that the business of one day shall not be left to accumulate for another."

Copies of papers on file were in no case to be furnished to individuals having an interest in them; "and no copy of any letter relating to the Diplomatic or Consular Bureau shall be at any time furnished to any one, without express direction of the President of the United States, or of the Secretary of State."

No one was to write any letters relative to Department business without the Secretary's approbation.

Leave of absence for a longer period of time than twenty-four hours must be requested of the Secretary in writing.1

John Forsyth, who succeeded McLane the following year, modified the distribution of duties, his order taking effect October 31, 1834.

The Home Bureau was enlarged. One division was to register the returns of passengers from foreign ports, the abstracts of registered seamen and prepare the annual statements thereof for Congress; also to record the domestic and miscellaneous correspondence; and to have custody of treaties and foreign presents permitted to be shown to visitors. Under another clerk was all the domestic correspondence of the Department not pertaining to any other bureau, and he was to prepare and record commissions, prepare statements of vacancies occurring and of expiring commissions, to make out and record exequaturs, to receive and file applications for office, to prepare certificates to be authenticated under the seal of the

1 Papers from the President, 1833 to 1836, Dept. of State MSS.

Department, and to keep the seals of the United States and of the Department. Another clerk had charge of the petitions for pardons and remissions of sentence and passports and correspondence relative thereto, and kept a daily register of all letters received other than diplomatic, of their disposition, and of the action of the Department thereon. To make the proper entries in this register each bureau, except the diplomatic, was required to send to the Home Bureau the purport of all answers to letters as soon as prepared, or, if no answer was to be given, must state the disposition made of the letter. The register was to be submitted daily to the Secretary. Another clerk was to file and preserve the returns of copyrights and register the copyrighted books, and prepare the letters relating thereto; also to record reports to the President and two Houses of Congress and assist in recording and copying generally. What had been the Bureau of Archives, Laws and Commissions was abolished and the office of the Keeper of the Archives took its place, with one clerk who was to have charge of the Archives of the Department, other than Diplomatic and Consular, and their arrangement and the correspondence relative thereto. He also had in his care the rolls of the laws and their recording, publication, and distribution, and the distribution of public documents.

The Translator and Librarian was to make the translations and perform the duties of librarian. Instead of the Disbursing and Superintending Bureau was substituted the Disbursing Agent, who was to

have charge of all the disbursements and purchases, under the control of the President and Secretary of State.1

1 Circulars, Dept. of State, 54.

CHAPTER IX

SUBDIVISIONS OF THE DEPARTMENT

II

I

N his first annual message, December 8, 1829, President Andrew Jackson said:

The great and constant increase of business in the Department of State forced itself at an early period upon the attention of the Executive. Thirteen years ago it was, in Mr. Madison's last message to Congress, made the subject of an earnest recommendation, which has been repeated by both of his successors; and my comparatively limited experience has satisfied me of its justness. It has arisen from many causes, not the last of which is the large addition that has been made to the family of independent nations and the proportionate extension of our foreign relations. The remedy proposed was the establishment of a home department-a measure which does not appear to have met the views of Congress on account of its supposed tendency to increase, gradually and imperceptibly, the already too strong bias of the federal system towards the exercise of authority not delegated to it. I am not, therefore, disposed to revive the recommendation, but am not the less impressed with the importance of so organizing that Department that its Secretary may devote more of his time to our foreign relations. Clearly satisfied that the public good would be promoted by some suitable provision on that subject, I respectfully invite your attention to it.1

1 Messages and Papers of the Presidents, II, 461.

The recommendation of President Madison to which General Jackson referred, was in his message of December 3, 1816, and was for "an additional department in the executive branch of the Government," which should be "charged with duties now overburdening other departments and with such as have not been annexed to any department."" He did not specifically allude to the needs of the Department of State. Monroe and Adams made recommendations similar to Madison's.

Jackson's interest in the Department, as we have seen, took shape through his Secretary of State, in the first systematic subdivision in 1833, which was improved upon in 1834. In 1836 the Department was further systematized by Secretary John Forsyth.

THE FOLLOWING ARRANGEMENT OF THE GENTLEMEN EMPLOYED, THE DISTRIBUTION OF THEIR DUTIES, AND RULES FOR THEIR PERFORMANCE, WILL BE OBSERVED IN THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE, FROM AND AFTER THE 30TH OF NOVEMBER, 1836.2

1. THE CHIEF CLERK

The duties of this officer will be such, in all respects, as appertain to an Under Secretary of State. He will exercise an immediate superintendence over the duties of the respective Bureaux, and over those employed in them. He will receive the directions of the Secretary on matters requiring the action of the Department. He will promptly report all acts of negligence or misconduct to the Secretary. By the act of 27th July, 1789, the Chief Clerk is to be employed in

1 Messages and Papers of the Presidents, I, 577.

2 Circulars, Dept. of State.