Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1924-04-11
HUNTySeA
WASHINGTON I TTiiiiiii
LETTERS
BY HARRY B. HUNT
NEA Service Writer

NdSlilIIStoH, April 1O.-W here
are Americas great men
That question has been puzzling
Senator James Couzens Of Michi-
gan ever since he came to Washing.
ton. Jim has been looking around
trying to discern signs of greatness
in his senatorial colleagues, in ca5i
net officials and others directing
governmental affairs. But wheth
er he is hard to please or whether
he doesn't recognize greatness
when he sees it, Couzens has con-
Guided that the average of great.
ness in official life today is, viewed
even kindly, not very great.
+ Il IS
Studying over how to remedy
the situation, just as he used to
study how to get better men IN
his automobile business, Couzens
has reached the belief that closer
contact and keener comptition be-
tween the wits of members of cabi-
net and Congress would do much TO
elevate the standards of ability in
both branches of the government.
That is one of the arguments he
Will bring to bear in support of his
proposal that cabinet members be
granted the rights of the floor. in
House and Senate, with the priv
lege of participating in debate and
the duty to reply to inquisitions
from the floor.
Back in the days of Blaine, Voor-
bees, Allison, Butler, ingalls, and
Platt-when the level Of statesman
ship in Congress is conceded to
have been higher than now-the
same sort of proposal was made. A
select committee of the Senate was
named to investigate and report
on its desirability. In its report
this committee said:
"This system will require the Sc
lection of the strongest men to be
heads of departments, and will re-
quire them to be well equipped with
knowledge of their offices.
ut will also require the strongest
men to be the leaders of Congress.
1t will bring these strong men into
contact, perhaps into conflict, TO
advance the public veal. 1t will
thus stimulate their abilities and
their efforts and will thus assuredly
result in good to the country"
#**
In addition to this approval of
his plan, Couzens will also be able
to place on record as endorsing il
no less present-day authorities
than Chief Justice Taft and Secre-
tary of State Hughes.
Hughes, declaring that "there is
no constitutional objection to such
procedure" further says:
"Ours is the only national gov
eminent in. the world which puts
this restriction (inability to parti-
cipate in legislative ddbate) on the
executive branch"
Taft, as president, in his mes
sage to Congress Dee. 10, 1912,
said:
81 recommend the adoption Of
legislation which will make it the
duty of heads Of departments to at
tend the sessions of the House and
Senate, to give them the opportunity
to take part in the discussions ano
to answer questions"
While Couzens is thus seeking to
discover and develop leaders OF
craftsmanship size, C. G. Gilmore
of the National Museum has ac-
tually produced to view one of the
greatest of the great of ancient
days. He will soon be on view in
Washington-but at the museum,
not in Congress.
Gilmore's ''find'' is a great diplo-
docus, "a sauropodous dinosaur,
which he unearthed in Utah. The
skeleton of the beast measures over
80 feet in length and has a height
of IA feet at the hips. A real