The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-03-08

had anything to do with trying tc force the resignation of Harry Slat- tery as head of Rural ElectrificatiotI Administration. The question iS whether to cite Daniels for con- tempt of Senate.
 1 Daniels loyalty to the President right or wrong, is of course under standable. But if this case comes to a showdown 1t might seem appro- priate for the President to take his assistant off the spot, by assuming the responsibility for whatever 1t was he told his assistant to do, and explaining 1t to the Senate. If Dan- iels should have to take the rap irl this case to protect the President, 1t would be another clear case of Congress showing that 1t was boss. CONGRESSIONAL REFORM If such matters seem petty, which they ali are, they can at least be understood as conflicts over live personalities instead of dead issues, in deciding who is most powerful Congress or President.
 To cure the evils of too much bureaucracy, the congressional idea is that more government affairs should be run by the Congress. Some Of the deep thinkers on con- gressional reform carry this so far as to propose that Congress build up permanent executive staff of It's own to oversee the activities of thees bureaus, to see that they stay within the limits of the functions for which they weer created by Act of Congress. The theory is that If Congress runs these things, govern ment will be taken out of the hands of bureaucrats and dictatorS and will instead be returned to the pee pull through their chosen represen- tatives.
 The wisdom of any such extreme measures may at once be open to doubt. What 1t amounts to Is talk ing the policy-making branch of the government -- the board of di- rectors, as 1t were and sending it into the factory and sales and sllip- ping departments to do everything, including the janitorial services.
 Such a sweeping reform - ming ling of executive and legislative dc" partments might do both good. But does Congress have the time to get involved in all this detail Would not Q super-super legislative executive staff of snoopers get things balled Up even worse than they are now? And is there any dogma on the infallibility of Con- gross?
 SOME COMMITTEES GOOD
 There Is nothing healthier or finer than Q congressional investiga- ton that knows It's way around and goes to town. The records of the Senate's Truman Committee inves- tigating the war effort and of the House Naval Affairs Committee in exposing the Brewster Aircraft mess are cases in point. But all congres. sional committees aren't that good. On the current scene, there Is the bad record of the Cox, later the Lea Committee In the House, in making Q farce of trying to investi- gate the Federal Communications Commission. And the mere thought of having q flock of Dies Com mittees at large in Washington, checking up on anything, Is enough to atrophy the soul.
 Maybe the Founding Fathers knew what they were doing when they created separate legislative, executive and judicial departments Of government, with checks and balances. It isn't necessary that any one show which is boss. But why they don't work together Is sone- thing to perplex the gods as well as the voters -- the voters who In the end are the real bosses and who in present instances may feel Justified m wanting to throw out the whole bunch and start with q brend new staff of public servants.