The American government, organization and officials, with the duties and powers of federal office holders

Preface

In round numbers there are a half a million persons holding commissions and appointments from the United States, and exercising, in all parts of the world, functions which cannot be exercised by a citizen of any State as such. The persons referred to are, however, the servants of every citizen of every State, and their business comes to be, in an increasing measure with each year, the business of every community and of every person in every community.

A vague distrust that by some means the Federal Government is trenching upon the rights and prerogatives of the independent States may be created by persons who have become, properly enough, subject to Federal control. Lest any citizens of the United States should be led to an unreasoning hostility to the regulation of matters which cannot be controlled by the individual State, it is a duty of citizenship, not only to read, in its original form, the Constitution of the United States, but to be informed as well as to the developments resulting from the natural growth of the Federal powers; whether such developments have in any sense proved to be injurious and wherein they have proved beneficial. As an introduction to the study of the very many phases of Federal activity, this compilation has the merit merely of assembling in a single book details of the Federal system of government from many and not always accessible sources. An accurate definition of every detail of the subject is possible only as a governmental work, and its accuracy would be wholly that of the moment, for the reason that growth and change are both constantly going on. At the same time much can and should be done officially in the way of digesting departmental law and regulations, so that Federal practice may be less of a mystery to the millions who are at once the sovereigns of the respective States and of the Federal nation.

H. C. Gauss.

January i, 1908.