The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1917-03-01

| the legislation needed to carry It out,
II Congress had behaved in either Of
these ways, it would have been vindi.
eating the importance of the part
which a national legislature ought to
play In influencing or controlling the
foreign policy OF the country, and it
would have been proving It's ability to
act up to the size Of the part.
But Congress could not decide either
intelligently to oppose or intelligently
to support the President. A prepon-
derance Of the membership OF both
houses would perhaps have preferred
some or perhaps even any handling of
the submarine controversy with Ger
many which prevented the possibility
of war, but they have never dared to
act upon their convictions and organ
ize for resistance TO the President.
And their fear Of challenging the Pres
identfs leadership has been due in
part at least to their inability to agree
upon policy short of war which does
not look like Sinking or which is not
as costly and dangerous as war itself.
Congress has, consequently fretted,
fumed and cursed, but It has conform
ed. The Senate adopted the character
characteristic course, first approving
by large majority the Presidents
treatment of the issue and then indicat
ing strong desire to escape the con.
sequences of rupture with Germany.
The debate which preceded the endors.
ment of the administration was
lacking in intellectual candor and sub.
stance, in moral elevation and even
in rudimentary knowledge of the bear
ings of the submarine issue and of the
relation thereto of Americas world
policy. And the passage OF the res
olution was followed in both Houses
by course Of almost incredible flu
tility in legislative behavior. Instead
of clearing for action and concentrat-
ing attention upon preparation to meet
the emergency, Congress allowed it.
self to remain immersed in the pas.
sage Of legislative detail.
The record Of its recent behavior
is one of which not only Congress but
their constituents have reason to feel
thoroughly ashamed. It exhibits, at
a critical moment in tho history OF the
country, national legislature which is
,preoccupied with triviallties of admin.
istration which will talk for days
about pneumatic tubes or squabble
over patronage yet which appropri.
ates hundreds of millions without any
adequate or relevant discussions of
general financial policies or of the
needs of policies of particular depart.
ments. A legislature which behaves
in this way has lost all ability to dis.
tinguish between what is important
and what is unimportant. It is worse |
than culpable. Il is innocently but ut |
terly incapable. It Is bankrupt with |
out admitting its own defalcation. 1t |
keeps on paying out deprecated pa
per without realizing that its uses
cannot be converted into sound cur.
rency.
A satisfactory explaation OF this
Congressional inability to free itself
on great occasion from the cheap
.frivolity of its regular practices would
involve treatise on the structure Of
the natinal government and on the his
tory of party politics. The explana.
ton turns, however, in general on the
consequences of the attempt made by
the trainers Of the Constitution to sep.
arate the executive from the legisla.
ture and to provide each of them with
different and mutually exclusive
spheres OF action. The separation
was unnatural and resulted in many
extra-constitutional attempts to do
away with its inconveniences. Our par.
ty system has, for instance. been very
much influenced by the necessity Of
providing for harmonious cooperation
hetween Congress and the Presidency.
Under the cover Of the party system
and for the ostensible purpose OF ex.
ercistng needed control over the ex.
ecutiye. Congress has steadily sppro.
priated executive functions until at
the present time the most serious prac.
teal obstacle to the Improvement IN
the administrative efficiency of the
American government is the inlexible
determination OF Congress itself to
decide questions OF administrative de.
tail. 1t has allowed itself to be i'm.
mersed in trivialities during the past
two weeks, because triviaities trans.
acted in committees have become the
very breath OF its nostrils. It lives
upon petty appointments and appro.
priations which affect individuals and
interests dominant in the legislators