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SEC. 12. That no person shall, in any room or building occupied in the discharge of official duties by any officer or employee of the United States mentioned in this act, or in any navy-yard, fort, or arsenal, solicit in any manner whatever, or receive any contribution of money or any other thing of value for any political purpose whatever.

SEC. 13. No officer or employee of the United States mentioned in this act shall discharge, or promote, or degrade, or in [any] manner change the official rank or compensation of any other officer or employee, or promise or threaten so to do, for giving or withholding or neglecting to make any contribution of money or other valuable thing for any political purpose.

SEC. 14. That no officer, clerk, or other person in the service of the United States shall, directly or indirectly, give or hand over to any other officer, clerk, or person in the service of the United States, or to any Senator or Member of the House of Representatives, or Territorial Delegate, any money or other valuable thing on account of or to be applied to the promotion of any political object whatever.

SEC. 15. That any person who shall be guilty of violating any provision of the four foregoing sections shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and shall, on conviction thereof, be punished by a fine not exceeding five thousand dollars, or by imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years, or by such fine and imprisonment both, in the discretion of the court.

APPROVED, January sixteenth, 1883.

No. 110.

Contract Labor Act
February 26, 1885

A BILL to prohibit the entrance into the United States of contract laborers was introduced in the House, January 8, 1884, by Martin A. Foran of Ohio, and referred to the Committee on Labor. February 23 the bill was reported with amendments. The bill was not taken up until June 19; the same day it passed the House without a division. June 28 the bill was reported with

out amendment in the Senate, but the session closed without further action. February 13, 1885, consideration of the bill was resumed, and on the 18th the bill with various amendments passed the Senate, the vote being 50 to 9. On the 23d the House concurred in the Senate amendments. An amendatory act of February 23, 1887, authorized the Secretary of the Treasury to make contracts with State officers to take charge of immigration at local ports, and required prohibited persons to be sent back at the expense of the owners of the vessels in which they came. The deficiencies appropriation act of October 19, 1888, amended the act of February 23, 1887, so as "to authorize the Secretary of the Treasury, in case he shall be satisfied that an immigrant has been allowed to land contrary to the prohibition of that law, to cause such immigrant within the period of one year after landing or entry, to be taken into custody and returned to the country from whence he came, at the expense of the owner of the importing vessel, or, if he entered from an adjoining country, at the expense of the person previously contracting for the services."

REFERENCES. Text in U.S. Statutes at Large, XXIII, 332, 333. For the proceedings see the House and Senate Journals, 48th Cong., 1st and 2d Sess., and the Cong. Record. The text of the amended House bill is in the Record, June 19. The report submitted February 23 is House Report 444; the report of June 28 is Senate Report 820. See also House Exec. Doc. 396 and House Misc. Doc. 572, 50th Cong., Ist Sess.; Senate Report 787, 52d Cong., Ist Sess.

An act to prohibit the importation and migration of foreigners and aliens under contract or agreement to perform labor in the United States, its Territories, and the District of Columbia.

Be it enacted . That from and after the passage of this act it shall be unlawful for any person, company, partnership, or corporation, in any manner whatsoever, to prepay the transportation, or in any way assist or encourage the importation or migration of any alien or aliens, any foreigner or foreigners, into the United States, its Territories, or the District of Columbia, under contract or agreement, parol or special, express or implied, made previous to the importation or migration of such alien or aliens, foreigner or foreigners, to perform labor or service of any kind in the United States, its Territories, or the District of Columbia.

SEC. 2. That all contracts or agreements, express or implied, parol or special, which may hereafter be made by and between any person, company, partnership, or corporation, and any

foreigner or foreigners, alien or aliens, to perform labor or service or having reference to the performance of labor or service by any person in the United States, its Territories, or the District of Columbia previous to the migration or importation of the person or persons whose labor or service is contracted for into the United States, shall be utterly void and of no effect.

SEC. 3. That for every violation of any of the provisions of section one of this act the person, partnership, company, or corporation violating the same, by knowingly assisting, encouraging or soliciting the migration or importation of any alien or aliens, foreigner or foreigners, into the United States, its Territories, or the District of Columbia, to perform labor or service of any kind under contract or agreement, express or implied, parol or special, with such alien or aliens, foreigner or foreigners, previous to becoming residents or citizens of the United States, shall forfeit and pay for every such offence the sum of one thousand dollars, which may be sued for and recovered by the United States or by any person who shall first bring his action therefor including any such alien or foreigner who may be a party to any such contract or agreement, as debts of like amount are now recovered in the circuit courts of the United States; the proceeds to be paid into the Treasury of the United States; and separate suits may be brought for each alien or foreigner being a party to such contract or agreement aforesaid. And it shall be the duty of the district attorney of the proper district to prosecute every such suit at the expense of the United States.

SEC. 4. [Master of vessel, knowingly bringing such emigrant laborer, guilty of misdemeanor, punishable by fine or imprisonment.]

SEC. 5. That nothing in this act shall be so construed as to prevent any citizen or subject of any foreign country temporarily residing in the United States, either in private or official capacity, from engaging, under contract or otherwise, persons not residents or citizens of the United States to act as private secretaries, servants, or domestics for such foreigner temporarily residing in the United States as aforesaid; nor shall this act be so construed as

to prevent any person, or persons, partnership, or corporation from engaging, under contract or agreement, skilled workmen in foreign countries to perform labor in the United States in or upon any new industry not at present established in the United States: Provided, That skilled labor for that purpose cannot be otherwise obtained; nor shall the provisions of this act apply to professional actors, artists, lecturers, or singers, nor to persons employed strictly as personal or domestic servants: Provided, That nothing in this act shall be construed as prohibiting any individual from assisting any member of his family or any relative or personal friend, to migrate from any foreign country to the United States, for the purpose of settlement here.1

SEC. 6. That all laws or parts of laws conflicting herewith be, and the same are hereby, repealed.

APPROVED, February 26, 1885.

No. III.

Presidential Succession Act

January 19, 1886

IN his annual message of December 6, 1881, President Arthur recommended further provision of law for the regulation of the presidential succession. A bill for the purpose was introduced in the Senate, June 16, 1882, by George F. Hoar of Massachusetts, but no further action was taken. A similar bill passed the Senate January 25, 1884, but was not finally acted on in the House. Another bill, introduced by Senator Hoar December 8, 1885, was reported by the Committee on Privileges and Elections on the 14th, and on the 17th passed the Senate. The bill was reported without amendment in the House, January 13, 1886, and on the 15th passed, the final vote being 186 to 76, 62 not voting. REFERENCES. Text in U.S. Statutes at Large, XXIV, 1, 2. For the proceedings see the House and Senate Journals, 49th Cong., 1st Sess., and the Cong. Record. The report submitted January 13 is House Report 26.

1 See act of March 3, 1891, chap. 551, section 5.

An act to provide for the performance of the duties of the office of President in case of the removal, death, resignation, or inability both of the President and Vice-President.

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Be it enacted That in case of removal, death, resignation, or inability of both the President and Vice-President of the United States, the Secretary of State, or if there be none, or in case of his removal, death, resignation, or inability, then the Secretary of the Treasury, or if there be none, or in case of his removal, death, resignation, or inability, then the Secretary of War, or if there be none, or in case of his removal, death, resignation, or inability, then the Attorney-General, or if there be none, or in case of his removal, death, resignation, or inability, then the Postmaster-General, or if there be none, or in case of his removal, death, resignation, or inability, then the Secretary of the Navy, or if there be none, or in case of his removal, death, resignation, or inability, then the Secretary of the Interior, shall act as President until the disability of the President or Vice-President is removed or a President shall be elected: Provided, That whenever the powers and duties of the office of President of the United States shall devolve upon any of the persons named herein, if Congress be not then in session, or if it would not meet in accordance with law within twenty days thereafter, it shall be the duty of the person upon whom said powers and duties shall devolve to issue a proclamation convening Congress in extraordinary session, giving twenty days' notice of the time of meeting.

SEC. 2. That the preceding section shall only be held to describe and apply to such officers as shall have been appointed by the advice and consent of the Senate to the offices therein named, and such as are eligible to the office of President under the Constitution, and not under impeachment by the House of Representatives of the United States at the time the powers and duties of the office shall devolve upon them respectively.

SEC. 3. [Sections 146-150 of the Revised Statutes repealed.1] APPROVED, January 19, 1886.

1 These sections devolve the succession upon the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House.

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