Oregon Republican. [volume] (Dallas, Or.) 1870-1872, 1870-05-21
Department of Justice.


The House Committee on Retrench>
ment have agreed uron Mr.. Jencks'
bill to establish Department of JUS
tice. and will report, with recommen-
dation that it pass, as soon as the author
shall have finished statement--to be
presented with the bill-showing tho
cost for legal assistance and counsel in
the various departments Of the Gov.
ernment, as compared with the reduced
expense under the proposed measure.
The essential feature OF the bill 10, that
it provides that there shall be an exec
utive Department of Justice, of which
the Attorney General shall be the lead.
It further provides that there shall be
an assistant to the Attorney General,
to be called the Solicitor General, at q
salary Of 81 800; two assistant Attor.
neys General, at salary Of $4,000
each. In case of death, absence or In
ability of the Attorney General, the
Solicitor General is to fill the place !;
the solicitors of the Treasury3 of In
ternal Revenue. of the Navy, Judge
Advocate General and Examiner of
Claims Of the State Department, and
their assistants, to be tranferrcd to the
Department Of Justice. Except upon
constitutional question, the Attorney
General mag require the written opin-
ion of aD} of his subordinates upon
any legal subject submitted to him.
H. A Af,or,.ax Gana.al ,,,a., J;.aok al q
Solicitor General to. or may himself
argue cases in the Supreme Court, or
may send the Solicitor to any State to
argue eases in which the United States
is interested. The Solicitor and Assist
ant Attorney Generals to be appointed
by the President, by and with the cou-
sent of the Senate. Subordinate Of
fcers aud clerks to be appointed by the
Attorney General. A stenoeraphic
clerk to be appointed for the Depart
ment, at salary of two thousand 1ol-
lars. The supervisory powers now ex-
erciscd by the Secretary of the Inte-
ri0r over accounts of district attorneys.
marshals, clerks, and other officers OF
the Courts of the United States shall
be exercised by the Attorney General.
The conduct of all judicial proceeds
ings aud the attorneys Of the United
States are to be under the control of
the Attorney General. The Secretary
of the Treasury and other heads of de-
partments are no longer authorized to
employ attornevssas counsel at the ex.
pense of the United States. but must
rely upon the Department of Justice.
Provision is made for employing ad
ditional counsel under certain circum-
stances, when, in the opinion Of the
Attoraey General, there Is necessity for
it. The Attorney General is to make
an annual report to Congress, and to
have printed from time to time at the
Government printing Office one thou
!. faad copies Of such opinions of his and
assistants as he may deem valuable fol
preservation. Each head of any de
partment of The Government may re.
quire the opinion of the Attorney Gen
eral on all questions of law arising in
ihe administration of their respective
departments. The duties enjoined up.
on the Auditor of the Post Office De-
partmcht to be performed by the De-
partment of Justice, and tho Attorney
General to have charge of prosecutions
for mail depredations and penal offences
against the postal laws.