In 1859 the Attorney-General was authorized to appoint an Assistant. In 1868 Congress provided that, in place of this and three other officers, the President should appoint two Assistant Attorneys-General. In 1871 a third Assistant Attorney-General was authorized, and there is now a fourth, called the Assistant Attorney-General of the Post-office Department. Though the Attorney-General had a seat in the Cabinet from the first, his salary was much below the others. It was fixed, in 1789, at $1,500, and not till 1850 was it made equal to that of the other members of the Cabinet-$6,000. In 1853 it was made $8,000; in 1873, $10,000; and in 1874, $8,000. For list of Attorneys-General see Appendix. The Solictor-General is next in rank to the Attorney-General. The act of 1870 continued the two Assistant Attorneys-General already authorized by the act of 1868. The act also transferred to the Department of Justice the Solicitor of the Treasury and his assistants and the Solicitor of Internal Revenue from the Treasury Department, the Naval Solicitor from that of the Navy, and the Examiner of Claims from the Department of State. All these officers were to be appointed by the President and Senate. The Attorney-General makes an annual report to Congress of the business of his department, and any other matters appertaining thereto that he may deem proper, including the statistics of crime under the laws of the United States, and, as far as practicable, under the laws of the several States. He may require any officer of the department to perform any duties required of the department or any officer thereof; and the officers of the law department, under his direction, shall give all opinions and render all services necessary to enable the President and the officers of the Executive Department to discharge their duties. The Secretaries of the various departments are not to employ counsel at the public expense, but to call upon the Department of Justice for the legal service they need. The Department of Justice, which is one of the Executive departments, must not be confounded with the Judicial Department, which is one of the three great divisions of the government and co-ordinate with the Executive Department. The following are the principal officers in the Department of Justice, with their salaries: Attorney-General, Solicitor-General, Assistant Attorney-General, Assistant Attorney-General at the Court of Claims, Assistant Attorney-General in the Department of the Interior, Naval Solicitor, Examiner of Claims, Solicitor of Treasury, Assistant Solicitor, $8,000 7,000 5,000 5,000 5,000 4,000 4,500 3,500 3,500 4,500 3,000 There are many persons employed in the various departments at Wash ington under different designations, as Clerks, Copyists, Messengers, Laborers, etc. The great body of Clerks are divided into classes known as first, second, third, and fourth. The first class receive $1,200 a year; the second, $1,400; the third, $1,600; and the fourth, $1,800. Female Clerks and Copyists generally receive $900 a year. Messengers, $840; Assistant Messengers, Watchmen, and Laborers, $720. THE JUDICIAL DEPARTMENT. CHIEF JUSTICES OF THE SUPREME COURT. A full account of the United States Courts has been given in a former part of this work. The following is a list of Chief Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States: JOHN JAY, New York, appointed September 26th, 1789. He was confirmed Envoy Extraordinary to England, April 19th, 1794. Resigned as Chief Justice. JOHN RUTLEDGE, South Carolina, appointed July 1st, 1795, in the recess of the Senate; presided at the August term of the Court. Rejected by the Senate, December 15th, 1795.1 OLIVER ELLSWORTH, Connecticut, appointed March 4th, 1796. Appointed Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to France, February 27th, 1799. Resigned as Chief Justice." JOHN MARSHALL, Virginia, appointed January 31st, 1801. He held the office until his death, July 6th, 1835. ROGER B. TANEY, Maryland, appointed March 15th, 1836. He presided until his death, October 12th, 1864. SALMON P. CHASE, Ohio, appointed December 6th, 1864. Died in office, May 7th, 1873. MORRISON R. WAITE, Ohio, appointed January 21st, 1874. Died in office, March 23rd, 1888. MELVILLE W. FULLER, Illinois, appointed April 30th, 1888. For a list of the Associate Justices, see Appendix. The thirty-eight States are divided into nine Judicial Circuits, each having its own Circuit Judge, and to each one of which a Justice of the Supreme Court is allotted by order of that Court. The Circuits are as follows: 1st. Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island. 2d. Connecticut, New York, Vermont. 3d. Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware. 4th. Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina. 5th. Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas. 6th. Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, Tennessee. 7th. Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin. 1 William Cushing, Massachusetts, then an Associate Justice, was appointed by the President and Senate January 27, 1796, but declined. He continued to serve as Asso ciate till his death in 1810. 2 John Jay, New York, was appointed by the President and Senate December 19, 1800, but declined. 8th. Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, Nebraska, Colorado. 9th. California, Oregon, Nevada. In each organized Territory there are a Chief Judge and two Associates, appointed by the President and Senate for four years. The Marshal and Reporter of the Supreme Court are appointed by the Court and receive salaries. The Attorney and Marshal for the District Courts, who are officers of the Circuit Courts also, are appointed by the President and Senate. The salary of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is $10,500; that of each Associate Justice, $10,000. The Circuit Judges receive each $6,000, and the District Judges, fifty-one in number, from $3,500 to $5,000 each. CHAPTER VIII. THE STATE GOVERNMENTS. N Chapter VI an account has been given of the twenty-nine States which have been admitted to the Union since the adoption of the Constitution. The thirteen original States were Change from colonies until the Declaration of Independence. Colonies to By that act the individual colonies were transStates. formed into States, and the thirteen United Colonies assumed their position as a Nation, under the name of the United States. The colonies had exercised some of the powers of government, while they acknowledged a common allegiance to Great Britain. "By the Declaration of Independence the sovereignty of the thirteen colonies passed from the crown to the people dwelling in them, not as an aggregate body, but as forming States endowed with the functions necessary for their separate existence; also, States in Union.” 1 The Nation began its existence on the fourth day of July, 1776; and on the same day each of the thirteen colonies was transformed into a State-became an integral part of the Nation. Each of the new States became such, when, having adopted a constitution, it was admitted into the Union by Congress. But the old thirteen did not become States by the formation of a constitution nor by a Congressional vote of admission. They were made States by the Declaration of Independence. No one of the thirteen was a State prior to that day, though a few of them had established temporary forms of 1 Frothingham, page 561. |