Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1880-06-10
Another Cabinet Officer.
Speech of Hon. I'D. wyatt Aiken
on tho Appropriation Estil Pre-
scented by Committee OH Agri-
culture.

Tho House being in Committee of tho
whole House on the state of tho Union,
considering tho agricultural appropriation
bill,
D1r Aiken said:
Mr.. Chairman, l am grateful to my
Agriculture (Mr. CoyorD for tho time
,deavoring TO convince this House aud the
country that tho appropriations for the
Department of Agriculture arc not CON-
moDsurate with tho claims which that
department has upon tho Government.
That will succeed so far as this House is
concerned is quito problomatical; for, sir,
I havo been mombcr Of Congress long
enough to know that in all political discus
sions upon this floor party fcalty shapes
the issue, and upon ell other questions
local interests, sectional interests, prejudice,
or self assertion arc moro potent than argu.
ment in determining results.
The very first item - tho bill is the
salary of tho CoyBSssioncr-s3,00 900.
contend, sir, that tAsrcsponsbiIitios Of him
who prosidos over this, the peoples depart
ment, arc such as cntitlc him to salary
equal to those paid the heads of other
departments Of the Government True,
they arc all styled Executive departments,
and their heads compose the Cabinet of The
President, while this department., whose
sole purpose is to promote the general
welfare of the people, is stontIy denied
constitutional existence. But, sir, if the
authority of the General Government is to
bo invoked in such "nattcrs as concern all
the States und which capnot be managed
by the States III the Independent capacity,
or only with great difficulty aud ombanass.
mcnt," then does tho constitutional ncccs-
sity exist tor tao establishment here ut our
national capital of au Agricultural Depart
mcnt which should control all matters Of
general and common agricultural interest
"whioh cannot bc wisely and efficiently
managed by State authority" Aud ho
who prcsidcs over such a department should
DO equal in pay aud equal in rank with any
other officer appointed by The President
If to give this commissioner the salary aud
rank of Secretary Of a department. thrusts
him into the Cabinet Of the President, then
be it 80. But let it be remembered that
neither our statute nor organic law recog-
nizcs tho existence Off cabinet.
That word or even an ailusion TO it il
not 10 be found in the Constitution, which
authorizes the President to require the
opinion in writing Of each or aIi of the
heads Of the Executive Departments upon
any subject relating to tho duties of their
respective Offices. The Cabinet exists by
tho volition of the President, our first
President laying instituted the practice Of
convening the hea,l~ Of departments in
council at stated pcrious.
The House will pardon me if l trcspass
tor few moments upon their patience by
giving them succinct history of organiza-
ton and growth of tho Cabinet Of the
President of the United States
In September, 1889, Elk months after
tho inauguration Of Washington, thcrc were
crested by congressional! cnctment three
Executive Departments, to the heads OF
which were assigned specific duties To
tho Secretary of State was intrustcd
tho keeping of tho seal of the
United States, all Official correspondence
with public ministers Abroad and tho
supervision of everything pertaining to the
Patent Office
10 the Secretary Of War was conGdcd
tho control of the entire land and sea ser
vice; our army consisting at that time Of
one battalion each Of infantry, cavalry, and
artillery, provost guard, and company
of engineers, and our navy comprising a
few woodcn hulks scarcely worthy Of rccog--
milton as ships Of war.
And to the Secretary Of the Treasury
was given tho control Of the fiscal affairs Of
tho Government, together with cyerythiDg
pertaining to the Land Office.
Subsequently, or in 1893, q navy depart.
mcnt was organized by statute, and the
Secretary of tho navy was invited by the
President into his Cabinet.
An aot Of the first Congress- 1880, dcaig.
nated tho Attorney General Us that officer
who shall conduct all suits in tho Supreme
Court in which the United States is party
and rcquircs him to give legal advice or
submit opinions upon questions of law when
requested by the President or heads of
Departments. In 1861 the supervision of
tho district attorneys and United States
marshals was transferred to this officer, but
it wac not until 1870 that the Department
of Justice was by formal enactment made
AN Executive Department.
In 1840 the Department Of tho interior
was created by statute, and to its control
were assigned the bureaus of ponsions,
Indian Affairs, Public Lands and tho
Patent Office; aud subsequently tho Census
Bureau, control of the mines Of the United
States, ond of tho district attorneys and tho
United States Marshals, though us wo havo
seen these last were at a etil later date
transferred to tho Department of Justico.
In colonial times wo had PostmaStor
General, for Benjamin Franklin was APP