New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-10-01

DEC. SD4s It$sU every package OF pGTG6&
seized by any special agent of the Postof1ee
Department. collector or other customs offs
Ger, or United States marshal or his depu-
ties, in which any letter. is unawfully CON
eealed shall be forfeited to the United
States, and the same proceedings may be
had to enforce the forfeiture as are author-
lied in respect to goods, wares and mer-
4 chandise forfeited for violation of the rev
enne laws; and all laws for the benefit and
protection of customs officers making seiZ-
ures for violating said revenue laws shall
apply to officers making seizures for VIC
lating the postal laws,
SEC. 23S That nothing herein contained
shall be construed to prohibit the convey
| ance or transmission of letters or packets
by private hands without compensation, or
by special messenger employed for the par
ticular occasion only.
Sec. 239 That all letters inclosed in
stamped envelopes (the postage stamp in
every case being of denomination suffi--
cient to cover the postage that would be.
chargeable thereon if the eame were
sent by mail) may be sent, conveyed
and delivered otherwise than by mail
provided such envelope shall be duly di.
reeted and properly sealed, so that the let
ter not be taken therefrom without de-
facing the envelope, and the date of the
letter. or of the transmission or receipt
! thereof shall be written or stamped upon
| the envelope. But the Postmaster General
! upon any mail route where the public inter
est may require such suspension.
| SEC. 240. That when the amount OF
mail matter to be carried on any mail
route is so great as to seriously retard
| the progress or endanger the security
! of the letter mail, or materially increase
the cost of carriage at the ordinary
rate of speed, the Postmaster General may
| provide for the seperate carriage of the
| letter mail at the usual rate of speed, but
/ hn ofh ont1 hall In 1n
| any more than is absolutely necessary,
having due regard to the cost of expe
! dltlon and the means at his disposal for eff
fecting the same.
SEC 24l: That any person who shall
! knowingly and willfully obstruet or retard
the passage of the mail, or any carriage,
| horse, driver, or carrier carrying the same,
| shall, on conviction thereof for every such
ofense, forfeit and pay not exceeding one
| hundred dollars.
SEC. 242. That any ferryman who shall
/ delay the passage of the mail by willtuI
neglect or refusal to transport the same
across any ferry shall, for every ten minutes.
such mail may be SO delayed, forfeit and
! pay ten dollars.
SEC 243 That before making any contract
for carrying the mail other than those here
| matter excepted, the Postmaster General
shall give public notice by advertising once
| a week for six weeks in one or more, not
exceeding five, newspapers published in the
0UaG0 OF A6FIlGOfy WnGfo the service Is to &
| be performed, one of which shall be pub
lished at the seat of government of such
State or Territory; and such notice shall de-
4 scribe the route, the time at which the mail
| is to be made up, the time at which it is to
| be delivered, and the frequency of the SER
| vice; and the Postmaster General shall di-
rect, by special order in each case, the news
| papers in which mail-lettings, or other pro
! pOsals relative to the business of his Depart
ment shall be advertised; and no publisher
| shall be paid for such advertisements with
| out having been requested by the Post
master General to publish the same.
SEC. 244 That proposals for carrying the
| mail shall be delivered sealed, andeo kept
until the bidding is closed, and shall then
| be opened and marked in the presence
of the Postmaster General and one
of the Assistant Postmasters General
or Of two of the Assistant Postmasters
General, or of any other two officers of the
| Department, to be designated by the Post
master General; and any bidder may with
draw his bid at any time before twenty
four hours previous to the time fixed for
the opening OF proposals, by serving upon
the Postmaster General, or the Second As
sistant Postmaster General, notice in writ
ing of such withdrawal.
| SEC. 245. That every proposal for carry
ing the mail shall be accompanied by
written guarantee, signed by one or more
responsible persons and undertaking that
| within such time after the bid is accepted
as the Postmaster General may prescribe
the bidder will enter into an obligation,
with good and sufficient sureties, to perform
the service proposed; and no proposals
shall be considered unless accompanied by
such guarantee.
Sec. 246. That each bid for carrying the
mail shall hereafter have affixed to it the
oath of the bidder, taken before an officer
qualified to administer oaths that he
has the ability pecuniarily to fulfil
Hj5 nbIipatIOns and that the HID ia
in good faith and with the intention to
enter into contract and perform the service,
in case his bid shall be accepted; and that
the signatures of his guarantors are gen
ulne, and that he believes said guarantors
pecunlarIly responsible for and able to
pay all damages the United States shall
suffer by reason of the bidders falling to
perform his obligations as such bidder.
Sec. 247. That any postmaster or other
officer of the Postotfice Department who.
shall atix his signature to the certificate of
suthciency OF guarantors or sureties before
the guaranty or contract is signed by the
guarantors or sureties, or shall knowingly
make any false or illusory certificate, shall
be forthwith dismissed from Office and
shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor
and shall, on conviction thereof, be punished
by fine not exceeding one Thousand dol
lars, or by imprisonment not exceeding
one year, or both.
SEC. 2l8. That the Postmaster General
snail nave recorded, IN book to be kept
for that purpose, true and faithful abstract
of all proposals made to him for carrying
the mail, giving the name Of the party offer
ing, the terms of the offer, the sum to be
paid, and the time the contract is to con
tinue; and he shall put on file and preserve
the originals of all such proposals.
SEC. 249. That all contracts for CARRYING
the mail shall be in the name of the United
States, and shall be awarded to the lowest
bidder rendering sufficient guarantees for
faithful performance, without other refer
ence to the mode of transportation than
may be necessary to provide for the due
celebrity, certainty, and security thereof;
but the Postmaster General shall not be
bound to consider the bid of any person
who has willfully or negligently failed to
perform former contract.
SEC. $50. That no contract for carrying
the mail shall be made with any person who
has entered, or proposed to enter Into any
combination to prevent the making of any
bid for carrying the mail, or who has made
any agreement, or given or performed, on
promised to give or perform, any considera-
ton whatever to induce any other person
not to bid for any such contract; and If any
person so offending is a contractor for car
rying the mail, his contract may be an
nul1ed; and for the first offense the person
80 offending shall be disqualified to contract
fer carrying the mail for five years, and for
the second otfense shall be forever disoualf-
fed.
Co., mi