The Washington times., 1924-03-31
'QUESTlN|NGOF
GBB|NE FINDS
FAVOR
colzens PIN 70 Force Members
- Testify Gains Strength
BY Recent Developments.
q WILLIAM, HAZE.

st By WILLIAM HARD.
Tho resignation of Attorney Cen.
eral DaAghetty. following, the resig.
nation Ok Secretary of the Navy
DENLY and coupled with the certain
prospect of new terrific attacks
upon Secretary Ok the Treasury
Mellon ana Secretary ok War
Weeks save fresh prominAncs here
today % senator cousens bin for
obllglng members Of the cabinet III
appear hefore Congress ana IA
answer udestfons IN person,
CHIEF Justice Tart has declared
that such q bill could bD vAlidly
enacted without any previous
amendment to the Constitution. He.
has declared. that IL would BE- III
perfect hArnicFy with the present
letter oe the Constitukl0n and also
with it1 spirit.
WOula Avert Scandal
senator Couzens claims tAat the
whole affairs oe the naval III ~
serve leases could have been cheek
ed at the start IL secretary of the
Interior FAN had been on the floor.
of Congress to answer Immediate
questions two years ago from sun,
picions and aroused Senators
He also cIAixns that scalldAl oua
harpenines on the fgzngea Hck the
Department Of Justice could have
been cleaned away d long time
since. IL critical Senators had heesA
able 10 ark Attorney General
Daugherty direct questions &. face
to face and N tho eye Of the whole
national publtes
Some EenatDSs, on the other hand,
are morS Interested Ia having evils
and scandals to investigate than
they are III checking the evalD and
scandals Ut their beginning. Such
Senators Intend To oppose Senator
C0nzens bill.
4 The bin provides, in essencA. that
The lnemhere Of the cabinet and.
also the heads of the principal In.
dependent departments outside the
Cabinet. must appear and BIT In,
the House Ok Repre- sentatiyes 81
the beginning Of It's session every
AAOtkAkAB SMAA4 NAlAS D&44b1A<zAAS IN SAkEy
must appear and sit m. the Senate
at the beginning oI it, session
every Wednesday.
Must Give TnfefnAfl6n.
Thus appearing. they must there
upon. In the language oil. the bin.
give information asked by reso.
luton or N rsplv tD questions
which may Is prchOunded to them
under the rules d the. senate and
House"
Senator Couzens beaieves that III.
this way the Senate and the House
would, in Atine, beEot1Ae as well IN.
formed about the lneeican Govern
anent as the British House Of Com.
mons is about the British govern.
meIat through the answers which II
gets from cabinet members during
the famous House OF Commons
afternoon Question Hour"
Senator Couxensf bill Also provides
that cabinet members and other
heads OF departments at Washing
ton may on any day Of the week
at their own free win have the
or the House and take part In Dc.
bates having to do with the affairs
OF their own several departments.
The popularity Of the situation
Ii that seven persons out OF ten
In Washington win admit, and have
for years admitted, that this reform
would reduce and in many cases
would totally eliminate scandals and
troubles. And yet. year after year
this reform Is thrown into the
wastebasket by Congress.
1t is widely concluded here thAt
Congress, at the bottom Of Its heart,
would rather Investigate and lecture
the executive branch than reform
with the Navy Department, the
Interior Department. and t1N Treas
ury Department and the Depart
ment 81 Justice all now under deer
Congressional suspicion, and all
suffering heavily In their EFFICIENCY
and morale through resentment OF
present attacks and through fear
Of coming attacks, 1t was pointed
cut today that past indifference to
the reform in Senator COlaEens bill
is now being succeeded by genuine
interest in It.
Support Expressed.
Support for the idea OF it has
been openly expressed by Secretary
Of State Hughes. Mr. Hughes hac
said that he personally favors the
presence OF Cabinet members on the
floors Of Congress in order thai
they may he able flslly and tmmedl
Ately to explain their policies ans
| performances to CONGRESS- and t.
| the country.
He has criticized the present
estrangement between the mind Of
Congress and the mind Of the execu
live branch and has said:
''Mischiefs will not be cured by
methods that now make misap
prehensions easy"
In numerous quarters here the
hope Is accordingly expressed thai
Congress, having this session done
60 much to find the executive
branch wrong, win adopt the one
Constructive reform, which in the
opinion Of all local students Of thu
subject here, might help to keeI
l the AxAcutfvN branch right,