PUBLIC—NO. 203—52D CONGRESS
August 5, 1892
An Act To aid in carrying out the act of Congress approved April twenty-fifth, eighteen hundred and ninety, entitled “An act to provide for celebrating the four hundredth anniversary of the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus, by holding an international exposition of arts, industries, manufactures, and products of the soil, mine, and sea, in the city of Chicago, in the State of Illinois,” and appropriating money therefor.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That for the purpose of aiding in defraying the cost of completing in a suitable manner the work of preparation for inaugurating the World’s Columbian Exposition, authorized by the act of Congress approved April twenty-fifth, anno Domini eighteen hundred and ninety, to be held at the city of Chicago, in the State of Illinois, there shall be coined at the mints of the United States silver half-dollars of the legal weight and fineness, not to exceed five million pieces, to be known as the Columbian half-dollar, struck in commemoration of the World’s Columbian Exposition, the devices and designs upon which shall be prescribed by the Director of the Mint, with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury; and said silver coins shall be manufactured from uncurrent subsidiary silver coins now in the Treasury, and all provisions of law relative to the coinage, legal-tender quality and redemption of the present subsidiary silver coins shall be applicable to the coins issued under this act, and when so recoined there is hereby appropriated from the Treasury the said five millions of souvenir half-dollars, and the Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to pay the same to the World’s Columbian Exposition, upon estimates and vouchers certified by the president of the World’s Columbian Exposition, or in his absence or inability to act, by the vice-president, and by the director-general of the World’s Columbian Commission, or in his absence or inability to act, by the president thereof, and the Secretary of the Treasury, for labor done, materials furnished, and services, performed in prosecuting said work of preparing said Exposition for opening as provided by said act approved April twenty-fifth, eighteen hundred and ninety; and all such estimates and vouchers shall be made in duplicate, one to be filed with the Secretary of the Treasury, the other to be retained by the World’s Columbian Exposition: Provided, however, That before the Secretary of the Treasury shall pay to the World’s Columbian Exposition any part of the said five million silver coins, satisfactory evidence shall be furnished him showing that the sum of at least ten million dollars has been collected and disbursed as required by said act: And provided, That the said World’s Columbian Exposition shall furnish a satisfactory guaranty to the Secretary of the Treasury that any further sum actually necessary to complete the work of said Exposition to the opening thereof has been or will be provided by said World’s Columbian Exposition; but nothing herein shall be construed as to delay or postpone the preparation of the souvenir coins hereinbefore provided for. And there is hereby appropriated, out of any moneys in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, the sum of fifty thousand dollars, or so much thereof as may be necessary, to reimburse the Treasury for loss on the recoinage herein authorized.
SEC. 2. That the appropriation provided in Section one of this act shall be upon condition that the said World’s Columbian Exposition maintain and pay all expenses, costs, and charges of the great departments organized for the purpose of conducting the work of the Exposition, said expenses, costs, and charges to be paid out of the funds of the said World’s Columbian Exposition.
SEC. 3. That fifty thousand bronze medals and the necessary dies therefor with appropriate devices, emblems, and inscriptions commemorative of said Exposition celebrating the four hundredth anniversary of the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus, shall be prepared under the supervision of the Secretary of the Treasury at a cost not to exceed sixty thousand dollars, and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing , under the supervision of the Secretary of the Treasury, shall prepare plates and make therefrom fifty thousand vellum impressions for diplomas at a cost not to exceed forty-three thousand dollars. Said medals and diplomas shall be delivered to the World’s Columbian Commission, to be awarded to exhibitors in accordance with the provisions of said act of Congress approved April twenty fifth, eighteen hundred and ninety, and there is hereby appropriated, from any moneys in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, the sum of one hundred and three thousand dollars, or so much thereof as may be necessary, to pay the expenditures authorized by this section; and authority may be granted by the Secretary of the Treasury to the holder of a medal, properly awarded to him, to have duplicates thereof made at any of the mints of the United States from gold, or silver, or bronze, at the expense of the person desiring the same.
SEC. 4. That it is hereby declared that all appropriations herein made for, or pertaining to, the World’s Columbian Exposition are made upon the condition that the said Exposition shall not be opened to the public on the first day of the week, commonly called Sunday; and if the said appropriations be accepted by the corporation of the State of Illinois, known as the World’s Columbian Exposition, upon that condition, it shall be, and it is hereby, made the duty of the World’s Columbian Commission, created by the act of Congress of April twenty fifth, eighteen hundred and ninety, to make such rules or modification of the rules of said corporation as shall require the closing of the Exposition on the said first day of the week commonly called Sunday.
SEC. 5. That nothing contained in this act shall be construed to supersede or in any manner alter or impair the force or validity of the provisions of section fifteen of the act of Congress approved anno Domini April twenty fifth, eighteen hundred and ninety.
Approved, August 5, 1892.