The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-03-23
intercourse Between the Executive
and Congress.

lating to the currency and national finances
it must be conceded, even by journals
which have assailed his opinions, that he
has been setting q good example by MS
frank intercourse with Congress In any
other administration than the very peculiar
one now in power such free intercourse
would not have struck anybody AS remark
able. Indeed, it was the regular custom,
previous to the advent of Mr.. Hayes, for
all the heads of departments and the
President himself to cultivate the So
ciety, listen to tho views and attempt
to guide the counsels of the legislative
branch Of the government. Every prede-
cessor of Secretary Sherman in the Treasury
Department who acquired great reputa-
ton as finance minister was noted for his
ascendant influence over the deliberations
of Congress. So true is this OF Hamilton,
the FIRST and greatest of them all, that all
the important fiscal measures OF Washing
toms administration were credited to him
alike by friends and by foes. Jefferson,
who hated Hamilton, accused him OF cor
rupting Congress and Webster, who was
a great admirer of Hamilton, passed upon
him, in later age, the splendid eulogy
that he s'struck the rock Of the public
credit and the waters gushed forth. But the
opinions of Jefferson, the contemporary
enemy and rival, and Of Webster, the SUBJ
sequent eulogist, agree in this, that Hamil-
ton was the real author of the fiscal meas
ures adopted by the first and second Con-
TT l. ~ 10
legislate; his conceded influence depended
on his power to control the actual legisla-
tors.
Passing over wide stretch of interme-
date history we come to another example
of the ascendancy Of one man over the
measures of Congress. The great miracle
Of our civil war was the fiscal management
which furnished resources for carrying it
on. To Secretary Chase belonged the
credit of supplying the resources, al
though Congress passed the acts which
rendered his measures practicable Mr..
Chase was in constant intercourse with the
finance committees of both houses, and
without such Intercourse the war would
have broken down by bankruptcy Of the
national Treasury. Although Congress
passed the laws Mr.. Chase devised them.
The country would have been ruined If the
Secretary of the Treasury had fastidiously
held himself aloof from Congress, as the
theory of MI. Hayes administration requires
the Executive to hold itself aloof and Sc
clude itself from intercourse with the ma
tional legislature.
Secretary Sherman, in following the exam
pie of Hamilton and of Chase, virtually
repudiates President Hayes new tangled
policy of Executive indifference and isola-
ton. We would fain hope that this marked
deviation from the Presidents notions be-
tokens change Of policy. 1t is impossible
that our government should ever be we'll
administered when the intercourse between
the Executive and Congress is merely formal
and distant and strictly official. However
plausible this strict separation of functions
may be in theory it can never work well
in practice. We are truly glad that Mr..
Sherman has repudiated it. To states
man Of his ripe experience In pub
lie affairs ut Washington it must always
that his example may be followed by
other leading members of the Cabinet. Un-
less President Hayes is willing that his adj
ministration shall be grotesque and morti-
flying failure he and his Secretaries must
come forth from their studied isolation and
participate in the common political life of
the national capital. Otherwise he will
have no more real influence at Washington
than if he had remained ut Columbus in
the narrow and provincial atmosphere of n
Governor of Ohio Without active partici-
patton in the political life of the capital he
dent who shuns influence and shuts himself
up as hermit in the White House abdi-
Gates his most important function.
We rejoice that Secretary Sherman has
broken loose from such narrow and fool
ishly fastidious trammels, and tries to exer-
else the influence which belongs to his re-
sponsible Office. The good effects of his
frank intercourse with Congress are already
apparent. BY appearing before the Com
mittee on Coinage of the House and the
Finance Committee of the Senate for free
interchange of views Mr.. Sherman has ac-
quired confidence and influence, and has
forestalled great deal of mischievous legis-
lation. If the other members of the
Cabinet and the President himself would
ego and do likewise" public affairs would
assume a more hopeful aspect 1t is not
conducive to the public interest for the ad-
ministration and Congress to stand aloof
from each other and maintain only a cold
and jealous intercourse. They are common
servants of the country and ought to co-op-
perate in measures for the public good.
Without cordial and courteous intercourse
between Congress on the one side and the
White House and the executive depart
az o..