Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1873-02-23

thereof. forfeit not exceeding one hundred dol
lars for every such Ofense, one-half to the Off
Ger making the seizure, and the other to the use
of the United States. rs $50 5r,eia
Sec rs. That any special agent of the Post
Postmaster General to make examinations and
seizures, and the collector or other customs
officer of any port without special instructions,
shall carefully search all vessels for letters
which may be on board or which have been
conveyed contrary to law
Sec. 236. That any special agent of the Post
Office Department, collector, or other customs
officer, or United States marshal or his deputy,
may at all times seize all letters and bags, pack
cts or parcels, containing letters which are be,
ing carried contrary to law on board any vessel
or on any post route, and convey the same to
the nearest post office, or may, by the direction
of the Postmaster General or Secretary OF the
Treasury, detain them until two months after
the final determination of all suits and proceed
ings which may, at any time within six months
after such seizure, be brought against any per-
son for sending or carrying sue b letters:
Sec. l37. That every package or parcel seized
by any special agent of the Post-Ofice Depart
ment, collector, or other customs officer, or
United States marshal or his deputies, in which
any letter is unlawfully concealed, shall be for
felt to the United States, and the same proceed
ings may be had to enforce the forfeiture as are
authorized in respect to goods, wares, and mer-
chandise forfeited for violation of the revenue
laws and all laws for the benefit and protec-
ton OF customs Officers making seizures for vi
olating said revenue laws shall apply to officers
making seizures for violating the postal laws.
Sec. 2S8. That nothing herin contained shall be
construed to prohibit the conveyance or trans
mission of letters or packets by private hands
without compensation, or by special messenger
employed for the particular occasion only.
Sec 239. That all letters inclosed in stamped
envelopes (the postage stamp in every case be-
ing of a denomination sufficient to cover the
postage that would be chargeable thereon if the
same were sent by maiD may be SENT convey
ed, and delivered otherwise than by mail, pro;
vided such envelope shall be duly directed and
properly sealed, SO that the letter cannot be ia
ken therefrom without defacing 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 Cen
eral may suspend the operation of this section
upon any mail route where the public interest
may require such suspension.
Sec 24O. That when the amount of mail mat
ter 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 in
crease the cost of carriage at the ordinary rate
of speed, the Postmaster General may provide
for the separate carriage of the letter mail at
the usual rate of speed but the other mail
matter shall not be delayed any more than is
absolutely necessary, having due regard TO the
cost of expedition and the means at his dspos-
al for effecting the same.
Sec. 241. That any person who shall know
ingly and wilfully obstruct or retard the passage
OF the mail, or any carriage, horse, driver, or
carrier carrying the same, shall, an conviction
thereof, for every such offense, forfeit and pay
not excet ding one hundred dollars.
Sec. 2!2. That any ferryman who shall will
fully refuse or neglect 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 mall other than those herein
after excepted, the Postmaster General shall
give public notice by advertising once week
for six weeks in one or more, not exceeding
five, newspapers published in the State or Ter
ritory where the service is to be performed, one
of which shall be published at the seat of gov
eminent of such State or Territory; and such
notice shall describe the route, the time at
which the mail is to be made up, the time at
cy of the service; and the Postmaster General
shall direct, by special order in each case, the
newspapers in which mail lettings, or other pro-
posals relative to the business of his Department,
shall be advertised, and no publisher shall be
paid for such advertisements without having
been requested by the Postmaster General to
publish the same.
Sec. pa. That proposals for carrying the
mail shall be delivered sealed, and so kept un-
til the bidding is closed, and shall then be OPEN
ed and marked in the presence of the Postmas.
ter General, and one of the Assistant Postnlas-
tiers General, or of two of the Assistant Post
masters General, or any other two officers of
master General; and any bidder may withdraw
his bid at any time before twenty-four hours
previous to the time fixed for the opening of
proposals, by serving upon the Postmaster Gen.
eral, or the Second Assistant Postmaster Gen
eral, notice in writing of such withdrawal.