GOVERNMENT AND LAW. 



11 



in the chronological order of their establish- 

 ment, and the duties, are as follows : 



Secretary of State. The Department of State 

 is charged with all duties appertaining to cor- 

 respondence with public ministers, American 

 consuls, and representatives of foreign powers 

 accredited to the United States, and with 

 negotiations of whatever character relating to 

 the foreign affairs of the nation. The Secre- 

 tary is accorded first rank among the members 

 of the President's Cabinet. He is the custo- 

 dian of treaties made with foreign states, and 

 of the laws of the United States. He grants 

 and issues passports, and exequaturs to foreign 

 consuls in the United States are issued under 

 his supervision. 



Secretary of the Treasury. The Secretary of 

 the Treasury is charged with the management 

 of the national finances, and prepares plans 

 for the improvement of the revenue and the 

 support of public credit. He controls the 

 plans for public buildings ; the coinage and 

 printing of money ; the collection of com- 

 mercial statistics ; the administration of the 

 Coast and Geodetic Survey, Life-Saving, Light- 

 House, Revenue-Cutter, Steamboat- Inspection, 

 and Marine Hospital branches of public ser- 

 vice, and annually submits to Congress esti- 

 mates of probable revenues and disbursements 

 of the Government. 



Secretary of War. The Secretary of War 

 performs all duties relating to the military 

 service ; he has supervision of the United 

 States Military Academy at West Point, of 

 the national cemeteries, and of all matters re- 

 lating to river and harbor improvements, the 

 prevention of obstruction to navigation, and 

 the establishment of harbor lines. 



The military bureaus of the War Depart- 

 ment constitute a part of the military estab- 

 lishment, and have officers of the regular army 

 at their head, while the Secretary and his im- 

 mediate assistants are civilians as a rule. 



Department of Justice. The Attorney-Gen- 

 eral represents the United States in matters 

 involving legal questions, and gives advice and 

 opinion, when so required by the President or 

 by the heads of the Executive Departments, 

 on questions of law arising in the administra- 

 tion of their respective offices ; he exercises a 

 general superintendence and direction over 

 United States attorneys and marshals in all 

 judicial districts in the States and Territories, 

 and provides special counsel for the United 

 States whenever required by any department 

 of the Government. 



Postmaster-General. The Postmaster-Gen- 

 eral has the direction and management of the 

 general postal business of the Government; 

 he appoints officers and employees of the De- 



partment, except the four Assistant Post- 

 masters-General, who are appointed by the 

 President, by and with the advice and consent 

 of the Senate ; appoints all postmasters whose 

 compensation does not exceed $1,000 ; makes 

 postal treaties with foreign governments, by 

 and with the advice and consent of the Presi- 

 dent, and directs the management of the do- 

 mestic and foreign mail service. 



Secretary of the Navy. The Secretary of 

 the Navy has the general superintendence of 

 construction, manning, armament, equipment, 

 and employment of vessels of war. The Sec- 

 retary, Assistant Secretary, and the attaches 

 of what is known as the Secretary's office are 

 civilians, while the heads of all bureaus are 

 navy officers. 



Secretary of the Interior. The duties of the 

 Secretary of the Interior are varied ; he is 

 charged with the supervision of the public 

 business relating to patents, pensions, public 

 lands, and surveys, Indians, education, rail- 

 roads, the geological survey, the census, In- 

 dian reservations, the Territories, the various 

 public parks, and certain hospitals and elee- 

 mosynary institutions in the District of Colum- 

 bia. 



Secretary of Agriculture. The Secretary of 

 Agriculture is charged with the supervision of 

 all public business relating to the agricultural 

 industry, and he exercises advisory supervision 

 over the agricultural experiment stations deriv- 

 ing support from the National Treasury ; he 

 also has control of the quarantine stations for 

 imported cattle, and of interstate quarantine 

 when rendered necessary by contagious cattle 

 diseases. 



Legislative. The whole legislative power 

 is vested by the Constitution in a Congress, 

 consisting of a Senate and House of Represen- 

 tatives. The Senate consists of two members 

 from each State, chosen by the State Legisla- 

 tures for six years. Senators must he not less 

 than thirty years of age ; must have been 

 citizens of the United States for nine years ; 

 and be residents in the States for which they 

 are chosen. Besides its legislative functions, 

 the Senate is intrusted with the power of rati- 

 fying or rejecting all treaties made by the 

 President with foreign powers, a two-thirds 

 majority of senators present being required 

 for ratification. The Senate is also invested 

 with the power of confirming or rejecting all 

 appointments to office made by the President, 

 and its members constitute a High Court of 

 Impeachment. The judgment in the latter 

 case extends only to removal from office and 

 disqualification. The House of Representa- 

 tives has the sole power of impeachment. 



The House of Representatives is composed 



