476 



MISSISSIPPI. 



bled in extra session. The Governor, in his 

 Message, congratulated the members that " the 

 revolution inaugurated last fall had so far been 

 prosperous and successful. The call to arms 

 was responded to in a manner unknown to 

 modern times. The call for means to support 

 the volunteers was answered with such liber- 

 al devotion to the cause as to gratify the heart 

 of the patriot." The object of the extra session 

 he states in these words : " To enable a people 

 thus willing and anxious to aid in the success- 

 ful prosecution of this just and necessary war 

 with the least injury to themselves, and to 

 make some effort to prevent the ruinous sacri- 

 fice of the property, at forced sales, of those 

 against whom constables and sheriffs now have 

 executions in their hands, and of a much more 

 numerous class against whom suits have been 

 and will be instituted, I have again called you 

 into extra session." 



He suggested to them, as a means of retali- 

 ation on the Northern people, and, at the same 

 time, of relieving the people of Mississippi from 

 a part of the expenses imposed by the war, 

 whether it would not be expedient and just to 

 confiscate all the property of alien enemies with- 

 in the limits of the State. In referring to the 

 public arms and military stores, and the equip- 

 ment of volunteers, he reported as follows : 

 " About sixteen thousand stand of arms for in- 

 fantry and cavalry have been brought to the 

 State during my administration. This number 

 has not, by thousands, supplied the demands of 

 volunteers willing and anxious to receive them, 

 and all the efforts heretofore made by the mili- 

 tary board and myself have failed to procure a 

 sufficient number ; and to supply the deficiency 

 we are now collecting the rifles and double- 

 barrelled shot-guns throughout the State, to be 

 nsed until better can be procured. Ten com- 

 panies of cavalry and ten of artillery have been 

 organized, and will soon be armed and equipped, 

 ready for the field." 



He also recommended a tax of one-fourth of 

 one per cent, on land and slaves, which would 

 add $279,544 to the produce of the taxes. He 

 suggested also a tax of three-tenths of one per 

 cent, on all moneys " owned by any inhabitant 

 of the State, or controlled by such inhabitant, 

 loaned or employed in the purchase of notes, 

 bills, stocks, or securities, for the payment of 

 money without the limits of the State, or kept 

 from use or circulation within the same, at any 

 time during the year. 



He also recommended that a law should be 

 passed postponing for twelve months the sales 

 of property under all judgments obtained in any 

 court, and prohibiting the issuing of executions 

 on all judgments which might be rendered, until 

 the expiration of twelve months after the ad- 

 journment of the next regular session of the 

 Legislature. Among the inducements to this 

 measure he urged that the people, thus relieved 

 from the necessity of keeping a large portion of 

 their cotton crop, would be at liberty to loan 

 it to the Government until the war closed. 



He said that the State had made large ad- 

 vances to the Confederate Government. The 

 quartermaster-general had been sent to Rich- 

 mond with instructions to receive these ad- 

 vances and invest them in heavy winter sup- 

 plies for the Mississippi troops in the field. 



In regard to the defences of the Mississippi 

 Sound, Gov. Pettus reported that an agreement 

 had been entered into with the Governors of 

 Louisiana and Alabama by which they shared 

 among them the expense of manning and arm- 

 ing small steamers for that service. There 

 were also ordered to the coast a company of field- 

 artillery and four companies of Mississippi Vol- 

 unteers. 



The Legislature, at this and a subsequent ses- 

 sion, adopted measures to provide sufficient 

 funds for all State purposes. An act was passed 

 authorizing an advance of treasury notes, not 

 to exceed the sum of $5,000,000, to the planters 

 of the State upon the hypothecation of cotton 

 valued at twenty-five dollars a bale. The Sen- 

 ate proposed to pledge the faith of the State 

 for their redemption a feature which was 

 stricken out by amendments to the bill going 

 to the Lower House. These notes were to be 

 received in payment of all State taxes and dues, 

 and it was contemplated to obtain the consent 

 of Congress for the Confederate collector to 

 take them in payment of the national war tax, 

 which the State determined to assume. 



Another act was passed, the object of which 

 was to 'relieve the indigent families of volun- 

 teers, of levying thirty per cent, in addition to 

 the regular tax, which was to be distributed to 

 the various counties, in proportion to the num- 

 ber of soldiers furnished. 



The Legislature, on the 19th Dec., passed a 

 bill requiring the banks to receive the State 

 Treasury notes in payment of debts, and that 

 the notes of the banks shall be receivable for 

 all public dues except the Confederate war tax. 



At the annual election, Jacob Thompson, Sec- 

 retary of the Interior during the administration 

 of President Buchanan, was chosen Governor 

 of the State by a majority of about 1,400 over 

 Governor Pettus. 



Reuben Davis, Israel Welch, H. C. Cham- 

 bers, O. R. Singleton, E. Barksdale, John J. 

 McRae, and J. W. Clapp were cbosen Repre- 

 sentatives to the Confederate Congress at Rich- 

 mond. Albert G. Brown and James Phelan, 

 Senators. 



The following plan was adopted to secure a 

 sufficient number of volunteers under an act of 

 the Legislature : 



" After providing for a thorough organization 

 into companies of all able-bodied men between 

 the ages of eighteen and fifty years, it is made 

 the duty of each company commander, imme- 

 diately after the organization of his command, 

 to prepare a number of tickets, equal to the 

 number of his company, one-third of which 

 shall be numbered ' one,' one-third numbered 

 'two,' and one-third numbered 'three.' They 

 are then to be placed in a box or hat, and be 



