Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-11-05
EARLY BEGINNINGS OF
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

that there was nothing to show what his
| predecessors had done or how they had
done IL. and he at once began to keep n
regular record OF every opinion he gave
His action was valuable to his SUCCESSORS
ir Office. BY persistent urging on the part
OF PRESIDENT Monroe and Attorney General
writ Congress, In ISIS. provided $1,000 for
ire employment OF one clerk and $500 for
office rooms. stationery and incidental ex-
penses. year later Congress probably
finding surplus on hand in the treasury,
raised the salary of the Office to So 500 and
ran up the salaries of the Secretaries OF
State. War and Treasury 10 $1,000 each
liking the salary OF the Postmaster General
at $4.WB. In 1872 the Attorney General
was given his first official quarters a room
on the second floor of the old War Dc
pnrtment building. Better quarters were
provided in 1852 I'm the central portion OF
the treasury building.
Congress became liberal again in 1910 and
made an appropriation of $1,000 to buy
books for the Attorney General, each oc-
cupant of that Office having furnished his
own books prior to that time. But none
of the many recommendations could induce
the establishment of an Independent legal
department. Congress provided for an Off,
cial seal in 1S49 and this was adopted early
In the JOS. This seal is in existence today.
The seal consists of shield OF the Unit
ed states with stars on the chief, from the
center a rising eagle with outstretched
wings bearing in the right talon an olive
branch, In the left. arrows. beneath which.
IN a semi-circle. was the motto: "Qui pro
DONNA Justit!a Seautur.'' and in an outer
circle Attorney Generals OHlce." which
has since been changed to department OF
Justice"
1t was not until 1853 that Congress placed
the Attorney General on the same footing
with cabinet officers and fixed his salary
at 5000. along with the other cabinet off,
GERS. Before that there had been a slight
increase in the clerical force Even up TO
1851 there were only two clerks and one
messenger TO assist the Attorney General
In 1865 there was increase to seven
clerks. one messenger and a superintendent
or chief clerk. There also a more lib
eral allowance for financial support.
The first assistant attorney general was
provided for In 1859, the salary being fixed
at $1,000, and 1t was not until 1861 that
Congress carried out the recommendations
of Randolph and gave the Attorney Cen
eral control of United States district at
torneys. The growth of the Office in the
last forty-ve years has been steady. The
powers of the Attorney General have been
increased until they now include the entire
legal work of the government. with the ex-
cepuon of that which is connected with
the office of the controller of che treasury.
The act OF 1870 creating the department.
placed under the supervision of the At
torney General all the law officers of the
various departments, such the solicitor
of the treasury and solicitor of internal
revenue assistant attorneys general of the
different departments, ETC.
AS assistants Attorney General Moody
has a solicitor general. the position occu-
pied for two years by Henry NJ. Hoyt of
Pennsylvania. an assistant to the Attor-
ney General, a new office provided two
years ago by Congress for the conduct of
antitrust cases. and filled by Milton ID.
Purdy of Minnesota, and seven assistant
attorneys general-Louis A. Pradt of Wis
consin, James c. McReynolds of Tennessee,
Charles II. Robb of Vermont Frank L.
Campbell of Ohio. John G. Thompson OF
Illinois, William Z. Fuller of Iowa and
Charles w. Russell of West Virginia The
solicitor general is next in rank to the At
torney General. performing the duties of
the latter office in the absence of the At
torney General. The salary is $500 a
year. The assistant to the Attorney GEN
eral is next in rank, with salary of $1,000
a year, While the seven assistants receive
5000 each.
The department rents quarters In various
portions of the city. Congress provided an
appropriation for a new building several
years ago. but when the plans were made
and submitted building material had gone
up In price to such extent no suitable
building could be erected for the amount
S1,oOo,OV0, and nothing has been done since
Some day, when Congress gets through
quarreling about where il will locate new
buildings and whether the Department of
Justice Is to be CHARTERED with the Presi-
dent OF the United States and the Supreme
Court in one magnificent temple of justice
something may be done.
Inc Department of Commerce and Labor
is the only other department of the gov
eminent existing in rented quarters al
though many of the other departments
nave outgrown their buildings and are COM
pelled TO rent buildings in various parts of
lie city to hold the overflow