374 THIRTY—EIGHTH CONGRESS. Sess. I. Ch. 220, 221, 222. 1864. Line oftele- is hereby authorized to erect a line of telegraph from Fort Hall, by Walla- 1€I'3};Of'§g;g;;§ Walla and the Dalles and San Francisco to Portland, in the State of Oregon, gm, ’ Oregon, and from Fort Hall to Bannock and Virginia City, in the Territory of Idaho, with the same privileges as to the right of way, and so forth, as is provided in the first section of this act; the United States to have priority in the use of said lines of telegraph to Oregon and Idaho. This company Sec. 3. And be it further enacted That the aforesaid company is angztgasgzigfspr thorized by this act to send and receive despatches on payment of the other HMS, upon, regular charges for transmission of despatchcs over any line that may now &c. or hereafter be constructed by the authority or aid of congress, to connect with any line or lines authorized or erected by the Russian or English governments, and that all despatches received by said line or lines shall Dvspmhes tq be transmitted in the order of their reception, and the answers thereto E:d;“‘;§‘;"Q;6*’;,‘}‘“ shall be delivered to said United States Telegraph Company for transtion. mission over their lines to the office whence the original message was sent, whenever so directed by the sender thereo£ Gmain Mi]- Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That the several railroad companies fg; $;`f;“;}?s authorized by act of congress July one, eighteen hundred and sixty-two, rangemems with are authorized to enter into arrangements with the United States Tele·
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- ’ll·:$§’“Ph graph company so that the line of telegraph between the Missouri River
IgE2_51Q_ 120, and San Francisco may be made upon and along the line of said railroad V¤l-Xii-p-489- and branches as fast as said roads and branches are built, and if said arrangements be entered into and the transfer of said telegraph line be made in accordance therewith to the line of said railroads and branches, such transfer shall, for all purposes of the act referred to, be held and considered a. fulfilment on the part of said railroad companies of the provision of the act in regard to the construction of a telegraph line ; and, in case of disagreement, said telegraph company are authorized to remove their line of telegraph along and upon the line of railroad therein contemplated, without prejudice to the rights of said railroad companies. Approved, July 2, 1864. July 9, 1864 CHAP. CCXXI. —-An Act in Relation to the Sale ¢y" Reservations of the Public Land:. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United Miuimumprice States of America in Congress assembled, That whenever any reserva-
- _';;g;$:t£§;détf tion of public lands shall be brought into market under existing laws, it
’ shall be lawful for the commissioner of the general land-omce to fix a. minimum price, not less than one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre, below which such lands shall not be disposed o£ A1>1>R0vED, July 2, 1864. July 2, 1864. CHAP. CCXXII. —·An Act relating to the Law of Evidence in the District of Columbia. Bc it enacted by the Senate and Lbuse of Representatives of the United P°*’d°;¤ and d States of America in Congress assembled, That on the trial of any issue ?$;,°£:€§;;;;‘;S joined, or of any matter or question, or on any inquiry arising in any in civil shits in suit, action, or other proceeding in any court of justice in the District of g‘§§°n;‘L*i:°* °f Columbia, or before any person having by law, or rv consent of parties, ` authority to hear, receive, and examine evidence within said District, the parties thereto, and the persons in whose behalf any such action or other proceeding may be brought or defended, and any and all persons interested in the same, shall, except as hereinafter excepted, be competent and compellable to give evidence, either viva. voce or by deposition, according to the practice of the court, on behalf of either or any of the parties Limitations to to the said action or other proceeding: Provided, That nothing herein tm mh- contained shall render any person who is charged with any offencc in any criminal proceeding competent or compellable to give evidence for or against himself or herself, or shall render any person compellable to
