Statute Ⅲ.
Chap. XLIII.—An Act to establish the Post-Office of the United States.
Repealed May 1, 1810, ch. 37.
Act of March 3, 1825, ch. 65.
General post-office to be established.
Powers and duties of the Postmaster General.
Acts of March 3, 1845, ch. 43, 69.Section 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That there be established at the seat of government of the United States, a General Post-office, under the direction of a Postmaster General. The Postmaster General shall appoint an assistant, and such clerks as may be necessary for performing the business of his office; he shall establish post-offices, and appoint postmasters, at all such places as shall appear to him expedient, on the post roads that are or may be established by law; he shall give his assistant, the postmasters, and all other persons whom he shall employ, or who may be employed in any of the departments of the general post-office, instructions relative to their duty; he shall provide for the carriage of the mail on all post roads that are or may be established by law, and as often as he, having regard to the productiveness thereof, and other circumstances, shall think proper; he may direct the route or road where there are more than one between places designated by law for a post road, which route shall be considered the post road; he shall obtain from the postmasters their accounts and vouchers for their receipts and expenditures once in three months, or oftener, with the balances thereon arising in favour of the general post-office; he shall pay all expenses which may arise in conducting the post-office, and in conveyance of the mail, and all other necessary expenses arising on the collection of the revenue, and management of the general post-office; he shall prosecute offences against the post-office establishment; he shall once in three months render to the Secretary of the Treasury a quarterly account of all the receipts and expenditures in the said department, to be adjusted and settled as other public accounts; he shall also superintend the business of the department in all the duties that are or may be assigned to it.In case of vacancy his duties to devolve on his assistant. Provided, that in case of the death, resignation, or removal from office of the Postmaster General, all his duties shall be performed by his assistant, until a successor shall be appointed and arrive at the general post-office to perform the business.
Officers of the post-office to take an oath.Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That the Postmaster General, and all other persons employed in the general post-office, or in the care, custody, or conveyance of the mail, shall, previous to entering upon the duties assigned to them, or the execution of their trusts, and before they shall be entitled to receive any emoluments therefor, respectively take and subscribe the following oath or affirmation, before some magistrate, and cause a certificate thereof to be filed in the general post-office, “I, A. B. do swear (or affirm, as the case may be) that I will faithfully perform all the duties required of me, and abstain from every thing forbidden by the laws in relation to the establishment of the post-office and post roads within the United States.” Every person who shall be in any manner employed in the care, custody, conveyance or management of the mail, shall be subject to all pains, penalties and forfeitures for violating the injunctions, or neglecting the duties required of him by the laws relating to the establishment of the post-office and post roads, whether such person shall have taken the oath or affirmation above prescribed or not.
Penalty on obstructing the mail.Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That if any person shall knowingly or wilfully obstruct or retard the passage of the mail, or of any driver or carrier, or of any horse or carriage carrying the same, he shall, upon conviction, for every such offence, pay a fine not exceeding one hundred dollars: And if any ferryman shall, by wilful negligence or refusal to transport the mail across any ferry, delay the same, he shall forfeit and pay for each half hour that the same shall be so delayed, a sum not exceeding ten dollars.