Papers Of Abraham Lincoln

Thirtieth Congress,
thi First Session,
BE IT ENACTED
By the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in
Congress Assembled.

That John F. Callan, Jacob Bigelow, B. B. French, W. H. Harover, M. P. Callan, W. A. Bradley, and W. H. English, and their present and future associates, are hereby declared to be a body politic and corporate, by the name and style of the “Washington Gas Light Company”, and by the same name, shall have perpetual succession, and shall be able to sue and be sued, plead and be impleaded, in all courts of law and equity in the District of Columbia and elsewhere; and to make and have a common seal, and the same to break, alter, and renew, at pleasure; to ordain and establish such by-laws, ordinances, and regulations, and generally to do every act and thing necessary to carry into effect this act, or to promote the objects and design of this corporation.

Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That the capital stock of this corporation shall not exceed fifty thousand dollars; that a share in the same shall be twenty dollars; and books of subscription to the said capital stock, or to such portions thereof as, from time to time may, by the directors for the time being, be deemed proper and necessary, shall be opened, by the ap-

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appointment or under the direction of the directors hereinafter named, subject to such rules, limitations and conditions, as by them shall be prescribed; and the stock of the said corporation shall be deemed personal property.

Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That the stock property, and affairs, of the said corporation shall be managed and conducted by or under the direction of five directors, being stockholders; that the said directors shall hold their offices for one year from the second Monday and shall be elected on the first Monday in January, in each year, at such time and place in the city of Washington as a majority of the directors for the time being shall appoint; and that notice of such election shall be published in at least two of the public newspapers printed in the city of Washington, at least fourteen days previous to time of holding such election; and every such election shall be by ballot, and by such of the stockholders who shall attend for that purpose, either in person or by proxy; and each stockholder, shall be entitled to one vote for each share of the stock which he or she may have held in his or her own name for at least fourteen days before the time of voting; and the persons having the greatest number of votes shall be the directors; and if it shall happen that two or more persons have an equal number of votes, the directors in office at the time of such election shall, by a plurality of votes, given by ballot, determine which of the persons so having an equal number of votes shall be director or

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directors, so as to complete the whole number to be chosen; and the directors so chosen shall, as soon as may be thereafter, proceed by ballot to elect one of their number for their president; and whenever any vacancy shall happen, the same shall be filled up by the remaining directors, by plurality of votes, until the next annual election

Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That John F. Callan, Jacob Bigelow, B. B. French, W. H. Harover, M. P. Callan, and W. A. Bradley, shall be the first directors of the said company, who shall hold their offices until the second Monday of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty-nine, and until others are chosen in their places, and they shall proceed to choose their president at such time and place as they, or a majority of them, shall determine.

Sec. 5. And be it further enacted, That in case it shall at any time happen that an election for directors shall not take place on the day appointed by this act for that purpose, the said corporation shall not, for that cause, or for any non-user, be deemed to be dissolved, but it shall and may be lawful to hold an election for directors on any other day, in such manner as shall be provided for by the by-laws of the said corporation.

Sec. 6. And be it further enacted, That it shall and may be lawful for the directors, or a majority of them, to require payment of the subscription to the capital stock of the said corporation, at such times

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and in such proportions as they, or a majority of them, shall deem fit, under the penalty of forfeiting all previous payment or payments thereon; and that previous notice of the instalments required to be paid shall be published at least fourteen days in two of the public newspapers printed in the city of Washington.

Sec. 7. And be it further enacted, That the President and directors shall have full power and authority to manufacture, make, and sell gas, to be made of coal, oil, tar, peat, pitch, or turpentine, or other material, and to be used for the purpose of lighting the city of Washington, or the streets thereof, and any buildings, manufactories, or houses, therein contained and situate, and to lay pipes for the purpose of conducting gas in any of the streets, avenues, and alleys of the said city; and, also, that the said company will so conduct the manufactories of gas as not to injure private property or create ^ [?] ^ a nuisance. ^Provided &c.^

Sec. 8. And be it further enacted, That if any person or persons shall wilfully do, or cause to be done, any act or acts whatever, whereby the works of said corporation, or any pipe, conduit, plug, cock, reservoir, or any engine, machine, or structure, or any matter or thing appertaining to the same, shall be stopped, obstructed, impaired, weakened, injured, or destroyed, the person or persons so offending shall forfeit and pay to the said corporation double the amount of the damage sus-

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sustained by means of such offence or injury, to be recovered in the name of the said corporation, with c0sts of suit, in any action of debt, to be brought in any court having cognizance thereof.

Sec. 9. And be it further enacted, That nothing in this act shall be construed to prevent any person or persons, nor any incorporated company hereafter to be created by Congress for that purpose, from engaging in and pursuing the business specified in the seventh section of this act; and that it shall be lawful for Congress, at any time hereafter, to alter, amend, or repeal this act.

Sec. 10. And be it further enacted, That nothing in this act continued, shall be construed to authorize the said Washington Gas light Company, to make, issue, or put in circulation, any bill, draft, check, order, promissory note, change ticket or any thing else promissing or agreeing to pay money, intended to circulate as money, or the tendency of which shall be to circulate as money, or currency and the violation of any one of the provisions of this section shall be a forfeiture of the charter herein granted, and a fine of fifty dollars against each of the Directors voting for the same.

Sec. 11. And be it further enacted, That each of the stockholders in the Washington Gas light Company shall be held liable in his or her individual capacity for all the debts, and liabilities of the said company [?]

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however contracted or incurred, to be recovered by suit as other debts or liabilities, before the court or tribunal having jurisdiction of the case.

[ certification ]
06/28/1848
Passed the House of Representatives
June 28^th AD. 1848.
AttestTho. J Campbell
Clerk.

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[ docketing ]
Dist. Columbia

[ docketing ]
H R 3[?]

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An Act
To incorporate the Washingt[on] Light Company.

[ certification ]
07/01/1848
In Senate of the U. Sta[tes]
July 1. 1848
Resolved, That this Bill pass, with an amendment.
AttestAsbury Dickins,
Secreta[ry]

[ docketing ]
June 30 Read 1 & 2 X

[ docketing ]
D. C

[ docketing ]
June 30 Comm[?]

[ docketing ]
amended & passed

[ docketing ]
July 6^th Hampton