The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1881-03-01
GARNET OFFICERS IN CONGRESS

of tho senate and house Of representatives
and to participate in debate on quesuohs
relative 10 tho business OF their respective
depsrtments. This bill has not rs yet been
very prominent in congressional discusSohs
and business, though Il has been tfeateo
editorially by some Of the leading democratic
and republican journals Of the country IL
will be among the bills that go over from Inc
present to the next congress and then lae
sanstcr will, he says, NJ the earliest praciics'
bio moment bring it up and press ac'ioh
upon il. He il enthusiastic in Its favor ana
has many arguments to advance 10 its be-
half, arguments that are plausible and forc'-
bic. We do not remember to have seen any
serious objections urged to the MEASURE, and
with tho precedents Of European countries,
where cabinet officers urge their measures ~
behalf of government and the policies they
desire carried out, it is possible that Mr..
Pen1eton will succeed in carrying thrSugh
his bill. He thinks tho advantages to accurt
from the adoption of euoh a law very.groat'
and claims that it will secure for members OF
congress the Information they may want con
corning tho matters the heads OF the dlllar'
en-, departments may have in their charge
The object of the bill is TO obtain IA onsy,
open channel for tho public between those
to whom hNs been entrusted the subdivisions
of the country's business, into which, tue
whole has been distributed out TO increase
the coseness of The connection which oz5's
b tween Them. This connection IL apparent
" close enough now, but is incomplete snd
wouuG-sbout and to an extent UNAUTHORIZED,
secret, private and coucealod, or vt leaaS de-
MED. We all know how difficult it is for Il
member or a committee OF either house of
congress to obtain any information desired
relative to any action of any one Of tho do
partments, il the head Of that department
sees proper TO resort to circumloeulion, or 10
throw any obstacles in the way. but
if this bill should become II
law, then the secretness of the various
departments of tho government could come
before congress ut their yolition and take
part in the debate on any pending legislation
concerning the matters within their depart
monts, or they could DO compelled TO come
forward by either house, or BOTH and on its
floor give any information desired, furnish
any data required. Under tho ,presen! sys
tenn cabinet officers are little more than head
clerks, and so far ss the public knows, or
they got credit for, have no moro to 90 with
shaping thepolicies that obtain under 1heir ad'
than clerk would have. They
have no way of WELDING influence or effect
Ing the public mind for or against any pro-
posed measure connected with the affairs of
the couutry save in their reports and special
reports made in answer TO special resolutions
asking for them. They are therefore forced
to the Use Of Whatever pcraoaal inillonoo
they can bring to bsar which cannot be con-
,idered Legitimate Influence, ami therefore
Ihe effect Of the passage Of this bill viii be
10 Lessen tnis questionable influence and to
Increase the practical Knowledge and inform
he Judgment Of congress, while IT'S iHdo-
oendenco will in no wise be diminish, D.
senator PendletOn alao thinks the public
business would be- greatly expedited by his
proposed change, and on this point says
The communications OF the secretaries 10
,ongress arc all in writing, and are made in
lursuanoo of law at stated periods, or in re"
ponso TO special calls for Inc sake Of arsu-
ncut that taese reports are full, exact, com
,rononsive, and that the opportunity and
empia!ion never suffice 90 cause either an
Intentional coloring or omission of trouble
ome matter. They should DO
accompanied by detailed statements
If facts and figures aud Nreports OF
very necessary to be preserved
n the archives and studied by the thorough
political economist. do not propose TO
lispclse with them. They me volaminou';
hey are not always lucid they donot always
give the information desired; they are mines
n which men will not dig through the was.
possible to find the ore; they must be pOret
over to be understood, and they must to
pored over by each man for himself. Not
one in len Of the members Of congress thor:
,ughly reads them. Tho condensed state
mcnt Of a few minutes, delivered orally,
would give more Intelligent information 10
he whole senate than half volume, Tire
careful reading of which would cost every
senator many hours. Special calls for infor-
nation are answered slowly, because the
secretary has something which he deems
more important, or is negligent, or the ne
cesslty of much copying takes place. Calls
are male improvidenlly. and pages of man
uscript are copied and printed which arc
utterly useless for the purpose contemplated
by the caller--unless, perhaps, for any pur.
pose whatever. They are evaded by ,hc
officer. He takes long time to answer,
then answers insufIiciently, and the session ex-
pires before new call can receive attention.
As to the practices of other governments
on this subject, he says: "Why, in that
regard our practice is an anomaly. Look nj
the constitutions Of Great Britain, France
Germany, Austria, Italy, Belgium, Greece
and Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, Spain