Evening star., 1920-02-18
MR. REDFIELD WRITES ABOUT
MEETINGS HELD BY CABINET
Former Commerce Secretary Says Depart
ment Heads Have Duties Which Do
Not Originate With President

The cabinet is not body which is
to William c. Redheld. former Secre-
tary of Commerce. discussing the
resignation Of Mr.. Lansing. in an ar
ticle which appeared under his name
this week in the New York Times
Mr.. Redfield's views are as follows:
''The question having been raised by
the chief executive of the propriety of
the cabinet meeting during his alb
sence because of sickness. the sub
ject has become one Of general public
future action. What is to be done In
similar cases hereafter? Some light
may be thrown upon the problem by
considering the motives which were
present in the minds Of those who
took part in the recent acts of usurpa-
tion, II they were such.
'The cabinet is not q body which Is
known to the Constitution. Its meet.
ings are not held under provisions OF
law. 1t is not an executive body. The
cabinet as q unit does not do things.
1t has no rules Of procedure. 1t keeps
no secretary. 1t is. or it Is supposed
to be, body Of counselors. 1t is as
sumed to be composed of the men who
are in most intimate touch with the
understands his policies and his views.
and who are trusted by him to carry
them out, so far as they may relate to
their several executive functions. For
it should be remembered that while
the cabinet itself is informal. non
men who compose it have. in addition
to their advisory duties therein. GER
tain obligations placed upon them by
law as the heads OF great executive
departments. These duties do not
originate with the President. and can
n q /.
der the organic law creating the De-
partment of Commerce one would
look in vain for any enactment OF
cabinet duties, but would find clearly
stated certain administrative duties
Interloekiss Duties.
"These administrative duties interlock
with those of other cabinet officers.
many places the work Of the depart
ments headed by other members of the
cabinet and Of Independent govern
ment services. They are not and can
not be independent organisms function
ing separately. Their chiefs are obliged
another. often to act jointly with one
another. So it was my duty to serve
on one board with the Secretaries Of
Agriculture and Labor. on another with
these officers and with several more
Of our colleagues. There is thus an
the cabinet not created by the Presi-
dent, which he did not make and which
he cannot change. Examples are found
in the Federal Board for Vocational
Education, the Council Of National De-
tense and there are others.
Consideration must also be given to
the obligation. personal and public.
which the members Of the cabinet owe
to their chief. They are supposed to
know his policies respecting the work
OF their own departments, and Of the
interrelated services mentioned above.
remain members OF the cabinet. to
hold up his hands, to carry out his poll
cies. to act in accord with him In
absence as well as In presence.
The writer Is not q constitutional
lawyer. but plain business man. In
dealing. therefore. with a matter of
this kind. where no law exists. and
where the Constitution itself Is silent,
he assumed, as matter Of course, that
the rule Of common sense would apply.
This. as it seemed to him. called for
consultation with his colleagues. He
was indeed obligated by law to consult
with them on many matters placed in
their joint hands by statute. His work
and theirs ran on parallel and even
converging lines in many Of their ele-
chief on certain subjects. he assumed
that his colleagues would be similarly
informed on others Furthermore. it
seemed clear that team work was re-
quired and that the very shadow of
doubt thrown upon executive affairs
by the regrettable illness Of the Presi-
dent would be accentuated II 1t were
also known that each department was
functioning Independently. without
knowledge either Of the President's Q
wishes or the views Of his fellow ex-
ecutives. Loyalty to the President him.
self, would seem to call for common