Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1881-05-13
The Cabinet in Congress.

The bill admitting members of the
Cabinet to seas Ia Congress, and to
participation il the debates upon the
bnsIness Of thvir respective depart
ments, and r'q.iring them to attend
upon two days the week to give in
formation called for by resplHtion, but
all under somewhat restrictive rules,
proposes q change which has avian
Tsges, but agei~.t VIII b itomorhipg lie
TO no said. Tue presence OF any person
upon the floor to he catechized, and
without the right Of voting. is never
agreeable t. the person, and in the Case
of n mem Der nt the Cabinet would be
peculiarly diIagreeable, rs al unneces-
s,ry derogarlon Of dignity. A written
and detailed reply in answer to re-
quest for information seems to be,
under our system, in every way prefer
able. Appearance before committee
il different, because there is then sim
ply an Inquiry; but to take part in the
proceedings Of legislative body as an
inferior, permitted to speak, required
to answer, but forbidden to vote, may
he constitutional, but il is OF very
doubtful desirabiilty.
We say under our system, because
our system is very different from that
of Great Brit,i The members of the
Cabinet there are members Of Parlia-
ment and the leaders Of the majority
III the House Of Commons. They orig
mate legislation, explain and defend it,
and rally thsir associates to its support
They are, in word, the responsible
Administration, In the British system
the executive and the Legislative braL CHI.
es of the Government are blended.
The real Executive is committee OF
the legislative majority. The defeat oi
that committee leads to its resignation,
and to charge OF it's policy.
All this is unknown to us. The leg
islatiye and executive branches in oul
system are carefully separated. At thiE
moment they are of different politics
The head of the executive branch rec
ommands legislation, but he cannot in
itiate il; and if his recommendation be
disregarded, or bniug adopted in pro-
posed law, defeated, he does not resign
The members of the Cabinet are his
secretaries, whom he removes at pleas
ure. Should they appear uron the
door Of Congress, aud earnestly advo
C ste measure as OF the highest neces
sity, they could NOT even. vote for it, and
upon its overwhelming defeat they
wouid return TO taeir offices. Nobody
can take part in debate with muct
moral weight who can not vote upor
the question. The tendency OF ouI
Government 10 TO the absorption of the
executive by the Legislative branch
One significant sign Of the progress o.
that ten iency is the assumption of the
power of appointment by the Senate
Another would be tho compulsory at
tendance Of IL embers OF the Cabinet Oh
non voting members OF Congress
Congress is the immediate represents
tive OF the popular will, elected every
two years. Ii the Cabinet proposes
or urges legislation which is defeated
it is presumably rejected by the people
Why should rot the Cabinet then re-
sign. as misreprssenting the popular
will Undoubtedly for the same res
son that it does not resign now. Bot
if it be wise to bring them into Con
gress, is it not wise 10 make the whole
system correspond p Harper's.