FORTY-FIFTH CONGRESS-FIRST AND SECOND SESSIONS IN THE YEARS 1877-1878. FIRST [EXTRA] SESSION-1877. CHAP. 1.-An act making appropriations for the support of the Army for the fiscal year ending June thirtieth, eighteen hundred and seventy-eight, and for other purposes. Be it enacted, &c., * * That cavalry regiments may be recruited to one hundred men in each company, and kept as near as practicable at that number; R. And a sufficient force of cavalry shall be employed in the defense of the Mexican and Indian frontier of Texas: Nov. 21, 1877. 20 Stat. L., 1. nies may have 100 Cavalry compa men. S., SS 1102, 1103. in Army. Provided, That nothing herein contained shall authorize the recruiting the number of men on the Army rolls, including Indian over 25,000 men scouts and hospital stewards, beyond twenty-five thousand. [November 21, 1877.] * 1879, June 23, ch. 35, par 1, and note, post, p. 267. CHAP. 6.—An act authorizing binding of documents for members of Congress. Be it enacted, &c., That the Public Printer, be authorized to bind at the Government Printing Office any books, maps, charts, or documents published by authority of Congress, upon application of any member of the Senate or House of Representatives, upon payment of the actual cost of such binding [December 10, 1877.] March 3, ch. 143, par. 8; Dec. 10, 1877. 20 Stat. L., 5. Members of Congress may have documents bound. R. S., § 3809. 1882, Aug. 7, ch. 433, par. 16; 1883, post, pp. 382, 421. SECOND SESSION-1877-1878. CHAP. 1.-An act to provide a method for the settlement and adjustment of the accounts of the Attorney of the United States for the District of Columbia. Dec. 14, 1877. 20 Stat. L., 7. U.S. Att'y of D. C., mode of rendering, &c., ac counts. Be it enacted, &c., That the emolument returns of the Attorney of the United States for the District of Columbia shall be returned to the Attorney-General, and the accounts of the said Attorney shall be rendered, audited, and paid in the same manner as accounts of 1875, Feb. 22, ch. all other district attorneys are rendered, audited, and paid. [De- 95, §1, ante, p. 65. cember 14, 1877.] 1890, Aug. 8, ch. 729, post, p. 779. (149) Dec. 15, 1877. 20 Stat. L., 10. Public documents may be sent &c. CHAP. 3.-An act to provide for deficiencies in the appropriations for the service of the government for the fiscal year ending June thirtieth, eighteen hundred and seventy-eight, and for prior years, and for other purposes. Be it enacted, &c. * That the Vice-President, Senators, Repreby mail free by sentatives, and Delegates in Congress, the Secretary of the Senate, and Vice-President, Clerk of the House of Representatives may send and receive through the mails free all public documents printed by order of Congress, and R. S., SS 3896- in the manner provided by section seven of the "act establishing 1877, Mar. 3, ch. post-roads, and for other purposes," approved March third, eighteen 103, § 7, ante, p. hundred and seventy-seven. * *December 15, 1877.] 3913. 136; 1879, March 3, ch. 180, par. 1, post, p.245. 16 Opins., 271. Dec. 15, 1877. 20 Stat., L., 13. Biennial Regis CHAP. 4.—An act providing for the printing and distribution of the Biennial Register. Be it enacted, &c., That in lieu of the number of copies of the Biter; number to be ennial Register now authorized by law to be printed, the Secretary printed, and how of the Interior be, and he is hereby, directed to cause to be printed twenty-five hundred copies of the said work, to be distributed as follows: distributed. R. S., § 3800. 1882, Aug. 5, ch. 390, par. 3. post, p. 376. 1887, March 3, Res. No. 20, post, p. 575. Biennial Regis ter; material for, when to be furnished. R. S., S$ 198, 510. 1880, June 16,ch. 235, par. 6, post, p. 298. To the President of the United States, four copies, one copy of which shall be for the library of the Executive Mansion; To the Vice-President of the United States, two copies; To each Senator, Representative, and Delegate in Congress, one сору; To the Secretary of the Senate, one copy; To the Clerk of the House, one copy; To the Library of the Senate, fifty copies, of which one copy shall be supplied to each standing committee of the Senate; To the Library of the House of Representatives, seventy-five copies, of which one copy shall be supplied to each standing committee of the House; To the Library of Congress, twenty-five copies; To the Department of State, two hundred and fifty copies; To the Treasury Department, one hundred and fifty copies; To the War Department, fifty copies; To the Navy Department, twenty copies; To the Department of Justice, twenty-five copies; To the Post-Office Department, one hundred copies; To the Department of the Interior, two hundred and fifty copies; To the Smithsonian Institution, four copies; To the State library and State historical society of each State, and to the executive of each Territory, and to the designated depository of public documents in each congressional district in the United States, one copy each, And the remaining copies shall be kept by the Secretary of the Interior as a reserve, from which he may supply newly-created offices; and members of Congress one additional copy each. SEC. 2. That hereafter the lists directed by sections one hundred and ninety-eight and five hundred and ten of the Revised Statutes to be furnished by the several departments and offices of the Government for the Biennial Register shall be made up to the last day of June of each year in which a new Congress is to assemble, and shall be filed as soon thereafter as practicable in the Department of the Interior. [December 15, 1877.] CHAP. 10.—An act to further regulate the purchase of material for the public printing and binding. Feb. 1, 1878. 20 Stat. L., 22. Materials may Be it enacted, &c., That the Joint Committee on the Public Printing be and hereby is authorized to give permission to the Public be purchased by Public Printer Printer to purchase material in open market, whenever in their without advertisopinion, it would not promote the public interest to advertise for ing in certain proposals and to make contracts for the same: cases. 1876, Jan. 25, ch. Provided, however, That the purchases authorized by this act shall R. S., § 3778. not in any term of six months, exceed the sum of fifty dollars for 4; July 31, ch. 246, any particular article required. [February 1, 1878.] 97, 114. 1882, Dec. 21, ch. 5; 1883, Feb. 12, ch. 43, post, pp. 389, 397. par. 1; ante, pp. CHAP. 12.—An act to punish embezzlement in the District of Columbia, and to protect the records of said District, and for other purposes. Feb. 4, 1878. 20 Stat. L., 23. Be it enacted, &c., That if any officer, clerk, agent, or employee Embezzlement in the service of the District of Columbia, or in the service of any of property of Disof the officers thereof, shall embezzle or wrongfully convert to his trict of Columbia; how punished. own use, or fraudulently take, make way with, or secrete, with intent to embezzle or fraudulently convert to his own use, or shall knowingly and willfully or wrongfully sell or dispose of any money, goods, rights of action, bonds, or obligations of the United States, or any State, or any municipal or other corporation, foreign or domestic, Treasury notes, postage or revenue stamps, warrants, or other valuable security or effects whatever, belonging to said District, or to any person, government, or corporation, which shall come into his possession or under his care by virtue of such office, clerkship, agency or employment, he shall, on conviction thereof, be punished by a fine not exceeding five thousand dollars or by imprisonment not exceeding five years, or both. &c. SEC. 2. That if any officer, clerk, agent, or employee in the service of property of of any person, firm, association, or corporation shall, within the private citizens, District of Columbia, embezzle or wrongfully convert to his own use or fraudulently take, make way with, or secrete, with intent to embezzle or fraudulently convert to his own use, or shall knowingly and willfully or wrongfully sell or dispose of any money, goods, rights of action, bonds, or obligations of the United States, or any State, or any municipal or other corporation, foreign or domestic, Treasury notes, postage or revenue stamps, warrants, or other valuable security or effects whatever, belonging to such person, firm, association, or corporation, which shall come into his possession or under his care by virtue of such office, clerkship, agency or employment, he shall on conviction thereof, be punished by a fine not exceeding five thousand dollars or by imprisonment not exceeding five years, or both. SEC. 3. That all records, books, files, maps plats, surveys, draw- Books, &c., of ings, writings and other papers, of the late corporations of Wash- Washington, ington Georgetown, or of the levy court of the District of Columbia, Georgetown, and or made by persons in the employment or service of either of them, long to District. levy court to beor of the District of Columbia, in the course of such employment or 1885, Feb. 25, service, or which shall hereafter be so made, are, and shall be the ch. 145, par. 1, property of the District of Columbia; (1) post, p. 476. And whoever shall steal any such record, book, file, map, plat, punishment for survey drawing or other paper, or instruments used in surveying stealing, secretor engineering work, such property of said District of Columbia ing, &c. shall upon conviction thereof, be imprisoned not more than thres years, or pay a fine not exceeding five thousand dollars or both, without reference to the value of the property or thing so taken. NOTE. (1) Public records relating to real or personal property, open to inspection, 1879, Feb. 6, ch. 50, post, p. 216. Records, &c., of Dist. Col. -penalty for secreting,removing, altering, &c. SEC. 4. That all persons who shall willfully secrete or remove from the office, room or place where the same are usually kept, any record, book, file, writing, paper map, plat, survey, drawing, field note, or any note in reference to the same, or instruments used in surveying or engineering work, the property of the District of Columbia, or within the care or custody of the Commissioners of the District of Columbia, or of any officer or employé of said District, or shall alter, change, deface, obliterate or destroy the same or who having removed from such office room or place where the same was usually kept any article or thing hereinbefore named, or who having come into possession of any such article or thing, so removed, and who knowing such to be the property of the District of Columbia shall hereafter on demand of the Commissioners of said District, their agent or attorney, refuse or neglect forthwith to return the same, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be imprisoned not more than three years, or be fined not exceeding five thousand dollars, or both. [February 4, 1878.] Feb. 11, 1878. 20 Stat. L., 24. Consulate at CHAP. 14.—An act to change the name of the "Consulate at Omoa and Truxillo." Be it enacted, &c., That the name of the "Consulate at Omoa and Omoa, &c., Hon- Truxillo" be, and the same is hereby, changed to the "Consulate duras, changed to Ruatan and Trux- Ruatan and Truxillo." [February 11, 1878.] illo. R. S., § 1690, Sch. C, p. 302. 1876, Feb. 18, ch. 12, ante, p. 98. Feb. 28, 1878. 20 Stat. L., 25. Silver dollars to 3586. CHAP. 20.-An act to authorize the coinage of the standard silver dollar, and to restore its legal-tender character. Be it enacted, &c., That there shall be coined, at the several mints be coined and to be of the United States, silver dollars of the weight of four hundred legal tender. R. S., SS 3009, and twelve and a half grains Troy of standard silver, as provided in 3473, 3474, 3513, the act of January eighteenth, eighteen hundred thirty-seven, on which shall be the devices and superscriptions provided by said act; (1) which coins together with all silver dollars heretofore coined by the United States, of like weight and fineness, shall be a legal tender, at their nominal value, for all debts and dues public and private, except where otherwise expressly stipulated in the contract. [Omitted lines repealed and superseded, 1890, July 14, ch. 708, § 5, post, p. 775. See note thereto.] Silver not to be And provided further, That nothing in this act shall be construed used in payment of to authorize the payment in silver of certificates of deposit issued under the provisions of section two hundred and fifty-four of the Revised Statutes. gold certificates. R. S., § 254. SEC. 2. [Temporary and expired.] SEC. 3. That any holder of the coin authorized by this act may deposit the same with the Treasurer or any assistant treasurer of the United States, in sums not less than ten dollars, and receive therefor certificates of not less than ten dollars each, corresponding with the denominations of the United States notes. The coin deposited for or representing the certificates shall be retained in the Treasury for the payment of the same on demand. NOTE. (1) The provisions of the act of 1837, ch. 3 (5 Stat. L., 137), here referred to, are as follows: "SEC. 9. That of the silver coins, the dollar shall be of the weight of four hundred and twelve and * "SEC. 13. That upon the coins struck at the mint there shall be the following devices and legends: Upon one side of each of said coins there shall be an impression emblematic of liberty, with an inscription of the word LIBERTY, and the year of the coinage; and upon the reverse of each of the gold and silver coins there shall be the figure or representation of an eagle, with the inscription United States of America, and a designation of the value of the coin. Said certificates shall be receivable for customs, taxes, and all receivable for public dues, and, when so received, may be reissued. customs, taxes, and public dues. R. S. §§ 3009, 3473, 3474. 1882, July 1, ch. 290, § 12, post, p. 356. SEC. 4. All acts and parts of acts inconsistent with the provisions of this act are hereby repealed. [Became a law February 28, 1878, notwithstanding the President's veto.] Repeal. CHAP. 25.-An act to amend section four thousand seven hundred and seventy-eight of the March 8, 1878. 20 Stat. L., 26. In case of vacan session of Senate Be it enacted, &c., That whenever during a session of the Senate a vacancy shall occur in the office of Pension Agent, by reason of cy in office of penresignation, death, removal or expiration of the term of office, or sion agent during where any such agent lawfully appointed shall have failed to qualify President may and assume the duties of such office, the President may when the designate officer public exigency requires it, designate any officer of the United to perform duties States to perform the duties of such office, but such designation temporarily, &c. shall not be for a longer time than twenty days, R. S., SS 1769, And such officer so designated shall give bonds if required by the President for the faithful discharge of the said duties, and the Secretary of the Interior shall allow in the settlement of the accounts of such officer, the necessary expenses incurred by him in the discharge of his duties under this act. The foregoing provisions shall apply to any vacancy now existing. [March 8, 1878.] 4778. CHAP. 26.-An act to amend an act entitled "An act to provide for the preparation and publication of a new edition of the Revised Statutes of the United States", approved March second, eighteen hundred and seventy-seven. Revised Stat Be it enacted, &c., That an act entitled "An act to provide for the preparation and publication of a new edition of the Revised Statutes utes; second ediof the United States", approved March second, eighteen hundred tion to be evidence and seventy-seven, be, and the same is hereby, amended as follows, to wit: 66 By striking out from the ninth and tenth lines of section four as published in the nineteenth volume of the Statutes at Large, the words "and conclusive"; and, in the tenth line, the words and treaties"; and, by inserting after the word "Territories" at the end of the eleventh line, the following words, to wit: "but shall not preclude reference to, nor control, in case of any discrepancy, the effect of any original act as passed by Congress since the first day of December, eighteen hundred and seventy-three." [March 9, 1878.] but not to control acts passed since Dec. 1, 1873. R. S., SS 5595, 5601. 1874, June 20, ch. 333, ante, p. 20. 1877, March 2, ch. 82, ante, p. 133. CHAP. 27.-An act changing the times of holding terms of the district court for the district of West Virginia. Be it enacted, &c., That hereafter the district court of the United States for the district of West Virginia shall be held at the times and places following; but when any of said dates shall fall on Sunday the term shall commence the following Monday, to wit: At the city of Wheeling, on the first day of March and the first day of September; At Clarksburg, on the first day of April and the first day of October, March 9, 1878. 20 Stat. L., 27. District court for West Virginia; when to be held. R. S., § 572. 1878, Dec. 21, ch. 9, and note post, p. 207. 1888, May 17, ch. 261, post, p. 587. |