[Senate Bill, No. 97.J SENATE, November IT, 1864.—Read first and second times, and referred to Committee On Judiciary. November 29, 1894.—Reported with an amendment,, and bill and-amendment ordered to be printed. [Mr. Brown, by leave.] BILL To prevent illegal impressments, and to punish lawlessness. 1 Section 1. The Congress of the Confederate States of America 2 do enact, That no officer of tin? Confederate Government of any 8 rank, in or out of the army, shall impress private property of 4 any kind, or authorize or require it to be done, under any pretext 5 whatever, except in cases authorized by law; and in all cases 6 where impressments are made, it shall be the duty of the officer 7 making the same, or authorizing or requiring it to be done, to 8 give to the person whose property is impressed, and, without 9 being requested to do so, a statement in writing, specifically 10 reciting the law under which such impressment is made. And if 11 any officer shall make an impressment or authorize or require it 12 to be done in violation of this act, it shall be the duty of the 13 President, on being satisfied of the fact, forthwith to cause such 14 officer to be stricken from the rolls and conscribed as a private 15 soldier, and such officer shall moreover be liable to indictment as 16 for larceny, and to all the other pains and penalties usually 2 17 inflicted for unlawfully seizing and carrying away private 18 property. 1 Sec. 2. And be it f urther enacted, That when impressments are 2 made under the plea of extreme or extraordinary military S necessity, it shall be the duty of the officer making the same, or 4 authorizing or requiring them to be made, to give to the party 5 whose property is impressed, a statement in writing, showing, 6 first, that such necessity does actually exist, and, secondly, how 7 it come to exist. And if it shall afterwards appear that such 8 necessity did not exist, or that its existence could have been 9 avoided by reasonable and proper diligence, the officer at fault 10 shall be punished as is prescribed in the first section of this act. 1 Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That it shall in no case be 2 lawful to impress or take from the possession of the owner the S wagons, teams, harness or utensils actually needed and in use 4 in carrying on a farm or plantation exclusively engaged in 5 raising provisions and other supplies that may be useful to the 6 army. And in no case shall property of any kind be impressed 7 or taken from the possession of the owner, except by a ccmmis- 8 sioned officer, who shall be personally present, and who shall give 9 his own proper official signature to all the papers required by 10 this or any other act. And any officer who shall violate the 11 provisions of this section shall be punished as is provided in the 12 first section of this act. s AMENDMENT Proposed by tbe Judiciary Committee to Senate bill, No. 97. Strike out all after tne enacting clause and insert as follows: 1 That if any officer of the army shall make an impressment, or 2 authorize or require it to be done, in violation of law, it shall be 3 the duty of the President, on being satisfied of the fact, forthwith 4 to cause such officer to be stricken from the rolls and conscribed 5 as a private soldier.