ll have power to fill up all vacancies that may
happen during the recess of the senate, by granting commissions which
shall expire at the end of the next session." (Art. 2, sec. 2, clause
3.) Without such a power somewhere, the public interests would often
suffer serious injury before the senate should again be in session to
act upon a nomination by the president. As it is his duty to see that
the business of the executive offices is faithfully done, he seems to
be the proper person to make such temporary appointment.

Sec.13. The powers and duties of the president enumerated in the next
section of the constitution, are all necessary to insure a successful
administration of the government; and they are so clearly of an
executive nature, that they could not with any degree of propriety have
been devolved upon any other officer or department of the government.

Sec.14. The last section of this article of the constitution enumerates the
persons liable to be removed from office by impeachment, and the
offenses for which they are thus removable. As in the state governments,
so in the general government, impeachments are made by the house of
representatives, and tried by the senate. (Chap. XX, Sec.6-8; Cons. U.S.,
art. I, Sec.2, 3.)

Chapter XLI.

Auxiliary Executive Departments. Departments of State, of the Treasury,
of the Interior, of War, of the Navy, of the Post-Office;
Attorney-General.

Sec.1. The great amount and variety of the executive business of the
nation, requires the division of this department into several
subordinate departments, and the distribution among them of the
different kinds of public business. At the head of each of these
departments is a chief officer. These chief officers, sometimes called
_heads of departments_, with the attorney general, being private
advisors or counselors of the president, are called the _cabinet_. They
are appointed by the president and senate.

Sec.2. By the first congress under the constitution, were established the
state, treasury, and war departments, whose head officers, called
secretaries, and the attorney-general, constituted the first cabinet.
In 1798, the navy department was established. During president Jackson's
term of office, the postmaster-general was made a cabinet officer. And
the establishment, in 1849, of the department of the interior, added to
the cabinet the seventh member.

Sec.3. The _secretary of state_ performs such duties as are com