The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1943-10-01
BY HATTON w. SUMMERS
Distinguished Member Of House Of
REPRESENTATIVE from Texas)

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Representatives from Texas
We all believe in democracy
democracy operated through repre-.
sentative government. Why 1t is,
then, that in q land where every
body proclaims his devotion to 1t,
representative government is with
ering before our eyes?
The bureaucrat Is blamed for this.
But he Is not the cause. He Is the
effect. The seat Of the trouble lies
far deeper.
Our whole political system Is
based on the principle OF local self
government. But two forces have
been destroying this principle.
One Is the demand Of the people
for the federal government to in
tervene In problems Of every COM
munity and every class. The
other Is the ever-growing practice
Of passing all these problems on
to the government In Washington.
The last war gave this q big push.
The postwar dislocation hurried 1t.
The Great Depression raised 1t TO
avalanche proportions. The pres
ent war Is completing the Job.
Every town and state, every trade
association and trade union, every
class and group and desperate mi
nority brings It's problems to
Washington. An d Washington Is
gladly accepting that responsibility.
No Miracle Men
But Congress Is made Up solely
Of mere human beings. And Nature
has not endowed any group OF
human beings with the sweep and
grasp a intelligence necessary to
handle the multitude Of federal and
local problems dumped up o n
Washington.
Not being able to handle the i'm
possible burden itself, Congress Of
necessity creates bureaus and pass
es on the overload to the bureau
Gratis. BY bureaucratS I do not
mean those government employees
once called civil servants" because
they were employed to serve" the
government and execute the Laws OF
Congress. refer to the bureau chief
and his squadrons Of courSelors and
economists and specialists. am not
critizing them but the system. They
issue what are called "directives,"
which actually have the force OF
law. One bureaucrat In the Securi-
ties and Exchange Commission said
recently: we do make the law.
This order supersedes any laws op-
posed to It," Actually the bulk Of
what In effect are our general Laws
are now being made not by Con-
greSs but by bureaucracies.
This Is not o new thing. 1t was
un6er way 80 years ago when en-
tered Congress. 7 made o speech in
the House warning Of 1t In 1923 and
again in 1882. I am not discussing
the concentration Of federal power
which has been made in order to
fight the war. The present picture
Is merely the natural development
OF our policies over several decades.
1t is q procedure as old as tyranny.
But 1t cannot exist in q democracy,
because where It exists government
inescapably ceases to be democ-
racy.
The essence Of democracy is that
laws shall be enacted by represent
atives of the people, and that all
sides have a hearing. But laws en-
acted by bureaucrats are fashioned
behind closed doors. The real auth
or Is not known to the people. He
is appointed, not ena6 ted. Generally
the first the public knows of his
directives Is when they are pro-
claimed, is subject to frequent and
sometimes capriciouS amendment.
The bureau enacts 1t, enforces 1t
and sits as Judge in interpreting it.
Most Of these imperial bureaus are
provided with tribunals equipped as
courts and recognize q Inultitudin-
GUS bar which practices before
them.
Directives!
It Is not easy to get q law passed
by Congress. But the bureaucrat
can toss off q directive while you
wait. The very facility with which
he legislates encourages the multi
plicity Of laws. The fact that he
does not have TO face q constit-
uency makes him irresponsible to
the people In the performance OF
this, the highest function Of soy.
ereignty.
The promoters Of Capitalization
are more and more restoring 70 the
exercise Of another unlimited power
against which no constitutional
barrier will ever stand: the control
Of the purse strings. BY making the
units OF state government financial
" dependent on the federal govern
ment. that government Il acquiring
the power 70 control the units Of
state government. when this e fully
contaminated, the sovereignty % the
state governments win be hquidated.