CONGRESS, CONFEDERATE. 



161 



returned to vou for your further consideration, and, 

 together with the objections, most respectfully sub- 

 mitted. JEFFERSON DAVIS. 



This veto of the President was sustained in 

 Congress by the following vote the question 

 being, " Shall the bill pass notwithstanding the 

 President's objections ? " 



YEAS Messrs. Curry and Chilton, of Ala- 

 bama ; Morton and Owens, of Florida ; Toombs, 

 II. Cobb, T. R. R. Cobb, Barton, Nisbit, and 

 Kenan, of Georgia ; Rhett, Barnwell, Keitt, 

 and Miles, of South Carolina ; Ochiltree, of 

 Texas 15. 



NAYS Messrs. Smith, Hale, Shorter, and 

 Dean, of Alabama; Wright and Stephens, of 

 Georgia ; DeClouet, Conrad, Zenner, Sparrow, 

 and Marshall, of Louisiana; Harris, Brooke, 

 Wilson, Clayton, Barry, and Harrison, of Mis- 

 sissippi ; Chesnut, Withers, and Boyce, of 

 South Carolina ; Reagan, Waul, Gregg, and 

 Oldham, of Texas 24. 



The clause in the permanent Constitution of 

 the Confederate States prohibiting the African 

 slave traffic was adopted in the Montgomery 

 Congress by the vote of four States to two. 

 South Carolina and Florida opposed the re- 

 striction, while Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, 

 and Mississippi advocated it. 



An act was also passed to accept from the 

 State of Louisiana the offer of a certain amount 

 of the moneys of the United States, taken pos- 

 session of by order of the State authorities, 

 from the mint and sub-treasury. 



On the 29th of April Congress assembled at 

 Montgomery, in compliance with the procla- 

 mation of President Davis. This proclamation 

 convoking Congress, was issued on the 12th of 

 April, " and was prompted," says President 

 Davis, " by the declaration of hostile purposes 

 contained in the Message sent. by President 

 Lincoln to the Government of South Carolina 

 on the 8th of April. 



H. C. Jones and Nicholas Davis, jr., elected 

 to lill the vacancies occasioned by the resigna- 

 tions of David P. Lewis and Thomas Feavre, 

 from Alabama, were qualified and took their 

 seats. 



Louis T. Wigfall appeared, from the State of 

 Texas, and J. A. Orr, the successor of W. S. 

 Wilson, of Mississippi, and were qualified. 



The Message of President Davis was then 

 read. (See PUBLIC DOCUMENTS.) 



It announced the ratification of the Perma- 

 nent Constitution by all the States of the Con- 

 federacy. 



The President said the declaration of war 

 made against the Confederacy by Abraham 

 Lincoln rendered it necessary to convene Con- 

 gress, to devise proper measures for the defence 

 of the country. 



He reviewed at length the relations hereto- 

 fore existing between the States, and the events 

 which resulted in the present warfare. Refer- 

 ring to the mission of the Confederate State 

 Commissioners to Washington, he said the 

 " crooked paths of diplomacy can scarcely fur- 

 11 



nish an example so wanting in courtesy, in can- 

 dor, and directness, as was the course of the 

 United States Government towards our Com- 

 missioners." 



Commissioners had been sent to England, 

 France, Russia, and Belgium, to ask their re- 

 cognition of the Confederate States as a mem- 

 ber of the family of nations, to make treaties, 

 &c. He recommended the appointment of 

 other diplomatic agents. 



The Confederacy, he said, through Vice-Pres- 

 ident Stephens, had concluded a Convention 

 with Virginia, by which Virginia had united 

 her citizens and their fortunes with them. He 

 had satisfactory assurances that other Southern 

 States would soon unite with the Confederacy. 

 Nearly all of the Executive departments were 

 in successful operation. The Postmaster-Gen- 

 eral would soon be ready to assume the direc- 

 tion of postal affairs. 



In conclusion, he congratulated the Confed- 

 eracy on the patriotic devotion exhibited by 

 her citizens men of high official and social posi- 

 tion and wealth were serving in the volunteer 

 ranks. He spoke complimentarily of the rail- 

 way companies for their liberal rates of trans- 

 portation of troops and supplies, and of their 

 proffer of liberal terms in transporting the 

 mails, and to take pay in bonds of the Con- 

 federacy. He said : " A people thus united and 

 resolved cannot fail of final success. We feel 

 that our cause is just and holy, and protest 

 solemnly in the face of mankind that we desire 

 peace at any sacrifice, save that of honor and 

 independence. We seek no conquest, no ag- 

 grandizement, no concessions from the Free 

 States. All we ask is to be let alone that 

 none shall attempt our subjugation by arms. 

 This we will and must resist to the direst ex- 

 tremity. The moment this pretension is aban- 

 doned the sword will drop from our hands, and 

 we shall be ready to enter into treaties of amity 

 and commerce mutually beneficial. So long as 

 this pretension is maintained, with firm reliance 

 on that Divine power which covers with its 

 protection the just cause, we will continue to 

 struggle for our inherent right to freedom, in- 

 dependence, and self-government." 



On the 6th of May Congress passed an act 

 recognizing a state of war with the United 

 States, and authorizing the issue of letters of 

 marque. The preamble and first section were as 

 follows : 



Whereas, The earnest efforts made by this Govern- 

 ment to establish friendly relations between the Gov- 

 ernment of the United States and the Confederate 

 States, and to settle all questions of disagreement 

 between the two Governments upon principles of right, 

 justice, equity, and good faith, have proved unavail- 

 ing, by reason of the refusal of the Government of the 

 United States to hold any intercourse with the Com- 

 missioners appointed by this Government for the pur- 

 poses aforesaid, or to listen to any proposal they had 

 to make for the peaceful solution of all causes of diffi- 

 culties between the two Governments ; and whereas, 

 the President of the United States of America has 

 issued his proclamation, making requisition upon the 

 States of the American Union for seventy-five thou- 

 sand men, for the purpose as therein indicated of 



