Government and Administration of the United States

by Westel Woodbury Willoughby; William F. Willoughby

The number of valuable works concerned more or less directly with a study of the Constitution is very great. Only a very few can be mentioned. A very complete list of references to the Constitution, is that by W.E. Foster, already referred to. The leading works upon Constitutional Law are Cooley's General Principles of Constitutional Law, and Constitutional Limitations; Von Holst's, Hare's and Pomeroy's treatises on Constitutional Law. Story's Commentaries on the Constitution are invaluable. The character and value of The Federalist have been noticed in the text (p. 25). On Constitutional Amendments, see Johnston's article on Amendments in Lalor's Encyclopaedia. Concerning Constitutional developments, due to judicial construction, see Willoughby's Supreme Court of the United States: its History and Influence in our Constitutional System, published in the Johns Hopkins Studies, Extra Vol. VII; and The Constitutional History of the United States as Seen in the Development of American Law, by Judge Cooley and others, edited by H.W. Rogers. The Unwritten Constitution of the United States, is the title of a very recent book by C.G. Tiedeman.

For constitutional development due to war experiences, see Dunning's United States in Civil War and in Reconstruction. W.E. Foster has in press a pamphlet of references on The United States Constitution in Civil War.

On Federal Government, see Jellinek's Die Lehre von den Staatenverbindungen; and Hart's Introduction to the Study of Federal Government, Harvard Historical Monographs, No. 2. Besides giving an outline of the political history of the successive federations in the world's history, with an account of the literature upon each, Mr. Hart's monograph contains a very excellent bibliographical note on Federal Government in general, and the United States Constitution in particular.

The laws of the United States are known as United States Statutes at Large. In 1878 was published a large volume containing all Federal laws in force in 1874. In 1881 was published a Supplement (known as Richardson's Supplement) containing congressional legislation during the years 1874—1881.

Congressional Government.

The official reports of the debates of Congress have been published under the following titles: Annals of Congress (1789—1823), Congressional Debates (1824-1837), Congressional Globe (1833-1873), Congressional Record (1873 to the present time). Benton's Abridgment of Debates in 16 volumes covers the period 1789 to 1850.

McPherson's Handbook of Politics, already cited, contains accounts of the more important debates in Congress. Printed copies of bills and reports of committees can be obtained upon application. For the best descriptions of the practical working of Congress, see Bryce's American Commonwealth, and Woodrow Wilson's Congressional Government. In both of these works our committee method of congressional legislation is compared with the English method of Parliamentary legislation under the leadership of a responsible ministry. The conclusions obtained from this comparison by the latter author, are especially unfavorable to the United States. Other references to works comparing English and American methods of legislation, are Snow's Defence of Congressional Government, published in the papers of the American Historical Association, Vol. IV; A.L. Lowell's Essays on Government; Bagehot's English Constitution; Bourinot's article, Canada and the United States, Scottish Review, July, 1890, and Annals of the American Academy of Social Science, No. I; and an article by Hon. Joseph Chamberlain, Shall We Americanize Our Institutions? Nineteenth Century, December, 1890. The Congressional Directory, published annually, contains much handy information regarding the constitution and officers of Congress, and of the various federal departments at Washington. For an account of the work done during the last session (1889-90), see North American Review, November, 1890. Regarding the recent controversy on the power of the Speaker of the House of Representatives to count as present members in the hall, but not answering to the roll-call, see the North American Review for October, 1889; the Nos. for March, May, July, August and October, 1890, also contain interesting articles on the same subject.

Executive Departments.

Of especial and authoritative value is the report of a select committee of the Senate to Enquire into and Examine the Methods of Business and Work in the Executive Departments, in 3 vols., known as Cockrell's Report, or Senate Report 507, 50th Cong., 1st Sess., and also a supplementary report in one volume, dated March 28, 1889. For other official sources of information, see the annual reports of the various departments, and of the individual bureaus. See also special reports mentioned in the text. On diplomatic relations, see the annual report of the Secretary of State On Foreign Relations, and Treaties and Conventions between the United States and Other Powers (1776-1887), published by the same department. The Consular Reports, issued from time to time by the State Department, are of value as furnishing economic information regarding foreign countries. The reports of the Secretary of the Treasury are of extreme statistical and financial value. For handy use the Statistical Abstract is issued annually by the Treasury Department. The reports published by the Department of State, of the International Conferences of 1878, and of 1881, and that of Edward Atkinson on The Present Status of Bimetalism in Europe (1887), are of especial value upon monetary topics. In 1886 the Treasury Department issued a volume of Laws Relating to Loans, and the Currency, Coinage and Banking. Besides his annual report the Director of the Mint publishes annually a report on the Production of Gold and Silver in the United States. For an account of the Sub-Treasury system, see Bolle's Financial History of the United States. Concerning the evils of this system, see an article by Prof. J.L. Laughlin in the North American Review, Vol. 137, p. 552.

Regarding the Silver Question and other important public questions coming within the province of the Treasury Department, information can be derived from recent periodicals. Poole's Index to Periodical Literature should also be consulted. An interesting account of the Pension Office is contained in the Atlantic Monthly, January, 1890. Regarding the Interstate Commerce Commission, see the book by Don Passes in Putnam's "Questions of the Day" series. See also Political Science Quarterly, Vol. II, pp. 223 and 369.