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; And if, upon such testimony, the Commissioner of the General Land office shall find that such lands are saline and incapable of being purchased under any of the laws of the United States relative to the public domain, 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; ', -to be sold at public auction. R. S., § 23532379. 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, Act not to apply &c. Provided, That the foregoing enactments shall not apply to any State 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 grant has been fully satisfied, or the right of selection thereunder has expired by efflux of time. 17 (257) Patents to be But nothing in this act shall authorize the sale or conveyance of any only a release, &c. title other than such as the United States has, and the patents issued shall be in the form of a release and quit-claim of all title of the United States in such lands. Proclamation of SEC. 2. That all executive proclamations relating to the sales of Pubsale of public lic Lands shall be published in only one newspaper, the same to be lands; where to be published. printed and published in the State or Territory where the lands are sitR. S., § 2359. uated, and to be designated by the Secretary of the Interior. [January 1876, July 4, ch. 12, 1877.] 165. Jan. 16, 1877. 19 Stat. L., 222. In District of Co lumbia, constables to take oath and give bond. R. S., vol. 2, Dist. Col., 1036. CHAPTER 22. AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION TEN HUNDRED AND THIRTY-SIX OF THE REVISED STAT- In District of Columbia, constables to take oath and give bond. Be it enacted, &c., That section ten hundred and thirty six of the Revised Statutes relating to the District of Columbia be amended to read as follows: "Each constable shall, before performing any of the duties of his office, take the oath prescribed for civil officers in the District, and shall enter into a bond to the United States in the sum of five thousand dollars, with security, to be approved by the clerk of the supreme court of the District, conditioned for the faithful performance of the duties of his office, and for the punctual payment of all moneys coming into his hands to the persons entitled to receive the same. And the clerk of said supreme court shall approve of no bond of any constable until at least three bondsmen shall sign said constable's bond, and each of said bondsmen shall file with said constable's bond an affidavit that he is the owner in fee-simple of unincumbered real estate, situated in the District of Columbia, of the cash value of at least five thousand dollars." [January 16, 1877.] Jan. 16, 1877. 19 Stat. L., 222. Recorder of Columbia may ap point deputy. CHAPTER 23. AN ACT AUTHORIZING THE RECORDER OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA TO APPOINT Recorder of deeds in District of Columbia may ap- | Deputy to act in cases of vac allow Be it enacted, &c., That the recorder of deeds for the District of Codeeds in District of lumbia is authorized to appoint a deputy recorder; and all deeds of conveyance, leases, powers of attorney, and other written instruments reR. S., vol. 2, Dist. quired to be filed and recorded, and all copies of instruments and records, Col., § 467-471. and certificates authorized by law, filed, recorded, made, and certified by the deputy recorder, shall have the same legality, force, and effect as if performed by the recorder. Deputy to act in case of vacancy. No additional In case of a vacancy in the office of recorder by death, resignation, or other cause, the deputy recorder shall act until a recorder shall be duly appointed and qualified: Provided, That no additional expense shall be incurred by the District expense or fees al- for said deputy, and no other fees shall be allowed than are now pro lowed. vided by law. [January 16, 1877.] CHAPTER 24. AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION FIFTY-FOUR HUNDRED AND FIFTY-SEVEN OF THE REVISE STATUTES OF THE UNITED STATES RELATING TO COUNTERFEITING (1) Counterfeiting, &c., gold or silver coin or bars; how punished. Be it enacted, &c., That Section fifty-four hundred and fifty-seven of the Revised Statutes of the United States be, and the same is hereby amended so as to read as follows: (1) Jan. 16, 1877. 19 Stat. L., 223. Counterfeiting, &c., gold or silver coin or bars; how punished. Substitute for R. S., § 5457. 10 Pet., 618. 9 How., 560. 4 Wash., 733. "Every person who falsely makes, forges, or counterfeits, or causes or procures to be falsely made, forged, or counterfeited, or willingly aids or assists in falsely making, forging, or counterfeiting any coin or bars in resemblance or similitude of the gold or silver coins or bars which have been, or hereafter may be, coined or stamped at the mints and assay-offices of the United States, or in resemblance or similitude 208. of any foreign gold or silver coin which by law is, or hereafter may be, current in the United States, or are in actual use and circulation as money within the United States, or who passes, utters, publishes, or sells, or attempts to pass, utter, publish, or sell, or bring into the United States from any foreign place, knowing the same to be false, forged, or counterfeit, with intent to defraud any body politic or corporate, or any other person or persons whatsoever, or has in his possession any such false, forged or counterfeited coin or bars, knowing the same to be false, forged or counterfeited, with intent to defraud any body politic or corporate, or any other person or persons whatsoever, shall be punished by a fine of not more than five thousand dollars, and by imprisonment at hard labor not more than ten years. [January 16, 1877.] NOTE. (1) This amendment has been incorporated into the second edition of the Revised Statutes in § 5457. CHAPTER 27. AN ACT MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE PAYMENT OF INVALID AND OTHER PEN- Commissioner of Pensions to report amount of annual additions and reductions. Be it enacted, &c. Commissioner of Pensions * Jan. 19, 1877. 19 Stat. L., 223. and hereafter he shall Commissioner of Pensions to report report the total annual amount paid for additions, also reductions on the amount of annual annual pension rolls: * [January 19, 1877.] additions and re- CHAPTER 37. AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR AND REGULATE THE COUNTING OF VOTES FOR PRESIDENT [SECTION 1], That the Senate and House of Representatives shall Counting votes Vice-President, A. D. 1877. meet in the hall of the House of Representatives, at the hour of one for President and o'clock post meridian, on the first Thursday in February, anno Domini R. S., §§ 131-15j. Tellers. Announcement of vote. Objections. -proceedings on. turns. eighteen hundred and seventy-seven; and the President of the Senate shall be their presiding officer. Two tellers shall be previously appointed on the part of the Senate, and two on the part of the House of Representatives, to whom shall be handed, as they are opened by the President of the Senate, all the certificates, and papers purporting to be certificates, of the electoral votes. which certificates and papers shall be opened, presented, and acted upon in the alphabetical order of the States, beginning with the letter A; and said tellers having then read the same in the presence and hearing of the two houses, shall make a list of the votes as they shall appear from the said certificates; And the votes having been ascertained and counted as in this act provided, the result of the same shall be delivered to the President of the Senate, who shall thereupon announce the state of the vote, and the names of the persons, if any, elected, which announcement shall be deemed a sufficient declaration of the persons elected President and Vice-President of the United States, and, together with a list of the votes, be entered on the journals of the two houses. Upon such reading of any such certificate or paper when there shall be only one return from a State, the President of the Senate shall call for objections, if any. Every objection shall be made in writing, and shall state clearly and concisely, and without argument, the ground thereof, and shall be signed by at least one Senator and one member of the House of Representatives before the same shall be received. When all objections so made to any vote or paper from a State shall have been received and read, the Senate shall thereupon withdraw, and such objections shall be submitted to the Senate for its decision; and the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall, in like manner, submit such objections to the House of Representatives for its decision; and no electoral vote or votes from any State from which but one return has been received shall be rejected except by the affirmative vote of the two Houses. When the two Houses have voted, they shall immediately again meet, and the presiding officer shall then announce the decision of the question submitted. Proceedings in SEC. 2. That if more than one return, or paper purporting to be a recase of double re- turn from a State, shall have been received by the President of the Senate, purporting to be the certificates of electoral votes given at the last preceding election for President and Vice-President in such State, (unless they shall be duplicates of the same return,) all such returns and papers shall be opened by him in the presence of the two Houses when met as aforesaid, and read by the tellers, and all such returns and papers shall thereupon be submitted to the judgment and decision as to which is the true and lawful electoral vote of such State, of a commission constituted as follows, namely: Electoral Commission. Justices of Supreme Court. President of commission. During the session of each House on the Tuesday next preceding the first Thursday in February, eighteen hundred and seventy-seven, each House shall, by viva voce vote, appoint five of its members, who with the five associate justices of the Supreme Court of the United States, to be ascertained as hereinafter provided, shall constitute a commission for the decision of all questions upon or in respect of such double returns named in this section. On the Tuesday next preceding the first Thursday in February, anno Domini eighteen hundred and seventy-seven, or as soon thereafter as may be, the associate justices of the Supreme Court of the United States now assigned to the first, third, eighth, and ninth circuits shall select, in such manner as a majority of them shall deem fit, another of the associate justices of said court, which five persons shall be members of said commission; And the person longest in commission of said five justices shall be the president of said commission. |