162 FORTY—FIRST CONGRESS. Sess. II. Ch. 142,150. 1870. gution of the Potomac river, in eflieient working condition at all times; Repairs, dw. and that, until such time as the needful changes me made to accommo~ Qm'§:f,e°Q°° °° date railroad and other trutiie, as contemplated by this supplement, it shan, States. be the duty of the said Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Company to repair without delay all damages to the present bridge, and maintain it cogtlméniiqrpnd without cost to the United States: fromded, [Tlmt] said railroad com. Passlzm brmg, pany shall give other railroad companies the right to pass over send bridge upon such reasonable terms as may be agreed upon, or Congress prescribe. United States Seo. 2. And be itfurtber enacted, That if the nid Baltimore and Pc.
;‘}k,;’rlQ,°;‘Q*;.' tomnc Railroad Company shall at any time neglect io keep said bridge
not kept an rc- in good repair, and tree for public use for ordinary travel, the government P°,R£‘°;t§:A of the United States may enter into possession of the said bridge; and be ,,,,,,,nd,d_ y Congress reserves the right to ttlter or amend this low. Approved, June 21, l870. June 22, 1870. CHAP. CL.--An Act to establish the Department q" Justice. Be it enacted by the Scmztc and House of Representatives of the United _ Department of States of America in Congress assembled, That there shall be, and is hereby, -]}‘:'l‘5° °‘*"b‘ established an executive department of the government of the United |s,i$;({m.,y-(;.,,,. States, to be called the Department of Justice, of which the Attorney- §;¤£d¤> ¤¢ tim General shall be the head. IIis duties, salary, and tenure of office shall ' remain as new fixed by law, except so far as they may be modified by this act, ‘ _ Oriice of so- Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That there shall be in said Depart- £:L‘:;`{§:;‘:$“i ment an officer learned in the law, to assist the Attorney—General in the ° performance of his duties, to be called the solicitor-general, and who, in case of n vacancy in the office of Attorney-General, or in his absence or disability, shall have power to exercise all the duties of that office. of assistants There shall also be continued in said Department the two other officers, ‘gc;::aé°'°'“°Y' learned in the law, called the assistants of the Attorney-General, whose gg1g,.,;,, 7g_ duty it shall be to assist the Attorney·Gcneral and solicitor-general in PW.?- *8% the performance of their duties, as now required by law. Law smears of Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That from and after the time when °*l‘°*’ ‘l°l:*¥** this act takes effect, the solicitor of the treasury and his assistants, the ments,t1e1r . . . . . . ,,],,,1,,,, &c_ to be solicitor of internal revenue, the solicitor and naval Judge advocate genmmsremd to eral, who shall hereafter be known as the naval solicitor, and the clerks,
messengers, and laborers employed in the office of the Attorney-General,
tlnue under its and in the oliiees of the solicitor of the treasury,navul solicitor, and solici- °<>¤¤’°l· for of internal revenue, and the law otiieer in the Department of State, new designated as the examiner of claims in said Department, shall be transferred from the Departments with which they are now associated to the Department of Justice; and said officcrs shall exercise their functipgs under the supervision and control of the head of the Department 0 ustice. Quettiops or Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That questions of law submitted to
the Attorney-General for his opinion, except questions involving a con-
(;s.,m.i_ except, struction of the Constitution of the United States, may be by him rcfggépsex Egg; ferred to such of his subordinates as he may deem appropriate, and be dim,,,, M_muy require the written opinion thereon of the officer to whom the same flticct pr their may be referred; and if the opinion given by such officer shall be upgg;_’::,",;"" proved by the Attorney-General, such approval so indorsed thereon shall yAttor- . . . . . my.G,¤mi_ the ogmon pie same force and etfect as belong to the opinions of the orney- enera Cmsintbe Seo. 5. And be it further enacted, That whenever the Attorney-Genf:‘,'g:;f:,;';" eral deems it necessary, he may require the solicitor-general to argue Court et' the any case in which the government is interested before the court of Unlwd 5**%- claims ; and as to cases coming by appeal from the court of claims to
