Evening star., 1944-07-09
7 icket
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est link, he thought that the Vice
Presidency ought to be abolished
But as practical politician he
realized that the peoples interest
couldn't be focused on a constitu-
tional amendment to this end, and
therefore urged that the next best
thing be done-give the office real
present meaning, so better men
could be gotten to fill it, There
fore he proposed that the Vice
President be made more than a
queen bee in reserve, by being given
a substantial, tangible. powerful
part" either in the legislative or the
executive branch of the Govern
ment.
Power Sharply Restricted.
What are the possibilities of using
our queen bee in reserve" along
either of these lines?
The Vice President. legislativelv
is confined in narrow prison cell
From the outset the Senate jealousy
guarded its own institutional status
and sought eunuch, not a war
rior, for its presiding officer. Over
the l55 years it has SO elaborated
the rules limiting the Vice Presi-
dents presiding that he is a neuter
in the chair.
Beveridge thought that this could
best be changed by empowering the
Vice President actually to select the
members of the Senate committees.
His personal experience in the upper
chamber had persuaded him that
the Senate determined policy
through committees rather than
debate, the caucuses picked the
committee members and this put
the power in the hands of "the
Senate oligarchy." Give the Vice
President the legal power to pick
the committees and he would i'm
mediately become determining
factor in national policy, a honey
bee and not a drone. His power
would become equal to that of the
Speaker of the House and he would
be in fact as we'll as name "the
second officer Of the Government. ."
But this was mere wishful think
ing and the Indiana statesman was
quick to admit that the Senate
would never willingly yield its COM
mittee- choosing power and that a
constitutional amendment to that
end would be about as tepidly re-
ceived as one to- abolish the Office.
So he turned to the executive al
tentative. Why not make the Vice
President "a sitting, voting member
of the cabinet?"
Marshall Was Cagey.
Constitutionally, of course, there
is no cabinet and by custom it does
not vote" Nonetheless. many a
President tried to draw his Vice
President into the charmed circle
Jackson's talks with Van Buren,
were frequent, important and init
mate, but in the kitchen cabinet
and not the parlor one
When Wilson left for Paris in
December, 1918, he asked Marshall
to preside over the cabinet during
his absence. The willy Indianan
read a statement at the first one
that while he was present lin
obedience to request preferred by
the President" he wanted it under
stood that he was there informally
and personally" and was not under
taking ANY official duty or func-
ton" Later, in the dangerous
weeks when President Wilson was
out of commission and there was
no Chief Executive in fact, Marshall
was urged to act, but declined unless
the Attorney General would first
institute process to get Supreme
Court order to that effect. No step
was taken to this end.
During the 1920 campaign, Sem
ator Harding declared his belief
that "the Vice President can be a
most effective agency in keeping the
executive officers in touch with the
Legislative branch of the Govern
ment" AS President, he formally
and publicly brought Coolidge into
the cabinet council, where he sat at
the foot Of the table. The prece-
dent thus set was followed by
Coolidge and Hoover.
Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Gar
ner to his cabinets and tried to use
him as suspension bridge over the
gap on, Pennsylvania avenue. But