158 



CONGRESS, CONFEDERATE. 



was adopted on the report of the Committee 

 of Congress, made on the 25th of February. 

 The report stated that the expenses, over and 

 above receipts, for the post-office service in the 

 six States (Texas not included) composing the 

 Confederacy, were, for the year ending June 30, 

 1859, $1,660,595. The Committee recommend- 

 ed an increase of postage rates, by which they 

 estimated an increase of receipts of $578,874. 

 They also recommended a new mode of letting 

 contracts, on what was called the " starbid sys- 

 tem," by which it was hoped to save $619,033. 

 Some routes were to be discontinued, by which 

 $206,344 would be saved. Daily service was, 

 in some cases, to be changed to tri-weekly, and 

 thus another $206,344 would be saved. Minor 

 post-offices were to be abolished, and $50,000 

 saved. These savings and the expected increase 

 were estimated by the Committee to cover the 

 deficiency. Present mail contracts were to be 

 assumed by the Government until all the routes 

 were re-let. The rates of postage proposed 

 were : on each letter of half an ounce or less, 

 five cents for five hundred miles, and ten cents 

 for over five hundred miles ; drop and adver- 

 tised letters two cents. Newspaper postage 

 was put at varying but not high rates. Stamps 

 were to be used. The franking privilege was 

 abolished, except in the case of the Post-Office 

 Department. Letter registration was repealed. 



On the 6th of March, the appointment of 

 John H. Reagan, as Postmaster-General, was 

 confirmed. 



On the next day, a bill was reported provid- 

 ing that, in the event of a conflict or a refusal 

 by the United States to recognize the independ- 

 ence of the Confederacy, no Court in the Con- 

 federate States should have cognizance of civil 

 cases by citizens of the United States, and that 

 all civil cases pending should be dismissed. 



A resolution was adopted authorizing the 

 President to instruct the Commissioners to the 

 European Courts to enter into a treaty for an 

 extension of international copyright privileges. 



On the same day, an act was passed authoriz- 

 ing a military force of 100,000 men to be raised. 



The first section is in these words : 



SEC. 1. The Conaress of the Confederate States of 

 America do enact, That in order to provide speedily 

 forces to repel invasion, maintain the rightful posses- 

 sion of the Confederate States of America in every por- 

 tion of territory belonging to each State, and to se- 

 cure the public tranquillity and independence against 

 threatened assault, the President be and he is hereby 

 authorized to employ the militia, military, and naval 

 forces of the Confederate States of America, and ask 

 for and accept the services of any number of volun- 

 teers, not exceeding one hundred thousand, who may 

 offer their services, either as cavalry, mounted rifle, 

 artillery, or infantry, in such proportion of these sev- 

 eral arms as he may deem expedient, to serve for 

 twelve months after they shall be mustered into ser- 

 vice, unless sooner discharged. 



On the llth of March the permanent Con- 

 stitution was adopted by Congress. In nearly 

 all its parts it adopts the precise language, and 

 follows in its articles and sections the order of % 

 arrangement of the Constitution of the United 



States. The parts in which it differs from the 

 latter either by variations from, or additions 

 thereto, are herewith presented. It begins with 

 the following preamble : 



We, the people of the Confederate States, each 

 State acting in its sovereign and independent charac- 

 ter, in order to form a permanent Federal Govern- 

 ment, establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, 

 and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and 

 our posterity invoking the favor and guidance of 

 Almighty God do ordain and establish this Constitu- 

 tion for the Confederate States of America. 



The second section of the first article imposes 

 the following restriction on the rights of suf- 

 frage, in order to correct an abuse which has 

 sprung from the- action of certain States in the 

 Union which have granted the right of voting 

 to uunaturalized aliens : 



The House of Representatives shall be composed 

 of members chosen every second year by the people 

 of the several States ; and the electors in each State 

 shall be citizens of the Confederate States, and have 

 the qualifications requisite for electors of the most 

 numerous branch of the State Legislature ; but no 

 person of foreign birth not a citizen of the Confeder- 

 ate States, shall be allowed to vote for any officer, civil 

 or political, State or Federal. 



In adjusting the basis of representation and 

 direct taxation, " three-fifths of all slaves " are 

 enumerated, as in the Constitution of the United 

 States, which substitutes for the word " slaves " 

 the term " other persons." The number of 

 Representatives given prior to an actual enu- 

 meration of the population, appointed to take 

 place within three years after the first meeting 

 of the Congress of the Confederate States, and 

 within every subsequent term of ten years, is 

 as follows : 



The State of South Carolina shall be entitled to 

 choose six, the State of Georgia ten, the State of Ala- 

 bama nine, the State of Florida two, the State of Mis- 

 sissippi seven, the State of Louisiana six, and the State 

 of Texas six. 



On the subject of impeachments, the follow- 

 ing provision is made : 



The House of Representatives shall choose their 

 Speaker and other officers, and shall have the sole 

 power of impeachment, except that any judicial or 

 other Confederate officer, resident and acting solely 

 within the limits of any State, may be impeached by 

 a vote of two- thirds of 'both branches of the Legisla- 

 ture thereof. 



It is provided that the Senators of the Con- 

 federate States shall be chosen by the State 

 Legislatures "at the regular session next im- 

 mediately preceding the commencement of the 

 term of service." 



It is provided that the concurrence of "two- 

 thirds of the whole number" of each House 

 shall be necessary to the expulsion of a mem- 

 ber. 



Congress is authorized to make the following 

 provision in reference to heads of the Execu- 

 tive Departments : 



Congress may by law grant to the principal officer 

 in each of the Executive Departments a seat upon the 

 floor of either House, with the privilege of discussing 

 any measures appertaining to his Department. 



The President is authorized to make the fol- 



