HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
SATURDAY, February 7, 1863.Mr. Hanna offered the following:
WHEREAS, His Excellency Governor O. P. Morton in his special message to the legislative department of the State of Indiana, of February 4th 1863, has advised that negotiations be instituted with the Secretary of the Treasury and the Paymaster General of the United States, to the end that the State of Indiana may assume the payment of the amounts, now in arrears, due the soildiery thereof, as well as to insure more prompt payment in the future; said Secretary and Paymaster agreeing to reimburse such parties as may be willing to advance said money upon the credit of the State therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring, That a joint committee of two Representatives and one Senator, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate respectively, be instructed to correspond without delay with the Secretary of the Treasury and the Paymaster General of the United States to ascertain whether the relief contemplated in His Excellency's special message can be attained.
page: 127[View Page 127]The resolution was adopted, and the Speaker appointed Messrs. Hanna and Van Buskirk, on the part of the House.
Senate bills 15, 16, 19, 20, 22, 24, 26, 30, 32, 33, and 28 passed their first reading.
House bills 135 to 149 inclusive (introduced yesterday and the day before) were read the second time and appropriately referred ; except 144, which was laid on the table, informally.
On motion of Mr. LAKE, it was--
Resolved, That when the House adjourn, it adjourn to meet at 10 a.m. on Monday.
Mr. ANDERSON introduced a joint resolution, (29) which was read the first time. It is as follows :
Be it Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of Indiana, That we are firmly and indissolubly bound to the Eastern States, and at no time and under no circumstances will we separate from the East.
DISCRIMINATION IN THE DRAFT.
Mr. Hanna's joint resolution, (H. R. 6)--(printed on page 54 of these reports) instructing our delegation in Congress to inquire into the cause of discrimination in the matter of the draft, in favor of Massachusetts and against Indiana, was taken up.
Mr. LAMB opposed it. It set out a fact that did not really exist. It appears that Massachusetts has very nearly the number of men in the service that Indiana has. In proportion to her population, she had done as well as Indiana. He moved to refer to a select committee to ascertain as to facts stated in the preamble.
Mr. HANNA said his resolution was based upon statistics. He understood well the point the gentle man made. Massachusetts had a large number of seamen in service. It was sought to include them in the estimate in favor of Massachusetts. The resolution, referred to the military force alone. Besides, the vital part of the resolution was touching the draft. That had been mercilessly enforced in Indiana, while in Massachusetts it was not yet today enforced. Governor Andrew had postponed his draft four times, and now gives it up altogether. He proposed to substitute negroes for white men; to place them side by side with the soldiers of the great West. This was the way Abolition Massachusetts treated us.
Mr. PUETT advocated the resolution. He took Governor Andrew's statements in this regard. Governor Andrew ought to know. The draft had been enforced in Indiana, but postponed in Massachusetts.
On motion by Mr. PACKARD, the motion to refer was laid on the table--yeas 42, nays 25.
The vote on its passage was yeas 42, nays 18.
So the joint resolution failed for want of a constitutional majority--51 votes.
A call of the House was ordered 62 members answered to their names--and, no quorum appearing, the House adjourned.
