The Washington herald., 1907-06-03
Decadenee of Legislative Power.
Editor The Washington Herald;

Editor The Washington Herald;
Hon. Lawrence Y. Sherman, lieutenant
governor of Illinois, in memorial ad-
dress delivered at Chicago about the time
President Roosevelt was delivering his
Decoration Day speech at Indianapolis,
deplored the gradual weakening Of the
legislative branch Of government" and
suggested as one of its possible causes
'the insidious attacks of the Executive
from time TO time" Originally. he said,
the legislature was the strongest and
most representative branch; but. he de-
clared, 1t is 50 no longer" Did not Mr..
Sherman, in admitting that the legislature
is no longer the most representative
branch Of government, come near TO eX-
planning why il is no longer the strongest?
Is il not natural that the people should
wish to see their true interests cared for
by their government and should sustain
its Executive in apparent encroachments
on the supposed sphere Of its legislative
branch. If they have reason to feel that
those interests are more faithfully repre-
sented and more effectively defended in
the former than in the latter? Not a few
OF our municipal ard State legislatures
have made for themselves notoriously un-
savOry regulations. and more than one
instance viii occur 70 the reader in which
executive authority has in one way or
another put "a salUtary check on legisla-
tive extravaganza or corruption in city or
State affairs
In national affairs the orgy Of corrup-
ton that came to light in the Credit Mo-
biler revelations certainly did not tend
10 increase the respect Of the people for
the authority cf Congress; and under
both Democratic and Republican admins
trgtioEs we may find comparatively re-
cent instances in which tie wisdom OF
that body and its zeal for the public
welfare would not have sufiiced without
much Executive prodding 10 avert disas-
trous legislation on the one hand. or TO
secure on the other the enactment of salu-
tary and most necessary measures.
Under the present administration the
Executive has taken the lead in urging
upon 4 more or less reluctant Congress
tie enactment Of measures believed 70 be
necessary to the public welfare: and
while the thorough discussion 10 which
some Of these mCasUrcs-thc railrOad-Tate
bin, for eXample-Were subjected in Con-
gress may have done important service,
il is to the executive, rather than the
legislative. branch Of the national govern
ment that a large majority Of the Ameri-
can people at this moment look for the
initiation Of further measures for the de
fense Of their interests against the at
tacks Of predatory wealth.
II we wish To look below the surface
and ascertain whether causes are in
operation that tend 10 make executives
chosen by the people better representa-
tives of their interests than legislatures
similarly chosen. we may, perhaps, find
one such cause In the fact that the re-
spOnsibility for legislative action is
greatly divided and exceedingly difficult
TO trace 10 its source. which is not the
case with the responsibility of the chief
executive officer Of city, State, or nation,
however much he may be dependent on
subordinates for carrying out the details
Of his policy. At present however, there
can be no adequate explanation of the
comparative power and influence of the
executive and legislative branches Of our
national government without taking due
account Of the strong personality Of the
man at the head Of the former. and his
clear and positive convictions on most
important questions Of public policy.
EDWARD r. PETERS,
Washington, ID. c.