An old master, and other political essaysWilson, Woodrow
Science
An old master, and other political essays
Wilson, Woodrow
Political science; Smith, Adam, 1723-1790; United States -- Politics and government
Like fear and distrust have often been felt and expressed of late years
concerning Congress, for like reasons. But so far no attempt has been
made to restrict either the powers or the time of Congress. Amendments
to the Constitution are difficult almost to the point of impossibility,
and the few definite schemes nowadays put forward for a revision of the
Constitution involve extensions rather than limitations of the powers
of Congress. The fact is that, though often quite as exasperating to
sober public opinion as any state legislature, Congress is neither so
much distrusted nor so deserving of distrust. Its high place and vast
sphere in the government of the nation cause its members to be more
carefully chosen, and its proceedings to be more closely watched, and
frequently controlled by criticism. The whole country has its eyes
on Congress, and Congress is aware of the fact. It has both the will
and the incentive to be judicious and patriotic. Newspaper editors
have constantly to be saying to their readers, ‘Look what our state
legislators are doing;’ they seldom have to urge, ‘Look what Congress
is doing.’ It cannot, indeed, be watched easily, or to much advantage.
It requires a distinct effort to watch it. It has no dramatic contests
of party leaders to attract notice. Its methods are so much after the
fashion of the game of hide-and-seek that the eye of the ordinary man
is quite baffled in trying to understand or follow them, if he try only
at leisure moments. But, at the same time, the interests handled by
Congress are so vast that at least the newspapers and the business men,
if no others, must watch its legislation as best they may. However hard
it may be to observe, it is too influential in great affairs to make it
safe for the country to give over trying to observe it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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