Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1865-02-13
.et SPEECH OF
NON SAM il $. C X,
An the House Of Representatives.
january 20, 1865,
On the Proposition to allow the Heads of Execu.
tive Departments seats on the floor Of
the House Of Representatives. r
OF OHIO.


Ist ts r''''
l. Tho JJouso +,,on,, ,ro,a, a.
s,daro,ia,, 'ss .L ine" po.eeoeu W che con.
,s'oto hu ,,biot ,hn ;';a w IiI leIo,isiueI the
UnusofNo SIh to ,,,rauida ,I,ae .I'r VI ti,e
Of Eyecntiye Dan,rtwents wo O"oo "asu v''' ieaus
~, ,t' pa, V',,oh91 may occupy
sentatv en. Gv s"v oor ~, ,,J ol hePre
co,,,mitt,.s uno,, thaas s,,h;aot ~ ,T .n1 selece
-whi,l Mr nv ,y',s sntitioJ ~ .S a'e upon
80 Mr. Coy MIR SneaEer the uo,si, noE," ~
der obli,rations to The cnmmittao tor 70 ,un un
sentinv fbis measure Graat |nod % o,d Pc
harm " III come from a FREQ an5 fuII diso,,s
sion of the djstribntion of the nn,y,.rs 20
thes Government In oil innovp,;on., H.
bnydpn il nnon those who nrnnosa IT,, o,.o ~
show thnir ntiIitv Tha pnnin;ttaa L. W W
nronosrd to chance tba n,o,h;mnrU 80
Goyernment in two wavs. first ytbot tha
heads of Departments shall have at n II tin'aS y"
the rjvht to occnnv seats and ro ort;on.ta a.,
debate unon ALI matters r..h,tin% to to hei ~
ness of their Denartments. seeondIv that
on two days of tile week they shall ATTEND
the House and give information on ali c,naSl
tions submitted to them. aN0'
The details of legislation to carry ont
these views / shall not consider. If the
principle be adopted the measures will soon
lose any stringeucy by amendments and
the coalescence of the executive and levis-
latiye will become. as in ENGLAND as ner-
feet as the institutions of each countrv will
permit.
1 prOpose to discuss the question I'm tba
following order: lirst. m answer the ronort
second. to show the DANGERS of th;s inno'
yation.
/. To answer thc renort. Under this
head I consider 6rst tha ronstitmt;onoJitu -
of the measure,
The conmittne onterto;n M dorht o,, t1,;,
head There is no nrovision a0ainst IT. t'i', ;n
the Constitution. and IL Is reTsr,IaJ as :,
mart of thar mower nv which leach Uonse
NAV determine ther,iles of its proceedn~s" !"
/ will not contest our power to pass the res
Olution. Rut the discussion of ira meritS
whlSloW C'ftt ils passage VIII oe an lilIrac-
tion of the spirit If not of the letter of the
Constitution, which provides that no per-
son holding any Office under the United
States shall be member OF either House
during his continuance in Office"
Ihe same reasoning upon which this
clause OF disqualification Is founded should
FORBID the admission OF the Cabinet into
Congress, either to debate or answer inquir-
les. shall snow that there Is stronger
reason for the rejection OF this measure than
{ dor the reJectlon OF the Cabinet as members.
Ihat stronger reason rs, that In case OF
premiership ohey are naoie W eNpuisioh
anu censuEe' respoIisloie 10 Cnelr cOnsCltu-
ents. who hold over them the rod OF public
ODnion backed by sulfrape: while In the
s,tbcr -o.s,. thav a.a rosno1sibIa 20 ~ 80
G. ,,; 0, -. ~ "D Sn D
~ Uuc'r oihct"i IohuIe uuI lne Cnlel
Executive, whose SuOOfu1nateS and servants
they are. hundred ceusIIrps cannot move
than fron, THAR nlaoee Co Iono os tLa,,
c,,;, ti,a - III ate,. ~ ionS ae 'uey
sui Cile IresluehI lney can cOnteicn The
severest criticism and loudest anathemas of
Cong ress
When this clause of disqualification for
membership was adopted it met with no
9pPosiIoh Ill Ihe convention. 30 says
Judge oCOry. lie ADDS further:
at has been deemed by one convention AN admir-
able vision acainsI ve1aIitv III ngI nnt narhan
Eni6cient gnarei m nrcve nj ava s;on In5 II bps
beon elaboratey vindicated BY another with uncom.
man earnesfness MORN moo ain 200 Ito
:. -, ,.''fe' SN.;
Anu mere III may De proper TO say that the
committee have invoked the wisdom and
lo,rninu of Iud,rn Story to sustoin THAR
-, orI'; ~ 20 ;,iy ~ s,, ss,,i -, -,
VIEWS lhis 10 hiiStahe' lue cohihiltee
have quoted only the arguments presented
In favor of that side He states with euunl
nn;nt tba or,,u,nauts unon rho otbar l,y
poi''S u"I o. . ''''' .iUo uPO'. ','o o'"oi' 'a'
ing the uectsioh 10 Ihe Judgment OF Che
student. The committee have not done JUS
tice to the question in thus partiallv Dresent-
;n,r H., go, u,jlI sun,,I,, ,hann1,ipp.io, h,,
ing Che cast VIII supply Tue eohlsslon Dy
citing the omitted portions:
.rba ott.r no t of tho cIausa ,vb;,b d;sor.,;sos
,o-,as holfi,ag 49, % oJ;no ,,ndor iIn;,ot S,aro
from bsns membe,s O OF either House during their
cont IN oIite has been still more VERSA
al grondS of nnbIc p1Iicv II ;s dnhtiess Far "a
ed in Difference TO State jcaIus and sincere de-
sire to gbyate the fears, real or maS nary that the
Uencai ". uOvernIene ,h mOula ooaaih anInhlue pref
strong recommehdstio6 toat il prevent. nny uodne
influence from office, either upon the party himself
or tnose with ,wnon he IS associated in legislative
u0'.'eia"Cn''
Ana after the passage quoted Dy the COM
mlCIee' ne proceeus 10 say p'.Ht
"Such ia the reasoning by whioh many enlighten-
ed statesmen have not only been led 70 doubt, but
even 70 deay tue value OF thls constitutional DIS
caea W II es cnmn ii 40 far 10 smii ~ forcs %
t. ounceie tnat tue of the executive gov
ernmenl, SO far as they all within the immediate
aepartmens 30 3 parneular once mlght 9e murs d.
Sti, however, the reasoning S ny from from u the % BRUSH %
practice has not been deemed satisfactory by the
'paeie: aed the guard nterPosed by the Coustitu:-
od bss een tbovyht n bayo SwnrEaa pall dnrns
our experience unIer the national Government In,
decd, the strongly marked parties ia the British
tariiameat ana thSir eonssqusnt dltsensions. nave
streas ID the progress of Lhe inaueaee Of tbe
Or wa aad the supp sed corruptiuns of leg Station,
have b,e!n by some writers traced back TO the same
pprgtl pgn psml;n LOT u nssef tne,e lnierenees arS
dif,rent iu1eae1ts may arrive an different concu
slo and work like tn pre,odt not the proper
place 10 discuss them.'-Sfoyy, pages S1, Sl4.
SO that we may draw from these citations.
these reasons against the measure proposed
'by tile committee: first. extreme party dis
sensions, owing TO the presence of the ex-
.,,.t.., A.. 80