Year: 1879




The proposal that Cabinet officers shall
have the right to speak in Congress has been
made many times, but has not received much
attention until of late. The interest it ex-
cites now is perhaps due quite as much to
the generally conceded practicability of Mr..
Pendeton's proposition as to any other merit
in the position itself; for there is no more need
to-day of the presence of members ofthe Cabi-
net on the floor of Congress than there was
ten years ago. The Ohio Senator proposes
that days shall be set apart on which each
Cabinet Officer shall be present in one of the
chambers to answer questions put bv the
members. The questions are to be entered
on question book, due notice is to be given
that they have been asked, sufficient time is
to be afforded for reply, and the questions
are to be answered without debate.


The plan will, if adopted, certainly be a
great convenience. Congress can easily
learn from the lips of heads of Departments
many things it desires to know, and without
the delay that follows the adoption of a res.
olution calling for information. If the ex-
planation is not clear, questions can be put
until it is made clear. If the system had
been in operation for the last two or three
years, it is possible Mr.. Davis Of West Vlr-
ginia would not have got into so deep mud
die over the Treasury system of keeping ac-
counts-possible though not probable, for
Mr.. Davis shows phenomenal capacity for
a nd sa


that Mr.. Hewitt would have been saved last
winter from the mischievous and ludicrous
mistake he made concerning certain national
banks and the sale of bonds, and from the
unpleasant necessity of confessing the inius-
tice of his accusation. In this case the coun-
try would have been the gamer too; for in
the time between the making of Mr.. Hewitt's
charge and its refutation, many people be-
came persuaded that the Secretary of the
Treasury had gone into stock-jobbing and
was guilty of favoritism as regarded a few
monetary institutions in New York. The
matter might have been cleared up at once by
the interchange of few words on the floor
of the House between Mr.. Hewitt and Secre-
tary Sherman.


It is easy to see that the plan has some ad.
vantages, and is worthy at least of careful
consideration in that il affords a more direct
and effectual way of obtaining information
from the Departments than the clumsy meth
cd now in use. But those who hope great
things from it will be disappoin ted; for they
are thinking OF the English system, system
utterly inapplicable here. The English Cab
met officers are the Administration, the re-
sponsible government. They hold seats in
Parliament in order that they may advocate
and defend the measures of administration
they introduce, and if they fail to convince
Parliament that these measures are wise or
necessary, they resign and new Cabinet is
formed by the parliamentary majority. Over
here the Secretary of the Treasury, or other
Cabinet officer may not argue or debate, even
under the proposed plan. His scheme for
refunding the national debt or for a new sys.
tenn of taxation, or for modified tariff NAV
be rejected; but he does not then resign and
give way to new Secretary representing the
majority in Congress and pledged to carry
out its policy. His responsibility is merely
clerical, for the President is the responsible
head of the Administration. The presence of
the heads OF Departments in the legislative
halls is necessity of the English parliament
tary government. 1t is not necessity of our
system, though it may prove to be great
convenience to Cabinet officers and legisla-
tors and the people.