The principal officers thus appointed are:
1. Postmasters having salaries less than $1000 a year, appointed by the postmaster general.
2. Clerks, messengers, janitors, etc., in the several departments, appointed by the respective secretaries. The chiefs of bureaus and some of the more important officers in each department are appointed by the president with the consent of the senate.
3. The subordinates in each custom house, appointed by the collector thereof.
4. Clerks of United States courts, appointed by the judges. The United States district attorneys and marshals are appointed by the president, with the consent of the senate.
The term of appointees is four years, unless sooner removed. They may be and are removed, however, as before said, not only for unfitness, but also for political reasons.
Clause 3.—Temporary Appointments.
The president shall have power to fill up all vacancies that may happen during the recess of the senate, by granting commissions which shall expire at the end of their next session.
This provision is necessary because the senate is not always in session, and it would not pay to convene it for the purpose of acting upon nominations every time a vacancy occurs. The president may wait, however, if the case will permit, until the next session of congress before making an appointment.