Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 15.djvu/115

FORTIETH CONGRESS. Sess. II. Ch. 135. 1868. 83 CHAP. CXXXV.——An Act to continue the `Bureau for theReliefqfI*”rcedm¢2• and July 6, 1868. Refugees, and _;€>r other Purposes. _"—“"""" Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the act entitled "An act . B“’°*“* {°' '°* to establish a bureau for the relief of freedmeu and refugees," approved i;g§(;.;g?;(;i:°° March three, eighteen hundred and sixty-five, and the act entitled “An continued for act to continue in force and to amend ‘An act to establish a bureau g",;gT?°,: ’3“d'°' mr the relief of freedmen and refugees,' and fdr other purp0ses,” vihowliitgeougin. passed on the sixteenth of July, anno Domini eighteen hundred and sixty- ¤°d» ih &°· six, shall continue in force for the term of one year from and after the V1? °§},?,,?gQ,y_ sixteenth of July, in the year one thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight,1866, ch. 200. excepting so far as the same shall be herein modified. And the Seere- V°l· xi"· P· 17* tary of War is hereby directed to re-establish said bureau where the same has been wholly or in part discontinued : Provided, [That] he shall be satisfied that the personal safety of freedmen shall require it. _ Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That it shall be the duty of the ,B¤¤’°9¤*<>l>¤ Secretary of War to discontinue the operations of the bureau in any £;§’°§2€°°°l`,lQg,, State whenever such State shall be fully restored in its constitutional re- &c.l lations with the government of the United States, and shall be duly represented in the Congress of the United States,,unloss, upon advising with the commissioner of the bureau, and upon full consideration of the condition of freedmen’s aH`airs in such State, the Secretary of War shall be of opinion that the further continuance of the bureau shall be necessary: Provided, however, That the educational division of said _Ed}¤<>¤*l<>¤¤l bureau shall not be affected, or in any way interfered with, until such ?;Q;:,°;,;°;i° @3 State shall have made suitable provision for the education of the children l of freedmen within said State. · Sec. 3. And be it farther enacted, That unexpended balances in the U¤¢=xp¤¤d¤d hands of the commissioner, not required otherwise for the due execution 2;$d“ h"' of the law, may be, in the discretion of the commissioner, applied for the ` education of freedmen and refugees, subject to the provisions of laws _ applicable thereto. Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That officers of the veteran re- V?m°°'§°f serve corps or of the volunteer service, now on duty in the freedmcn’s Cgrggugndcsfrva bureau as assistant commissioners, agents, medical officers, or in other volunteers now capacities, who have been or may be mustered out of service, may be re- Qngfgpgspnd tained by the commissioner, when the same shall be required for the whgih gw_ ’ proper execution of the laws, as officers of the bureau, upon such duty and with the same pay, compensation, and all allowances, from the date of their appointment, as now provided by law for their respective grades and duties at the dates of their muster-out and discharge; and such c:- &“ —*·,}1*h°}¤;i*5;_." cers so retained shall have, respectively, the same authority and jurisdic- 6gé,; suc ° " tion as now conferred upon " officers of the bureau " by act of Congress passed on the sixteenth of July, in the year eighteen hundred and sixty-six. Sec. 5. And be it further enacted, That the commissioner is hereby _ $¤2:<:>lb¤¤ild,; empowered to sell for cash, or by instalments with ample security, school gig: ‘ may ° buildings and other buildings constructed for refugees and freedmen by the bureau, to the associations, corporate bodies, or trustees who now use them for purposes of education or relief of want, under suitable guarantees that the purposes for which such buildings were constructed shall be observed : Provided, That all funds derived therefrom shall be returned a1Pr¤¢¤¢dS of to the bureau appropriation and accounted for to the treasury of the ° °°’ V United States. SCHUYLER COLFAX, Speaker of the Houtse of Representatives. B. F. WADE, , President of the Senate pro tempore. Indorsed by the President : “Received June 24th, 1868."