Year: 1879

THE CABINET IN CON6hESo.


Mr.. Pendleton introduces his bill for the ad-
mission of Cabinet officers TO seats In Con-
gress at time when the attention OF the Ma
tional Legislature is almost mODOpollzed by an
extraordinary partisan contest. Under sucn
circumstances a measure like this is not likely
to receive the attention which it deserves at
Washington, but in other parts OF the country
it will be regarded with great interest. The
scheme of the Ohio Senator is to authorize the
members of the Cabinet to attend the sessions
of the Senate and the House and participate
In debate on matters relating to their respec-
tive departments, and to require them 10 Dc
in their seats ut regular specified times, III
order TO answer questions but they are TO
have no votes, and the idea of holding them
TO personal accountability, as English Min
listers are responsible to Parliament, Is dis
tinctly disavOwed. The object OF the bill Is
twOfOld. 1t is first to enable Congress 10
obtain prompt and satisfactory information
from the heads of the executive departments,
and secondly to enable the secretaries to eX-
PLAIN the needs of their departments, and urge
openly and officially the legislation which they
are now Obliged to ask for by lobbying.


Mr.. Pendleton states the arguments for the
change, considered in both these aspects. With
considerable force. There is no doubt that
Congress is now compelled to do a great deal
of work in the dark because it does not know
the exact condition of the executive bureaus,
and cannot obtain full and seasonable knoWi-
edge by the slow process OF resolution OF


inquiry, and tardy and in many cases an


insufficient written answer. Some inquiries
are misunderstood, some are evadcd, some
are half answered, some are not answered at
all On the other hand, the executive branch
Of the Government Is often embarrassed be-
cause the Legislature does not comprehend
needs which a few words of spoken infcrma-
tion would make perfectly clear; and II pri-
vate conferences with individual members are
reSOrted to, jealousy of executive influence Is
apt to be created. In any event, the proper
wishes of the President and his chief ad-
visers can he much better communicated to
Congress in the frank statements OF public
debate than In secret and unofficial conversa-
tons. The Secretary of the Treasury is
already required by the Act of 1879, organ
izlng his department, to "mal1e report and
" give information to either branch Of the
Legislature. in person or i'll writing, as may





nently inquiries why a similar duty should
not be laid upon his colleagues IL the Cab
met.


The objections to Mr.. PendletOn's plan,
however are not trihing. When Congress
assumes the function of questioning and cross
questioning the Presidents secretaries about
the details of their departments, what they
have done or left undone, why they have
acted in this or that manner, what they are
going to do, ETC., ETC., long step Will have
been made by the legislative branch toward
that invasion of the province of the executive
which some people believe has already begun.
1t is true that the author of the bill dsclaims
the purpose of establishing anything like ac-
countability of the Cabinet to the Legislature,
but it is difficult TO see how a practical ac-
countability can fail to follow the right of
public interrogation, notwithstanding that the
two branches may remain independent in
theory. Again, while the business Of Congress
would often be expedited by the participation
of Cabinet officers in the discussions of the
houses, particularly on appropriation bills,
the business of the departments might be
good deal disturbed il the chiefs were
taken away from their executive duties to
help Congressman in the discharge of legis-
lative duties. A Cabinet officer who attends
to his proper affairs has tolerably busy day,
and will probably not value very highly the
privilege of sharing in the deliberations of
the Senate and the House. 1t is easy to gee,
moreover, that occasions might arise when
the efficiency of the Executive, especially
in 'elcate negotiations, would be seriously
impaired if every Congressman was empowered
to snip off the veil of secrecy from its opera
tiyLs. Lastly, there is the danger that the
proposed change might bring into the Cab
met men of fluent speech and little capacity
for business. 1t would be thought of the
first importance to the party in power to be
represented in the Cabinet not by men of
executive ability but by ready debaters.
Some of these considerations are touched
upon by Mr.. PendletOn, but they will require
much further discussion before the country
will be ready to commit itself to the serious
modification of our established practices
which his bill undertakes to effect.


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5NgTHEB JNTHD1TE nPEDNrEr