HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Dec. 7,1 1864.—Referred
to Committee on Ways and Means, and ordered to be printed.
[By the Chair.]
MESSAGE OF THE PRESIDENT.
Richmond, Va., Dec. 6, 1864.
To the House of Representatives :
In response to your resolution of the 23d ultimo, I herewith trans-
mit communications from the Secretaries of the Treasury and of War,
relative to the protection secured for the cotton under their con-
trol, belonging to the Confederate States, against exposure to the
weather.
JEFFERSON DAVIS.
COMMUNICATION FROM SECRETARY OF TREASURY.
Treasury Department, C. S. A., )
Richmond, Dec. 1, 1864. J
To the President:
Sir : In obedience to the resolution adopted by the House of Rep-
rNesentatives on the 23d instant, requesting the President " to inform
the House whether the cotton belonging to the Confederate States
is securely sheltered from the weather; and if it is not, then to inform
this House who the officers and agents are to whose care the cotton
has been confided,5' I have the honor to furnish the information re-
quired. It is contained in-the enclosed report from the chief of the
Produce Loan Bureau, which I beg leave respectfully to submit.
Very respectfully,
G. A. TRENIIOLM,
Secretary of Treasury.
COMMUNICATION FROM SECRETARY OF WAR.
War Department, C. S. A., )
Richmond, Nov. 29, 1864. )
To the President of the Confederate States ;
Sir : I have received the following resolution of the House of Rep-
resentatives, referred by your Excellency to this Department:
%
t( Resolved, That the President be respectfully requested to inform
this House whether the cotton belonging to the Confederate States
i3 securely protected from the weather; and if it is not, then to inform
this House who the officers and agents are to whose care the cotton has
been confided."
In response I have the honor to transmit herewith a report from
Lieut. Col. Bayne, in charge of cotton and foreign supplies, containing
the information called for by the House, so far as the cotton con-
trolled by this Department is involved.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
JAMES A. SEDDON,
Secretary of War.
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REPORT OF LIEUTENANT COLONEL BAYNE.
Richmond, Nov. 29, 1864.
Hon. James A. Seddon,
Secretary of War;
Sir : In response to the enclosed resolution of the House of Rep-
resentatives, transmitted to you by his Excellency the President,
and endorsed to me for attention, I have the honor to say that the
War Department controls only about twenty thousand bales of cot-
ton; that all of this is under shelter and protected against the
weather, except such as may have been delivered for transportation,
or may now be in transit from the interior to the sea-coast, to be ex-
ported in accordance with the regulations upon commerce, established
by the President, under act of February 6, 1864.
The cotton thus delivered, or in transit, is, as far as I am advised, in
open or box cars at railroad depots, under cover.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
TIIOS. L. BAYNE,
Lieut, Col. in charge of cotton and foreign supplies, War Department.
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REPORT OF CHIEF OF PRODUCE LOAN OFFICE.
Tresaury Department, )
Produce Loan Office, Nov. 28, 1864. )
Hon. G. A. Trenmolm,
Secretary of Treasury:
Sir : I have the honor to make to you the following report in reply
to a resolution adopted by the House of Representatives on the 23d
instant, requesting the President " to inform the House whether the
cotton, belonging to the Confederate States, is securely sheltered from
the weather; and if it is not, then to inform the House who the officers
and agents are to whose care the cotton has been confided."
It is believed that by far the greatest part of the cotton purchased by
this Department—and that collected by it as tithes, constituting moro
than nine-tenths of the cotton Orvned by the Government—is securely
sheltered and protected from the weather.
A considerable portion of it is stored in warehouses in cities and
towns ; but the greater part is still located upon the plantations in the
several States where it was purchased, the planters having signed
written obligations to take due care of the cotton and deliver it when
ordered by proper authority, and the agents of tho Government, in
each case, having certified that it was safely stored in a covered build-
ing.
The general agent in each State lias also been directed to make
frequent inspections of his own purchases, and to report their condi-
tion to this office, which has been done promptly in most cases.
It appears from these reports, and from letters received from Pro-
duce Loan agents, that the Government cotton in North Carolina,
South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama, is generally in good condition,
and is well secured and protected from the weather.
The bale-rope and bagging, however, on the earlier purchases have
rotted, and this cotton, although secure, cannot be removed without
repairing or rebaling, which is done whenever it is needed for shipment
or for other purposes. In Mississippi, I regret to inform you, a large
portion, of the Government cotton has been left unsheltered and un-
protected, and much of it has perished from spoliations of friend and
foe, and even from the depredations of animals. This has been mainly
owing to the facts that a portion of the State has been accupied by
the enemy ; that other large portions have been subjected to frequent
invasions and raids ; that planters have been driven from their homes ;
and that the cotton has been abandoned and left without costody.
Attempts, with but partial success, have been made to remove the cot-
ton thus exposed, and much of it has, of necessity, been left, tempo-
rarily, unsheltered at railroad depots and other places where it has
been concentrated.
The extent, however, of the exposure, great as it has been, of Gov-
ernment cotton has been much exaggerated. Frequent representations
upon the subject have been made to this Department, but, in not a
5
few instances, it has been found, upon investigation, that much of the
neglected and unsheltered cotton throughout the whole country, sup-
posed to belong to the Government, was the property of foreigners
and other absentees.
The Government cotton in Mississippi, until July last, was under
the custody of Mr. J. D. B. De Bow, the general agent for the Pro-
duce Loan for that State, and it is believed that he exerted himself
with energy and fidelity for its preservation, although he may not
possibly have adopted the best means for the end The Hon. J. W.
Clapp has succeeded Mr. De Bow as general agent, and he is now en-
gaged in making an inspection of the condition of the cotton belong-
ing to the Government throughout the State, and he is using all prac-
ticable means for its security.
Some of the cotton in South Carolina and Georgia has recently
been left unsheltered, sometimes for weeks, at the railroad depots
awaiting transportation to Wilmington and Charleston for shipment
abroad, and many complaints have been made of supposed neglect.
This cotton has been gathered from the plantations in different parts
of the Stares named,'and hauled to the depots, where delays have oc-
curred in obtaining transportation, owing to the pressure upon the
railroads, which have been engaged almost exclusively-in bringing
forward supplies for the army. The temporary exposure of the Gov-
ernment cotton in these cases has, therefore, been unavoidable, and it
is the more to be regretted, because, frequently, of the decayed con-
dition of the rope and bagging with which it was enveloped; and I
do not think that, under the circumstances, the agents of this Depart-
ment.can justly be charged with neglect.
The agents of the Department, west of the Mississippi river, were
instructed, several months ago, to make inspection of each and every
lot of Government cottoii in their respective States, and report to
this office all the facts relating to its condition ; but, as these reports
have not yet been receives, I am unable to give you any information
upon the subject.
I am, very respectfully,
A. ROANE,
Chief of Produce Loan,