Every person in warrant for mi ty is issued, au SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That every person whose favor a in whose favor any warrant for military land bounty is litary land boun- issued, shall be, and is hereby, authorized to draw, by thorized to draw, lot, one of the quarter sections surveyed by virtue of by lot, one of the this act, and shall obtain a patent therefor, in the same and obtain a pa- manner, in every respect, as is or shall be provided by tent therefor, &c. law for patents to issue for other military land bounties, or as is provided by the act, first above recited, for patents to issue for such lands. quarter sections, [Approved, April 29, 1816.] The president authorized to employ a skilful assistant to the corps of engi compensation CHAPTER CIII. Resolution authorizing the president of the United States to employ a skilful assistant in the corps of engineers. Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That neers, at suas the president of the United States be, and he is hereby, he may think authorized to employ, in addition to the corps of engineers as now established, a skilful assistant, whose compensation shall be such as the president of the United States shall think proper, not exceeding the allowance to the chief officer of that corps. proper, not excecding, &c. [Approved, April 29, 1816.] Accountants' of fices of the war and navy depart of superinten CHAPTER CIV. An act to provide for the prompt settlement of public accounts.* SEC. 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Rements, and office presentatives of the United States of America in Congress de general of assembled, That, from and after the third day of March the offices of accountant and additional accountant of the department of war, the office of accountant of the navy, and the office of superintendent general of military supplies, be, and they are hereby, abolished. military supplies, abolished. All accounts to be settled in the treasury depart ment, after 3d March, 1817. SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That, from and after the said third day of March next, all claims and demands whatever, by the United States or against them, and all accounts whatever, in which the United States are concerned, either as debtors or as creditors, shall be settled and adjusted in the treasury department. *This act prescribes the duties, and indicates the powers, of those charged with the settlement of public accounts; and may, therefore, be useful to a portion of the officers of the army, whose duties relate to the disbursement of the public money. Four auditors troller additional, SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That, from and after the third day of March next, in addition to the offi- and one compcers in the treasury department, already established by in the treasury law, there shall be the following officers, namely: four auditors and one comptroller. department. auditor. SEC. 19. And be it further enacted, That it shall be Duty of the first the duty of the first auditor to receive all accounts accruing in the treasury department, and, after examination, to certify the balance, and transmit the accounts, with the vouchers and certificate, to the first comptrol ler, for his decision thereon; that it shall be the duty of Duty of the sethe second auditor to receive all accounts relative to the cond auditor. pay and clothing of the army, the subsistence of officers, bounties, and premiums, military and hospital stores, and the contingent expenses of the war department; that it shall be the duty of the third auditor to receive all ac- Duty of the third counts relative to the subsistence of the army, the quar- auditor. termaster's department, and, generally, all accounts of the war department other than those provided for; and fourth auditor auditor. it shall be the duty of the fourth auditor to receive all Duty of the accounts accruing in the navy department, or relative thereto; and the second, third, and fourth, auditors aforesaid, shall examine the accounts respectively, and certify the balance, and transmit the accounts, with the Vouchers and certificate, to the second comptroller, for his decision thereon; and it shall be the duty of the fifth Duty of the fifth auditor to receive all accounts accruing in, or relative to, the department of state, the general post office, and those arising out of Indian affairs, and examine the same, and thereafter certify the balance, and transmit the accounts, with the vouchers and certificate, to the first comptroller, for his decision thereon: Provided, Proviso; as to the That the president of the United States may assign to additional acthe second or third auditor the settlement of the accounts which are now confided to the additional accountant of the war department. accounts of the countant. SEC. 5. And be it further enacted, That it shall be the Further duties of duty of the auditors, charged with the examination of the auditors, the accounts of the war and navy departments, to keep all accounts of the receipts and expenditures of the public money in regard to those departments, and of all debts due to the United States on moneys advanced relative to those departments; to receive from the second comptroller the accounts which shall have been finally adjusted, and to preserve such accounts, with their vouchers and certificates, and to record all warrants drawn by the secretaries of those departments, the ex Auditors to report to the se cretary of the treasury. The treasurer to disburse all mo the use of the war and navy de. partments, &c. amination of the accounts of which has been assigned to them by the preceding section. And it shall be the duty of the said auditors to make such reports on the business assigned to them, as the secretaries of the war and navy departments may deem necessary, and require, for the services of those departments. SEC. 6. And be it further enacted, That, the said auditors shall annually, on the first Monday in November, report to the secretary of the treasury the application of the money appropriated for the military and naval departments for the preceding year, which shall be laid before congress, by him, with the annual statement of the public expenditure. SEC. 7. And be it further enacted, That the treasurer neys ordered for of the United States shall disburse all such moneys as shall have been previously ordered for the use of the war and navy departments by warrants from the treasury, which disbursements shall be made pursuant to warrants drawn by the secretary of the war and navy departments, respectively, countersigned by the second comptroller, and registered by the auditors respectively. Duty of the first comptroller, Duty of the second comptroller. SEC. 8. And be it further enacted, That, it shall be the duty of the first comptroller to examine all accounts settled by the first and fifth auditors, and certify the balances arising thereon to the register; to countersign all warrants drawn by the secretary of the treasury, which shall be warranted by law; to report to the secretary the official forms to be issued in the different of fices for collecting the public revenue, and the manner and form of keeping and stating the accounts of the several persons employed therein; he shall also superintend the preservation of the public accounts, subject to his revision, and provide for the regular payment of all moneys which may be collected. SEC. 9. And be it further enacted, That it shall be the duty of the second comptroller to examine all accounts settled by the second, third, and fourth, auditors, and certify the balances arising thereon, to the secretary of the department in which the expenditure has been incurred; to countersign all warrants drawn by the secretaries of the war and navy departments, which shall be warranted by law; to report to the said secretaries the official forms to be issued in the different offices for disbursing the public money in those departments, and the manner and form of keeping and stating the accounts of the persons employed therein; and it shall also be his duty to superintend the preservation of the public accounts subject to his revision. to superintend SEC. 10. And be it further enacted, That it shall be First comptroller the duty of the first comptroller to superintend the re- the recovery of covery of all debts to the United States; to direct suits all debts, &c. and legal proceedings, and to take all such measures, as may be authorized by the laws, to enforce prompt payment of all debts to the United States.* contained in the March, 1797, ex to the accounts SEC. 11. And be it further enacted, That the provi- The provision sion contained in the second section of the act, passed second section of the third March, one thousand seven hundred and nine- the act of 3d of ty-seven, entitled "An act to provide more effectually for tended in regard the settlement of accounts between the United States and of the war and receivers of public money," which directs that in every ments, &c. navy depart case where suits have been, or shall be, instituted, a transcript from the books and proceedings of the treasury, certified by the register, shall be admitted as evidence, be extended, in regard to the accounts of the war and navy departments, to the auditors respectively charged with the examination of those accounts, and that certificates, signed by them, shall be of the same effect as that directed to be signed by the register. minister oaths, SEC. 12. And be it further enacted, That the auditors Auditors cmof the public accounts shall be empowered to administer Powered to ad oaths or affirmations to witnesses, in any case in which &c. they may deem it necessary for the due examination of the accouuts with which they shall be charged. treasury to cause the expenditure in the year, ex SEC. 13. And be it further enacted, That it shall be Secretary of the the duty of the secretary of the treasury to cause all ac- all accounts of counts of the expenditure of public money to be settled of public money, within the year, except where the distance of the places to be settled with where such expenditure occurs may be such as to make cept, &c. further time necessary; and, in respect to expenditures at such places, the secretary of the treasury, with the assent of the president, shall establish fixed periods at which a settlement shall be required.† And it shall be First comptroller the duty of the first comptroller to lay before congress, gress, an annually, during the first week of their session, a list of list of officers failing to make such officers as shall have failed in that year to make settlement, &c. the settlement required by law. to lay before congress, annually, a tween balances, SEC. 14. And be it further enacted, That, in the an- The comptroller nual statement of all accounts on which balances appear to distinguish be to have been due more than three years, which the comp- &c. troller is now required by law to make, he shall hereafter distinguish those accounts, the balances appearing on which shall, in his opinion, be owing to difficulties of *See chapter 121, section 1. †See chapter 125, section 2. Comptroller not required to in clude balances where debtors have been re form, which he may think it equitable shall be removed by an act of congress; and where the debtors, by whom such balances shall have been due more than three years, shall be insolvent, and have been reported to ported insolvent Congress for three successive years as insolvent, the comptroller shall not be required in such case to continue to include such balances in the statement abovementioned. three successive years. Salary of the second comptrol. ler and auditors, annum. SEC. 15. And be it further enacted, That the salary of 3000 dollars, per the comptroller, appointed by virtue of this act, shall be three thousand dollars per annum, and that of the audiLetters, &e. to tors, each, three thousand dollars per annum, and from the second comptroller and auditors, 1 ree. treasury to as sign clerk hire, &c. SEC. 16. And be it further enacted, That all letters and packages, to and from the comptroller and auditors herein before mentioned, be conveyed free of postage, Secretary of the under the same regulations that are provided by law for other officers of government; and the secretary of the treasury is hereby authorized to assign the several sums appropriated for clerk hire in the offices of the accountant, additional accountant, superintendent general of military supplies, and accountant of the navy, to the of ficers hereby created, to which their respective duties shall be assigned. [Approved, March 3, 1817.] The president restrained from of appropriate tions for speci making transfers fied objects to any other. CHAPTER CV. An act supplementary to an act, entitled "An act further to amend the se veral acts for the establishment and regulation of the treasury, war, and navy, departments. SEC. 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That nothing contained in the act of the third March, one thousand eight hundred and nine, entitled "An act further to amend the several acts for the establishment and regulation of the treasury, war, and navy, departments," shall be construed to authorize the president of the United States to direct any sum appropriated to fortifications, arsenals, armories, customhouses, docks, navy yards, or buildings of any sort, or to munitions of war, or to the pay of the army or navy, to be applied to any other object of public expenditure.* [Approved, March 3, 1817.] *By the provisions of the act of 1809, here referred to, which it was not foreseen would be called for, and which are, therefore, not included in the extract that constitutes chapter 57, the president is authorized, in the recess of congress, on the application of the secretary of a department, to direct, that a portion of the moneys appropriated for a particu lar branch of expenditure in that department, be applied to another branch of expenditure in the same department. These provisions are further modified by chapter 118. |