390
Duties, howto be paid, &c.
All paymentson account ofU. S. to be ingold and silveronly.
Violations ofthis and the pre-ceding section.
No exchangeof funds to bemade except forgold and silver.
Officers viola-ting this sectionto be suspend-ed, &c.
safekeeping of the public moneys in the charge and custody of thoseofficers respectively, the expense to be paid by the United States .
Sec. 19. And be it further enacted, That from and after the thir-tieth day of June, which will be in the year one thousand eight hun-dred and forty, the resolution of Congress of the thirtieth day of April,in the year one thousand eight hundred and sixteen, so far as it au-thorizes the receipt in payment of duties, taxes, sales of public lands,debts, and sums of money, accruing or becoming payable to the UnitedStates , to be collected and paid in the notes of specie-paying banks,shall be so modified as that one fourth part of all such duties, taxes,sales of public lands, debts, and sums of money accruing or becomingdue to the United States , shall be collected in the legal currency of theUnited States ; and from and after the thirtieth day of June, which willbe in the year one thousand eight hundred and forty-one, one otherfourth part of all such duties, taxes, sales of public lands, debts, andsums of money, shall be so collected; and that from and after the thir-tieth day of June, which will be in the year one thousand eight hun-dred and forty-two, one other fourth part of all such duties, taxes, salesof public lands, debts and sums of money, shall be so collected; andthat from and after the thirtieth day of June, which will be in the yearone thousand eight hundred and forty-three, the remaining fourth partof the said duties, taxes, sales of public lands, debts, and sums ofmoney, shall be also collected in the legal currency of the UnitedStates ; and from and after the last-mentioned day, all sums accruing, orbecoming payable to the United States , for duties, taxes, sales of publiclands, or other debts, and also all sums due for postages, or otherwise,to the General Post Office Department, shall be paid in gold and silveronly.
Sec. 20. And be it further enacted, That from and after the thirtiethday of June, which will be in the year one thousand eight hundred andforty-three, every officer or agent engaged in making disbursements onaccount of the United States , or of the General Post Office, shall makeall payments in gold and silver coin only; and any receiving or dis-bursing officer, or agent, who shall neglect, evade, or violate, the provi-sions of this and the last preceding section of this act, shall, by theSecretary of the Treasury, be immediately reported to the President ofthe United States , with the facts of such neglect, evasion, or violation,and also to Congress , if in session, and, if not in session, at the com-mencement of its session next after the violation takes place.
Sec. 21. And be it further enacted, That no exchange of funds shallbe made by any disbursing officers, or agents, of the Government, ofany grade or denomination whatsoever, or connected with any branchof the public service, other than an exchange for gold and silver; andevery such disbursing officer, when the means for his disbursements arefurnished to him in currency legally receivable under the provisions ofthis act, shall make his payments in the currency so furnished, or whenthose means are furnished to him in drafts, shall cause those drafts tobe presented at their place of payment and properly paid according tothe law, and shall make his payments in the currency so received forthe drafts furnished, unless, in either case, he can exchange the meansin his hands for gold and silver at par, and so as to facilitate his pay-ments, or otherwise accommodate the public service and promote thecirculation of a metallic currency : And it shall be, and is hereby made,the duty of the head of the proper department immediately to suspendfrom duty any disbursing officer who shall violate the provisions of thissection, and forthwith to report the name of the officer, or agent, to thePresident, with the fact of the violation and all the circumstances ac-companying the same and within the knowledge of the said Secretary,to the end that such officer, or agent, may be promptly removed from