| Show Sovereign Power Faces Responsibility Neal A. assistant to the delivered a thought-provoking lecture last which he entitled Decline of He maintained that our Congress has for a number of years been experiencing a decline in stature due to a succession of strong Presidents and increasing emphasis upon the executive role in national There is little doubt that the power and magnitude of the presidency have increased markedly since the depression years and This fact places Americans in a quandary as to whether or not this evolution is a desirable The framers of the Constitution abhorred the idea of a strong and although the Presidency which they created was a position of greater power than they might have been expected to the powers of legislation were clearly vested in the representative body of the The concepts separation of powers and of the supremacy of the legislative branch because it is the branch most directly responsible to the people have been cherished Many Americans have been dismayed to see that the days of great Congressional orators seem to have passed and more and strong Presidents have been responsible for the formulation of legislation and the shaping of public opinion behind that there are some who have welcomed the evolution of the Presidency toward greater and with justifiable In the present emergency situations could develop so rapidly that there would be no time for the assembly and deliberation of a body of several hundred men and Someone in a position of authority must be able to act in such a and it is reasonable for the American people to look toward a capable chief-of-state to whom they are willing to entrust this The action of Congress would be too unaccustomed to taking the might be even There are clearly arguments on both sides of the Principles and systems must always be adaptable to changing important principles should not be comprised in the face of The urgency of the present-day situation should not make Americans afraid to face their responsibilities as the sovereign power in their This power is vested in the representatives of the whether they be a Congress of representatives or a single chief In a time of peril such as it is wise that the people select both carefully and be willing to see some shifts in power to suit the necessity of the But is is wise also that they remember that a strong and capable body of representatives directly responsible to them is preferable to placing complete reliance in and transferring public responsibility to a single |
