The career of
one of the President's ministers is not a very high career as things
now stand; nor is the man supposed to have achieved much who has
achieved that position.
I think it would be otherwise if the
ministers were the leaders of the legislative houses. To Congress
itself would be given the power of questioning and ultimately of
controlling these ministers. The power of the President would no
doubt be diminished as that of Congress would be increased. But an
alteration in that direction is in itself desirable. It is the
fault of the present system of government in the United States that
the President has too much of power and weight, while the Congress
of the nation lacks power and weight. As matters now stand,
Congress has not that dignity of position which it should hold; and
it is without it because it is not endowed with that control over
the officers of the government which our Parliament is enabled to
exercise.
The want of this close connection with Congress and the President's
ministers has been so much felt that it has been found necessary to
create a medium of communication. This has been done by a system
which has now become a recognized part of the machinery of the
government, but which is, I believe, founded on no regularly
organized authority; at any rate, no provision is made for it in the
Constitution, nor, as far as I am aware, has it been established by
any special enactment or written rule.
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