Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 5.djvu/426



safekeeping of the public moneys in the charge and custody of those officers respectively, the expense to be paid by the United States.

. And be it further enacted, That from and after the thirtieth day of June, which will be in the year one thousand eight hundred and forty, the resolution of Congress of the thirtieth day of April, in the year one thousand eight hundred and sixteen, so far as it authorized the receipt in payment of duties, taxes, sales of public lands, debts, and sums of money, accruing or becoming payable to the United States, to be collected and paid in the notes of specie-paying banks, shall be so modified as that one fourth part of all such duties, taxes, sales of public lands, debts, and sums of money accruing or becoming due to the United States, shall be collected in the legal currency of the United States; and from and after the thirtieth day of June, which will be in the year one thousand eight hundred and forty-one, one other fourth part of all such duties, taxes, sales of public lands, debts, and sums of money, shall be so collected; and that from and after the thirtieth day of June, which will be in the year one thousand eight hundred and forty-two, one other fourth part of all such duties, taxes, sales of public lands, debts and sums of money, shall be so collected; and that from and after the thirtieth day of June, which will be in the year one thousand eight hundred and forty-three, the remaining fourth part of the said duties, taxes, sales of public lands, debts, and sums of money, shall be also collected in the legal currency of the United States; and from and after the last-mentioned day, all sums accruing, or becoming payable to the United States, for duties, taxes, sales of public lands, or other debts, and also all sums due for postages, or otherwise, to the General Post Office Department, shall be paid in gold and silver only.

. And be it further enacted, That from and after the thirtieth day of June, which will be in the year one thousand eight hundred and forty-three, every officer or agent engaged in making disbursements on account of the United States, or of the General Post Office, shall make all payments in gold and silver coin only; and any receiving or disbursing officer, or agent, who shall neglect, evade, or violate, the provisions of this and the last preceding section of this act, shall, by the Secretary of the Treasury, be immediately reported to the President of the United States, with the facts of such neglect, evasion, or violation, and also to Congress, if in session, and, if not in session, at the commencement of its session next after the violation takes place.

. And be it further enacted, That no exchange of funds shall be made by any disbursing officers, or agents, of the Government, of any grade or denomination whatsoever, or connected with any branch of the public service, other than an exchange for gold and silver; and every such disbursing officer, when the means for his disbursements are furnished to him in currency legally receivable under the provisions of this act, shall make his payments in the currency so furnished, or when those means are furnished to him in drafts, shall cause those drafts to be presented at their place of payment and properly paid according to the law, and shall make his payments in the currency so received for the drafts furnished, unless, in either case, he can exchange the means in his hands for gold and silver at par, and so facilitate his payments, or otherwise accommodate the public service and promote the circulation of a metallic currency: And it shall be, and is hereby made, the duty of the head of the proper department immediately to suspend from duty any disbursing officer who shall violate the provisions of this section, and forthwith to report the name of the officer, or agent, to the President, with the fact of the violation and all the circumstances accompanying the same and within the knowledge of said Secretary, to the end that such officer, or agent, may be promptly removed from