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
It has been impossible to carry out the programme of the Constitution;
and, without careful reform, the national legislature will even more
dangerously approach the perilous model of a mass meeting. There are
several ways in which Congress can be so integrated as to impart to
its proceedings system and party responsibility. That may be done
by entrusting the preparation and initiation of legislation to a
single committee in each house, composed of the leading men of the
majority in that house. Such a change would not necessarily affect the
present precedents as to the relations between the executive and the
legislature. They might still stand stiffly apart. Congress would be
integrated and invigorated, however, though the whole system of the
government would not be. To integrate that, some common meeting-ground
of public consultation must be provided for the executive and the
houses. That can be accomplished only by the admission to Congress,
in whatever capacity,--whether simply to answer proper questions and
to engage in debate, or with the full privileges of membership,--of
official representatives of the executive who understand the
administration and are interested and able to defend it. Let the tenure
of ministers have what disconnection from legislative responsibility
may seem necessary to the preservation of the equality of House and
Senate, and the separation of administration from legislation; light
would at least be thrown upon administration; it would be given the
same advantages of public suggestion and unhampered self-defence that
Congress, its competitor, has; and Congress would be constrained to
apply system and party responsibility to its proceedings.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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