The Daily Alaska empire., 1931-08-13
OJJR STATE DEPARTMENT IN
 WASHINGTON'S DAY.

Nothing illustrates more clearly the great gro"th of the United States since George Washingtons oay than the enormously increased activities of our GOV ernment As one evidence of this, the DiVlsion oi Information and Publication of the United States George Washington Bicentennial Commission points to the expansion in the United States Department of State since its beginnings as a Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Continental Congress
 The first secretary. of that committee, which might be called our first Foreign Secretary was the famous Thomas Paine who wrote the lines, Inese are the times that try mems souls" The state oi Colonial finances at the time is reflected in the fact that Congress able to offer him the modest salary of seventy dollars month.
 This was in TIT, and Paine held the position for two years At the end of that period Congress dropped him for publishing a State paper which it thought he should have kept confidential After that the Continental Congress decided to manage its own foreign affairs It found itself in con- fusion and chaos, however, as result of clumsy committee handling of a rapid expansion Tn US dealings with other countries. Accordingly Tn l10i' Robert Livingston of New York was made Secre- tary of the Congressional Committee on Foreign Af- fairs He received the respectable salary of $400o a year, and given powers closely approaching those of a prasent day Secretary of State.
 To Livingston goes much of the credit for skill full management of diplomacy during the later period of the Revolution, but in two years time livingston complained to Congress that his living expenses were s3O0O more than his yearly salary Besides he honored with election as Chancellor of New York, and under pressure of lure to another field he resigned. Another period of chaos in our foreign relations ensued, until John Jay assumed the duties of Foreign Secretary, with still larger mowers. which included authority to frame treaties with other nations.
 Finally in 178s the Constitution having been opdt the States formally established Congress passed the act creat- ing the Department of State as we know 1t today President Washington appointed Thomas Jefferson the first Secretary of State, but as Jefferson was away at the time, it six months before he assumed the duties of his office.
 Today the Department of State receives rom Congress an appropriation of more than $l7oOOo oo( whereas the first annual budget submitted by Sec retary of State Jefferson called for an outlay o s80085O At this almost amusngly moderate cos to the country the Department of State under Jef ferson ran almost everything. In Jeffersons owr words the department embraced the whole oo rnestic administration, war and finance excepted.
 The Secretary of State then transmitted al commissions to Federal officers appointed by tn' Secretary except military commands. He kept th' great seal of the United States, and promulgated all the laws passed by Congress. He even ran tn' Post Office service, until President Washington de cded that this belonged to the Treasury Depart ment Nevertheless the Secretary of State con- tinued to manage the United States mint.
 He had control of copyrights and patents Ht took the census and issued all maps and charts Many of the acts of pardon passed through hi hands He conducted all our Territorial affairs collected the customs issued consular reports ane exercised authority over the sale of public lands And all this domestic business, together with oul foreign affairs Jefferson managed with the assist ance of two Under Secretaries. four clerks tw' messengers and French interpreter. one Item S'i