Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-04-11

ence TO the action of the one and en-.
ergy TO the action of the other.
SHOWS ACTION NOT IMPULSE.
In delivering a message 10 congress
he took advantage of the
{ pportunity to try out what years ago
he ventured TO champion, so it was not
an impulse, but a very deliberate ac-
ton along what apparently had become
q profound conviction of presidential
duty.
Somewhere recently writer on
Woodrow Wilson's favorite books
mentioned Walter Bagehot's very able
ana charming treatise on The Eng
lsh Constitution" as one of the pre-
ferred bit sof reading in the presi-
dents library. 1t may be easily
imagined that that work, published
many years ago, contributed its infiu-
ence toward bringing President Viii
sen TO his present action.
In that work Bagehot contrasts the
American way of complete separation
OF legislative and executive with the
British governmental form. In his
view the efficient secret" of the Eng,
lish constitution lies in the close un,
ion, the nearly complete fusion of the
legislative and executive powers, the
connecting link being the cabinet
which, in short, is a committee of the
legislative body selected to be the ex,
ecutive body, with a member of the
parliament serving as its head in the
role of prime minister.
CONTRASTS THE ENGLISH SYSTEM
Wrote BagehOt:
This fusion OF the legislative and
executive functions may, to those who
have not much considered it, seem but
a dry and small matter TO be the lat
ent essence and effectual secret of the
English constitution; but we can only
judge of its real Importance by look
ing at few of its principal effects and
contrasting it very shortly with its
great competitor, which seems likely
unless care be taken. to outstrip it il
+ the progress of the world.
! That competitor is the presidential
system The characteristic of it il
that the president is elected from the
people by one process and the house
cf representatives by another.
The independence of the Legislative
and executive powers is tn specific
quality of presidential government, jus
as their fusion and combination is thu
precise principle of cabinet govern
ment
TAXATION 4 CASE IN POINT.
First, compare the two in quie
times: The essence of a civilized ag
IL, that administration requires tn
continued aid of legislation. One priI
c.pal and necessary kind OF legisla
ton is taxation The expense of civ
ilized government is constantly vary
ing 1t must vary if the government
does its duty.
The miscellaneous estimates Of tn
English government contain an ineN
table medley of changing items. Edr
; cation, prison discipline art, science
: civil contingencies of a hundred kinds
require more money one year and les
another. The expense of defense
the naval and military estimates
vary still more as the danger of a
tack seems more or less imminent, a
the means of retarding such DANCE
become more or less costly.
If the persons who have to do tn
work are not the same as those VIII
have to make the laws there will b
controversy between the two sets c
PERSONS.
The tax-impOsers are sure to qua
rel with the tax-requirers.
The executive is crippled by nc
! getting the laws il needs, and the Les
Z isIsture is spoiled by having 10 &C
: without responsibility; the executiv
! becomes unfit for its name since
: cannot execute what il decides on; IN
legislature is demoralized by libert!
b. taking decisions OF which other
land not itself will suffer the e
fects.
DIFFICULTY IN AMERICA.
} In America go much has this diff
Guilty been felt that a semi-connectio
has grown up between the legislator
and the executive When the seer,
. tary Of the treasury of the federal go,
| eminent wants tax he cOnsults upo
il with the chairman OF the f5nancii
? committee Of congress.
3 He cannot go down to congress hin
!, self and propose what he wants. b
can only write a letter and send /
But he tries to get a chairman OF th
finance committee who likes his taz
through that chairman, he tries 10 pc
-Uade the committee TO recommen