The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-09-12
BUZZ IN POLITICS.
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CONTINUED from Page One.)
bilious congressman, who wants to get
things done, owes his main allegiance
not to the people, or even to the party
organization, but to the speaker per-
sonally In effect, the speaker says to
him, DO as l say and you'll get good
committee appointment The result is
the building up of a personal machine.
Another natural consequence is that
this machine must keep on increasing
its power. 1t can not stand still. 1t
must go on until it dominates abso-
Now, the history of legislative
bodies shows that the way the power
of a machine works out is in the OBJ
struction of legislation; in fact, to hold
mower the machine must obStruct. SO
only can it make its strength felt.
For example,: In 1889 congress
passed the first important law regulat-
ing railroads-the Interstate com
cisions largely circumscribed the area
of its operation. The public began to
make insistent demand for further
legislation; there were mass meetings,
speeches, resolutions, editorials, com
plants, protests. Finally, in 1903, six
years later certain concrete amend
ments to the law were reported out OF
a congressional committee. In 1905,
certain inefficient and inadequate
amendments were passed. In 1910
been given to the popular will.
'In other words, the machine def1ed
public opinion for thirteen years. what
is the result? The people have been
made to believe that legislative bodies
are normally obstructive by tactics
which are only tricks of self preserva-
ton on the part of legislative ma
chine.
Now note the effect of this on the
relation of the two houses of con-
gress. The original scheme calls for
popular house TO take the initiative in
legislation, and conservative body
the senate-to hold it in check. But
the machine kills the truly popular
quality in the house, and an ultra-con-
servative house means a moribund
senate. Now, free the house of the
incubus of the speakers machine, and
obstruction as the majority method
disappears; a vitalized house will push
along recalcitrant senate. You have
transformed congress by awakening
the lower house.
This is the first great result to flow
from the completion of the insurgent
reorganization of the house.the max
ing of congress a truly responsible leg
islative body. From that will flow two
most important things.
"First, a restoration of the rightful
power and prestige of the legislative
branch of the government. AS citizens
of the nation we are governed by two
things: Laws and regulations. The
executive branch, represented by the
departments, does not hesitated to
write regulations upon occasion that
nullify the statutes.
Frustrated by Departments.
TT is not idle fiction-it is appalling
fact-that regulations written in de-
partments are more vitality and init
mately determinative of the admins
tration of the law than the law itself.
Restore public confidence in congress,
and you will have the invasion of the
legislative domain by the executive de-
partment of the government. Congress
cannot effectively protest today, for the
executive branch has enjoyed public
confidence for years, and congress has
not.
But the greatest thing of all is this:
Emancipate the house from machine
rule, and at once you begin the growth
of a new type of congressman. Under
the machine system which has come 20
be called 'CanAonism,' the stage was
reached where the adherents of the
machine were not expected to think Cor
themselves. The universal custom was
for the membership, almost wholly uni
formly. to vote with the committee
which meant that the members of con-
gress should blindly follow the lead Of
the. chairmen of committees.
SCORES of major measures have gone
through congress without per cent of
the men who voted for them ever hav-
ing read them or heard them read.
say that not 2 per cent of the members
of the house either read or heard read
the Aldrich-Vreeland currency bill.
From a condition where the individual
congressman did not have to inform
himself it was an easy step to the next
stage, where he didn't care what was
proposed, but relied wholly upon the
judgment of his leaders. The sense IF
Individual responsibility, the golden
element in any legislative body.
shrfveled entirely away in many con-
rressmen. The studious, vigilant, ir-
formed congressman became the excep-
ton.
Most fatefully ironical has been the
continued complaint of the Cannon ma
chine that congressman. to escape the
blame of angry constituents. have hid
A., Iil<e towards behind Cannon IT
was the Cannon machine that taught
them to hide.
.arake away from the house the Gus
+om of voting with the committee,
teach the American congressman that
he must inform himself and do his own
fhinlxing. and there will begin to grow
again the sense of responsibility. And