The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-05-03
CABINET OFFICERS IN CONGRESS.

The bill introduced by Senator Pen
dleton giving seats on the floor of the
Senate and House of Representatives to
the heads of the Executive Departments
of the Government, when it is fully un-
derstood, will meet with general ap-
proval. The bill provides first that the
Secretary of State, the Secretary of the
Treasury, the Secretary of War; the Sec
retary of the Navy, the Secretary of the
Interior, the Acknowledgement and the
Postmaster General shall be entitled to
seats in the two Houses on certain speci-
fed days, with right to participate in
debate on matters relating to the business
of their respective departments, subject
to such rules as each House may pre-
scribe; second, that said Executive Off
GERS shall attend the sessions of the Sen
ate in the opening sittings of Tuesday
and Friday in each week and the sessions
of the House of Representatives on Mon
day and Thursday to give information
asked for by resolution or to answer such
questions as may be put to them orally.
1t is not the intentionof the bill that the
Cabinet officers shall participate in de-
bate on general topics or advance any ar
guments or opinions calculated to intiu-
ence legislation, exception so far as a
statement of facts peculiarly within their
own official knowledge is concerned.
The object of the bill is simply to fa-
cilitate legislation, by readily furnishing
members of Congress with all the lnfor-
nation which the respective heads of de-
partmcnts may have on the topic under
consideration. In the language of Mr..
Pendleton, it is 'to establish an easy,
open, public channel of communication
between those to whom are contided the
great subdivisions of public business, into
which the whole has been by the funda.
mental law distributed" They are al
lowed no vote upon any pending measure
Their duties are simply to coach" VI
members of the two Legislative bodies or
specific details. AS these officers are the
creation of Congress, which has power tt
prescribe their official duties, no Consti
t tutional objection to the measure can bt
raised. The present system Of communl
, cation with the different departments il
cumbrous, awkward and dilatory o
{ legislation. The only objection to thu
: bill that at present suggests itself is tha
- ~, ,l-o, co ,,,,,ob diamond upon tho finn,
of the Cabinet chiefs that they may b'
compelled to neglect the immediate du
ties of their respective offices.
$ 1t would seem to be sufficient if th'
: bill only provided that, instead of th'
5 attendance in the morning hours of fou
5 sessions each week being mandatory
those officers should be subject to no
tice that their attendance might be re
quired on the days mentioned to answe
specific questions. The exigencies o
legislation certainly ought not to requir
the almost daily attendance of the Cab
, met. The average Congressman, will
the help of the printed Department Re
ports and due reading of the newspa
: pers should be able to keep himself VI
y with most of the current events of hi
o country's history, but occasionally mat
tiers must arise wherein he needs the di
$ rect light which only Secretary cal
. throw upon the subject, and there is NJ
, reason why he should not have it fur
, nished without the routine of resolutions
> red tape and necessary delay that attend
the present method of communication
between the two branches of the Govern
v ment Senator Morrill,, of Vermont, i
t the only one who has yet raised a voic
= against Senator Pendleton's bill. |
d seems to meet with general commenda
y ton from the press of both political pal
: ties.