Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1912-12-27

| IItO opNot'' w va" w Y
through direct question and answer
on the floor Of congress, which Is now
wasted in roundabout inquiry, More
over, a secretary who knew that Inc
might any day be called upon In con
gress for Information concerning his
department, would be prompted there
by to new zeai in keeping the run OF
all that went on in it. : President Taft
does not mention another Colsidcra
ton, though ii Is really weighty. We
mean the heightened interest which
The public would be certain to take
in congressional proceedings, whe1
the cabinet had a voice in them, to
answer questions or defend policies
1t is obvious also that this would be
a means Of getting quickly before
the country a great deal of informa'
tioa which now ONE to the light but
slowly and in fragments, says the
New York Evening Post.
The advocates Of such an innova'
ton in our system ought not to make
the mistake Of eXaggeratins the evils
Of the present arrangement. The case
Is not so black as 1t is often painted.
Those who hold that every govern.
ment has in its machinery something
roughly equivalent TO the devices TO
be found elsewhere, could justify
themselves by point to many ways IL
which our cabinet does. in .~--, get
its views before congress. 1t Is the
rule, for example, that a secretary
shall always appear, in person Or by
deputy, before the committee OF the
house or the senate having the appro-
priation bill for his department under
consideration. This yields all oppor-
tunity for the most free and full dis
s%uccion. 1t might. indeed easily be
carried on to better advantage n a
committee room than on the floor OF
congress. The heart of lne matter
could be more speedily tori OUT. And
even a. regards those questions OF pol.
icy, or those rumors of dissension or
even of scandal. which arise from
helpless, in dealing with congress as
is sometimes said. A representative
Or senator viii bring forward some
charge in a speech; but before he Is
through the telephone to the depart
partment involved will have been set
ringing, and the official is ready as
soon as the assa'lant takes his seat.
And there is, of course, nothing to pre-
vent the members of the cabinet from
having confidential interviews with in
nuential men in congress. They are
doing this all the while. They also
have the press as another means OF
conveying information to congress
and the country. A great deal de-
ponds. here as everywhere else, upon
the vigor and resource. of tile man i'm
question; but given Il cabinet, mem
Der who is energetic and who knows
his way about in Washington, and it
cannot be denied that, as things are
now, he will be able to bring his part
of the executive government into a
close relation with congress.
All this, however, is done irregul-
arly and with a certain amount of
awkwardncss. If the end Compassed
in this way is desirable, the path ~
wards it ought to be made straighter
and palmer. There is no novelty IL
the plan to give members Of the cab.
met a seat and a voice in congress. 1t
is well-nigh the universal practice in
other countries. 1t has long been urg.
ed here, from the time of Judge Story
down. The late Gamaliel Bradford
conducted for years a campaign In
favor of the change, supporting his
contentious with an extraordinary fer
Utility in argument and application. 1t
is safe to say that every solid objec'
ton that could nov be made has been
anticipated in previous discussions. If
it be said, for example, that cabinet
officers would simply fritter away
away their time and bore themselves
to death by constantly attending the
sessions Of congress, the answer Is
that nothing of the kind is contemp
lated. There would be stated times
for the appearance of the secretaries
%Somelning like the English question
hour" would be established. More
over the more important question:
would be answered only after notice
given. All these things are matters
Of detail which could easily be pro
| vided for II once congress were mind
ed to undertake the central change.
1t is hardly to be expected that the
thing will be attempted at the pres
ent session. The time is too short
President Taft's endorsement will moi
now be compelling. The reform. if il
= ever comes about. will be numbered
among those which Mr.. Taft favored
but did net fight for. On the mair
question, however. there seems to be
a growing belief that the experiment
, is n Of which we are bound, sooner
Or later, to make trial. We can, to be
sure, get along under the present
method, but the question is whether
we should not get on much better I'm
der the one proposed. 1t would I'm
questionably rouse fresh interest ir
the work Of congressman the in
5 creasing popular indifference to that
| work is a disturbing sign of the times
Question time in the house Of com
mons is often the most fruitful par
of the entire session; and so It NIGH
be in congress. Moreover, the pla1
would inevitably react so as to insure
a choice Of ADLER men in the cabinet
No president would think of naming