lating to them. They meet regularly with the President and discuss national affairs, and constitute a board of political advisers. The salary of each is

$8,000 a year.

The Secretary of State is the only officer in our federal government who has the power to communicate with other governments in the name of the President. He negotiates treaties, and has charge of the great seal of the United States.

The Secretary of the Treasury has charge of the finances of the nation, coining money and issuing treasury notes. He can be called upon to suggest means of maintaining national credit or creating revenues. His most important duty is the management of the debt.

The Secretary of War has charge of the military affairs of the nation. He keeps the records of the army, and takes measures for the survey of the harbors and improvement of navigation.

The Secretary of the Navy, under the direction of the President, manages the naval affairs of the nation. The naval observatory at Washington is under the charge of this department.

The Secretary of the Interior is intrusted with the management of matters relative to public land, Indians, schools, pensions, and patents. He has charge of the census, and manages home or domestic affairs generally.

The Postmaster General has the charge of the postal interests of the nation. He appoints post

masters whose salaries are below $1,000, and controls the style of stamps and postal cards.

The Attorney General is the chief law officer of the nation. He represents the United States in all suits at law in which the United States is a party.

The Secretary of Agriculture is intrusted with the agricultural interests of the country. He manages all agricultural experiment stations, and issues crop statistics. He also has charge of the signal service and weather bureau.

Under these heads of departments are various commissions and bureaus, having special work to do. This subdivision simplifies the work and makes it more effective.

CHAPTER XXXI.

JUDICIAL DEPARTMENT.

The Supreme Court.-The Constitution provides for a national judicial department, consisting of a Supreme Court, with inferior courts, established from time to time. These inferior courts are of two kinds: circuit courts, nine in number, and district courts, at present (1894) sixty-four in number.

The Supreme Court consists of a Chief Justice and eight associate justices appointed by the President to hold office for life, unless removed by impeachment. This court holds one session each year, lasting from October until May. It hears cases ap

The

pealed from the lower courts, and has original jurisdiction in cases affecting foreign ministers and consuls, and those in which a State is a party. salary of Chief Justice is $10,500 a year; that of associate justice, $10,000 a year.

The Circuit Courts, nine in number, are presided over by circuit judges appointed by the President for life, unless removed by impeachment. Each one of

the nine Supreme justices must visit a circuit and hold court at least once in two years. Besides these, two regular circuit courts are held annually, presided over by the circuit judge, alone or with the district judge of the district in which court is sitting. There are circuit court commissioners, appointed by the judge of the circuit, who help in the arrest, examination, and committal of persons accused of offenses against the national government. These commissioners are the most numerous and widely distributed of federal judicial officers. As a State judicial officer or justice of the peace acts in State matters, so a circuit commissioner acts in matters of federal offense. But as these commissioners are not always on hand, any judge or magistrate, of either the State or federal government, is empowered to act as a commissioner. He has no legal right to act in federal matters if he be a State officer, but if necessity arise, he may become a national officer, and act as such.

Court of Appeals.—In 1891 Congress established in each circuit a Court of Appeals, consisting of three

judges, who hear appeals from the circuit court. Circuit courts hear appeals from the district courts. The district and circuit courts may have original jurisdiction in a great variety of cases involving offenses against the United States.

The District Courts, sixty-four in number at present, are the lowest federal courts. Every State has at least one judicial district, and some have two; New York, Texas, and Alabama have three each. In a few cases one judge supplies two or more districts. There are in most districts four terms held annually, and some special terms. The district judge is appointed by the President, for the same time as in the higher federal courts. There is a federal district attorney in most districts, appointed by the President, whose duty it is to prosecute criminal cases, and to appear in all civil cases before the resident district judge who presides over the district court; he also appoints a United States marshal, whose duties are those of a sheriff of the district, in all federal cases. District court may try any cases committed against the United States in the district, except such as are punishable by death. The resident district judge has an annual salary of $5,000.

The United States Court of Claims is a court established by Congress for the settlement of certain claims which otherwise would have to be settled by Congress. In this court only can suit be brought against the government. If the suit is decided in favor of the claimant, the case is referred to Con

gress, whose business it is to see that the claim is settled.

CHAPTER XXXII.

NATURALIZATION.

The fact that many of our people are of foreign birth, or aliens, makes it a matter of some interest to all citizens to know the steps necessary to be taken in order that such foreign-born persons may become citizens of our country, entitled to all the rights and privileges which belong, by birth, to most of us. The process of naturalization is a judicial act. Congress has, by law, conferred this power on the United States circuit and district courts, also territorial district and supreme courts, Congress has also conferred the privilege of entertaining such jurisdiction upon any State court of record, having a clerk and a seal, and having a common law jurisdiction. In hearing cases of this kind, however, they act under the laws of the United States, and should be considered in this particular act, as United States courts. The necessary steps are as follows:

I. Any alien wishing to become a citizen of the United States shall declare, on oath, before some one of the courts mentioned above, at least two years before his admission, that it is his *bona fide intention to become a citizen, and to renounce forever all allegiance to any foreign prince or power.

*In good faith.