FIFTY-FIFTH CONGRESS. Sess. Il. CHS. 344-347. 1898. 419 whether such lands have ever been offered at public sale or not: Pro- {j#·>y¤·>· _ ht f vided, That the actual settlers shall have a preference right, under such aetiiiiiiiifiilg ° rules and regulations as the Secretary of the Interior may prescribe. Approved, May 18, 1898. CHAP. 345.-An Act To provide assistance to the inhabitants of Cuba, and arms, May 18, 1898. munitions, and military stores to the people of the Island of Cuba, and for other w PUIPOBBS. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That while serving in Cuba ggigsbiu 0, BHP_ during the existing war, officers of the Army of the United States exer- pim m pwpis. cising separate commands may, by special order, cause subsistence, medical, and quartermastt->r’s supplies to be issued to, and other aid rendered to, inhabitants of the Island of Cuba who are destitute and in imminent danger of perishing unless they receive the same. Sec. 2. That the President, and general officers commanding troops —°f “”"·°*°· in Cuba, are hereby authorized to furnish to the Cuban people such arms, ammunition, equipments, and military stores and supplies as they may require in order to increase their effective lighting force in the existing war against Spain. Approved, May 18, 1898. CHAP. 346.-An Act To provide for the increased volume of work in the Adjutant- May 18, 1898. General’s Department of the Army, due to the calling out of volunteers and the ··—···r·—;·- increase of the Regular Army. c Be itenaoted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the President is author- jgggllmm of m,_ ized, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to appoint one armani mmm soassistant adjutant-general with the rank of colonel, and one assistant j“*"“'°’g°”°"‘“· adjutant-general with the rank of major: Provided, That the vacancy {,’*•{¤*··>· , nd { created in the grade of colonel by this Act shall be filled by the pro- ¤s1¤i$i?iig'wxiiiim,g¤°Z. motion of officers now in the Adjutant-General’s Department according to seniority, and that upon the mustering out of the volunteer forces and the reduction of the Regular Army to a peace basis no appointments shall be made in the Adjutant-General’s Department until the number of officers in each grade in that Department shall be QQ0i- 1*-6,3 reduced to the number authorized by the law in force prior to the °' ’p`“ ` passage of this Act. Approved, May 18, 1898. CHAP. 34'I.—An Act To amend the postal laws relating to use of postal cards. May 19. 1895- Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That from and after the first ;<>s¤¤¤{¤¤¤‘*¤¤.·,.n day of July, eighteen hundred and ninety-eight, it shall be lawful to mmiivliiuinci-xi}z’Z:1.1 g transmit by mail, at the postage rate of a cent apiece, payable by stamps "°L 2°· 1*-**58- to be affixed by the sender, and under such regulations as the Postmaster-General may prescribe, written messages on private mailing cards, such cards to be sent openly in the mails, to be no larger than the size fixed by the convention of the Universal Postal Union, and to be approximately of the same form, quality, and weight as the stamped postal card now in general use in the United States. Approved, May 19, 1898.
