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ORGANIZATION

OF

THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT.

STATE DEPARTMENT.

CREATED 27TH JULY, 1779.

SECRETARY OF STATE.

"There shall be an executive department, to be denominated the Department of Foreign Affairs; and there shall be a principal officer therein, to be called the Secretary for the Department of Foreign Affairs, who shall perform and execute such duties as shall, from time to time, be enjoined on or intrusted to him by the President of the United States, agreeably to the Constitution, relative to correspondences, commissions or instructions to or with public ministers or consuls from the United States, or to negotiations with public ministers from foreign States or princes, or to memorials or other applications from foreign public ministers or other foreigners, or to such other matters respecting foreign affairs, as the President of the United States shall assign to the said department; and furthermore, the said principal officer shall conduct the business of the said department in such manner as the President of the United States shall, from time to time, order or instruct." Act of July 27, 1779.

"The department of foreign affairs shall hereafter be denominated the Department of State, and the principal officer therein shall hereafter be called the Secretary of State." Act of Sept. 15, 1789.

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ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE.

"An officer shall be appointed in the department of State, to be called the assistant Secretary of State, who shall perform all such duties in the office of the Secretary of State, belonging to that department, as shall be prescribed by the Secretary of State, or as may be required by law." Act of March 3, 1853.

The salary of the Secretary is $8,000,- Assistant Secretary, $3,000 per annum.

CLERKS.

The whole permanent clerical force allowed to the Department of State, consists of

3 clerks of class 1, salary $1,200 per annum.

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This department has the custody of the records, books, and papers of the department of foreign affairs under the confederation, and of the originals of all laws passed by Congress.

An annual appropriation of about eighty-five thousand dollars is required for the salaries and contingent expenses of the State Department.

TREASURY DEPARTMENT.

ESTABLISHED SEPT. 2, 1779.

"There shall be a Department of Treasury, in which shall be the following officers, namely, a Secretary of the Treasury, to be deemed head of the department, a comptroller, an auditor, a treasurer, a register, and an assistant to the Secretary of the Treasury, which assistant shall be appointed by the said secretary." Act of Sept. 2, 1789.

The office of assistant secretary was abolished, but subsequently rëestablished, to be appointed by the President and Senate.

Assistant Secretary of the Treasury,

ORGANIZATION OF THE DEPARTMENT.

There are now authorized by law and employed in the office of the secretary and the several bureaus and offices attached to the department in Washington, the following officers:

Secretary of the Treasury,

2 Comptrollers,

salary $8,000 per annum.

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The annual appropriation for the payment of the salaries of the officers and the contingent expenses of this department, amounts to something more than seven hundred thousand dollars.

DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY.

"To decide on the forms of keeping and stating accounts and making returns; and to grant, under the limitations herein established, or to be hereafter provided, all warrants for moneys to be issued from the treasury in pursuance of appropriations by law,

. . . and generally to perform all such services relative to the finances as he shall be directed to perform." 1 Stat. at Large, 65.

"The secretary of the treasury shall direct the superintendence. of the collection of the duties on imports and tonnage, as he shall judge best." 1 Stat. 280.

"It shall be the duty of the secretary of the treasury to digest, prepare, and lay before Congress at the commencement of every

session, a report on the subject of finance, containing estimates of the public revenue and public expenditures, and plans for improving or increasing the revenues from time to time, for the purpose of giving information to Congress in adopting modes of raising the money requisite to meet the public expenditures." 2 Stat. at Large, 79.

DUTIES OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY.

He "shall examine all letters, contracts, and warrants prepared for the signature of the secretary of the treasury and shall perform all other such duties in the office of the secretary of the treasury, now performed by some of the clerks, as may be devolved on him by the secretary of the treasury." 9 Stat. at Large, 396.

DUTIES OF COMPTROLLERS.

"It shall be the duty of the first comptroller to examine all accounts settled by the first and fifth auditors, and certify the balances arising thereon to the register; to countersign all warrants drawn by the secretary of the treasury, which shall be warranted by law; to report to the secretary, the official forms to be issued in the different offices for collecting the public revenue, and the manner and form of keeping and stating the accounts of the several persons employed therein; he shall also superintend the preservation of the public accounts subject to his revision, and provide for the regular payment of all moneys which may be collected." 3 Stat. at Large, 367.

"It shall be the duty of the first comptroller to superintend the recovery of all debts to the United States; to direct suits and legal proceedings and to take all such measures as may be authorized by the laws, to enforce prompt payments of all debts to the United States."

It is also his duty to report to Congress annually, the names of defaulters and cases requiring equitable relief.

"It shall be the duty of the second comptroller to examine all accounts settled by the second, third, and fourth auditors, and certify the balances arising thereon to the secretary of the depart

ment in which the expenditure has been incurred; to countersign all warrants drawn by the secretaries of the war and navy departments, which shall be warranted by law; to report to the said secretaries the official forms to be issued in the different offices for disbursing the public money in those departments, and the manner and form of keeping and stating the accounts of the persons employed therein; and it shall also be his duty to superintend the preservation of the public accounts subject to his revision." 3 Stat. at Large, 367.

COMMISSIONER OF CUSTOMS,

"Shall perform all the acts and exercise all the powers, now devolved by law on the first comptroller of the treasury relating to the receipt from customs and the accounts of collectors and other officers of the customs or connected therewith, to report to the secretary the official forms of all papers to be used in the different offices for collecting the public revenue." 9 Stat. at Large, 396.

TREASURER.

"It shall be the duty of the treasurer to receive and keep the moneys of the United States, and to disburse the same upon warrants drawn by the secretary of the treasury, countersigned by the comptroller, recorded by the register, and not otherwise." 1 Stat. at Large, 66.

AUDITORS.

"It shall be the duty of the auditor to receive all public accounts, and, after examination, to certify the balance and transmit the accounts with the vouchers and certificate, to the comptroller for his decision thereon; provided, that if any person whose account shall be so audited, be dissatisfied therewith, he may, within six months, appeal to the comptroller against such settlement." Stat. 66.

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Four additional auditors and one additional comptroller, were subsequently authorized, and it was made the "duty of the first auditor to receive all accounts accruing in the treasury department,

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