525. THE DEPARTMENT OF WAR.—National defense is the chief concern of the Secretary of War. Coast fortifications, the supervision of navigation, and river and harbor improvements fall within the scope of the department. Our insular possessions are administered by the Secretary of War. It is also the duty of this officer to prepare estimates of the expenses of his department, to supervise all expenditures for the support and transportation of the army, and to take charge of the issuance of orders for the movement of troops. In addition, he has charge of the Military Academy at West Point, and recommends all appointments and promotions in the army service.
Under the Secretary of War are grouped a number of administrative bureaus, each headed by an army officer detailed for a period of four years. Of these officers the following are the more important: the inspector-general, the quartermaster-general, the adjutant general, the surgeon-general, the chief of engineers, the chief of ordnance, the chief signal officer, the chief of the coast artillery, the judge advocate general, the provost-marshal general, and the chief of the bureau of insular affairs.
526. THE DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY.—The Department of the Navy is likewise concerned with national defense. While less important than the Department of War, the Department of the Navy is steadily gaining in prestige. The Department is in charge of a Secretary, aided by an assistant secretary. It is the duty of the Department of the Navy to superintend the construction and armament of war vessels, and in addition exercise a supervisory control over the naval service. The Naval Academy at Annapolis and the Naval War College at Newport are in charge of the Department of the Navy.
The administrative work of the Department is carried on by seven bureaus, most of them in charge of line officers of the Navy, working directly under the Secretary. These bureaus are as follows: the bureau of navigation, the bureau of ordnance, the bureau of yards and docks, the bureau of supplies and accounts, the bureau of steam engineering, the bureau of medicine and surgery, and the bureau of construction and repairs.
527. THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE.—This Department is headed by the Attorney-General, who acts as the chief legal adviser of the National government. It is his duty to represent the government in all cases to which the United States is a party. It is he who conducts proceedings against corporations or individuals who violate the Federal laws. General supervision over all Federal district attorneys and marshals is exercised by the Attorney-General. This officer likewise examines the titles of lands which the government intends to purchase. The Attorney-General has a supervisory charge of the penal and reformatory institutions which are Federal in character. Applications for pardons by the President are investigated by the Attorney-General. Still another of his duties is to superintend the codification of the Federal criminal laws.
In these various duties the Attorney-General is assisted by an under- officer known as the solicitor-general.
528. THE POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT.—This Department, headed by the Postmaster-General, has general charge of the postal service. The Postmaster-General awards contracts for the transportation of the mails, and directs the management of the domestic and foreign mail service. The handling of money orders, the parcels post system, and the postal savings banks come under the control of the Postmaster- General. Of great importance is the power of this officer to bar from the mails publications which are fraudulent or otherwise obnoxious.
Working under the Postmaster-General are four assistant postmasters- general, each in general charge of a group of services within the department.
529. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR.—Aided by two assistant secretaries, the Secretary of the Interior performs a number of important functions. He has charge of all public lands, including national parks. The handling of Indian affairs constitutes one of his duties. The territories of Alaska and Hawaii come under the direct supervision of this department.
Many miscellaneous functions are performed by the various bureaus within the department. Patents, pensions, and the geological survey come within the purview of the department. The Secretary of the Interior has charge of the distribution of government appropriations to various educational institutions. A general supervision over a number of charitable institutions within the District of Columbia is also exercised by this officer.