Show congressional proceedings dec 13 in the senate mr johnson of tenn teen introduced a joint resolution proposing amendments to the constitution to be submitted to the legislatures of the several states for ratification in relation to the election of president and vice president of the united states the amendments proposed were to district tn tb eStates so that each district should choose one elector the election to be held on the first thursday in august of the year 1864 and quadrennial y thereafter congress to be in session on the second beconi monday I 1 of the following october to count the votes if no person pe son receive a majority a new election to be held on the first thursday of december following follo w ino ing to choose between the persons havi having th the e two highest number of I 1 I 1 votes if a tie shall then occur the person I 1 having the greatest number of votes in the greatest number of st states tates to be the president the president elected in 1864 to be chosen from one of the slaveholding slave holding states and the vice president from irom one of the free states and a alternately I 1 tn al tely thereafter during 0 the continuance of the government the resolutions on the state of the union I 1 wei e taken up when mr wigfall AVi gfall resumed his I 1 remarks talking about treason after the conclusion of the speech the senate adjourned till monday jec dec 17 in the houst the speaker appointed mr hughes a member of the committee on military affairs in m place of mr bonham excused mr morris made another ineffectual attempt to introduce his union resolution on motion of mr sherman the house then took up the treasury note bill as returned from tee the senate with amendments the house agreed to that amend amendment which reduces the denomination of the notes from one hundred to afif fifty ty dollars the other senate amendment amenda nt proposed that three millions of the treasury notes may be sold at a rate of interest higher than six pe per but not at less tha i par to this the house agreed but extended that authority to all the notes issued under this law i the house then proceeded to the cons consideration idera idela of the bill bil I 1 granting lands for tor the construction st of railroads in in kansas kansas by the provisions of the bill the territory is only to locate the line iane reserving the disposal of thel the land to the action of the state government when ullen it is is formed after a debate the blip bills was rc referred fe to the committee on public lands mr haskin from the committee on printing presented resented 1 11 letters showing show ing that mr ford Fordythe the house 1 ouse printer was absent 1 and thattie sub contractors english and Larcom larcombe bc decline executing the the house Houie having at the last session reduced the prices prices mr haskin also aiso also aiso reported a resolution directing the superintendent of public printing to hale have baethe the printing of the house done by contract as the house printer neglected to do the work mr Mc McCIer Clernard nard saw sav no necessity for passing in the resolution it is understood that mr ford for will be here by saturday prepared to perform his cuties duties mr burnett expressed surprise that the resolution was offered without first declaring the office vacant when mr haskin must know that in the absence of doing 0 this mr ford would be entitled to compensation provided he can show he is is prepared to do the work ile he wanted to know how hou it was that was paid for wendella establishment as the public ot office ice when he had bad been told it was formerly tir merly offered at and was w as not worth the resolution was waa postponed and the house adjourned till monday MONDAY dec 17 in the senate mr clarks clarka resolution cf ef inquiry re requesting fuesting the president to inform the senate what number of men were stationed at forts moultrie Moul moui trie trip and um in opinion the number was sufficient to defend those folts feits against any attack or domestic violence whether additional dit ional men had been ordered to either of said sud s ud forts or any steps taken to put them in position to resist any attack in whose custody the arsenal at charleston misplaced is placed what arun armi and property are there kept or if removed b by y whom why said arms are not put in possession of officers of the united states upon a requisition or if this had ever been refused and further what w hat instructions have hai e been given to the office said forts in case of a demand to surrender them by any persons or made upon them also the copies of any correspondence between the comma commander ader in ch chief lef of the e american army relative to the necessity of supplying ying the officers of said forts with protection was taken up but as mr brown broin objected it was laid over 0 er mr moved that wednesday and thursday of next week w eek be set apart for territorial business which was lias agreed to the bill thearry to carry out gut existing treaties between the united states and mexico was taken up and discussed until one mr powells resolution was wab taken up and mr yur yade lyace haying having ayin th floor made a I 1 speech during the delivery of which he was 1 interrupted several times by mason I 1 iverson and powell his closing remarks were that he was for maintaining the union of the states he would sacrifice everything to maintain it the glorious old flag of ours never shall by any act or word of his cease to wave over this nation as it is but if we will have it in the new renovated government of which he had bad spoken the old fourth of july will never be repealed and the old flag of 1776 will floa Lover kover this nation forever this capitol gentlemen had bad said would do for a southern republic sir it shall ever be the capitol of our union it was laid by washington 0 and consecrated by him and the flag vindicated in the barof war of thet tho revolution shall ever continue to float to the breeze over it applause in the galleries washington and his patriots fought for thai that good old dlag flag and it was the glory of their lives his wades IV adels own father though a humble soldier fought to save the great cause and went through sevenfold seven fold hardships for it he bequeathed thed the flag of his country to his children for their protection it was his waders I 1 protection in youth and the glor glory valid apu pride of his riper years and though 1 if it might be assailed by traitors on evea every side yet by the grace under its shadow he would dle die mr johnson then got lle ile tile lie floor when n on motion of mr air gwin the tile senate went session and confirmed the nomination of mr air black as secretary of state slate about oue one 1 third of the senators voting against the ap in the house mr stevens of or washington territory introduced a bill for the deafen defence ce of pugas sound and the entrance of the columbia river mr john cochrane offered a preamble setting forth that a conflict convict of opinion threatening ing the peace and harmony of the union has ris nisen risen en concerning the true intent and meaning of that part of the constitution in relation to african slavery within the territory of the united states and that the opinion ol 01 the majority of the supreme court of the united states as delivered by chier chief justice taney recognizing izing property in slaves etc should be rec received eved as the sett settlement lemeut of the question as therein discussed and decided ile he also proposed as an amendment of the constitution that congress shall have haie the power to establish governments for fon dorany any territory and that the people therein haeng adopted a state constitution maybe may be admitted into the union and that neither congress nor the people during their territorial condition shall shail pass a law to annul or impair im pair the ri h ht t of property therein which was referred to a select committee mr florence submitted a resolution proposing the following amendments to the constitution of the united states the right of property ino luo perty in slaves staves is reco recognized and no law shall be passed bawd arid and liot nothing 1 in shall be done to impair obstruct or prevent the full and free enjoyment and use of such right in any territory or other property of the united states no new states shall be admitted into the union without the assent of two thirds of all the members of both botik branches of congress and the votes shall be taken boyeas and arid nays na which shall shai I 1 be entered on tile the journals aa and every bill for such purpose shall be subject to the approval or objection of the president of the united states as in other cases excepting 1 that when returned with his objections it shall require the vote of three fourths of all ill the members of both honses houses of con Can congress gress to pass it which was also aiso referred to the select committee mr sickles offered the following which was referred to the committee of thirty three resolved that the congress propose to the several states the following amendment to the constitution A 8 whenever a convention of delegates chosen in any state by the people t hereof thereof under tile the recommendations of its legislature shall rescind and annul its ratification of the constitution the president shall bhail nominate and by and with the advice arid and consent of dr the senate shall appoint commissioners sio ners not exceeding three to confer with the duly appointed agents of such state and agree upon the disposition of the public property and belonging to the united states lying within such sach state and of t ohp public debt to ee be assumed and paid by suc such h 9 ate and if the president shall approve the settlement agreed upon by the commissioners he shall thereupon transmit the same to the senate and upon the ratification thereof by two thirla thir la of the senators presen presed the shall forthwith issue his proc lamat on declaring the assent of the united states to the withdrawal of such state from the union the speaker laid before the house a teller letter from the secretary of the finein r asking for an appropriation to supply the deficiencies for the suppression suppress lort lori 1 of ot the thie slave trade for the years ending june 1861 1801 and 1862 mr adams introduced a bill to more chofe effectually protect the right yf 99 citizens iti zens of 0 the I 1 united states which chic h was wag referred to the se ee lect elect committee i mr scott introduced a bill authorizing the postmaster general to contract with the tee pony express for the transportation of the government mail matter referred to the post af pf fice flee committee mr adrian offered the following Resol resolved vedy that we deprecate the spirit of disobedience to the constitution wherever manifested and that we earnestly recommend I 1 the repeal of all statutes by the state legislatures in conflict with and in violation of that sacred instrument and the laws of congress Con 0 passed in pursuance thereof john cochrane offered an amendment to include in the recommendation the repeal of alf all personal liberty bills so called mr sherman wished mr adrian to accept another amendment so as to include all the nullification laws j mr adrian objected he ire said if the anion union is i s to be preserved it must be by a spirit of conciliation on oil all sides mr lovejoy said the yr previous previous evious question was ordered anthe on the resolution before mr coch 1 ranes amendment was accepted mr adrian said he himself had ordered the tha previous pre question on the resolution so amended d I 1 the main maln question was ordered and carried log 16 55 mr lovejoy offered a resolution makin mawin making a similar declaration to mr adrians adrian S with the addition of recommending a of all the nullification laws and asserting wat that it is the duty of the president to protect and defend the property of the united states was adopted after some discussion by a vote of 10 1 no nays DEC 18 in the enate mr lane introduced the following resolutions which v ere era laid over resolved that the several states be requested to send commissioners or delegates to consult on the present times that ai the southern states be requested to meet together previously sly and decide on conditions necessary to their peace and safety and submit their opinions to the delegates from the northern states further resolved that it is contrary to religion li t ion lon and the spirit of the age forthe government m ent to interfere iner fere in any way with any steps the states may agree to adopt further resolved that the federal government w will ill lii abstain from the employment of any force aggressive toward any state and if it there is any danger of a collision the federal forces and state forces be promptly pro aptly withdrawn mr air crittendon tendon introduced a resolution practically reestablishing establishing re the missouri compromise declaring that congress shall not interfere with slavery in the state nor hae have power to abolish slavery in the district oc columbia while it exists in in virginia and ma maryland ry reind ind and which was referred and order ed t to 0 be printed sprinted the bill for the admission of kansas was taken up and on motion of mr green made the ial lal order for monday the mr powells resolution ou was adopted and the president authorized to form the committee mr stevens introduced a resolution authorizing a special clai cial enactment so as to enable the i Secre secretary fary of the interior to decide on the validity of the duct pu ct sound agricultural compa ny also a resolution having in view tha em lyl ill ormont ploy mont of a war steamer on an columbia river the fhe f former oriner was referred to the committee ort public lands the latter to that flat on naval affairs mr otero introduced a resolution recognizing zing c the operation cooperation co of the v volunteers i with the re regular ular forces of that territory an appropriation privation pria tion n to pay them 7 mr ely offered a bill amendatory of tho the pacific telegraphic act the pacific railroad bill was then taken talen uin nix mr branch raised the point that its first consideration roust must he be in committee of thet whole on the state of the union it containing matter in the nature of a money appropriation this question was debated bit bir they hey bey decided that the twelfth section of the bill 1 provides for bonds to be issued to the we amount of sixty millions payable at the treasury and redeemable in thirty years this was certainly an appropriation therefore the bill must go io to the committee of the tile whole olk on the state of the union nie the die house then went into committee A considerable time was consumed in separately laying aside numerous bills which preceded the pacific railroad bill on the cal andar the thel opponents of this bill refusing to take it up immediately and independently of the other when the bill granting lands for nebraska railroads was reached trie the committee proceeded to consider it without making I 1 much progress thereon the committee rose rosf the ille speaker laid before the house a leter ieter leer loter from mr ford proposing to surrender his hia contract if congress immediately put the government printing establishment into operation saying the reduced fremed prices ai aie ale e not remunerative referred to the committee on prin printing tin tiD |