Government and Law. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. as scrutin de liste. The Constitution enacts Constitution and Government.-A that "the Congress may determine the time of Congress representing the thirteen original choosing the electors, and the day on which colonies declared their independence of Great they shall give their votes, which day shall be Britain July 4, 1776, and thereafter each the same throughout the United States"; and colony was known as a State. As a result of further, that "no person except a naturalthe war with Great Britain, the latter acknowl-born citizen, or a citizen of the United States edged the independence of the United States at the time of the adoption of this ConstituNovember 30, 1782, and September 3, 1783, tion, shall be eligible to the office of President; a definitive treaty of peace was concluded at neither shall any person be eligible to that Paris. The government of the United States office who shall not have attained to the age of continued under the Congress provided by the thirty-five years, and been fourteen years a Articles of Confederation until March 4, 1789, resident within the United States." when a constitution, which had been adopted Executive.-The President is commanderby representatives of the different States Sep-in-chief of the army and navy, and of the tember 17, 1787, went into effect. March 4, 1789, then, is the date of the inception of the present constitutional government of the American Union. Ten amendments were added to the original Constitution December 15, 1791; the eleventh amendment, January 8, 1798; the twelfth amendment, September 25, 1804; the thirteenth amendment, December 18, 1865; the fourteenth amendment, July 28, 1868; and the fifteenth amendment, March 30, 1870. Amendments proposed by the Congress must be adopted by three fourths of the States, acting through their legislatures. In the table of States hereafter given, the date of the adoption of the original Constitution by each is stated, and also the dates of the admission of States subsequent to that time, there having been thirty-two States admitted since the adoption of the Constitution, the whole number of States now being forty-five. militia in the service of the Union. The VicePresident is ex officio President of the Senate; and, in case of the death or resignation of the President, he becomes the President for the remainder of the term. The elections for President and Vice-President are at present held in all the States on the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November, every four years; and, on the 4th of March following, the new President-elect assumes office. By a law approved January 19, 1886, in case of removal, death, resignation, or inability of both the President and Vice-President, the Secretary of State, and after him, in the order of the establishment of their departments, other members of the Cabinet, shall act as President until the disability of the President is removed, or a President shall be elected. On the death of a Vice-President the duties of the office fall to the President pro tempore of the Senate, who receives the salary of the Vice-President. The party in the majority usually elects a President pro tempore at the beginning of each term of Congress, or reorganization of the Senate, who acts as President of the Senate whenever the Vice-President is absent. By the Constitution, the government of the nation is intrusted to three separate departments, the Executive, the Legislative, and the Judicial. The executive power is vested in a President, who holds his office during the term of four years, and is elected, together with a The administrative business of the GovernVice-President chosen for the same term, in ment is conducted by eight chief officers, or the mode prescribed as follows: "Each State heads of Departments, denominated "Secreshall appoint, in such manner as the Legisla-taries," who constitute what is popularly ture thereof may direct, a number of electors, known as the "Cabinet," although there is equal to the whole number of senators and no legal or constitutional provision for that representatives to which the State may be designation. The Secretaries are chosen by entitled in the Congress; but no senator or the President, and commissioned by him after representative, or person holding an office of confirmation by the Senate. Each Secretary trust or profit under the United States, shall be presides over his particular department, and appointed an elector." The practice is that acts under the immediate authority of the in every State the electors allotted to the State President. Each Secretary receives an annual are chosen by direct vote of the citizens on a salary of $8,000, and holds office during the general ticket, on the system known in France pleasure of the President. The Departments, Secretary of the Navy.-The Secretary of the Navy has the general superintendence of construction, manning, armament, equipment, and employment of vessels of war. in the chronological order of their establish- | postal treaties with foreign governments, by ment, and the duties, are as follows: and with the advice and consent of the PresiSecretary of State.-The Department of State dent, and directs the management of the dois charged with all duties appertaining to cor-mestic and foreign mail service. 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 Secretary is accorded first rank among the members of the President's Cabinet. He is the custodian 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, and annually submits to Congress estimates of probable revenues and disbursements of the Government. 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, railroads, Indian reservations, the Territories, the various public parks, and certain hospitals and eleemosynary institutions in the District of Columbia. 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 deriving support from the National Treasury, he also has control of the quarantine stations for imported cattle, of interstate quarantine when rendered necessary by contagious cattle diseases, and of the weather bureau. Secretary of War.-The Secretary of War performs all duties relating to the military service; he has supervision of the United Secretary of Commerce and Labor.-The States Military Academy at West Point, of the duties of the Secretary of Commerce and Labor national cemeteries, and of all matters relating are to foster, promote and develop foreign and to river and harbor improvements, of insular domestic commerce, the mining, manufacturaffairs, the prevention of obstruction to navi-ing, shipping and fishery industries, transporgation, and the establishment of harbor lines. tation facilities and the labor interests of the The military bureaus of the War Depart- United States. He also has jurisdiction over ment constitute a part of the military estab- the coast and geodetic survey, lighthouses, lishment, and have officers of the regular army steamboat inspection, immigration and the at their head, while the Secretary and his im- census. mediate assistants are civilians as a rule. Department of Justice.-The Attorney-General 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 administration 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 Legislative.-The whole legislative power is vested by the Constitution in a Congress, consisting of a Senate and House of Representatives. The Senate consists of two members from each State, chosen by the State Legislatures for six years. Senators must be 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 ratifying or rejecting all treaties made by the President with foreign powers, a two-thirds majority of senators present being required for Postmaster-General.-The Postmaster-Gen- ratification. The Senate is also invested eral has the direction and management of the with the power of confirming or rejecting all general postal business of the Government; appointments to office made by the President, he appoints officers and employees of the De- and its members constitute a High Court of partment, except the four Assistant Post- Impeachment. The judgment in the latter masters-General, who are appointed by the case extends only to removal from office and President, by and with the advice and consent disqualification. The House of Representaof the Senate; appoints all postmasters whose tives has the sole power of impeachment. compensation does not exceed $1,000; makes The House of Representatives is composed |