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Acts of the Liberian Legislature, 1870-1879

1872-1875

An act amendatory and supplementary to an act entitled an act establishing the treasury department (1873, pp. 3-8).

An act making provision for the payment of certain claims due by government (1872, p. 9).

An act regulating the pay of the president and vice president of the Republic of Liberia or other officer in case of the absence or disability of the president (1873, p. 10).

An act amendatory to an act entitled “An act relating to divorces” [allowing divorces for reasons other than adultery] (1873, p. 11).

An act authorizing the appointment of shipping masters at the several ports of entry in Liberia [Also establishing a one dollar tax for each worker shipped and imposing import duties on goods brought by returning workers] (1873, pp. 12-13).

An act repealing the charter of the City of Buchanan, Grand Bassa County [in response to petitions from residents against oppressive taxation and unconstitutional conduct by city officials] (1873, pp. 13-14).

An act regulating the payment of tonnage dues by vessels which may casually visit a single port of entry within the Republic of Liberia (1873, p. 14).

[A resolution authorizing the secretary of treasury to burn all defaced currency] (1873, pp. 14-15).

An act encouraging agriculture throughout the Republic of Liberia (1873, p. 15).

An act supplementary to the act entitled an act authorizing specific duties approved Feby. 22nd, 1870 (1873, p. 16).

An act regulating the working of prisoners [establishing country jailors are responsible for the supervising prisoners sentenced to hard labor and fixing compensation at thirty seven and a half cents per day] (1873, p. 16).

An act organizing a board of trade [also described as a bureau of commerce, with one sub-office each in Maryland, Sinoe and Grand Bassa (1873, pp. 17-19).

An act to incorporate Trinity Church in Monrovia [naming Garrison W. Gibson, rector; William M. Davis, warden; Martin H. Freeman, warden; James B. Yates, vestryman; H. R.W. Johnson, vestryman; and Charles B. Dunbar, vestryman] (1873, pp. 19-20).

Resolution authorizing the disposal of the remainder of the consignment of merchandise to the government per Brig “Town of Liverpool” [to be auctioned at market prices, with half of proceeds going to the national government and one-eighth each to Maryland, Sinoe, Grand Bassa and Montserrado] (1873, p. 20).

An act altering and amending an act entitled an act “Incorporating the Palm Grove Cemetery of Monrovia” [substituting C. B. Dunbar, H. W. Dennis and W. M. Davis instead of originally named board] (1873, pp. 21-22).

Joint resolution authorizing the printing of two hundred copies of the secretary of treasury’s report for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30th 1872 (1873, p. 22).

An act authorizing the president personally to visit Great Britain, in order finally to adjust and make settlement of all matters pertaining to the National Loan; to secure the services of a geologist and mineralogist to aid in the development of the resources of the country; to pay all legal foreign debts of the Republic, etc., etc. (1873, p. 22)**

Resolution authorizing the president to make an official visit abroad (1873, p. 22).

An act fixing the day of adjournment of the present session of the legislature (1873, p. 22).

An act for the relief of Geerge (sic.) W. Smith (1873, p. 23)
Resolution authorizing the president to grant valid deeds in lieu of certain invalid deeds executed by D.R. Fletcher of Maryland County (1873, p. 23).

An act divorcing Isaac C. Dickinson and Sarah E. Dickinson, Isaac Ostertag and Louisa Ostertag, Richard Kennedy and Patsey E. Kennedy, W. H. Buchanan and Levica Buchanan, David Gibson and Josephine Gibson, C. T. O. King and Nancy King, I. N. Turner and Henrietta Turner, Andrew Toliver and Cecilia Toliver, James Williams and Jame Williams, Abraham Shelton and Roas Shelton, George S. Woods and L. J. Woods, Andrew Hawkins and Mary Hawkins, Beverly Payne and Mary Payne, Robert Alphin and R. A. Alphin, J. D. Jones and Sarah Jones, John Norman and Lucy Norman, Henry Butler and Martha Butler, Peter White and Mary White (1873, p. 23).

Resolution granting L. K. Crocker of Little Bassa three hundred acres of land (1873, p. 23).

An act legitimizing James Martain (sic.) Moore, son of Jacob M. Moore, Jr. (1873, p. 23).

Resolution for the relief of Alexander Stubblefield of Montserrado County (1873, p. 23).

A resolution restoring Reuben Whitemore and Robert Hines of Sinou County to citizenship (1873, p. 23).

Resolution granting the citizens of Careysburg twenty five muskets or rifles and ammunition (1873, p. 23).

A resolution providing for the erection of a monument to the memory of Rev. S. J. Mills (1873, p. 23).

A resolution for the relief of John Marshall (1873, p. 23).

Acts passed by the legislature of the Republic of Liberia during the session of 1872-1873. Published by authority Monrovia: L. R. Leone, printer, “Republican Office,” 1873. (Features large initial letter in each title.) ** The “Acts passed by the legislature” (1873) gives titles without text for this and the next 12 acts and resolutions, all of which appear at the end of the book, suggesting that the printer ran out of paper or time for typesetting the body text of these acts and resolution. This expedient measure might have cost Leone his contract for printing legislative acts because, as of the following year, the “Acts” are published under the imprint of “T. W. Howard, printer, Government Printing Office.”

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Acts of the Liberian Legislature, 1860-1869

1869, December

An act amending an act entitled an act amendatory to an act regulating fees [for jurors, sheriffs, constables and coroner’s jurymen] (1869, p. 3).

An act regulating the militia of the Republic of Liberia (1869, p. 3-5).

An act regulating the pay of officers, crew and mariners of the revenue cutter “Liberia” or any other revenue vessel belonging to government (1869, pp. 5-6).

[A resolution authorizing the secretary of treasury to pay A.F. Johns of Montserrado County one year’s interest at the legal rate of six percent on three thousand eight hundred and ninety nine dollars on vouchers issued to him by W.H. Lynch and Benjamin Anderson, former secretaries of treasury] (1869, pp. 6-7).

An act for the encouragement of agriculture and authorizing and requesting the president to enter into and conclude a commercial treaty with the government of the United States of America to mutually admit free of duty, certain articles of merchandize [meaning beef, pork, flour, pilot and navy bread from the United States and sugar, coffee, arrow-root and ginger from Liberia] (1869, p. 7).

An act providing for the revision and compilation of the statute laws of Liberia [by J. J. Roberts, based upon the Law Commentaries of Blackstone by Chitty and Wendal and the Revised Statutes of the State of New York, at the cost of fifteen hundred dollars, including printing] (1869, pp. 7-8).

[A resolution expressing thanks to the U.S. government for the Emancipation Proclamation, congratulations to enslaved African Americans upon their emancipation and thanks to God for the restoration of peace in the United States] (1869, p. 9).

A resolution to suppress the aboriginal difficulties existing in our northwestern boundaries, in the Gallinas Territory [providing for ten thousand dollars and between four hundred and five hundred Liberian militia to be sent, in response to an alleged request by Prince Bomboo to assist in the defense of his people and their allies, the Zaroh, the latter having recently emancipated themselves from domestic slavery under the Vey and Gallinas, from attacks by the Veys and Gallinas led by Prince Mannah] (1868, pp. 9-10).

An act proposing amendments to the Constitution of the Republic of Liberia [changing the term of senators from four to eight years and of the president and representatives from two to four years] (1869, pp. 10-11).

An act authorizing the removal of obstructions from the Marphar River and making appropriation [of fifty dollars] for same (1868, pp. 11-12).

An act creating an interior department (1869, pp. 12-15).

A resolution to be appended to the appropriation bill, authorizing the secretary of the treasury to draw debentures in favor of the president and vice president for the fiscal year ending September 30th 1869 in the same manner as is provided for the legislature (1869, pp. 15-16).

An act [providing forty-nine dollars and fifty cents each] for the relief of Joseph Blanchard [of Grand Bassa] and WIlliam H. Hill [Montserrado, both having been wounded in military service] (1869, pp. 16-17).

A joint resolution [allowing four hundred eighty one and seventy nine cents to be refunded by the treasury department, at the rate of one hundred and twenty dollars and forty-five cents] for the relief of Lewis Barker [of Montserrado County, who came of age in 1858] (1869, p. 16).

An act supplementary to an act amendatory to an act entitled an act confining and restricting foreign vessels to ports of entry (1869, p. 17).

A resolution ordering the secretary of treasury to burn in the presence of the legislature all demand notes, scripts, checks, debentures and other evidences of money now belonging to the government (1869, p. 17).

An act to incorporate the Ladies First Mutual Relief Society of Cape Palmas [ naming Ann E. Dennis, president; Maria Dent, vice president; Mary A. Fletcher, treasurer; Sarah J. Simpson, secretary; Harriet E. Lee, assistant secretary; Charlotte F. Donaldson, chief manager; and managers: Mary A. Simpson, Julia A. Hance, Cecelia A. Hamilton, Mary A. Harris, Sarah Scotland, J.M. Thompson and Catherine Cooper] (1869, pp. 17-18).

An act amendatory and supplementary to an act defining the payment of duties (1869, pp. 18-19).

A resolution for the relief of [Hamburg-native] William Jantzen, esquire, consignee of the Barque “Bielefield” [refunding two hundred and twenty two dollars and twenty cents, representing duty paid at the Grand Bassa port on an ex post facto basis (1869, pp. 19-20).

Resolution to prevent judges and justices of the peace or any other officer entrusted with the administration of the laws of this Republic from issuing writs in civil cases against members of the legislature (1869, p. 20).

An act appropriating eighty dollars annually to and for the use of the [blind and destitute] widow of Hon. John H. Paxton, late senator of this Republic and of the county of Montserrado (1869, pp. 20-21)
A resolution restoring William Jackson and Ann Minor of Montserrado County and Alexander Jackson and Boston Dade of Maryland County to the rights and privileges of other good citizens of this Republic (1869, pp. 21).

An act encouraging mining in Liberia [by allowing Liberians to associate with foreign capitalists, mineralogists and miners in search of coal and other precious ores and fixing duty on exported ore at no more five percent on the dollar] (1869?, pp. 21-22).

Resolution requiring the secretary of the treasury to have his annual report printed before submitting it to the legislature (1869, pp. 22-23).

A resolution reimbursing Gilly Bunner [twelve hundred and forty-eight dollars deposited in the Liberian treasury by Bunner’s late mother, Tempy Brown] (1869, p. 23).

[Resolution directing the treasury secretary to pay J.C. Minor one hundred and thirty-three dollars and eighty seven cents for services as judge of the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, Montserrado] (1869, pp. 23-24).

A resolution fixing the day for adjournment of the present session of the legislature (1869, p. 24).

An act regulating the contesting seats in the legislature and defining the duties of contestants (1869, pp. 24-27).

[An act regulating seamen and merchants, with sample contract to be signed by ship masters] (1869, pp. 27-33, 38).

[A resolution authorizing the president to appoint a commissioner of education for each county, to facilitate the incorporation of aborigines and the “upbuilding of this Negro nationality”] (1869, pp. 33-36).

An act regulating an act interdicting Settra Kroo (1869, pp. 36-37)
An act appropriating forty dollars annually to William Jumbo, a Krooman of Montserrado County (1869, p. 37).

Acts passed by the legislature of the Republic of Liberia during its session 1869 (u.p., u.d.).