RESOLUTIONS. NUMBER 4. JOINT RESOLUTION DIRECTING THE COMMISSIONERS OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Debt of District of Columbia not to be increased. Be it resolved, &c. March 14, 1876. 19 Stat. L., 211. Debt of District be increased. SEC. 2. That there shall be no increase of the present amount of the total indebtedness of the District of Columbia; and any officer or per- of Columbia not to son who shall knowingly increase, or aid or abet in increasing, such total indebtedness, shall be deemed guilty of a high misdemeanor, and, on conviction thereof, shall be punished by imprisonment not exceeding ten years, and by fine not exceeding ten thousand dollars. [March 14, 1876.] 1880, June 16, ch. 243. 1881, March 3, ch. 134, § 4. NUMBER 10. JOINT RESOLUTION CONCERNING SPECIAL-TAX STAMPS. Special-tax stamps may be issued to retail dealers in liquors and tobacco on railway-trains, vessels, &c. May 8, 1876. 19 Stat. L., 213. sued to retail deal Be it resolved, &c., That nothing contained in chapter three of title Special-tax thirty-five of the Revised Statutes shall prevent the issue, under such stamps may be isregulations as the Commissioner of Internal Revenue may prescribe, ers in liquors and of special-tax stamps to persons carrying on the business of retail deal tobacco on railers in liquors, retail dealers in malt liquors, or dealers in tobacco, upon way trains, vespassenger railroad-trains or upon steamboats or other vessels engaged sels, &c. in the business of carrying passengers. [May 8, 1876.] R. S., § 3244. NUMBER 13. JOINT RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE SECRETARY OF WAR TO ISSUE ARMS. July 3, 1876. 19 Stat. L., 214. Arms to be issued to Territories and Resolved, &c., That the Secretary of War is hereby authorized to cause to be issued to the Territories, and the States bordering thereon, border States. such arms as he may deem necessary for their protection, not to exceed one thousand to said States [and Territories] each [and ammunition for the same, not to exceed fifty ball-cartridges for each arm], [and not more than five hundred to each of said Territories]: R. S., § 1667. 1878, May 16, ch. 106; Res. 1877, March 3, No. 7, p. 302; 1878, June 7, No. 26, p. 389. Provided, That such issues shall be only from arms owned by the Gov-kind of arms. ernment which have been superseded and no longer issued to the Army: Provided however, That said arms shall be issued only in the following manner, and upon the following conditions, namely, upon the requisi NOTE.-The words in brackets indicate the amendments made by the resolution of 1877, March 3, No. 7, and the act of 1878, May 16, ch. 106; the words in italics being stricken out and those in roman inserted. See also resolution of 1878, June 7, No. 26, p. -. - manner of issue. tion of the governors of said States or Territories showing the absolute necessity of arms for the protection of the citizens and their property against Indian raids into said States or Territories also that militia companies are regularly organized and under control of the governors of said States or Territories to whom said arms are to be issued, and that said governor or governors shall give a good and sufficient bond for the return of said arms or payment for the same at such time as the Secretary of War may designate. [July 3, 1876.] Silver coin to be for legal-tender notes, &c. 3572. [SECTION 1], That the Secretary of the Treasury, under such limits issued in exchange and regulations as will best secure a just and fair distribution of the same through the country, may issue the silver coin at any time in the R. S., § 3513, Treasury to an amount not exceeding ten million dollars, in exchange for an equal amount of legal-tender notes; and the notes so received in 17, exchange shall be kept as a special fund separate and apart from all other money in the Treasury, and be reissued only upon the retirement June 21, ch. and destruction of a like sum of fractional currency received at the 34, § 3. Treasury in payment of dues to the United States; 1876, April ch. 63, § 2. .12. Fractional cur And said fractional currency, when so substituted, shall be destroyed rency to be de- and held as part of the sinking fund, as provided in the act approved stroyed. 1876, April 17, April seventeen, eighteen hundred and seventy-six. ch. 63, § 2. Trade dollar not to be legal tender, and its issue limited. R. S., § 3513. Fifty million dollars of subsidi ary silver coin may be issued. R. S., § 3513. 15 Opin. Att'yGen., 312. Purchase of sil ed for. R. S., § 3526. SEC. 2. That the trade dollar shall not hereafter be a legal tender, and the Secretary of the Treasury is hereby authorized to limit from time to time, the coinage thereof to such an amount as he may deem sufficient to meet the export demand for the same. SEC. 3. That in addition to the amount of subsidiary silver coin authorized by law to be issued in redemption of the fractional currency it shall be lawful to manufacture at the several mints, and issue through the Treasury and its several offices, such coin, to an amount, that, including the amount of subsidiary silver coin and of fractional currency outstanding, shall, in the aggregate, not exceed, at any time, fifty million dollars. SEC. 4. That the silver bullion required for the purposes of this resover bullion; price lution shall be purchased, from time to time, at market-rate, by the Seclimited; seigniorage to be account- retary of the Treasury, with any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated; but no purchase of bullion shall be made under this resolution when the market-rate for the same shall be such as will not admit of the coinage and issue, as herein provided, without loss to the Treas ury; and any gain or seigniorage arising from this coinage shall be accounted for and paid into the Treasury, as provided under existing laws relative to the subsidiary coinage: Amount to be in vested in silver bullion limited. R. S., § 3526. Provided, That the amount of money at any one time invested in such silver bullion, exclusive of such resulting coin, shall not exceed two hundred thousand dollars. [July 22, 1876.] NUMBER 18. JOINT RESOLUTION TO CORRECT AN ERROR IN THE ENROLMENT OF THE POST-OFFICE APPROPRIATION ACT. Compensation of postmasters; error in act corrected. July 25, 1876. 19 Stat. L., 215. Compensation of in act corrected. Resolved, &c., That the act approved July twelfth, eighteen hundred and seventy-six, entitled "An act making appropriations for the service postmasters; error of the Post Office Department for the fiscal year ending June thirtieth, 1876, July 12, ch. eighteen hundred and seventy-seven, and for other purposes," be amended 179, § 7. as follows: In line thirty-six, section seven of said act (as printed by authority of the Department of State), after the word "sums" strike out the word "not." [July 25, 1876.] NUMBER 20. JOINT RESOLUTION PROHIBITING SUPPLY OF SPECIAL METALLIC CARTRIDGES TO HOS- Metallic ammunition not to be supplied to hostile Indians; may be declared contraband of war. Whereas, it is ascertained that the hostile Indians of the Northwest are largely equipped with arms which require special metallic cartridges, and that such special ammunition is in large part supplied to such hostile Indians directly or indirectly through traders and others in the Indian country: Therefore, Aug. 5, 1876. 19 Stat. L., 216. supplied to hostile Resolved, &c., That the President of the United States is hereby au- Metallic ammuthorized and requested to take such measures as in his judgment may nition not to be be necessary to prevent such special metallic ammunition being con- Indians; may be veyed to such hostile Indians, and is further authorized to declare the declared contrasame contraband of war in such district of country as he may designate band of war. during the continuance of hostilities. [August 5, 1876.] R. S., § 2136. NUMBER 21. JOINT RESOLUTION PROVIDING FOR THE POSTPONEMENT OF THE PUBLICATION OF THE Publication of Army regulations to be postponed. Whereas the President was, by an act of Congress approved March first, eighteen hundred and seventy-five, authorized to make and publish regula tions for the government of the Army, in accordance with existing laws; and Whereas by an act of Congress approved July twenty-four, eighteen hundred and seventy-six, a commission was created to which has been referred the whole subject matter of reform and reorganization of the Army of the United States; Therefore Resolved, &c., That the President be requested to postpone all action Publication of in connection with the publication of said regulations until after the Army Regulations report of said commission is received and acted on, by Congress at its to be postponed. next session. (1) [August 15, 1876.] NOTE (1) By act of 1879, June 13, ch. 35, § 2, the Secretary of War is directed to cause the regula tions of the Army and general orders to be codified and published. 1875, March 1, ch. 115. 1879, June 13, ch. 35, § 2. GENERAL LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES ENACTED BY THE FORTY-FOURTH CONGRESS-SECOND SESSION, IN THE YEAR 1877. (NOTE.-The omitted chapters and parts of chapters are private, special, local, or temporary acts, and are not of general interest. R. S. refers to Revised Statutes; S. L. and STAT. L. to Statutes at Large.] Saline lands to ceivers. [SECTION 1], That whenever it shall be made appear to the register and the receiver of any land office of the United States that any lands be examined by within their district are saline in character, it shall be the duty of said registers and reregister and said receiver, under the regulations of the General Land R. S., § 2258. Office, to take testimony in reference to such lands to ascertain their true character, and to report the same to the General Land office; 2379. And if, upon such testimony, the Commissioner of the General Land -to be sold at office shall find that such lands are saline and incapable of being pur- public auction. chased under any of the laws of the United States relative to the public R. S., §§ 2353domain, then, and in such case, such lands shall be offered for sale by public auction at the local land office of the district in which the same shall be situated, under such regulations as shall be prescribed by the Commissioner of the General Land office, and sold to the highest bidder for cash, at a price not less than one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre; And in case said lands fail to sell when so offered, then the same shall - may be sold at be subject to private sale, at such land office, for cash, at a price not less private sale; when. than one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre, in the same manner as other lands of the United States are sold, Provided, That the foregoing enactments shall not apply to any State Act not to apply or Territory which has not had a grant of salines by act of Congress, to certain States, nor to any State which may have had such a grant, until either the &c. grant has been fully satisfied, or the right of selection thereunder has expired by efflux of time. 17 (257) |