Reorganized Government
General Assembly of Virginia

July 11, 1861

House of Delegates met at 10 A. M.

Prayer by Rev. Wesley Smith.

Mr. PORTER, from the Committee on Finance, reported a bill to amend the 33d section of chapter 44 of the Code of Virginia.

The bill was read by its title and ordered to be printed.

Mr. PORTER offered the following resolution:

Resolved, That the Committee on Enrolled Bills inquire into the expediency of recording the acts of the General Assembly in a book instead of enrolling them on parchment.

Adopted.

Mr. VANCE, the following:

Resolved, That on Thursday this House adjourn sine die, unless it shall be deemed expedient to adjourn at an earlier day.

Objections being made, the resolution was ordered to lie over.

Mr. RUFFNER offered the following:

Resolved, as the sense of this body, That no measures be adopted by this body that may not be necessary to carry forward the government until the meeting of the regular session, on the first Monday in December next.

Adopted.

Mr. RATCLIFFE offered the following:

Resolved by the General Assembly of Virginia, That the Governor of this Commonwealth be, and he is hereby, authorized to place at the disposal of the several delegates of the counties of Wayne and Mason, five hundred stands of arms, to be by them distributed among the loyal citizens of those counties for their defense.

Referred to the Military Committee.

House bill No. 4, entitled an Act to regulate the volunteer militia force not mustered into the service of the United States was taken up, read a second time, amended and ordered to be engrossed.

House bill No. 6, prescribing the duties and fixing the compensation of the clerks of the two Houses, was taken up but afterwards laid on the table.

House bill No. 7, abolishing the Board of Public Works, and conferring its powers on the Governor and council, was taken up, read a second time and ordered to its engrossment.

The House then proceeded to the consideration of engrossed bills.

House bill No. ___, authorizing County courts, corporations, &ampc., to appropriate money for the public defence, was taken up, read a third time and passed.

House bill No. 3, authorizing the issue of bank notes of less denomination than five dollars, was taken up, read a third time and passed.

House bill No. 5, for the prevention of offences against the Commonwealth and appointment of patrols during the war; was taken up and subsequently laid on the table.

Mr. WEST moved to take up his resolution in reference to the furnishing of desks. He hoped that the matter would be considered. Gentlemen persisted in sitting at the table much to the annoyance of the House, and he thought that the desks ought to be provided.

Mr. PORTER opposed the proposition. He urged that it would be calculated to embarrass the prosecution of business. Many very important deliberative bodies did not use desks - the two Houses of Parliament did not.

Mr. WEST replied at some length, insisting that, instead of embarrassing, it would facilitate the prosecution of business. He did not care whether desks were provided or not; he intended, for his own part, to have one. He did not expect that this was to be the last Legislature that would ever meet in Virginia.

The resolution was taken up.

The report of the Sergeant-at-Arms was read.

Mr. WEST did not insist on his resolution, and it was laid on the table.

Mr. WILSON offered the following:

Resolved, That the Committee on Finance_______________ sheriffs of the Commonwealth a limited time other than that now fixed by law, for paying in to the State Treasury licenses and other dues.

Also the following:

Resolved, That the Committee on the Judiciary inquire into the expediency of amending the 2d section of the 42d chapter, so as to provide for the filling of the offices of the Circuit Court of Ohio county.

Both of which were adopted.

Mr. CROTHER offered the following which was adopted:

Resolved, That the Committee on Printing take into consideration the propriety of authorizing the publication of the Ordinances of the Convention and the acts of the General Assembly in the newspapers.

Mr. SMITH offered the following, which was also adopted:

Resolved, That the Committee on Banks inquire into the expediency of legalizing the passage of bank notes of other States of less denomination than five dollars.

Mr. PORTER moved that the resolution of the Senate on the subject of printing be taken up.

A message from the Senate announced the passage of the Resolutions of Instruction, adopted by the House yesterday.

Mr. PORTER, moved to substitute for the resolution of the Senate the following:

Resolved, That this House will, with the concurrence of the Senate, proceed, on Tuesday, the 16th inst., to the election of public printer.

The resolution was amended by fixing Friday the 12th and adopted:

Mr. PORTER was requested to communicate the passage of the resolution to the Senate.

Mr. LOGAN offered the following:

Resolved, That the Committee on Finance inquire into the expediency of reporting a bill altering the manner and rate of compensation to be paid to the public printer.

Adopted.

The House then adjourned.

Chapter Eight: Legislature of the Reorganized Government of Virginia