IN SUPPORT OF CONGRESS
Hesseltine, William B.
In Support Of Congress MEET YOUR CONGRESS, by John Flynn. Double-day, Doran. $2. Reviewed by William B. Hesseltine THE fathers of the Constitution, gathered at Philadelphia in 1787, wrote a...
...It is a valuable handbook on the legislative branch of the Government, as well as a much needed plea for a return to democratic practices...
...During the 1920's the "nine old men" of the Supreme Court cast their reactionary shadow over the land...
...This campaign, thinks John T. Flynn, who has been waving a vigorous flag in warning against modern trends in government, has gone far enough...
...As for inefficiency—John Flynn believes, after long personal acquaintence, the majority of Congressmen are exceptionally able and high minded men...
...Reviewed by William B. Hesseltine THE fathers of the Constitution, gathered at Philadelphia in 1787, wrote a fundamental document which divided the powers of government between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches...
...The Office of Education—another minor bureau— spends almost twice as much...
...It answers prevailing criticisms and proposes some needed corrections...
...The real cost of the Government is in the swollen executive departments...
...As for corruption: nearly all the great scandals in history have centered in the executive departments...
...Congressmen, say the critics, are stupid, incoherent, bumbling, depraved, and extravagant...
...In doing so, they believed they had established asystem of Checks and balances which -^ould forever prevent one branch from arrogating sufficient power to itself to overthrow the liberties of the people...
...In more recent days, the executive branch has grown to enormous proportions, and the White House dominates the nation...
...One phenomenon of the rise of executive power has been a persistent smear campaign against Congress...
...Flynn's little book undertakes a careful, systematic survey of the history, the organization, and the working system of Congress...
...The Central Accounting Office spends twice as much as Congress...
...During the days after the Civil War, Congress ruled unchecked by court or the executive...
...Considering its money cost, "Congress is one of the cheapest things in Washington...
...It discusses, briefly and lucidly, the role of Congress in a democracy...
...At various times since government under the Constitution began, one or another branch has succeeded in seizing excessive power...
...As for extravagance—even including the "waste of money on printing speeches," the "shocking prodigality of the franking privilege," Congressional "junkets," the Government Printing Office, and the Library of Congress—the cost of Congress is about $19,000,000 a year...
...Believing that the time has come to restore the balance, he has set himself to tell the truth about Congress...
Vol. 8 • November 1944 • No. 45
