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such appointment from some authorized ecclesiastical body, or from not less than five accredited ministers of said denomination. Sec. 1123, R. S.

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906. Same.-No person in civil life shall hereafter be appointed chaplain until he shall have passed satisfactorily such examination as to his mental, moral, and physical qualifications as may be prescribed by the President: * ***Provided further, That in case of the appointment of an officer who has served in a similar capacity during the War with Spain and has demonstrated his moral, mental, and physical qualifications for the position, then such examination shall not be required. Sec. 7, Act of Mar. 2, 1899 (30 Stat. 979).

907. Same.-No person shall be appointed a chaplain in the Regu lar Army who shall have passed the age of forty years, nor until he shall have established his fitness as required by existing law. Sec. 12, Act of Feb. 2, 1901 (31 Stat. 750).

908. Rank and status.-Chaplains shall have the rank of captains of infantry, without command, and shall be on the same footing with other officers of the Army, as to tenure of office, retirement, and pensions. Sec. 1122, R. S.

909. Promotion.-Hereafter the President may, from time to time, select from among the chaplains of the Army any chaplains having not less than ten years' service, in the grade of captain, who shall have been commended as worthy of special distinction for exceptional efficiency by the regimental or district commanders with whose commands they may be serving as chaplains, approved through regular military channels, and may, with the advice and consent of the Senate, promote such regimental or artillery chaplains to be chaplains with the grade, pay, and allowances of major; every such promotion being made with a view to active service until the statutory age for the compulsory relinquishment thereof, except in cases of physical disability incurred in the line of duty: Provided, That the total number in active service so promoted shall not at any time. exceed fifteen, and that the remaining chaplains shall have the grade, pay and allowances of captain, mounted, after they shall have completed seven years of service: And provided further, That all persons who may hereafter be appointed as chaplains shall have the grade, pay, and allowances of first lieutenant, mounted, until they shall have completed seven years of service. Sec. 1, Act of Apr. 21, 1904 (33 Stat. 226).

910. Designation.-All officers provided for in this Act shall have a uniform designation in official address as chaplains of their respective regiments or of the Artillery Corps. Sec. 2, id.

911. Effect of act.--Nothing in this Act shall be construed as depriving any chaplain of his commission in the Army, or as inter

fering with existing law pertaining to regimental and corps assignments or transfers, and that nothing herein contained shall be held or construed to increase the number of chaplains, as now authorized by law, or to reduce the grade of any now serving. Sec. 3, id.

912. Assignments.-The office of post chaplain is hereby abolished, and the officers holding commissions as chaplains, or who may hereafter become chaplains, shall be assigned to regiments or to the corps of artillery. Sec. 12, Act of Feb. 2, 1901 (31 Stat. 750).

913. Transfers and transportation.-Chaplains may be assigned to such stations as the Secretary of War shall direct, and they may be tran-ferred, as chaplains, from one branch of the service or from one regiment to another, by the Secretary of War, without further commission. When serving in the field, chaplains shall be furnished with necessary means of transportation by the Quartermaster's DepartLent. Id.

DUTIES.

914. Duties. All regimental chaplains and post chaplains shall, Lit may be practicable, hold appropriate religious services, for the fit of the commands to which they may be assigned to duty, at least once on each Sunday, and shall perform appropriate religious ral services at the burial of officers and soldiers who may die in commands. Sec. 1125, R. S.

915. Same-Instruction.-The duty of chaplains of regiments of red troops and of post chaplains shall include the instruction of e enlisted men in the common English branches of education.1 Sec. 4. R. S.

916. Same-Reports.-Post and regimental chaplains shall make thly reports to the Adjutant-General of the Army, through the al military channels, of the moral condition and general history of the regiments or posts to which they may be attached. Sec. 1126, ES.

917. Facilities for duties.-It shall be the duty of commanders of gments, hospitals, and posts to afford to chaplains, assigned to the e for duty, such facilities as may aid them in the performance of er duties. Sec. 1127, R. S.

HISTORICAL NOTE.

The fee of chaplain existed in the Revolutionary armies, as is indicated requirement of section 1, article 4, of the Rules and Articles of War of which provides a penalty for the nonperformance of the duties approtate to the office. The act of March 3. 1791 (1 Stat. 222), authorized the * Stent of a chaplain in case the President might "deem such appointment Fatutory provisions respecting post schools, see the article relating to

sts in the chapter entitled Public Property. The detail of officers at cho's, and the regulations governing the courses of instruction therein, are da orders from the War Department. For the duties and assignLets of chaplains, see paragraphs 43-46, Army Regulations of 1913.

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necessary to the public interest." As the act contemplated a brigade organization, it would appear that the office thus conditionally created was that of a brigade rather than a regimental chaplain. The inclusion of the chaplain in the general staff," in section 7 of the act of March 5, 1792 (id., 242), and March 3, 1795 (id., 430), would also seem to indicate the correctness of this view. No provision was made for the services of chaplains in the enactments respecting the Militia of May 2, 1792 (id., 264), and May, 8, 1792 (id., 267), nor in the militia act of January 21, 1903 (32 Stat. 775.) The office of chaplain was discontinued on October 1, 1796, in conformity to the requirements of the act of May 30, 1796 (id., 483), "to ascertain and fix the military establishment of the United States." The acts authorizing the creation of a provisional army, approved May 28, 1798 (id., 561), made.no provision for the services or compensation of chaplains, but this omission was supplied by a provision for four chaplains in the act of July 16, 1798 (id., 604), who were to be attached to the general staff, and were to receive the pay and allowances of majors. No provision was made for these officers, however, in the act of March 3, 1799 (id., 749). By the acts of February 2, 1800 (2 id., 7), and May 14, 1800 (id., 85), the operation of the foregoing enactments was sus pended, and the act of March 16, 1802 (id., 133), contained no provision for chaplains, or for the procurement of religious services at military posts.

The act of April 12, 1808 (2 Stat. 481, sec. 7), passed in contemplation of war with England, authorized the appointment of brigade chaplains, and similar provision was made in section 24 of the act of February 6, 1812 (id., 671), which conferred upon these officers the pay and allowances of majors of infantry, and this last-named provision was repeated in section 16 of the act of January 20, 1813 (id., 791). The acts of March 3, 1815 (3 Stat. 224); April 24, 1816 (id., 297); April 14, 1818 (id., 420); April 20, 1818 (id., 460); March 2, 1821 (id.. 615), to reduce and fix the military peace establishment, made no provision for these officers which then ceased to exist.

The office of post chaplain was established by section 18 of an act of July 5, 1838 (5 Stat. 259), appointments thereto being vested in the councils of administration of the several military posts. The chaplains were to act as post schoolmasters, and their compensation was to be fixed by the post councils, with the approval of the Secretary of War, but was in no case to exceed forty dollars per month, with four rations per day and an established allowance of fuel and quarters. The number of chaplain posts was fixed at twenty by the act of July 7, 1838 (id., 308), which were to be designated by the Secretary of War, and were to be "confined to places most destitute of instruction." By section 3 of the act of March 2, 1849 (9 id., 351), ten additional chaplains were authorized, and by section 2 of the act of February 21, 1857 (11 Stat. 163), the monthly pay proper of chaplains was increased to a sum not exceed ing sixty dollars, subject to the approval of the post council of administration. For each of the regiments of volunteers authorized to be raised for the War with Mexico a chaplain was authorized, and power was conferred upon the President to order the existing post chaplains to the theater of active operations, and, in the event of their refusal to obey such order, their offices were to be declared vacant by the Adjutant-General of the Army; section 7 act of February 11, 1847 (9 Stat. 124). During the Civil War a chaplain was authorized for each regiment of volunteers, who was to have the pay and allow ances of a captain of cavalry; section 9, act of July 22, 1861 (12 Stat. 270). By section 7 of the act of August 3, 1861 (id., 288), none but ministers of some Christian denomination were to be eligible for appointment. By section 2 of the act of May 30, 1862 (id., 404), the President was authorized to appoint a chaplain for each general hospital; by the act of July 17, 1862 (id., 594), their pay and allowances were fixed and the qualifications for the office were estab lished. Rank without command was conferred by the act of April 9, 1864 (13 id., 46), in which enactment their duties were still further defined. By section 31 of the act of July 28, 1866 (14 id., 337), the existing force was recognized and continued, and one chaplain was authorized for each regiment of colored troops established, "whose duty shall include the instruction of the enlisted men in the common English branches of education;" by section 7 of the act of March 2, 1867 (id., 423), the rank of captain of infantry, without command, was conferred, and chaplains were placed upon the same footing in respect to pay, allowances, and emoluments as other officers of the Army. By section 12 of the act of February 2, 1901 (31 Stat. 750), the distinction between post and regimental chaplains was abolished and chaplains were thereafter required to be assigned to regiments of the line or to stations occupied by the troops of the corps of artillery.

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Congress by the Secretary of War: Provided further, That hereafter detailed estimates shall be submitted to Congress for any further extension of the cable or telegraph lines in the district of Alaska. Act of Mar. 2, 1907 (34 Stat. 1159).

900. Willful injury, etc.-Penalty.-Whoever shall willfully or maliciously injure or destroy any of the works, property, or material of any telegraph, telephone, or cable line, or system, operated or controlled by the United States, whether constructed or in process of construction, or shall willfully or maliciously interfere in any way with the working or use of any such line, or system, or shall willfully or maliciously obstruct, hinder, or delay the transmission of any communication over any such line, or system, shall be fined not more than one thousand dollars, or imprisoned not more than three years, or both. Sec. 60, Act of Mar. 4, 1909, Criminal Code (35 Stat. 1099).

901. Property returns.-From and after the passage of this act, every officer of the Signal Corps, every noncommissioned officer or private of the Signal Corps, and all other officers, agents, or persons who now have in possession, or may hereafter receive or may be intrusted with any stores or supplies, shall, quarterly or more often, if so directed, and in such manner and on such forms as may be prescribed by the Chief Signal Officer, make true and correct returns to the Chief Signal Officer of all Signal Service property and all other supplies and stores of every kind received by or intrusted to them and each of them, or which may, in any manner, come into their and each of their possession or charge. Act of Oct. 12, (25 Stat. 552).

HISTORICAL NOTE.

1883

The office of Signal Officer of the Army, with the rank of major of cavalry, was established by the act of June 21, 1860 (12 Stat. 66). By section 17 of the act of March 3, 1863 (id., 753), a signal corps was created to consist of a Chief Signal Officer with the rank of colonel, one lieutenant colonel, two majors who were to be inspectors, and, for each army corps or military department, one captain and as many lieutenants, not exceeding eight, as the President might deem necessary. The officers thus provided for were to receive the mounted pay of their grades, and were to continue in service during the pendency of the existing rebellion. For each officer authorized by the act of March 3, 1863, one sergeant and six privates were to be detailed from the volunteer armies, who were to receive the pay and allowances of enlisted men of engi neers. Eligibility for appointment and detail were to be determined, in part, by prior faithful service in the acting signal corps, and were conditioned in all cases, upon the successful passage of a preliminary examination.

A permanent signal corps was added to the military establishment by section 22 of the act of July 28, 1866 (12 Stat. 335) (which was embodied in the Revised Statutes as sections 1165, 1166, and 1167). It was to consist of a Chief Signal Officer, with the rank of colonel of cavalry, and of six officers of the line, detailed for signal duty, and one hundred enlisted men, detailed from the battalion of engineers; these details were to be conditioned upon the successful passage of a preliminary examination, and the officers, while so detailed, were to receive mounted pay. By the act of March 3, 1871 (16 id., 520), certain duties in connection with the observation and report of storms were assigned to the department. By the act of June 18, 1878 (20 id., 146), the number of

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