Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-01-25
THE oMMITTEE SYSTEM
Possibility Conflict Between Executive Congressional
Groups Foreshadowed in Mr. Wilson's Writings Ago
By H. S. WEBER


MO AMERICAN has been in the thick OF
~ our national politics in so potently
revolutionary manner for so many years
as President Wilson. This is highly un-
orthodox opinion. 1t is more fashionabe'
TO say that he lcapcd from the obscurlty oil
the schoolroom into national activity at inc
age OF ntty-nve without tho slightest prepa-
ration for big job People who say tnaI
forget that those who are interested in gov
ernment read books on government Mr. VIII
son set ou. some thirty years ago 10 re-
form our governmental system and, by one
OF those coirl ,dences that come once IN a
millennium, has had the chance to try IT.
How it happened that group OF deep
thinkers, who saw in Mr.. Wilson the compl-
nation of the conservative insistenco upon
law and order and legal procedure with the
radical insistenCe upon fundamental change
in methods of using delegated authorltg'
managed to put him over is another story
that can he left to the pen OF Colonel HarNeE,
The present issue has been called "a hght
between the President and Congress What
it really is is fight between the President
and the congressional committee system
which Mr.. Wilson was preaching and teach-
ing his growing circle Of students TO combat
back in the sos.
For ministerial Responsibility
Mr. Wilson has always seen the defects in
our Constitution. lie has always recognized
the supreme power of Congress and the inn
notence of a President who did not have the
support of Congress lie has consistently
urged the closer cooperation of the Admin
istration and Congress by the adoption OF
some form OF ministerial responsibility such
as the English Cabinet has lie has seen that
there can be responsible leadership IN
Congress: that all responsibility can he
lodged through the multitudinous commit
tees no one of which represents the majority
in either house. In 1898 he suggested en-
trusting the preparation and initiation OF
legislation to a single committee in each
house composed of the leading men of the
majority in that house" The present facts
are instructive in regard TO TINS point
Chairman Chamberlain, OF the Senate Milt-
tary Affairs Committee. has been told that
his war cabinet bill should be considered
also by Chairman Swanson, OF the Senate
Naval Affairs Committee because the pro-
posed war cabinet Of three members would
have as much control of the navy as OF the
army And Senator Swanson radically dis
agrees with Senator Chamberlain about the
war cabinet plan!
one committee, responsible to the whole
Senate, would apparently have had very
different tale to tell
In his essay on Government Under the
Constitution" Mr.. Wilson, advocating the
single committee plan, says that
"Such change would not necessarily af-
feet the present precedents as to the reia-
tions between the executive and the legisla-
ture They might still stand stif1y apart
Congress would be integrated and invig-
GRATED, however, though the whole system OF
the Government would not be, To integrate
that some common meeting-ground OF pub
lie consultation must be provided for the
executive and the houses. That can be ac-
complished only by tho admission to Con-
gress, in whatever capacity, of official rep
resentatives of the executive VINO understand
the Administration and are interested and
able to defend it, Let the tenure OF min
isters have what disconnection from legsla-
tive responsibility may seem necessary to
the preservation of the equality OF House
and Senate and the separation Of admins
tration from legislation; light would at least
be thrown upon administration; II would be
given the same advantages OF public sug-
gestion and unhampered self-defense that
Congress, it's competitor, has and Congress
would be constrained to apply system and
party responsibility to it's proceedings.
"The establishment in the United States of
what Is known ministerial responsibility
would unquestionably involve some impor-
tant changes in our constitutional system. /
am strongly Of the opinion that such changes
would not be too great a price 10 pay for
the advantages secured to us by such Gov
ernment.'
The irresponsible Committee
In explaining why the congressional COM
mittee system fails (and, twenty-five years
in advance inadvertently predicting the
present dlficuites Of Chairman Chamberlaln)
Mr. Wilson said;
"The measures born in Congress have no
common lineage. They have not even
traceable kinship. They are fathered by
score or two OF unrelated standing commit
tees and Congress stands godfather 10 them
ALL without discrimination. Congress, in
effect, parcels out its great powers amongst
groups Of It's members, and so confuses its
plans and obscures all responsibility.
our legislation is framed and Initiated by
great many committees, celebrating in secret