CABINET. Certain officers who, taken collectively, form a council or advisory beard ; as the, cabinet of the president of the United States, which is composed of the secretary of state, the secretary of the treasury, the secre tary of the interior, the secretary of war, the secretary of the navy, the attorney-general, and the postmaster-general.
2. These officers are the advisers of the president, They are also the heads of their respective departments; and by the constitu tion (art. 2, sec. 2) the president may require the opinion in writing of these officers upon any subject relating to the duties of their respective departments. These officers re spectively have, under different acts of con gress, the power of appointing many inferior officers charged with duties relating to their departments. See Const. art. 2, sec. 2.
The cabinet meets frequently at the execu tive mansion, by direction of the president, who presides over its deliberations and di rects its proceedings. No record of its doings is kept; and it has, as a body, no'legal au thority. Its action is advisory merely ; and the president and heads of departments iu the execution of their official duties are en titled to disregard the advice of the cabinet and take the responsibility of independent action.
3. In England, the king, under its consti tution, is irresponsible ; or, as the phrase is, the king can do no wrong. The real responsi bility of government in that country, there fore, rests with his ministers, who constitute his cabinet. The king may dismiss his min isters if they do not possess his confidence ; hut they are seldom dismissed by the king. They ordinarily resign when they cannot command a majority in favor of their mea sures in the house of commons.
The first lord of the treasury, the lord chan cellor, the principal secretaries of state, and the chancellor of the exchequer, are always of the cabinet; but in regard to the other great officers of state the practice is not uni form, as at times they hold and at others do not hold seats in the cabinet. The British cabinet usually consists of from ten to fifteen persons. See Knight's Pol. Did. title CAB INET.