National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1875-01-23
SECTIONS OF THE ACT OF CONGRESS
"TO REVISE, CONSOLIDATE AND
AMEND THE STATUTES RELATING
TO THE POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT.
APBRONED lime s. ls12

SECTIONS OF THE ACT OF CONGRESS
"TO REVISE, CONSOLIDATE AND
AMEND THE STATUTES RELATING
TO THE POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT.
APPROVED JUNE s, 1872.
The POSTMASTER GENERAL requests that bid
ders, guaTanturs, sureties and all persons con.
cerned, or intending to be concerned in mail con.
tracts, will carefully read and critically examine
the abstract OF laws here presented, and also the
forms and instructions at the end of this adver
tisement, in order that bids may be made and
liabilities assumed uuderstandingly, and that all
mfsspprehensions or cause of complaint hereafter
may be avoided.
PosTMAsTERs are required to make themselves
familiar with these laws and instructions, that
they may be able to inform and direct others.
PosTMAsTERs, CLERKS, ETC, CANNOT BE CON,
TRACTORS.
Sec. IS. That no postmaster, assistant post.
master, or clerk employed in any post office, shall
be contractor or concerned in contract for car
tying the mail.
Persons in the employ of the Post Office De-
partment Including postmasters) cannot become
interested in mail contract, nor act as agent Of
contractors or bidders.
Sec. L. That no person employed in the Post
Once Department shall become interested in any
contract tor carrying the mail, or act as agent,
with or without compensation, for any contractor
or person Offering to become a contractor in any
business before the Department; and any person
30 offending shall be Immediately dismissed from
office, and shall be liable to pay so much money
as would have been realized from said contract,
to be recovered in an action Of debt for the use Of
S-S SSh INV tA-S-S-
BY regulation OF the Department, no carrier
Should be employed who is under sixteen years of
age; and no bidder will be accepted who is under
tWenty-oDe years Of age, or who is a married
woman.
CONVEYANCE OF LETTERS OUT OF THE NAIL
PRIVATE EXPRESSES, ETC.
Sec. 22I. That any person concerned in carrying
the mail who shall collect, receive, or carry any
letter or packet, or cause or procure the same to
be DONE contrary to law, shall, on conviction
thereof for Such offence forfeit and mt
exceeding nifty dollars.
Sec. Us. That no person shall establish any
private express for the conveyance Of letters or
packets, or in any manner cause or provide for
the conveyance Of the same by regular trips or at
stated periods; over any post route which is or
town or place to any other city, town place be-
tween which the mail is regularly carried; and
every person so offending, or aiding or assisting
therein, shall, for each offence forfeit and pay one
hundred and nifty dollars.
Sec. 229. That the owner OF every stage coach,
railway car, steamboat other vehicle vessel,
which shall, with the Knowledge of any owner, in
whole or in part, or with the knowledge or con-
nlyance OF the driver, conductor, master or other
person having charge OF the same, convey any
person acting or employed as a private express
for the conveyance Of letters packets and actu-
ally in possession Of the same Tor the purpose Of
conveying them contrary to the spirit, true in
tent aud meaning Of this law, shall, for every
such offence forfeit and pay one hundred and fifty
dollars.
Sec. go. That no person shall transmit by pri-
vate express or other unlawful means, or deliver
TO any agent Of such unlawful express, or deposit,
or cause 10 be deposited ut any appointed place,
for the purpose OF being transmitted, any letter
or packet, and for every such offence the party
80 offending shall forfeit and pay nifty dollars.
Sec. 81. That no stage-cOach, raiIGay-car,
steamboat, or other vehicle or vessel which regu-
larry performs trips at stated periods on any post
route. from any city, town or place to any
other city, town or place between which the mail
is regularly carried, shall carry, otherwise than
in the mail, any letters or packets, except such
as relate TO soiue part Of the cargo of such steam
boat or other vessel, to some article carried at
the same time by the same stage-coach, railway
car or other vehicle, except as provided in section
two hundred and thirty nine; and for every such
offence the owner Of the sLage-coach, railway-car,
steam or other vehicle or vessel shall forfeit
and pay one hundred dollars ; and the driver,
conductor, master CT Of her person having charge
thereof, and not at the time owner of the whole
or any part thereof. shall in like manner forfeit
and pay for every such offence fifty dollars.
(SectiOD 239 permits conveyance of letters in
Stamped envelopes otherwise than by mail.)
THE MANNER IN WHICH PROPOSALS SHALL BE
MADE, AND THELIAB.LITY OF POsTNAsTERs.
Sec. 245. That every proposal for carrying the
mail shall be panied by the bond OF the bid
der, with sureties approved by postmaster, and
in cases where the amount of the bond exceeds
ys thousand a dGHrs BY postmaster T. Of the
nailed by the Postmaster General in the adver-
tisement Of each route; to which bond con-
ditiOn shall be annexed, that IL the said bidder
shall, within such time after his bid is accepted
as the Postmaster General shall prescribe, enter
into a contract with the United States
cient sureties. to be approved by the
Postmaster General, TO perform the service pro-
posed in his said BID. and further, that he shall
perform the said service according to his contract
then the said obligation TO be void, otherwise to
be in full force and obligation in law and in case
of failure of any bidder to enter into such contract
to perform the service, OF, having executed con-
tract. in OF failure to perform the service ac
cordinq to his contract he and his sureties shall
be liable for the amount Of said bond as liqui-
dated damages, to be recovered in an action Of
debt on the said bond. No proposal shall be con-
sidered unless il shall be accompanied by such
bond, and there shall have been affixed to said
proposal the oath of the bidder, tlken before an
officer qualified to administer Oaths, that he has
the ability, pecuniaTly, TO fulhl his obligations,
and tina the bid is made in good talta, and with
the into ntion to enter into contract end perform
the service in case his bid is accepted.
Sec. 246 That before the bond OF a bidder pro-
vfded for in the aforesaid section is approved,
there shall be indJrsed thereon the Oaths Of the
suretes therein, taken before an officer qualified
to administer Oaths, that they are owners OF
real est ate worth, in the aggregate, sum double
the amount Of the said bond, over and above all
debts due and owing by them ana all judgments,
mortgages and executions against them, after
allowing all exemptions Of every character what
ever,
Sec. 247 That any postmaster who shall afix
his signature to the approval OF any bond Of q
bidder, to the certificate Of suficiency Of sure
ties in any contract before the said bond or con-
tract is signed by the bidder or contractor and
his suTeties, or shall knowingly, or without the
exercise OF due dlllgcnce"apprOVe any Dond oil
bidder, with insufficient suretes, or shall know
ingly make any false or fraudulent certificate,
shall be forthwith dismissed from Office, and be
thereafter disqualified from holding the office Of
postmaster, and shall also be deemed guilty of a
misdemeanOT and, On conviction thereof, be pun
ished 10y hnc ECt exceeding hYe thousand dol
lars, or by Imprisonment lot exceeding one year,
or both.
sERvICET TO BE AWARDED TO THE LOWEST BIDDER
bids or FAlLING CONTRACTORS MAY NOT BE
CoNSID EREp.
Sec. 2lg. That all contracts for carrying the
mails shall be in the name OF the United States,
and shall be awarded TO the lowest bidder tender
ing sufficient guarantees for faithful perform
ance without other reiernce to the mode of trans
portatiOn thrn may be necessary 20 provide for
but the Pos master General shall not be bound
to consider the bid Of any person who has wiilfuIly
or negligentiy failed 20 perform former con-
tract.
COMBINATIONS TO PREVENT BIDDING PROHIB-
IT'D.
Sec go. That TO contract for carving the mail
shall he made with any person who has entered,
or proposed TO enter in any com binatOn to pre-
vent the making Of any bid for carrying the mail,
or who has made any agreement, or given or per-
formed or promised 70 give or perform, any con-
sideratiUn whatever to iuuuce any other person
not to bid Tor any such contract; and II any per-
son 81 offending Is \ contractor GDr carrying the
mail, his contract may bc amulet: and for the
first offence the person so offending shall be dr.
qualified to contract for carrying the mail for i've
years. and for The second offence shall be forever
disqualified.
FAILING BIDDERS AND CONTRACTORS con-
TRACTS MAY De ENTEYDED, AID TEMPORARY
CoHTRACTs MADE
Sec. 25l. That aIter any regular bidder whose