The Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to prohibit and prevent the transportation in any vessel, or upon any railroad, turnpike, or other road or means of transportation within the United States, of any property, whatever may be the ostensible destination of the same, in all cases where there are satisfactory reasons to believe that such property is intended for any place in the possession or under the control of insurgents against the United States, or that there is imminent danger that such property will fall into the possession or under the control of such insurgents; and he is further authorized, in all cases where he deems it expedient so to do, to require reasonable security to be given that property shall not be transported to any place under insurrectionary control, and shall not, in any way, be used to give aid or comfort to such insurgents; and he may establish all such general or special regulations as may be necessary or proper to carry into effect the purposes of this section; and if any property is transported in violation of this chapter, or of any regulation of the Secretary of the Treasury, established in pursuance thereof, or if any attempt shall be made so to transport any, it shall be forfeited.
(R.S. §5312.)
R.S. §5312 derived from act May 20, 1862, ch. 81, §3,