The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1865-03-29
CABINET OFFICERS I'M CONGRESS-
SPEECH OF
HON. J. r. WILSON,
In the House Of Representatives.,
March 8, 1865,

OF IOWA.
In the House of Representatives.,
March 8, 1865,
On the bill Oh. R. No. 214) to provide that tb
heads of Executive Departments may occup
seats on the floor of the House of Rep resenta
tives.
Mr.. WILsoN Mr. Speaker, the pend
ing bill proposes radical departure frou
the theory Of our Government. It's pass
age must tend to GENERALIZATION Of pow
er In the executive department, and viii
end in q partial surrender Of the indie
pendence of this House into the keepin,
Of the several Secretaries composing tn
Cabinet. Against such departure an,
so baneful result We cannot too frml,
set our faces
The influence exercised by the mem
bers of the executive branch of the Gov
ernment over the action Of the two House.
Of Congress has long been subject o.
complaint, and the dearest interests Of the
country have often sorely suffered from
this cause. Few Administrations have
existed since the adoption of the Consti.
tuition against which this complaint has
not been lodged That the committee
which reported this bill fully appreciate.
this fact we have abundant evidence of in
the report submitted to the House in sup
port of the bill. After referring to the
almost constant presence of this execu-
tive influence, the report goes on to say
However that may have been, the fact
is too obvious to members of Congress to
need proof, that the chief officers of the
several Departments do exercise an i'm
portant influence over the legislation of
that body. The pages of the Globe with
In the last few years will satisfy those
who have not had seats on the floor and
been admitted to the sessions of the COM
mittees. 1t has been notorious for years
that, by personal interviews with mem
bers, by private conversation at the office,
in social intercourse at casual meetings
on the floor of the two Houses, by verbal
statements to the chairmen of commit
tees-liable always to be misunderstood
or even misrepresented7-by unofficial
Communications to the committees them.
selves, these officers originate, press for
ward, modify, or entirely defeat, measures
of legislation and it has often happened
that the rules of the House have been vic.
lated by stating what has occurred in
com mittee in order to convey to mem
bers the opinions or wishes Of a Sere-
tary."
The chairman of the committee T Mr..
Pendleton has we'll stated the case in
the words which | have quoted, and clear
ly shows how much greater is the neces-
sity for some action to destroy the evil
practices of which he complains than
cause for their enlargement and legaliza-
tion. Legislative action suggested, d.
rected, controlled by such means as he
describes, is entirely void by that indepen-
dence of character contemplated by the
trainers Of our Constitution. Believe the
statement of the case which have quo
ted from the report and certainly shall
not question its trnthfulness) and we
have before US positive evil for which a
remedy cannot be too speedily found and
applied. Have we such remedy as the
case demands in the bill now before the
House? We are introduced to the bill
by the following title
ga bill to provide that the heads Of
Executive Departments may occupy
seats on the floor of the House Of Repre-
sentatiyes.b f
This is a remarkable title for measure
advocated as destroyer of executive in
fuence over the House of Representatives.
The presence has been Jeh too much al
ready. This is the complaint of the COM
mittee. AS an antido,e to this it is pro.
posed to use the presence which is seen;
and this great result is to be reached in
the manner set forth in the committee g
bill, which reads as follows:
Be it enacted by the Senate and House
of Representative of the United States
of America in Congress assembled, Tha,
the Secretary of State, the Secretary o1
the Treasury, the Secretary Of War. the
Secretary of the Navy, the Secretary Of
the Interior, the Attorney General, and
the Postmaster General. shall be entitled
to occupy seats on the foor of the House
of Representatives, with the right to par.
ticipate in debate upon matters relating
to the business of their respective De-
partments, under such rules ss may be
prescribed by the House.
Sac 2. And be it further enacted,
That the said Secretaries, the Attorney
General, and the Postmaster General,
shall attend the sessions of the House oi
Representatives, Immediately on the
opening of the sittings, on Mondays and
Thursdays of each week, to give informa.
tion in reply to questions which may BE-
propounded to them under the rules ol
the House.
Does the committee believe that the
passage of this bill will prevent the ust
of the means resorted to by the heads o.
the Executive Departments embraced il
the report as basis of complaint !? Doea
the bill propose to interfere with tn,
"personal interviews" "private conver
sations," social intercourse at casua
meetings." "verbal statements" 'sunof
fetal communications, "by means o
which these officers originate, press for
ward, modify, or entirely defeat measures
of lepislation.' or stop the violation O