McPherson’s Handbook of Politics, already cited, contains accounts of the more important debates in Congress.  Printed copies of bills and reports of committees can be obtained upon application.  For the best descriptions of the practical working of Congress, see Bryce’s American Commonwealth, and Woodrow Wilson’s Congressional Government.  In both of these works our committee method of congressional legislation is compared with the English method of Parliamentary legislation under the leadership of a responsible ministry.  The conclusions obtained from this comparison by the latter author, are especially unfavorable to the United States.  Other references to works comparing English and American methods of legislation, are Snow’s Defence of Congressional Government, published in the papers of the American Historical Association, Vol.  IV; A.L.  Lowell’s Essays on Government; Bagehot’s English Constitution; Bourinot’s article, Canada and the United States, Scottish Review, July, 1890, and Annals of the American Academy of Social Science, No.  I; and an article by Hon. Joseph Chamberlain, Shall We Americanize Our Institutions? Nineteenth Century, December, 1890. The Congressional Directory, published annually, contains much handy information regarding the constitution and officers of Congress, and of the various federal departments at Washington.  For an account of the work done during the last session (1889-90), see North American Review, November, 1890.  Regarding the recent controversy on the power of the Speaker of the House of Representatives to count as present members in the hall, but not answering to the roll-call, see the North American Review for October, 1889; the Nos. for March, May, July, August and October, 1890, also contain interesting articles on the same subject.

Executive Departments.

Of especial and authoritative value is the report of a select committee of the Senate to Enquire into and Examine the Methods of Business and Work in the Executive Departments, in 3 vols., known as Cockrell’s Report, or Senate Report 507, 50th Cong., 1st Sess., and also a supplementary report in one volume, dated March 28, 1889.  For other official sources of information, see the annual reports of the various departments, and of the individual bureaus.  See also special reports mentioned in the text.  On diplomatic relations, see the annual report of the Secretary of State On Foreign Relations, and Treaties and Conventions between the United States and Other Powers (1776-1887), published by the same department.  The Consular Reports, issued from time to time by the State Department, are of value as furnishing economic information regarding foreign countries.  The reports of the Secretary of the Treasury are of extreme statistical and financial value.  For handy use the Statistical Abstract is issued annually by the Treasury Department.