Shreveport daily news., 1861-09-13

| provided or furnished under the pro-
visions Of this or any former act,
whether the same are impressed or
printed Oh or attached to envelopes:or
not, or any dies,lplate or engraving
therefor, or shall make, or print, or
knowingly use or sell or have in pos
session, with antent to use or sell, any
such false, forged or counterfeited
dies, plate, engraving OF postage
stamp, or who shall make, or print, or
authorize, or procure to be made ar
printed, any pastage stamps of the
kind provided and furnished by the
PostnasterG General Us aforesaid, with
out the espscial authority and direc-
ton Of the Postotfice Department, or
who, after such postage stamps have
been printed, shall, with intent to de-
fraud tie revenues Of the Postotfice
Department deliver any postage
stamps to any person or persons other
than such as shall be authorized to
receive the same by any instrument
OF writing, duly executed under the
hand ct the Postmaster General and
the seal Of the Pestotiice Department
shall, on conviction thereof be deemed
guilty of felony, and be punished by
a fine not exceeding $500, or by i'm
prisonmcnt not exceeding five years,
or by both such fine and inprison-
ment ); and the expenses Of procuring
and providing all such postage stamps
and letter envelopes as are provided
for or authorized by this act, shall be
paid after being adjusted by the Au-
ditor of the Postotiice Department on
the certificate OF the Postmaster Gen
ernl out of any money in the Treasury
arising from the revenues Of the Post
Office Department.
"Sec 4. -ipa be At tuytAer enacted.
That it shall be the duty of every
Postmaster to cause to be defaced in
such manner as the Postmaster Gen
erai shall direct, all postage stamps
OF this CeIfederacy to letters acpos-
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 Postmaster to the
Postmaster General. And If any per-
son shall use, or attemp' to use. in
prepayment OF postage, any postage
stamps which shall har been before
used for like purposes, such persons
shall be subject to 4 penalty of fifty
dollars for every such oifense. to be
recovered in the name of the Conted-
crate States of America III any court
Of competent Jurisdiction. .s
Sec 5. Au9 be II further enacted,
That 1roR and after the day when
this act goes into effect, the
franking privilege shall be abolished;
proeided, that the Postmaster Gener-
al and bis chief clerks, and the Audi
tor OF the Treasury for the postotficc
Department shall be and they are
hereby authorized to transmit
through the mails, free of postage,
any letters. packages, or 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 on packages to
be sent free Of postage over their own
signatures. the words. Official busi-
ness, and for amy such endorsement
talsel y made, the person so offending
shall forfeit and pay taxes $500; amd
procded .turther, the several Depuy-
poStmasters throughout the Confp,ler-
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
,r- parSnn ~. nla., ,nl L.