Evening star., 1921-10-02
Suggests Cabinet Members
Advise Congress in Person

OI0CubbiOH dOOut Ih0 shSo = AS
dent sitting In the Presidents
cabinet was kept up until Presi-
dent Harding invited Vice Presi-
dent Coolidge to participate In
cabinet consultations. 1t was con-
tended for years that the Presi-
dent should have some one In the
Senate who knew all about his ad-
ministration. I am not criticising.
I think It was q courteous and
kindly act upon the part of Presi-
dent Harding to include his Vice
President in cabinet gatherings.
But my reading of the Congress
sional Record and of the public
press has not conveyed to me any
information Of the Vice President
enlightening the Senate about the
purposes and wishes OF the admin
istratton..
I am q stickler for the principles
upon which the government was
founded, but recognise that
changes In the methods OF admin
iatration may cause those prtnci-
pies to function better. am in
clined to favor the bill of. Rep
resentative Kelly OF Pennsylvania'
to make 1t incumbent upon cabinet
officers to appear in the two houses
of Congress. there to be inter-
rogated. This. OF course. 10 the
English system. am neither an
anglo maniac nor an anglo-phoniac
and think there IL no reason why
anything good in any other gov
ernment may not with propriety
be adopted by our own.
Mr.. Kelly's suggestion Is not
new ono. Several years ago. Mr..
Perry Belmont wrote an interest
ing pamphlet on the subject Of
cabinet government. I was 50 I'M
pressed with its wisdom that I
backed up the pamphlet in = pre-
pared interview. Nothing came OF
1t, which was the common fate OF
subjects of vice presidential In
terviews. Heretofore. Vice Presi-
dents and the wind have blown
where they ltsteth. Thou nearest
tho sound thereof. and canst not
tell whence IL cometh. and nobody
cares whittier 1t goeth. wish for
Vice President Coolidge better
luck.
4 Il y
II a cabinet officer were COM
PEELED to enter the Senate and the
House, and there submit himself
to examination upon q pending
measure affecting his department,
all members would at the same
time obtain first-hand Information
rather than gain inklings &s they
do now by filtration through the
brain-pan Of a committee. Each
member would get like facts as the
purposes of the Administration. The
advantages Of such q system would
apply particularly to appropria-
tions. have NO reason to suggest
Interior motives on the part OF any
administrative ofncer, but expert
ence has taught me that every
duckling 10 . swan to its mother.
We all become obsessed with the
Importance in time and eternity
of our own particular part OF the
worlds work. An educator once
informed me that II there were
only one man in the state of In
diana who desired to study the
Chaldaas tongue It wasthe duty Of
the state to furnish a professor re-
Rardless of cost. Each bureau In
washington, according to its own
views, In growing constantly In ma
tional importance and 10 deserving
OF constant enlargement. 1t has
some ono always to point out its
records and it's hopes. There rarely
is ANYBODY conversant with its
weakness.
Il is to be hoped. particularly at
this time, when there is such a
strinRency In national finances. and
while effort is being made to in
crease the efficiency Of the gen
eral government. that the bill OF
Nr. Kelly will not be permitted to
sleep unto death. Our laws are
not as those Of the Medes and Per-
SLAMS. Let this English system be
tried. II it works well. we shall be
clad, II It does not, 1t may easily
BE- abandoned.
sr,oavrfRht loel. b. ThoNAS R. MAfShall.)