Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 2.djvu/733



for the army, its stores, artillery and camp equipage. That the quartermaster general shall account as often as may be required, and at least once in three months, with the department of war, in such manner as shall be prescribed, for all property which may pass through his hands, or the hands of the subordinate officers in his department, or that may be in his or their care or possession, and for all monies which he or they may expend in discharging their respective duties; that he shall be responsible for the regularity and correctness of all returns in his department, and that he, his deputies and assistant deputies, before they enter on the execution of their respective offices, shall severally take an oath faithfully to perform the duties thereof.

. And be it further enacted, That there shall be a commissary general of purchases, and as many deputy commissaries, as, in the opinion of the President of the United States, the public service may require, to be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.

. And be it further enacted, That it shall be the duty of the commissary general of purchases, under the direction and supervision of the Secretary of War, to conduct the procuring and providing of all arms, military stores, clothing, and generally all articles of supply requisite for the military service of the United States; and it shall be the duty of the deputy commissaries, when directed thereto, either by the Secretary of War, the commissary general of purchases, or, in cases of necessity, by the commanding general, quartermaster general, or deputy quartermasters, to purchase all such of the aforesaid articles as may be requisite for the military service of the United States.

. And be it further enacted, That neither the quartermaster general nor the commissary general shall, directly or indirectly, be concerned or interested, in carrying on the business of trade or commerce, or be owner in whole or in part, of any sea vessel; nor shall either of them purchase by himself or another, in trust for him, public lands or any other public property, or be concerned in the purchase or disposal of any public securities of any state, or of the United States, or take, or apply to his own use, any emolument or gain, for negotiating or transacting any business in the said department, other than what shall be allowed by law; and if either the said quartermaster general or commissary general shall offend against any of the prohibitions of this act, the parties so offending shall, upon conviction, forfeit to the United States, the penalty of three thousand dollars, and may be imprisoned for a term not exceeding five years, and shall be removed from office, and be for ever thereafter incapable of holding any office under the United States.

. And be it further enacted, That the salary of the commissary general of purchases shall be three thousand dollars per annum; and the compensation to a deputy commissary, shall not exceed two and one half per centum on the public monies disbursed by him, nor in any instance, the sum of two thousand dollars per annum.

. And be it further enacted, That the commissary general of purchases shall, before he enters upon his duties, give bond with sufficient surety, to be approved of by the Secretary of War, in the sum of fifty thousand dollars, and the deputy commissaries, each in the sum of ten thousand dollars, with conditions for the faithful performance of the duties of their office respectively, which bonds shall be lodged with the comptroller of the treasury.

. And be it further enacted, That from and after the last day of May next, so much of the act, entituled “,” as relates to the appointment and services of a purveyor of public supplies, be, and the same is hereby repealed; and in the mean time, the purveyor shall deliver over to the