ADMIN'ISTRA'TION (Lat. ad, to + mini strare, to attend, manage). In general, the man agement or conduct of any business: especially, in politics, executive government. in its broad est sense, in public affairs, it means the full ac tivity of the government engaged in the practical exercise of its authority in conformity with the constitution of the nation. But, according to a usage quite general, administration refers only to those functions of the government exercised through the executive and judicial departments. It comprehends all the activities of the State exeept those relating to the making of laws by the legislature. The organization of administra tion may he divided into two kinds, centralized and localized. In small States the administrative system must necessarily have a municipal rather than a Federal diameter. Thus, in the States of ancient Greece and Rome and of medbeval Italy we find the system suited to the wants of a single town. When the State expanded beyond these dimensions, the municipality was trans formed into a centralized form of government.
Administration in American politics is a gen eral term given to the Federal or a State execu tive government. Our national administration is composed of the President and his Cabinet. The term does not always cover the actions of the majority in the legislative brandies, as fre quently this majority is antagonistic to the administration. We speak of Washington's ad ministration, meaning the Federal executive gov ernment during the time in which lie was Pres ident ; and of the policy, acts, omissions, errors, etc., of the administration of the nation or of any State. The supporters of the officials at the time in power are called the administration party. The term is used in England and on the continent in somewhat similar manner, but in England, the administration, which is repre sented by the preinier and his cabinet, is always composed of members of the party having the legislative majority.