The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1889-01-11
UNCLE SANS GOVERNMENT.
A Description of the Executive Powers Of
the Different Departments.

the bnnerent departments.
The great mass OF work imposed
upon the Executive Power OF the Gov
ernment-embracing so many distinct
subjects. and requiring SO many thou
sands OF agents TO perform must be ar
ranged and treated in an orderly and
systematic manner. To expect tho
President 20 give il his close personal
attention and directly supcrintcnd the
doings OF each agent. would be absurd.
The magnitude and diversity OF tho
work demand its separation into parts,
and the general supervision or manage
meut Of each part must bc intrustod 10
separate officer. On this business
basis. and in accordance with the de-
sign OF the Constitution, Congress has
divided the work among seven eX-
ecutivc departments, each in charge OF
general officer or "hcad OF depart
ment.' known, respectively, as the
Secretary OF State, the Secretary OF tho
Treasury the Secretary of War. the
Attorncy-General, the Postmnster-Gcn-
eral, the Secretary OF the Navy. and
the Secretary OF the Interior; and the
work ofcach department is still further
subdivided and distributed among
bureaus ana divisions and minor
"oflices, in charge of lesser heads or
chiefs, designated as commissioners,
"superintcndents. directors, ," and 10y
various other general or special titles
An executive department, then, prop
erly means one of the grand divisions
ofGovernmcnt work boldly marked out
or suggested by the express provisions
OF the Constitution. These grand d-
visions readily arrange themselves.
The sovereign relations Of the Rcpub-
lie with foreign powers, and It's official
intercourse with the Governments Of
the States at home may bc regarded
as one distinct grand division; accord
ingly, we have the Department OF State
The coinage, currency, revenue, and
general fiscal affairs suggest anothsr
great branch Of work; hence. we have
the Department of the Treasury Tho
mention Of armi suggest work that
in time Of trouble is likcly to tax the
energy OF separate division; thus. we
very appropriately have Department
Of War. The prosecution OF ollcnsos
against the United States, and other
judicial matters wherein the interests
OF the Republic are concerned consti-
tute general division. represented by
the Department Of Justice. The postal
q L.. t.,t.
and important branches OF Gov
ernmcnt work. certainly forms
another grand division; therefore, we
have the Post-ollice Department.
Maritime protection. like the military
or land defense, forms separate di-
vision; and thus we have the Depart
mcnt Of the Navy, The various mat
tcrs OF domestic concern, not covered
in these other departments, but con-
templatcd 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 tho very misccl-
laneous, yet not misnamcd, Depart
mcnt OF the Interior.
TO some Of these executive depart
ments are intrusted matters which, on
their face at least. do not strictly be-
long 90 tho grand division TO which
they have been assigned by law. For
instance, the weather Bureau il
bureau OF the War Department; tho
work being intimately connected with
the peaceful interests Of agriculture
and commerce, it Is very generally de-
manded that IL should be taken from
military control and placed elsewhere.
Edmuud alton, in 80. Nicholas.