206 



CONGEE SS. (MISCELLANEOUS.) 



ence Committee was appointed, and reported 

 the following, which both Houses agreed to : 



That whenever three fourths in number of the na- 

 tional banks located in any city of the United States 

 having a population of 50,000 people shall make ap- 

 plication to the Comptroller of the Currency, in writ- 

 ing, asking that the name of the city in which such 

 banks are located shall be added to the cities named 

 in sections 5191 and 5192 of the Revised Statutes, the 

 Comptroller shall have authority to grant such re- 

 quest, and every bank located in such city shall at all 

 times thereafter have on hand, in lawful money of the 

 United States, an amount equal to at least 25 percent, 

 of its deposits, as provided in sections 5191 and 5195 

 of the Revised Statutes. 



SEC. 2. That whenever three fourths in number of 

 the national banks located in any city of the United 

 States having a population of 200,000 people shall 

 make application to the Comptroller of the Currency, 

 in writing, asking that such city may be a central re- 

 serve city, like the city of New York, in which one 

 half of the lawful money reserve of the national banks 

 located in other reserve cities may_ be deposited, as 

 provided in section 5195 of the Revised Statutes, the 

 Comptroller shall have authority, with the approval 

 of the Secretary of the Treasury, to grant such re- 

 quest, and every bank located in such city shall at all 

 times thereafter have on hand, in lawful money of the 

 United States, 25 per cent, of its deposits, as provided 

 in section 5191 of the Revised Statutes. 



SEC. 3. That section 3 of the act of January 14 ? 1875. 

 entitled " An act to provide for the resumption of 

 specie payment," be, and the same is hereby, amend- 

 ed by adding, after the words " New York," the 

 words, "and the city of San Francisco, Cal." 



The measure was approved by the President 

 March 3. 



A bill was passed to enable the Commission- 

 er of Agriculture to make a special distribution 

 of seeds in the drought-stricken districts of 

 Texas, and making an appropriation for that 

 purpose ; but the President vetoed the meas- 

 ure, saying : 



I can find no warrant for such an appropriation in 

 the Constitution : and I do not believe that the power 

 and duty of the General Government ought to be ex- 

 tended to the relief of individual suffering which is in 

 no manner properly related to the public service or 

 benefit. A prevalent tendency to disregard the lim- 

 ited mission of this power and duty should, I think, 

 be steadfastly resisted, to the ena that the lesson 

 should be constantly enforced that, though the peo- 

 ple support the Government, the Government should 

 not support the people. 



The friendliness and charity of our countrymen can 

 alwavs be relied upon to relieve their fellow-citizens 

 in misfortune. This has been repeatedly and quite 

 lately demonstrated. Federal aid in such cases en- 

 courages the expectation of paternal care on the part 

 of the Government and weakens the sturdiness of our 

 national character, while it prevents the indulgence 

 among o_ur people of that kindly sentiment and con- 

 duct which strengthens the bonds of a common broth- 

 erhood. 



The measure to restrict ownership of real 

 estate in the Territories to American citizens 

 was passed by Congress and approved by the 

 President in this form : 



That it shall be unlawful for any person or persons 

 not citizens of the United States, or who have not law- 

 fully declared their intention to become such citizens, 

 or for any corporation not created by or under the 

 laws of the United States or of some State or Territory 

 of the United States, to hereafter acquire, hold, or 

 own real estate so hereafter acquired, or any interest 



therein, in any of the Territories of the United 

 States or in the District of Columbia, except such as 

 may be acquired by inheritance or in good faith in the 

 ordinary course of justice in the collection of debts 

 heretofore created : Provided, That the prohibition of 

 this section shall not apply to cases in which the 

 right to hold or dispose of lands in the United States 

 is secured by existing treaties to the citizens or sub- 

 jects of foreign countries, which rights so far as they 

 may exist by force of any such treaty, shall continue 

 to exist so long as such treaties are in force, and no 

 longer. 



SEC. 2. That no corporation or association, more 

 than 20 per cent, of the stock of which is or may 

 be owned by any person or persons, corporation or 

 corporations, association or associations, not citizens 

 of the United States, shall hereafter acquire or hold 

 or own any real estate hereafter acquired in any of the 

 Territories of the United States or of the District of 

 Columbia. 



SEC. 3. That no corporation other than those or- 

 ganized for the construction or operation of railways, 

 canals, or turnpikes shall acquire, hold, or own more 

 than 5,000 acres of land in any of the Territories 

 of the United States; and no railroad, canal, or turn- 

 pike corporation shall hereafter acquire, hold, or own 

 lands in any Territory, other than as may be neces- 

 sary for the proper operation of its railroad, canal, 

 or turnpike, except such lands as may have been 

 granted to it by act of Congress; but the prohibition 

 of this section shall not affect the title to any lands 

 now lawfully held by any such corporation. 



SEC. 4. That all property acquired, held, or owned 

 in violation of the provisions of this act shall be for- 

 feited to the United States, and it shall be the duty 

 of the Attorney-General to enforce every such forfeit- 

 ure by bill in equity or other proper process. And in 

 any suit or proceeding that may fee commenced to en- 

 force the provisions of this act, it shall be the duty 

 of the court to determine the very right of the matter, 

 without regard to matters of form, joinder of parties, 

 multifariousncss, or other matters not affecting the 

 substantial rights either of the United States or of 

 the parties concerned in any such proceeding arising 

 out of the matters in this act mentioned. 



There was passed by Congress, and approved 

 by the President, a bill " to prohibit any offi- 

 cer, agent, or servant of the Government of 

 the United States to hire or contract out the 

 labor of prisoners incarcerated for violating the 

 laws of the Government of the United States." 

 It declares that it shall not be lawful for any 

 officer, agent, or servant of the Government of 

 the United States to contract with any person 

 or corporation, or permit any warden, agent, 

 or official of any State prison, penitentiary, 

 jail, or house of correction where criminals of 

 the United States may be incarcerated, to hire 

 or contract out the labor of said criminals, or 

 any part of them, who may hereafter be con- 

 fined in any prison, jail, or other place of in- 

 carceration for violation of any laws of the 

 Government of the United States of America. 

 A bill was passed by Congress and approved 

 by the President, extending the free-delivery 

 system to cities of over 10,000 inhabitants, ac- 

 cording to the last general census taken by 

 State or United States law, or to offices that 

 had during the previous fiscal year a gross 

 revenue of not less than $10,000. It also di- 

 vided letter-carriers in cities of more than 75,- 

 000 inhabitants and over into three classes, 

 members of the first to receive a salary of 

 $1,000, members of the second a salary of 



