Dec. 15, 1877. 20 Stat. L., 10. Public docu CHAPTER 3. AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR DEFICIENCIES IN THE APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE SERVICE Public documents may be sent by mail free by Vice-President, Senators, Representatives, &c. That the Vice-President, Senators, Representatives, and Delegates in ments may be sent Congress, the Secretary of the Senate, and Clerk of the House of Repby mail free by Vice-President, resentatives may send and receive through the mail free all public docSenators, Repre- uments printed by order of Congress, and in the manner provided by sentatives, &c. section seven of the "act establishing post-roads, and for other purR. S., §§ 3896poses," approved March third, eighteen hundred and seventy-seven. 3913. ch. 128, § 3. 1877, March 3, ch. 103, § 7. 1879, March 3, ch. 180, § 1, par. 4. 16 Opin. Att'y-Gen., 271. CHAPTER 4. AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE PRINTING AND DISTRIBUTION OF THE BIENNIAL REGISTER. Biennial Regis SECTION 1. Biennial Register; number to be printed, and Be it enacted, &c. SECTION 2. material for; when to be furnished. [SECTION 1], That in lieu of the number of copies of the Biennial ter; number to be Register now authorized by law to be printed, the Secretary of the Inprinted, and how distributed. terior be, and he is hereby, directed to cause to be printed twenty-five hundred copies of the said work, to be distributed as follows: R. S., § 3800. 1874, Jan. 23, ch. 15. 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 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 Department of Agriculture, five 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. Biennial Regis when to be furnished. R. S., § 198, 510. 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 ter; material for, 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.] CHAPTER 10. AN ACT TO FURTHER REGULATE THE PURCHASE OF MATERIAL FOR THE PUBLIC PRINT Materials may be purchased by Public Printer without advertising in certain cases. 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 Printer to be purchased by Public Printer purchase material in open market, whenever in their opinion, it would without advertisnot promote the public interest to advertise for proposals and to make ing in certain contracts for the same: Provided, however, That the purchases authorized by this act shall not in any term of six months, exceed the sum of fifty dollars for any particular article required. [February 1, 1878.] cases. R. S., § 3778. CHAPTER 12. AN ACT TO PUNISH EMBEZZLEMENT IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, AND TO PROTECT Feb. 4, 1878. 20 Stat. L., 23. Embezzlement of [SECTION 1], That if any officer, clerk, agent, or employee in the service of the District of Columbia, or in the service of any of the officers property of Disthereof, shall embezzle or wrongfully convert to his own use, or fraud- trict of Columbia; how punished. ulently 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 impris onment not exceeding five years, or both. &c. SEC. 2. That if any officer, clerk, agent, or employee in the service of of property of any person, firm, association, or corporation shall, within the District of private citizens, 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. Books, &c., of SEC. 3. That all records, books, files, maps plats, surveys, drawings, Washington, writings and other papers, of the late corporations of Washington Georgetown, and Georgetown, or of the levy court of the District of Columbia, or made be- by persons in the employment or service of either of them, or of the long to District. District of Columbia, in the course of such employment or service, or which shall hereafter be so made, are, and shall be the property of the District of Columbia; -punishment for stealing, secreting, &c. -penalty for se And whoever shall steal any such record, book, file, map, plat, survey drawing or other paper, or instruments used in surveying or engineering work, such property of said District of Columbia shall upon conviction thereof, be imprisoned not more than three years, or pay a fine not exceeding five thousand dollars or both, without reference to the value of the property or thing so taken. SEC. 4. That all persons who shall willfully secrete or remove from creting, removing, the office, room or place where the same are usually kept, any record, altering, &c. 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. Name of consul CHAPTER 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 ate at Omoa, &c., Truxillo" be, and the same is hereby, changed to the "Consulate RuaHonduras, tan and Truxillo." [February 11, 1878.] changed to Ruatan and Truxillo. R. S., § 1690, Sch. C, p. 302. 1874, June 11, ch. 275, Sch. C, § 1, p. 35. 1876, Feb. 18, ch. 12. CHAPTER 20. AN ACT TO AUTHORIZE THE COINAGE OF THE STANDARD SILVER DOLLAR, AND TO Feb. 28, 1878. 20 Stat. L., 25. Silver dollars to be coined and to be legal tender. 1. Silver dollars to be coined and to be legal Bullion therefor to be purchased. Seigniorage to be accounted for. Silver bullion fund limited. Silver not to be used in payment of gold cer- Be it enacted, &c. 2. International conference invited. -compensation. 3. Certificates for silver deposited to be issued. -coin for, to be retained. - receivable for customs, taxes, and public dues. [SECTION 1], That there shall be coined, at the several mints of the United States, silver dollars of the weight of four hundred and twelve R. S-3009, and a half grains Troy of standard silver, as provided in the act of January eighteenth, eighteen hundred thirty-seven, on which shall be the 3473, 3474, 3513, 3586. 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. Bullion therefor And the Secretary of the Treasury is authorized and directed to purchase, from time to time, silver bullion, at the market price thereof, not to be purchased. less than two million dollars worth per month, nor more than four million dollars worth per month, and cause the same to be coined monthly, as fast as so purchased, into such dollars; and a sum sufficient to carry out the foregoing provision of this act is hereby appropriated out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated. Seigniorage to And any gain or seigniorage arising from this coinage shall be accounted for and paid into the Treasury, as provided under existing laws be accounted for. relative to the subsidiary coinage: Provided, That the amount of money at any one time invested in such silver bullion, exclusive of such resulting coin, shall not exceed five million dollars: R. S., § 3552. Silver bullion fund limited. And provided further, That nothing in this act shall be construed to authorize the payment in silver of certificates of deposit issued under the used in payment of provisions of section two hundred and fifty-four of the Revised Statutes. gold certificates. R. S., § 254. SEC. 2. That immediately after the passage of this act, the President International shall invite the governments of the countries composing the Latin conference invited. Union, so-called, and of such other European nations as he may deem advisable, to join the United States in a conference to adopt a common ratio between gold and silver, for the purpose of establishing, internationally, the use of bi-metallic money, and securing fixity of relative value between those metals; Such conference to be held at such place, in Europe or in the United States, at such time within six months, as may be mutually agreed upon by the executives of the governments joining in the same, whenever the governments so invited, or any three of them, shall have signified their willingness to unite in the same. The President shall, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, appoint three commissioners, who shall attend such conference on behalf of the United States, and shall report the doings thereof to the President, who shall transmit the same to Congress. Said commissioners shall each receive the sum of two thousand five hundred dollars and their reasonable expenses, to be approved by the Secretary of State; and the amount necessary to pay such compensation and expenses is hereby appropriated out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated. Commissioners. - compensation. SEC. 3. That any holder of the coin authorized by this act may deposit Certificates for the same with the Treasurer or any assistant treasurer of the United silver deposited to be issued. States, in sums not less than ten dollars, and receive therefor certificates of not less than ten dollars each, corresponding with the donominations 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. Said certificates shall be receivable for customs, taxes, and all public dues, and, when so received, may be reissued. 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.] coin for, to be re tained. receivable for customs, taxes, and public dues. R. S., § 3009, 3473, 3474. Standard of gold and NOTE.-(1) The provisions of the act of 1837, ch. 3 (5 Stat. L., 137), here referred to, are as follows: * * Weight of silver dol. lar. Devices, &c., on "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 coins. 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. * CHAPTER 25. March 8, 1878. 20 Stat. L., 26. In case of vacan AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION FOUR THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-EIGHT In case of vacancy in office of pension agent during session of Senate, President may designate officer Be it enacted, &c., That whenever during a session of the Senate a 4778. 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.] March 9, 1878. 20 Stat. L., 27. Revised Stat but not to control CHAPTER 26. AN ACT TO AMEND AN ACT ENTITLED "AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR THE PREPARATION STATES", APPROVED MARCH SECOND, EIGHTEEN HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-SEVEN. 5601. 1874, June 20, ch. 333. 1877, March 2, ch. 82. March 9, 1878. 20 Stat. L., 27. CHAPTER 27. AN ACT CHANGING THE TIMES OF HOLDING TERMS OF THE DISTRICT COURT FOR THE District court of West Virginia; when to be held. District court of Be it enacted, &c., That hereafter the district court of the United West Virginia; States for the district of West Virginia shall be held at the times and R. S., § 572, 2a places following; but when any of said dates shall fall on Sunday the ed., p. 101. term shall commence the following Monday, to wit: when 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; At Charleston, on the first day of May and the first day of November. And all pending process, rules, and proceedings shall be conducted in the same manner and with the same effect as to time as if this act had not passed. [March 9, 1878.] 7 |