to prevent any person, or persons, partnership, or corporation from engaging, under contract or agreement, skilled workmen in foreign countries to perform labor in the United States in or upon any new industry not at present established in the United States: Provided, That skilled labor for that purpose cannot be otherwise obtained; nor shall the provisions of this act apply to professional actors, artists, lecturers, or singers, nor to persons employed strictly as personal or domestic servants: Provided, That nothing in this act shall be construed as prohibiting any individual from assisting any member of his family or any relative or personal friend, to migrate from any foreign country to the United States, for the purpose of settlement here.1

SEC. 6. That all laws or parts of laws conflicting herewith be, and the same are hereby, repealed.

APPROVED, February 26, 1885.

No. III.

Presidential Succession Act

January 19, 1886

In his annual message of December 6, 1881, President Arthur recommended further provision of law for the regulation of the presidential succession. A bill for the purpose was introduced in the Senate, June 16, 1882, by George F. Hoar of Massachusetts, but no further action was taken. A similar bill passed the Senate January 25, 1884, but was not finally acted on in the House. Another bill, introduced by Senator Hoar December 8, 1885, was reported by the Committee on Privileges and Elections on the 14th, and on the 17th passed the Senate. The bill was reported without amendment in the House, January 13, 1886, and on the 15th passed, the final vote being 186 to 76, 62 not voting. REFERENCES. Text in U.S. Statutes at Large, XXIV, 1, 2. For the proceedings see the House and Senate Journals, 49th Cong., 1st Sess., and the Cong. Record. The report submitted January 13 is House Report 26.

1 See act of March 3, 1891, chap. 551, section 5.

An act to provide for the performance of the duties of the office of President in case of the removal, death, resignation, or inability both of the President and Vice-President.

Be it enacted That in case of removal, death, resignation, or inability of both the President and Vice-President of the United States, the Secretary of State, or if there be none, or in case of his removal, death, resignation, or inability, then the Secretary of the Treasury, or if there be none, or in case of his removal, death, resignation, or inability, then the Secretary of War, or if there be none, or in case of his removal, death, resignation, or inability, then the Attorney-General, or if there be none, or in case of his removal, death, resignation, or inability, then the Postmaster-General, or if there be none, or in case of his removal, death, resignation, or inability, then the Secretary of the Navy, or if there be none, or in case of his removal, death, resignation, or inability, then the Secretary of the Interior, shall act as President until the disability of the President or Vice-President is removed or a President shall be elected: Provided, That whenever the powers and duties of the office of President of the United States shall devolve upon any of the persons named herein, if Congress be not then in session, or if it would not meet in accordance with law within twenty days thereafter, it shall be the duty of the person upon whom said powers and duties shall devolve to issue a proclamation convening Congress in extraordinary session, giving twenty days' notice of the time of meeting.

SEC. 2. That the preceding section shall only be held to describe and apply to such officers as shall have been appointed by the advice and consent of the Senate to the offices therein named, and such as are eligible to the office of President under the Constitution, and not under impeachment by the House of Representatives of the United States at the time the powers and duties of the office shall devolve upon them respectively.

SEC. 3. [Sections 146-150 of the Revised Statutes repealed.'] APPROVED, January 19, 1886.

1 These sections devolve the succession upon the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House.

No. 112.

Act prohibiting Special Laws in

the Territories

July 30, 1886

A BILL to prohibit the passage of special or local laws in the Territories and to limit territorial indebtedness was introduced in the House, February 1, 1886, by William M. Springer of Illinois. It was stated that the provisions of the bill were taken verbatim from the constitution of Illinois. The bill was reported with a verbal amendment April 6, and passed the House May 1. The Senate made numerous changes, and passed the amended bill June 17. The House refused to agree to all the Senate amendments, and a conference committee settled the final form of the bill. An amendatory act of July 30, 1886, authorized municipal corporations in the Territories to issue bonds "for sanitary and health purposes, the construction of sewers, waterworks, and the improvement of streets," provided such issue were voted by the taxpayers of the municipality at an election called for the purpose.

REFERENCES. Text in U.S. Statutes at Large, XXIV, 170, 171. For the proceedings see the House and Senate Journals, 49th Cong., Ist Sess., and the Cong. Record. The text of the House bill is in the Record, May 1 ; the amendments reported in the Senate are in ibid., June 17. Report 1327.

See also Senate

An act to prohibit the passage of local or special laws in the Territories of the United States, to limit Territorial indebtedness, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted

That the legislatures of the Territories of the United States now or hereafter to be organized shall not pass local or special laws in any of the following enumerated cases, that is to say:

Granting divorces.

Changing the names of persons or places.

Laying out, opening, altering, and working roads or highways. Vacating roads, town-plats, streets, alleys, and public grounds. Locating or changing county seats.

Regulating county and township affairs.

Regulating the practice in courts of justice.

Regulating the jurisdiction and duties of justices of the peace, police magistrates, and constables.

Providing for changes of venue in civil and criminal cases. Incorporating cities, towns, or villages, or changing or amending the charter of any town, city, or village.

For the punishment of crimes or misdemeanors.

For the assessment and collection of taxes for Territorial, county, township, or road purposes.

Summoning and impaneling grand or petit jurors.

Providing for the management of common schools.
Regulating the rate of interest on money.

The opening and conducting of any election or designating the place of voting.

The sale or mortgage of real estate belonging to minors or others under disability.

The protection of game or fish.

Chartering or licensing ferries or toll bridges.

Remitting fines, penalties, or forfeitures.

Creating, increasing, or decreasing fees, percentage, or allowances of public officers during the term for which said officers are elected or appointed.

Changing the law of descent.

Granting to any corporation, association, or individual the right to lay down railroad tracks, or amending existing charters for such purpose.

Granting to any corporation, association, or individual any special or exclusive privilege, immunity, or franchise whatever.

In all other cases where a general law can be made applicable, no special law shall be enacted in any of the Territories of the United States by the Territorial legislatures thereof.

SEC. 2. That no Territory of the United States now or hereafter to be organized, or any political or municipal corporation or subdivision of any such Territory, shall hereafter make any subscription to the capital stock of any incorporated company, or company or association having corporate powers, or in any manner loan its credit to or use it for the benefit of any such company or association, or borrow any money for the use of any such company or association.

SEC. 3. That no law of any Territorial legislature shall authorize any debt to be contracted by or on behalf of such Territory except in the following cases: To meet a casual deficit in the revenues, to pay the interest upon the Territorial debt, to suppress insurrections, or to provide for the public defense, except that in addition to any indebtedness created for such purposes, the legislature may authorize a loan for the erection of penal, charitable or educational institutions for such Territory, if the total indebtedness of the Territory is not thereby made to exceed one per centum upon the assessed value of the taxable property in such Territory as shown by the last general assessment for taxation. And nothing in this act shall be construed to prohibit the refunding of any existing indebtedness of such Territory or of any political or municipal corporation, county, or other sub-division therein.

SEC. 4. That no political or municipal corporation, county, or other sub-division in any of the Territories of the United States shall ever become indebted in any manner or for any purpose to any amount in the aggregate, including existing indebtedness, exceeding four per centum on the value of the taxable property within such corporation, county, or sub-division, to be ascertained by the last assessment for Territorial and county taxes previous to the incurring of such indebtedness; and all bonds or obligations in excess of such amount given by such corporation shall be void : That nothing in this act contained shall be so construed as to affect the validity of any act of any Territorial legislature heretofore enacted, or of any obligations existing or contracted thereunder, nor to preclude the issuing of bonds already contracted for in pursuance of express provisions of law; nor to prevent any Territorial legislature from legalizing the acts of any county, municipal corporation, or sub-division of any territory as to any bonds heretofore issued or contracted to be issued.

SEC. 5. That section eighteen hundred and eighty-nine, title twenty-three, of the Revised Statutes of the United States be amended to read as follows:

"The legislative assemblies of the several Territories shall not grant private charters or special privileges, but they may, by gen