Vandalia Whig and Illinois intelligencer. [volume] (Vandalia, Ill.) 1832-183?, 1834-05-08

,ct establishing the department Of Foreign r
Affairs. An assistant secretary of the I
treasury was created, and it was provided &
That he should take charge Of the books {
and papers of the department, whenever
the secretary shall be removed from office
by the president of the United States"
The secretary Of the treasury being ap-
pointed by the president, and being con-
sidered as consftutionally removable by
him, it appears never to have occurred to-
any one in the csngress Of 1888, or since,
until very recently, that he was other than
an executive offiser, the mere instrument
of the chief magistrate in the execution of
the laws, subjecf, like oil other heads Of
to h supervision and control.
No such an idea as an officer Of the con-
gress can be found in the constitution, or
appears 10 have suggested itself TO those
who organized he government. There
are officers of eah house, the appointment
of which is authd iled by the constitution,
but all officers rderred to in that instru-
ment, as coming within the appointing
power of the pres dent, whether establish
ed thereby or created by law, are "officers
of the United STATS" No joint power of
appointment is given to the two houses Of
congress, nor is there any accountability
to them as one body: but as soon as any
Office is created by law, of whatever name
or character, the appointment of the per-
son or persons to fill it, devolves by the
constitution upon the president, with the
advice and consent of the senate, unless
it be an inferior office, and the appointment,
be vested by the law itself Sin the presl-
dent alone, in the courts Of law, or in the
heads of departments.
! But at the time of the organization O
the treasury department, an incident oc
Cured which distinctly evinces the unani
, nous concurrence of the first congress il
the principle that the treasury department
is wholly executive in its character an,
Responsibilities. A motion was made /
strike out the provision of the bill maxim
1t the duty of the secretary "to digest an
report plans for the improvement and man
agepent of the revenue, and for the SUP
port of public credit" on the ground tina
it would give the executive department @
the government too much influence an
power in congress. The motion was nc
opposed on the ground that the secretar
was the officer of congress and responsible
t 10 that body, which would have been con
r elusive. if admitted, but on other ground
which conceded his executive characte
throughout. The whole discussion evnce
an unanimous concurrence in the prime
, Pile, that the secretary of the treasury
: wholly an executive officer, and the strug
gle of the minority was to restrict his pow
r er as such. From that time down to tn
: present, the secretary of the treasury; tn
treasurer, register, comptrollers, auditors
and clerks, who fill the offices of that dc
: partment, have, in the practice of the &c
r lvernment, been considered and treated q
on the same footing with corresponding
, departments. ~ -.
The custody of the publr property, un.
der such regulations as mar be prescribed
by legislative authority, lbs always been
considered an appropriate function of the
executive department in tits and all other
governments. In accordance with this
principle, every species t property be.
longing to the United SIDES, excepting
that which is in the use Of the several CO.
ordinate departments of se government,
as means to aid them in Prforming their
appropriate functions is ! charge of off
GERS appointed by the pres BENT, whether it
be lands, or buildings, or Merchandise, or
provisions, or clothing, or rms and NUM-
: tons OF war. The supeintendents and
keepers of the whole are Ippointed by the
president, responsible to hm, and remova-
BILE at his will.
! Public money is but Pecies of public
property. 1t cannot be raised by taxation
or customs, nor brought h,o the treasury
in any other way, exceIt by law: but
whenever or howsoever OBJ mined, Its custo-
dy always has been, and aways must be,
unless the constitution be hanged, in,rus,.
ed to the executive depar.n ent. No officer
can be created by congress for the purpose
OF taking charge of it, VIII sse appointment
would not, by the constitution, at once de-
volve on the president, and who would not
be responsible to him for the performance
oil his duties. The legislative power NAV
undoubtedly bind him ard the president,
by any laws which they may think proper
to enact; they prescribe in what place par
tlcular portions of the public money shall
be Kept, and for what reason it may be re.
moved, as they may direct that supplies for
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