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divide the State into thirty-four Congressional districts, each of which is to contain as nearly as may be 154,325 inhabitants. To get at the electoral vote of each State you must add the two Senators to the number of Representatives in the House. If a Congressional election takes place in a State before it has made its apportionment, and said State shall be entitled to one or more members of Congress than it had under the previous apportionment, the additional member or members may, for the time being, be elected on the general State ticket as "Members of Congress at Large."

The States formerly voted for Congressmen at their annual State elections, no matter when they came off. Now, under an act of Congress (March 3, 1875) prescribing a "uniform time for holding Congressional elections," they are all required to hold them on the "Tuesday next after the first Monday in November," of every second year, and all will do so as soon as they can amend their Constitutions to that effect.

ORGANIZATION OF THE HOUSE.-The chief officer of the House is called the Speaker. He is elected by the members, at the beginning of each Congress. His election is a necessary part of organization. His compensation is $8,000, because his duties are more arduous than those of the average member, and his knowledge of parliamentary law and usages supposed to be greater. He may become President, for should there be no President, nor Vice-President, nor President of the Senate pro tem., the Speaker of the House becomes Acting President.

The most important officer of the House, after the Speaker, is the Clerk of the House, salary $4,500. Indeed, it would not be amiss to call him the most important officer of the House, for upon him devolves the duty of preparing a list of the members elected to each Congress, and only the members on this list are entitled to participate in the work of organization. If names are wrongfully omitted, the matter must be settled by regular hearing before the House, or a Committee on Elections, under the rule that each House is the judge of the qualification of its own members.

TERRITORIAL DELEGATES.-Each organized Territory is entitled to a representative in Congress (two, if the population warrants, though generally Territories become States by that time), elected by the qualified electors thereof, the same as Members of Congress. This Territorial representative is called a Delegate. He is entitled to join in debate but cannot vote. His pay is $5,000 per year and mileage.

HOUSE MACHINERY-The House machinery is more elaborate than that of the Senate. The Clerk of the House has a large corps of assistants, as has the Sergeant-at-Arms. The reading clerks, committee clerks, post-office clerks, library employés, door-keepers, messengers, pasters and folders, etc., number from 250 to 300.

MAKING LAWS.-Both Houses rely largely on their Committees to prepare bills and resolutions, before they are presented for discussion and final passage. These Committees are very numerous, and are organized presumably with reference to their fitness for the subjects referred to them. After the Speaker of the House is elected, his first important business is to appoint the Standing Committees of the House. The President of the Senate does the same for the Senate, at the opening of each new Congress. When a bill is introduced, it is read for the information of the members. If it is not opposed or rejected, it is said to be passed to a second reading, which may be the next or some subsequent day. On that second reading the question comes up shall it be committed to one of the above Standing Committees, the subject of the bill suggesting the proper Committee. Sometimes the nature of the bill is such as to require its reference to a special or select Committee. When bills of great moment are under discussion, the House resolves itself into a Committee of the Whole, on account of the greater freedom of debate then allowed. After the Committee to which a bill has been referred are done deliberating on it, it is reported back to the House either adversely or favorably, and with or without amendments. Then the question is on its engrossment (copying in a fair hand) for third reading. After being engrossed (if it has been so ordered), it is read a third time and the question is on its pas

sage. If passed, it is signed by the presiding officer and sent to the other House, where it goes through the same routine. Sometimes amendments are added on its passage. If so, it is sent back to the House where it originated. If these are agreed to, it is repassed there. If not, and the bill is important, the disagreement between the two Houses is settled, if possible, in what is called a Committee of Conference; that is, a Committee composed of members from both Houses. This Committee reports to both Houses the results of its deliberations, and if in the shape of a bill, it is again on its final passage in both Houses as before. When passed by both Houses, it is sent to the President. If he approves it, he signs it, and then it is law. If he does not approve it, he sends it back to the House in which it originated, with his veto message, where the question is, "Shall it pass notwithstanding the President's veto?" Unless it is sustained by a vote of two-thirds of both Houses it cannot become a law over the veto. If so sustained it becomes law in spite of the veto. The President has ten days in which to consider a bill before he signs or vetoes it. Many bills are crowded on the President within ten days of the adjournment of Congress. Those he favors he returns with his approval in time, and so with those he does not favor, if he wishes his reasons for a veto to become public. But sometimes he does not return the bill at all in time for adjournment, and thus kills it. This is called the "pocket veto," the bill being in the President's pocket, as it were. It is not regarded as a very manly way of exercising the veto power, but must be excused sometimes to rush of business during the closing days of a session. Resolutions and Joint Resolutions follow the routine of Bills.

CONGRESSIONAL LIBRARY-An act of April 24, 1800, appropriated $5,000 to buy necessary books for Members of the Congress. Act of Jan. 26, 1802, organized The Library of Congress, located it in a room previously occupied by the House of Representatives, created the office of Librarian, made him appointive by the President, and limited the use of books to Members of Congress and the Departments. Up to 1814 there were only 3,000 volumes in the library. It was burned Aug. 25,

1814, with the capitol, by the British. In September, 1814, Jefferson offered his library of 6,700 volumes, as the nucleus of a new library of Congress, at cost. It was accepted, and the sum of $23,950 paid for it. In 1818 the annual appropriation to the Library was raised to $2,000 a year, and in 1824 to $5,000 a year. This year it was moved to the central capitol. In 1851 it had 55,000 volumes, and again met with a loss by fire of 35,000 volumes. Starting anew, Congress rebuilt a fire-proof hall for $75,000, and appropriated $75,000 to buy books. By 1860 it contained 75,000 volumes, on an annual appropriation of $7,000. This was increased to $10,000 in 1861. In 1866 it received the 40,000 volumes of the Smithsonian Institute. 1867 the Force library was purchased at a cost of $100,000. contained 60,000 books and articles.

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The Law Department of the Library was constituted by act of July 14, 1832. Under an annual appropriation of $2,000 a year it has grown from 2,011 volumes to 35,000.

By act of July 8, 1870, the granting of copyrights was centered in the office of the Librarian of Congress, where two copies of each publication entered for copyright must be deposited. This has brought an annual addition of 25,000 books, maps, and other articles, in duplicate. In January, 1880, the library contained 365,000 volumes and 120,000 pamphlets, and in 1883, 513,441 volumes and 165,000 pamphlets. The catalogue alone fills four royal octavo volumes. Measures are now being taken to erect a new building, which is much needed, the capacity of the present one being wholly inadequate. Expenditure for the Library is under control of a joint committee of both Houses of Congress. The same committee have control of the Botanical Garden, which supplies plants, seeds and flowers to Members of Congress for public distribution and personal use.

PUBLIC PRINTING OFFICE-Until 1860 the government hired men to do its printing, and each House employed a printer. The expense got to be so enormous that Congress authorized a Government Printing Office, and appropriated $150,000 to start it. It was placed under the management of a Superintendent of Public Printing, or the Public Printer, whose

salary is $3,600. This officer is selected by Congress. He has power to purchase all necessary material and employ ample help. He must report to Congress each session the work done, the expense incurred, the number of hands employed, the full and exact condition of the establishment. The office is now the largest and best appointed in the world. It prints and binds all public books and papers, except where otherwise ordered. The number of these is simply enormous, and many of them of very little use. The force employed consists of six clerks, and some 1,500 hands. The cost of work done in the office must not exceed that of private printing offices in Washington.

THE EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT.

The language of the Constitution is, Art. II. Sec. 1: "The executive power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. He shall hold his office during the term of four years, and, together with the Vice-President, chosen for the same term, be elected as follows."

Before showing how he is elected let it be said that he is sometimes called "The Executive," and "The Chief Magistrate of the Nation." The Congress (Legislative Branch) legislates, that is, makes the laws; the President (Executive Branch) executes or enforces the laws; the Supreme, Circuit and District Courts (Judicial Branch) adjudge, expound, interpret, pronounce, and, with the civic machinery at their command, also execute the laws.

PRESIDENT-MAKING.-The people do not vote directly for the President and Vice-President but for Presidential electors, whose number in each State is equal to the number of the representatives (Senators and M. C.'s) in the Congress from that State.* The President must be thirty-five years of age and a native of the United States. At first the political parties desig

* At first the Legislatures of the respective States generally made choice of the electors. This was gradually abandoned, and by 1824 most of the States used the popular vote. In 1828 the popular vote of the States became an element of computation. South Carolina retained the method of electing electors by her Legislature till 1868. This word elector is misleading. Any qualified voter is an elector. But it is in the Constitution and besides has the sanction of long custom.

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