The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-11-28
PRESIDENTS AND SECRETARIES.

PRESIDENTS AND SECRETARIES.
In criticising the financial policy of
the administration and President Cleve-
relations with the Secretary of
the Treasury, Senator Sherman is re-
ported as saying:
He thoroughly mistakes the relations of
his office to his Secretary. He is not the
ruler of the country, as he thinks, but its
presider, defines itself. He has no business
to be doing executive acts instead of his
Secretary of the Treasury. who is respon-
almost every day. Harrison did the same.
/ would not have served under Harrison
ten days as his Secretary, of the Treasury.
ent from that of a suspicious and jealous
interferer with his Cabinet.
If this is a correct report of what SEN
ator Sherman said he must have ex-
pressed himself less carefully than
usual. AS a statement of the constitu-
tional theory of u government the
foregoing is not correct, and the defini-
ton Of the word president, as used in the
Constitution, is not accurate. In a lit
eral sense a President is simply a pre-
siding officer. but in many cases he is
much more. The President of the
United States has very different func-
lions and duties from the President of
the Senate. The latter is merely a pre-
siding officer, while the former is the
chief executive Of the government. The
Constitution vests all executive power
in him. and that which is exercised by
his subordinates is delegated power. TIE
heads of departments, or, as they are
popularity and enormously caiied,s mem
bers of the Cabinet. are unknown to the
Constitution, n are really nothing but
head clerks of the executive department.,
appointed by and responsible to the
President. The latter is responsible to
the people for their acts. In a sense
it is true that the President ought not
to interfere with the heads Of depart
ments, because he ought to have sufi-
cient confidence in their Intelligence and
executive ability to trust them implicit
ly, but in a constitutional and legal
sense he has a perfect right to inter-
fere with and overrule them as often as
he may see fit. A head of department
may resent this by resigning, but if he
refuse to comply with the wishes or
obey the orders Of the President the
latter ma remove him. Senator Sher-
man seems to imply that the Secretary
Of the Treasury is responsible to Con-
other heads of departments are. This is
a mistake. The law requires him to
make his annual report to Congress, but
beyond that his responsibility is not
different from that of other secretaries.
These principles are primary, and it
is not to be supposed that Senator Sher-
man is ignorant of them. If he is cor
rectly reported he must have spoken
incautiously. He says: IT would not
have served under Harrison ten DAYS
as his Secretary of the Treasury" No
doubt he meant to imply that he would
not serve under any President who
should interfere with and overrule him.
But suppose Mr. Sherman were Presi-
lent and had a Secretary of the Treas
ury whose financial views did not ac-
cord with his. and who insisted on
carrying out a financial policy of his
own, h would Mr.. Sherman do?
Everybody knows what he would do.
He would tell the Secretary that he
President Sherman, was the responsible
executive and that the Secretary must
obey orders or resign. 1t does not fol-
low because q President interferes with
or overrules his Secretaries that he is
suspicious or jealous. His action may
be based on a deep sense of RESPONSE
bility to the people and a conviction
that the Secretary is not acting wisely or
legally. In hat case it is his duty to
interfere and require the Secretary to
obey orders or resign. 1t does not fol-
low that a Presidents interference is
always wise. On the contrary, it may
be very unwise. but it is none the less
his constitutional right. The Constitu-
ton does not make the President of the
United States a mere figure-head. He
is a good deal more thar a presiding
officer with a casting vote.
AS for the case in hand. it would be
difficult to say whether President Cleve-
lands interference with Secretary Car
isles financial policy has been wise or
not. 1t is a case of the blind leading
the blind, and the country will be fortu-
nate IL both do not fall into the ditch.