Evening star., 1946-04-21
Congress Must Regain
ItsLegisIotive Freedom
Writer Sees Constitutional Gov.
ernment at Stake This Fall
By Raymond Moley

One swallow doesn't make a summer,
and few negative votes don't make an
independent Congress. The Congress has
lost much authority in past decades and
its return to its constitutional position
will be long job. So don't cheer Yeti
just how much Congress has lost can
be shown by few vital statistics. Forty
years ago, we began to hear about ex-
ecutive leadership. Well-meaning people
hailed the idea, little realizing what ex-
ecutive leadership might mean to our
constitutional system.
An orderly and reliable review Of ma
jor legislation over the past half CEN
tury was published by Lawrence H.
Chamberlain in the March Political
Science Quarterly. He traced to their
origins the major or policy making Fed
eral laws of the past so years. He Sc
lected the go most important pieces of
legislation. In 10 of these legislative
creations, presidential influence was
predominant: in 35, congressional infu-
ence was predominant 20 were the joint
| product of Congress and the Executive,
| and came from outside the Govern
| ment. Thus, 81 per cent Of this major
| legislation substantially was made in
| the White House Thirty-nine per cent
was made in Congress. Thirty-two per
| cent was joint affair. And in eight per
| cent, outside pressure groups were pre-
| dominant
Putting Mr.. Chamberlain's figures an
! other way, giving half the Joint product
! -.
| gresS, the score is this: The President.
one-third; Congress, one-haf; pressure
| groups, one-Sixth
But Mr.. Chamberlain failed to carry
out the story to show the vital point
in his account. The critical aspect Of
this matter is the trend. And the trend
is almost frightening.
Since Mr.. Roosevelt was inaugurated
in 1888, % of these 80 policy-making
laws were passed. Of these. were
President made, l was Congress made
and IS were joint product If we
olVlde the JOINT product. the record is
this: Presidential laws passed, 10 per
cent; congressional laws passed, 30 per
cent.
@-AS''%AS
cent Congress. And yet, the ConstjtI-
ton says that; AL legislative power
shall be vested i'll Congress of the
United States The fact is that 10
per cent of the effective legislative
power has been taken over by the
Executive
we now are facing a congressional
election, The President, Messrs. Han
negan, Wallace and the CIO-PAC are
calling for more regularity. That means
Iuflher narrowing Of the legitimate
power of Congress. 1t means that Sen
ators and Representatives are to face the
tremendous pressure of the Executive
influence and the skill and money Of
/ the ClO-PAC. They are commanded
10 follow the Executive, who slIbstant-
lally in6orsed the CIO program, or
'hey VIII have 10 fight single-handed
TWO great national powers. All they
nave to Go is to say they will follow
the President and they will not have
thlS dual pressure put upon them. In
oependence means possible. even prob
a24e oe1eat. 1t means that if this drive
/ succeeds, Congress will make still
smaller part Of the laws of the land
It Is very important TO note that the
Clo-PAC is not political party. II is
not seeking the responsibility of Gov
| eminent, 1t is seeking the election of
caholdates who belong to the two ma ;or
parties. But in defeating its enemies
ana electlng its friends it is delivering
lnose friends into the hands of the
Executive. Thus the CIO-PAC. as ue,
as the members Of the administration
are seeking more Executive power. For
'ne EXECUTIVE is the channel through
which the CIO-PAC seeks to control
I Congress-
lhoSe who hailed the growing power
OF the President under the sweet name
OF "leaoershlp' 40 years ago little real
lzed how it would operate or how far
1t would go. 1t has not been a pleasant
thing to behold in the past l3 wears.
IL has meant congressional candidates
running on the single idea of 100 per
cent support of the President. 1t has
meant the direction of legislation over
'he telephone, either from the White
House or the Post Office Department
In the piping days after 1888 the
| PRESIDENT even permitted orders to he
| given over the White House telephone
from minor employees to the chosen
! representatives of the people. One dav
in 1888 a Senator from a great State
came to presidential subordinate hat
IN hand. He said, Il just came to say
that any time the President wants any
thing introduced I wish you would let
/ me dc it
| But mere resistance by voting down
| presidential measures will not suffice
! to restore congressional independence
/ Both houses must prepare once more
to be the lnitiators of legislation. They
must create as we'll as veto The wav
| back to congressional independence
Will be long one, but the issue in
volved is constitutional government.
| o,,G nt - tl,o l.