrawn. An amendment was adopted taxing candles of any material, valued at not over 15 cents per pound, half per cent per pound; between 15 and 20 per cent, 1 cent per pound; and above 25 one half cent per pound. An amendment was adopted taxing anthracite coal, 15 cents per ton and bituminous 8 cents per bushel; adopted with the proviso not to go into effect until the termination of the reciprocity treaty.
– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Friday Morning, March 28, 1862, p. 1
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