Act approved February 19, 1897, chap. 265, "An act making appropriations for the legislative, executive, and judicial expenses of the Government for the fiscal year ending June thirtieth, eighteen hundred and ninety-eight, and for other purposes." (29 Stat., 550.) Sec. 1. * * * All books, papers, and other matters relating to the office or accounts of disbursing officers of the Executive Departments and commissions, boards, and establishments of the Government in the District of Columbia shall at all times be subject to inspection and examination by the Comptroller of the Treasury and the Auditor of the Treasury authorized to settle such accounts, or by the duly authorized agents of either of said officials. See act of Mar. 15, 1898. Charges to postal appropri Act approved March 3, 1897, chap. 385, "An act making appropriations Act approved January 28, 1898, chap. 11, "An act making appropriations to supply urgent deficiencies in the appropriations for the fiscal year ending June thirtieth, eighteen hundred and ninety-eight, and for prior years, and for other purposes." (30 Stat., 235.) Assignment of space in the Post Office Building to the Auditor's Quarters, Post Office. Office Depart Act approved March 15, 1898, chap. 68, "An act making appropriations for the legislative, executive, and judicial expenses of the Government for the fiscal year ending June thirtieth, eighteen hundred and ninety-nine, and for other purposes." (30 Stat., 289.) of Inspection of accounts. The Comptroller of the Treasury is hereby authorized to exchange Law books, Comptroller old and obsolete law books now in his office for new ones of recent date. the Treasury. SEC. 5. All books, papers, and other matters relating to the accounts of officers of the Government in the District of Columbia shall at all times be subject to inspection and examination by the Comptroller of the Treasury and the Auditor of the Treasury authorized to settle such accounts, or by the duly authorized agents of either of said officials. Act approved June 27, 1898, chap. 503, "An act to amend sections one and two of the act of March third, eighteen hundred and eightyseven, Twenty-fourth Statutes at large, chapter three hundred and fifty-nine." (30 Stat., 494.) SEC. 1. * * * That section one of the act of March third, eighteen hundred and eighty-seven, chapter three hundred and fifty-nine, second session of the Forty-ninth Congress, be amended by adding thereto the following proviso, to wit: Provided further, That no suit against the Government of the United States brought by any officer of the United States to recover fees for services alleged to have been performed for the United States, shall be allowed under this act unless an account for said fees shall have been rendered and finally acted upon according to the provisions of the act of July thirty-first, eighteen hundred and ninetyfour (chapter one hundred and seventy-four, Twenty-eighth Statutes at Large, page one hundred and sixty-two), unless the proper accounting officer of the Treasury fails to finally act thereon within six months after the account is received in said office. Accounts the District Columbia. of of Act approved June 30, 1898, chap. 540, "An act making appropriations to provide for the expenses of the government of the District of Columbia for the fiscal year ending June thirtieth, eighteen hundred and ninety-nine, and for other purposes." (30 Stat., 526.) SEC. 1. * * * That hereafter all accounts for the disbursement of appropriations made either from the revenues of the District of Columbia or jointly from the revenues of the United States and the District of Columbia shall be audited by the Auditor of the District of Columbia before transmitted to the accounting officers of the Treasury, unless otherwise specifically provided in the law making such appropriations: Provided, That this provision shall not apply to disbursements on account of the court of appeals and the supreme court of the District of Columbia, and for the interest and sinking fund on the funded debt of the District of Columbia, which disbursements shall continue to be audited as heretofore provided by law. See acts of Mar 3, 1879, Act approved July 1, 1898, chap. 546, "An act making appropriations for sundry civil expenses of the Government for the fiscal year ending June thirtieth, eighteen hundred and ninety-nine, and for other purposes." (30 Stat., 640.) SEC. 1. * * * That so much of the sundry civil appropriation and Feb. 1, 1888. act of March third, eighteen hundred and seventy-nine, as requires in the settlement of claims of pay, bounty, prize money, or other moneys due to colored soldiers, sailors, or marines, or their legal representatives, that the amount allowed as attorney's fees be stated in a separate certificate in favor of the agent or attorney, be, and the same is hereby, repealed. Suits against the United States. * SEC. 3. * * Provided further, That no suit against the Government of the United States, brought by any officer of the United States to recover fees for services alleged to have been performed for the United States, shall be allowed under this act unless an account for said fees shall have been rendered and finally acted upon according to the provisions of the act of July thirty-first, eighteen hundred and ninety-four (chapter one hundred and seventy-four, Twenty-eighth Statutes at Large, page one hundred and sixty-two), unless the proper accounting officer of the Treasury fails to finally act thereon within six months after the account is received in said office. Act approved January 5, 1899, chap. 41, "An act making appropriations to supply urgent deficiencies in the appropriations for the support of the military and naval establishments for the last six months of the fiscal year ending June thirtieth, eighteen hundred and ninetynine, and for other purposes." (30 Stat., 772.) SEC. 1. * * * That the time for the examination of monthly Examination, Accounts, War accounts by the bureaus and offices of the War Department after the Department. date of their actual receipt and before transmitting the same to the Auditor for the War Department, as limited by section twelve of the legislative, executive, and judicial appropriation act, approved July thirty-first, eighteen hundred and ninety-four, is hereby extended from twenty days to sixty days for the period of one year from the date of the passage of this act. Act approved March 3, 1899, chap. 445, "An act to amend an act entitled States. All claims under the provision of this act must be filed in the office Accounts of of the Auditor for the War Department and must be supported by proper vouchers or other conclusive evidence of interest. Act approved December 20, 1899, chap. 1, “An act to extend the time for examination of monthly accounts by bureaus and offices of the War Department." (31 Stat., 1.) * Examination, accounts War SEC. 1. * * That the time for examination of monthly accounts by the bureaus and offices of the War Department after the date of Department. - actual receipt and before transmitting the same to the Auditor for the War Department, as limited by section twelve of the legislative, executive, and judicial appropriation act, approved July thirty-first, eighteen hundred and ninety-four, is hereby extended from twenty days to sixty days for the period of one year from the date of the passage of this act. Act approved April 17, 1900, chap. 192, "An act making appropriations for the legislative, executive, and judicial expenses of the Government for the fiscal year ending June thirtieth, nineteen hundred and one, and for other purposes." (31 Stat., 107.) * SEC. 1. * * Detail of gaugers, etc., in one district for duty in Detail of gaug another district, &c., * * *. And the order of the commissioner of internal revenue transferring gaugers, &c., to special work, shall be accepted by the accounting officers of the Treasury Department as full authority for proper expenses incurred by said gaugers, &c., while so assigned. ers. Un ex pended balances miscel sion. Act approved June 6, 1900, chap. 785, "An act making appropriations to supply deficiencies in the appropriations for the fiscal year ending June thirtieth, nineteen hundred, and for prior years, and for other purposes." (31 Stat., 287.) SEC. 1. * * * Unexpended balance for miscellaneous expenses of laneous expenses the Fish Commission made available and the accounting officers of the of Fish Commis- Treasury Department are authorized to settle the accounts of the disbursing agent of the United States Commission of Fish and Fisheries accordingly. * * Act approved June 6, 1900, chap. 791, "An act making appropriations Provided, That in the settlement of claims of officers, soldiers, sailors, and marines, or their representatives, and all other claims for pay and allowances within the jurisdiction of the Auditor for the War Department or the Auditor for the Navy Department, presented and filed hereafter, in which it is the present practice to make deductions of attorneys' fees from the amount found due, no deductions of fees for attorneys or agents shall hereafter be made, but the draft, check, or warrant for the full amount found due shall be delivered to the payee in person or sent to his bona fide post-office address (residence or place of business). Act approved March 2, 1901, chap. 800, "An act to carry into effect the stipulations of article seven of the treaty between the United States and Spain concluded on the tenth day of December, eighteen hundred and ninety-eight." (31 Stat., 877.) SEC. 1. * * * That the President of the United States shall appoint, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, five suitable persons learned in the law, who shall constitute a commission, whose duty it shall be, and it shall have jurisdiction to receive, examine, and adjudicate all claims of citizens of the United States against Spain, which the United States agreed to adjudicate and settle by the seventh article of the treaty concluded between the United States and Spain on the tenth day of December, anno Domini eighteen hundred and ninety-eight. It shall adjudicate said claims according to the merits of the several cases, the principles of equity and of the international law. One of said persons shall be designated by the terms of his appointment to be the president of said commission. * SEC. 3. * * All the expenses, including salaries and compensation of said commission and of its officers and employees shall be paid by the Department of Justice * * * Act approved March 2, 1901, chap. 803, "An act making appropriations for the support of the Army for the fiscal year ending June thirtieth, nineteen hundred and two." (31 Stat., 910.) * Examinations, SEC. 1. * * The time for examination of monthly accounts accounts of War covering expenditures from appropriations for the Army, by the bureaus Department. and offices of the War Department, after the date of actual receipt and before transmitting the same to the Auditor for the War Department, as limited by section twelve, act approved July thirty-first, eighteen hundred and ninety-four, is hereby extended from twenty to sixty days. Act approved March 3, 1901, chap. 831, "An act making appropriations to supply deficiencies in the appropriations for the fiscal year ending June thirtieth, nineteen hundred and one, and for prior years, and for other purposes." (31 Stat., 1052.) SEC. 1. * * * Provided further, That the payment, to officers and Payment judgments enlisted men severally entitled, of the judgments of the Court of Claims bounty. for bounty for destruction of enemy's vessels, under section forty-six hundred and thirty-five of the Revised Statutes be made on settlements by the Auditor for the Navy Department in the manner prescribed by law and Treasury regulation for the payment of prize money, the distribution of such individual share to be in accordance with the orders, rules, and findings of the Court of Claims. of for Act approved July 1, 1902, chap. 1352, "An act making appropriations to provide for the expenses of the government of the District of Columbia for the fiscal year ending June thirtieth, nineteen hundred and three, and for other purposes." (32 Stat., 592.) accounts of Dis Provided, That hereafter when differences arise in the examination of Differences in the accounts of the disbursing officer of the District of Columbia, calling trict of Columbia. for the suspension of any item in said accounts, it shall be the duty of the Auditor for the State and other Departments who settles said accounts, to notify the Auditor of the District of Columbia in connection with the disbursing officer of the District of Columbia of the grounds of such objections resulting in said suspensions, in order that said Auditor in connection with said disbursing officer may by explanation if possible remove said grounds of suspension. The Auditor of the District of Columbia shall continue to prepare and countersign all checks issued by the disbursing officer and no check involving disbursement of public moneys by the disbursing officer shall be valid unless countersigned by the Auditor of the District of Columbia. Act approved February 14, 1903, chap. 552, "An act to establish the * * * That there shall be at the seat of government an Department of Commerce and lished. executive department to be known as the Department of Commerce Labor estaband Labor, and a Secretary of Commerce and Labor, who shall be the head thereof, who shall be appointed by the President, by and with the consent and advice of the Senate. * * * |