Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-08-28
LAW OF THE UNITED STATES.
Passed at The First Session Of the Thirty-secoad
Congress Of lie United States of Anaerica.
[pupLlc Acr-No. AL

y
AN ACT to provide for executing the public printing and
establishing the prices thereof and for other purposes
BE enacted By the Senate and House Of Representatives
q ne United States Of Ameca n Congress assembled That
the joint resolution entitled Joint resolution directing
the manner Of procuring the printing for each House Of
Congress- approved August third eighteen hundred and
forty -siI, be and the same is hereby repealed.
Sec. And be further enacted, That there shall be
superintendent Of the public printing who shall hold his
office for the term of two years. who shall receive for his
services salary Of twenty-five hundred dollars per
annum and who shall give bond with two sureties to be
approved by the Secretary of the Interior in the penalty
of twenty thousand dollars for the faithful discharge Of
his duties under this law The said superintendent shall
apractca printer in the various branches Of the
arts Of printing and book binding and he shall not be in
erested directly indirectly any contract for printing
for Congress- for any department bureau Of the
Government of the United States The first superinten
dent under this law shall hold his Office until the COM
of the thirty third Congress- and the supern
tendents thereafter appointed shall hold their Offices for
years commencing with the first day Of the session of
each Congress. "a "a
Sec g. And belt further enacted, That 1t shall be the
duty Of said superintendent to receive from the Secretary
of the Senate and Clerk Of the House of Representatives
oil matter ordered by Congress to be printed and from
the several chiefs Of departments and heads of bureaus
all matter ordered by them respectively to be printed
the public expense and to keep faithful account Of the
same in the order in which the shall be received,
in book or books to be kept by him for that purpose
He shall deliver said matter to the public printer prin
ters in the order in which it shall be received unless
otherwise ordered by the joint committee printing
He shall inspect the work when executed by the public
printer or printers and shall record in book books
to be by him kept for that purpose the dates which
the returns Of said work made and whether the
executed in neat and workmanke manner upon the
paper furnished to the public printers by said superin
tendent and the amount allowed by said superintendent
for the said printing 1t shall be his duty supervise
the execution of the public printing inspect the work
when executed and that the same done with
ness and dispatch; to report every failure Delinquent
Of duty the part Of the public printer and from time
to time to report the said denquencies to the joint
mittee OF Congress on printing He shall issue his cert
cate for the amount due to the public printer for such
work shall have been faithfully executed which cer
cate shall be made payable to the public printer the
Treasury Of the United States and shall not be asgnable
or transferable by endorsement or delivery to any third
party Said certificate of the superintendent shall be
sufficient voucher for the comptroller pass and for the
treasurer upon the order of the second comptroller to
pay the same.
Sec. A. And be IL further enacted That it shall be the
duty of the said superintendent of the public printing
advertise annually in newspapers of general
circulation in the cities Of Boston, New York. Phadel
phia Baltimore Washington New Orleans Louisville,
and Cincinnati for the space of sixty days prior the
first of December for sealed proposals furnish the Gov
of the United States all paper which may be
cessary for the execution of the public printing of qua
ty and in quantity to be specified in the said advertise
ments from year year. He shall open such proposals
may be made in the presence of the President of the
Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives
the first Tuesday after the first Monday of December
nuay, provided Speaker shall have been elected
thereafter Speaker shall be elected and shall
award the contract for furnishing all of said paper or
such class thereof may be bid for to the lowest bidder
whose sample accompanying his bid shall most nearly
approximate to the quality of paper (size weight, and
texture all consdered advertised for by the said super
ntendent The sample offered with the bid accepted shall
be preserved by the said superintendent and it shall be
his duty compare these with the paper furnished by
public contractors and he shall not accept any paper from
the contractor which does not conform the sample pre-
served aforesaid 1t shall be the duty of the supern
tndent of the public printing deliver the paper for the
printing of the United States upon the acquisitions of the
public printer printers, and to charge him them
herewith and the printing is returned and passed
the said superintendent he shall credit the public printer
with the quantity used the public service 1t shall be
the duty of said s9perntendent 10 have the acquisitions
Of the printer and the returns Of by the printer
balanced at least in each year. and in default there
OF to report the same to Congress for such proceedings
Congress may direct In default of any contractor under
this law to comply with his contract in furnishing the
paper in proper time and of proper quality the superin
endent is authorized advertise for proposals. here
nbefore provided and award the the lowest
bidder and for increase of cost to the Government
in procuring proper supply of paper for the Of the
Government the contractor in default and his securities
shall be charged with and held responsible for the same
and shall be prosecuted upon their bond by the supern
endent in the name of the United States in the circuit
court of the United States for the District of Columbia
Sec g. ARd be further enacted That the public print
er shall be required to each job of printing
trusted to him within thirty days from the date of its de-
livery by the superintendent except bills reports and
joint resolutions which shall be returned the Clerk of
the House Secretary of the Senate shall require,
less for good reasons shown the superintendent of print
ing shall extend the time And should the printer detain
any matter longer than thirty days. deduction of five
per centum shall be made by the superintendent from the
account of the printer for such job and additional
deduction of five per centum for additional detention
ofwenty days. If the public printer shall detan such
matter for sixty days. the superintendent shall withdraw
entirely, and shall employ another printer to
the same with prompness, upon the terms provided by
aw and in such the public printer shall not be al
lowed therefor.
Sec g. And Be further enacted That the superinten-
dent Of the public printing shall be directly indi
recty interested in the business of the public printing
any material TO be used by the public printer in any
contract for furnishing paper to Congress- any de-
partment bureau of the Government of the United
States For any violation Of this provision the superin
tendent Of the public printing shall forfeit his Office and
may be indicted before the district court the District
Of Columbia and If found guilty shall be imprisoned in
the penitentary of the District Of Columbia for any
not less than than five years. and in addi
ton thereto may be fined in any from thousand
to ten thousand dollars
Sec. Z. And be further enacted That when any docu
men shall be ordered to be printed by both Houses of
Congress the entire printing Of such document shall be
done by the printer Of that House which first ordered the
same And whenever the same person or the same firm
shall be printer for both Houses Of Congress and both
houses shall order the same document be printed within
three weeks Of the time, composition shall be
charged but for said document and shall be
paid to said printer for altering the headings from the
form in which he printed them first to the form forms
in which such document shall afterwards be printed
Sec. g. And be IL further enacted, That there shall be
elected public printer for ench house Congress- to do
the public printing for the Congress for which he they
may be chosen, and such printing for the Executive de-