Papers Of Abraham Lincoln

THIRTIETH CONGRESS—FIRST SESSION.
H. R. 600.
(No Report.)
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
July 19, 1848.
Read twice, and committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the
state of the Union.
Mr. N. K. Hall, from the Committee on the Judiciary, reported
the following bill:
A BILL
Providing for the purchase and distribution of the decisions of
the Supreme Court of the United States among the several
States and Territories.

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8 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Repre-
sentatives of the United States of America in Congress
assembled, That the Secretary of the Treasury be, and
he hereby is, authorized and required to purchase of
Thomas Cowperthwait & Co., of the city of Philadelphia,
or from any other person or persons, if the same can be
had on better terms, five hundred copies of the decisions
of the Supreme Court of the United States, as contained

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33 in the six volumes of Peter’s Condensed Reports, and the
sixteen volumes subsequent thereto, by the same reporter,
at a price not exceeding sixty-two dollars per copy; and
likewise five hundred copies of the first six volumes of
Howard’s Reports, being a continuation of the reports of
said court to the end of the last term; and also, until
Congress shall otherwise direct, five hundred copies of
each succeeding volume of the reports of the decisions of
said court, at a price not exceeding two dollars and eighty-
two cents per volume, and pay for the same out of any
money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated. And
it shall be the duty of the said Secretary of the Treasury,
immediately after the reception of said reports, to forward
to the governor of each State and Territory four copies
of said reports, (one copy thereof being intended for the
State library, one copy for the use of the executive, one
for the use of the legislature, and one for the use of the
highest court of the States and Territories respectively,
unless the legislatures thereof shall deem it necessary and
proper to make a different distribution.) And, in addition
to the copies aforesaid, there shall be forwarded to the
governor of each State and Territory a number of copies
of said reports, equal to the number of Representatives of
said States and Territories in both houses of Congress, to
be distributed as the legislatures of said States and Ter

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37 ritories shall respectively determine. And the remainder
of said five hundred copies shall be deposited in the
Department of State, to await further action of Con-
gress.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Repre- sentatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Secretary of the Treasury be, and he hereby is, authorized and required to purchase of Thomas Cowperthwait & Co., of the city of Philadelphia, or from any other person or persons, if the same can be had on better terms, five hundred copies of the decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States, as contained
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9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33	in the six volumes of Peter’s Condensed Reports, and the sixteen volumes subsequent thereto, by the same reporter, at a price not exceeding sixty-two dollars per copy; and likewise five hundred copies of the first six volumes of Howard’s Reports, being a continuation of the reports of said court to the end of the last term; and also, until Congress shall otherwise direct, five hundred copies of each succeeding volume of the reports of the decisions of said court, at a price not exceeding two dollars and eighty- two cents per volume, and pay for the same out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated. And it shall be the duty of the said Secretary of the Treasury, immediately after the reception of said reports, to forward to the governor of each State and Territory four copies of said reports, (one copy thereof being intended for the State library, one copy for the use of the executive, one for the use of the legislature, and one for the use of the highest court of the States and Territories respectively, unless the legislatures thereof shall deem it necessary and proper to make a different distribution.) And, in addition to the copies aforesaid, there shall be forwarded to the governor of each State and Territory a number of copies of said reports, equal to the number of Representatives of said States and Territories in both houses of Congress, to be distributed as the legislatures of said States and Ter
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34 35 36 37	ritories shall respectively determine. And the remainder of said five hundred copies shall be deposited in the Department of State, to await further action of Con- gress.