Such A Change
Would Elevate Congress And Depress The President.
No doubt this is
true.
Such elevation, however, and such depression seemed to me to
be the two things needed.
The duties of the House of Representatives are solely legislative.
Those of the Senate are legislative and executive, as with us those
of the Upper House are legislative and judicial. The House of
Representatives is always open to the public. The Senate is so open
when it is engaged on legislative work; but it is closed to the
public when engaged in executive session. No treaties can be made
by the President, and no appointments to high offices confirmed,
without the consent of the Senate; and this consent must be given -
as regards the confirmation of treaties - by two-thirds of the
members present. This law gives to the Senate the power of debating
with closed doors upon the nature of all treaties, and upon the
conduct of the government as evinced in the nomination of the
officers of State. It also gives to the Senate a considerable
control over the foreign relations of the government. I believe
that this power is often used, and that by it the influence of the
Senate is raised much above that of the Lower House. This influence
is increased again by the advantage of that superior statecraft and
political knowledge which the six years of the Senator gives him
over the two years of the Representative. The tried Representative,
moreover, very frequently blossoms into a Senator but a Senator does
not frequently fade into a Representative.
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