Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-03-07
The Executive Power of the United
States Government

The great mass of work imposed
upon the Executive Power of the Gov
ernment-embracing so many distinct
subjects, and requiring so many
thousands of agents to perform-must
be arranged and treated in an orderly
and systematic manner. To expect
the President to give it his close per-
sonal attention and directly superin-
tend the doings of each agent, would
be absurd. The magnitude and d.
verSity of the work demand its separa-
| ton into parts, and the general super
vision or management of each part
must be intrusted to separate officer.
On this business basis, aud in accord
ance with the design of the Constitu-
ton, Congress has divided the work
| among seven executive departments,
each in charge of a general officer or
''head of department" known, re-
spectively, as the Secretary of State,
the Secretary of the Treasury. the
Secretary of War, the Attorney-Gen-
eral, the Secretary of the Navy, and
the Secretary of the Interior; and the
work of each department is still further
subdivided and distributed amoug
bureaus" and divisions and minor
''offices." in charge of lesser heads or
chiefs, designated as commissioners,
superintendent, directors" and
by various other general or special
titles
An Executive Department, then,
properly means one of the grand
divisions of Government work boldly
marked out or suggested by the ex-
press provisions of the Constitution.
These grand divisions readily arrange
themselves. The sovereign relations
of the republic with foreign powers,
and its official intercourse with the
Governments of the States at home
may be regarded as one distinct grand
division; accordingly, we have the De-
partment of State. The coinage, cur
rency, revenue, and general fiscal
affairs suggest another great branch
of work; hence, we have the Depart
ment of the Treasury. The mentien of
armies suggests work that in time of
trouble is likely to tax the energy of a
separate division; thus, we very APP
priately have a Department of War.
The prosecution of offenses against the
United States, and other judicial
GuS lHbcl6SIS VI lu6
Republic are concerned constitute a
general division, represented by the
Department of Justice. The postal
service, as one of the mostintricate and
important branches of Government
noSner grano
division; therefore, we have the Post
Office Department. Maritime pro-
lection, like the military or land de-
Tense, forms separate division; and
thus we have the Department of the
Navy. The various matters of domes-
tic concern, not covered in these other
Departments, but contemplated by the
Constitution, such as the census,
public lands, patents, and odds and
ends" may be conveniently grouped
into another general division; and thus
we have the very miscellaneous, yet
not misnamed, Department of the In
terror.
TO some of these Executive Depart
ments are intrusted matters which, on
their face at least, do not strictly be-
long to the grand division to which
they have been assigned by law. For
instance, the "Weather Bureau" is a
bureau of the War Department.; the
work being intimately connected with
the peaceful interests of agriculture
and commerce, it is very generally de-
manded that it should be taken from
military control and placed elsewhere
Edmund Aiteaa, IN st. Nicholas.