Shreveport daily news., 1861-06-21
or furnished under the pro-

IpAOSAOeUO OT IuFIlSNcO uuUcT Iuo pr
visions of this or any former ACT
whether the same are impressed o
printed on or attached to envelopes}o
not, or any dies, plate or engraving
therefor, or shall make, or print, o
knowingly use or sell or have in pos
session, with intent to use or sell, an.
such false, forged or counterfeite'
dies, plate, engraving or postag'
stamp, or who shall make, or print, %
authorize, or procure to be made o
printed. any pastage stamps OF tn
kind provided and furnished by tn
Postmaster G as aforesaid, with
out the especial authority and direc
ton of the Postoffice Department, o.
who, after such postage stamps have
been printed, shall, with intent to de
fraud the revenues of the Postotfict
Department deliver any postage
stamps to any person or persons other
than such as shall be authorized te
receive the same by any instrumen,
of writing, duly executed under the
hand eff the Postmaster General and
the seal Of the Postoffice Department,
shall, on conviction thereof be deemed
guilty of felony, and he punished by
a fine not exceeding $500, or by i'm,
prisonment not exceeding five years,
or by both such fine and imprison-
ment; and the expenses of procuring
and providing all such postage stamps
and letter enyolopes as are provided
for or authorized by this act, shall be
paid afte, being adjusted by the Au.
ditsr of the Postoffice Department on
the certificate of the Postmaster Gen
eral out of any money in tl,e Treasury
arising from the revenues Of the Post.
Office Department.
''Sec 4. Ind be 1t further enacted,
That it shall be the duty Of every
Postmaster to cause to be defaced in
such manner as the Postmaster Gen
eral shall direct, all postage stamps
of this Cenfederacy to letters depos-
tied in his office for delivery or to be
sent by mail; and if any Postmaster
sending letters in the mail with such
postage stamps attached shall omit
to deface the same, it shall be the
duty of the Postmaster to whose
Office such letters shall be sent for
delivery, to deface the stamps and re-
port the delinquent Postms ster to the
Postmaster General. And if any per-
son shall use, or attemp' to use, in
prepayment Of postage, any postage
stamps which shall hay e been before
used for like purposes, such persons
shall be subject to a penalty of fifty
dollars for every such otfense, to be
recovered in the name of the Confed-
crate States of America in any court
ofcompetent jurisdiction.
'.Sec 5. And be 1t .furtIey enachrd
That from and after the day when
this act goes into effect, the
franking privilege shall be abolished;
s,rersded, that the Postmaster Gener-
al and his chief clerks, and the Audi
tor of the Treasury for the Postofiice
Department shall be and they are
hereby authorized to transmit
through the mails, free of postage,
any letters, packages, on other mat
ters relating exclusively to their Off
cial duties, or to the business of the
Postotfice Department.; but they
shall in every such case endorse on
the back of the letter OF packages TO
DE sent free of postage over their own
signatures, the words, Official bust
ness, 'and for any such endorsement
falsely made, the person so offending
shall forfeit and pay taxes $500; ard
prorided. further, the several Depuy-
Postmasters throughout the Gonfeder-
ate Shall shall be and hereby are au-
thorized to send through the mails
free Of postage all letters and pack
ages which it may be their duty, or
they may have occasion to transmit
to any person or place, and which
shall relate exclusively to the busi-
ness oftheir respective offices, or to