1. congress being the law-making power of the government, it is evident that, to know precisely what laws it is important to enact, to change, or to repeal, they should be kept well informed of all that is done by government officials, and the precise condition of every branch of the public service.[425] the president’s messages are of the nature of reports made by the chief executive to the legislative body for its information and guidance. so it is enacted that the secretaries of state, treasury, war, navy, interior, and postmaster general, together with the commissioners of the different bureaus, and boards attached to these departments, shall annually report to congress. heads of departments report directly to congress. so do many of the commissioners who are at the head of bureaus. boards report to the heads of departments to which they are attached.
2. in this way congress is kept advised of whatever is done in every department, bureau, or board, to which any of the public business is entrusted. these reports not only furnish the law-making power with such information as it needs, but serve as a check to any official misconduct. the annual reports of the secretaries of the treasury, war, and navy, together with that of the postmaster general, are state papers which rank in importance next to the annual message of the president. to them the people look for a detailed account of the state and condition of those great departments over which these secretaries preside, and which so materially affect the pecuniary and other great interests of the nation.
3. the foregoing remarks upon reports, throw light upon the movements of the machinery by which the government is operated, and show how officials are held responsible to the superior power.
in this connection we may notice another kind of reports, which come from another source. after each congress has convened and organized, the president of the senate and the speaker of the house appoint what are denominated the standing committees of each of these bodies.
when bills are presented to be passed into laws, or petitions are sent in, they are always referred to the appropriate committee, which examines them and reports to the body (of the senate or house) their conclusions upon the merits or demerits, propriety or impropriety, of granting the petition, or of passing the bill under consideration.
[426]
these reports generally govern the action of congress when they come to vote upon the passage of the law. but that is not always the case; the body of either house may think differently from its committee, and act contrary to its recommendations.
