Congressional Government: A Study in American Politics

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, New Age, History, Fiction & Literature
Cover of the book Congressional Government: A Study in American Politics by Woodrow Wilson, Library of Alexandria
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Woodrow Wilson ISBN: 9781465552655
Publisher: Library of Alexandria Publication: March 8, 2015
Imprint: Language: English
Author: Woodrow Wilson
ISBN: 9781465552655
Publisher: Library of Alexandria
Publication: March 8, 2015
Imprint:
Language: English

I HAVE been led by the publication of a French translation of this little volume to read it through very carefully, for the first time since its first appearance. The re-reading has convinced me that it ought not to go to another impression without a word or two by way of preface with regard to the changes which our singular system of Congressional government has undergone since these pages were written. I must ask those who read them now to remember that they were written during the years 1883 and 1884, and that, inasmuch as they describe a living system, like all other living things subject to constant subtle modifications, alike of form and of function, their description of the government of the United States is not as accurate now as I believe it to have been at the time I wrote it. This is, as might have been expected, more noticeable in matters of detail than in matters of substance. There are now, for example, not three hundred and twenty-five, but three hundred and fifty-seven members in the House of Representatives; and that number will, no doubt, be still further increased by the reapportionment which will follow the census of the present year. The number of committees in both Senate and House is constantly on the increase. It is now usually quite sixty in the House, and in the Senate more than forty. There has been a still further addition to the number of the "spending" committees in the House of Representatives, by the subdivision of the powerful Committee on Appropriations. Though the number of committees in nominal control of the finances of the country is still as large as ever, the tendency is now towards a concentration of all that is vital in the business into the hands of a few of the more prominent, which are most often mentioned in the text. The auditing committees on the several departments, for example, have now for some time exercised little more than a merely nominal oversight over executive expenditures

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

I HAVE been led by the publication of a French translation of this little volume to read it through very carefully, for the first time since its first appearance. The re-reading has convinced me that it ought not to go to another impression without a word or two by way of preface with regard to the changes which our singular system of Congressional government has undergone since these pages were written. I must ask those who read them now to remember that they were written during the years 1883 and 1884, and that, inasmuch as they describe a living system, like all other living things subject to constant subtle modifications, alike of form and of function, their description of the government of the United States is not as accurate now as I believe it to have been at the time I wrote it. This is, as might have been expected, more noticeable in matters of detail than in matters of substance. There are now, for example, not three hundred and twenty-five, but three hundred and fifty-seven members in the House of Representatives; and that number will, no doubt, be still further increased by the reapportionment which will follow the census of the present year. The number of committees in both Senate and House is constantly on the increase. It is now usually quite sixty in the House, and in the Senate more than forty. There has been a still further addition to the number of the "spending" committees in the House of Representatives, by the subdivision of the powerful Committee on Appropriations. Though the number of committees in nominal control of the finances of the country is still as large as ever, the tendency is now towards a concentration of all that is vital in the business into the hands of a few of the more prominent, which are most often mentioned in the text. The auditing committees on the several departments, for example, have now for some time exercised little more than a merely nominal oversight over executive expenditures

More books from Library of Alexandria

Cover of the book The King's Esquires: The Jewel of France by Woodrow Wilson
Cover of the book Campaign of the First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry April 25-November 11, 1898 by Woodrow Wilson
Cover of the book An Immoral Anthology by Woodrow Wilson
Cover of the book Bases Para a Unificação Da Ortografia Que Deve Ser Adoptada Nas Escolas E Publicações Oficiais by Woodrow Wilson
Cover of the book The Poetical Works of John Dryden With Life, Critical Dissertation and Explanatory Notes (Complete) by Woodrow Wilson
Cover of the book The Honor of The Big Snows by Woodrow Wilson
Cover of the book Adventures Among the Red Indians: Romantic Incidents and Perils Amongst the Indians of North and South America by Woodrow Wilson
Cover of the book Jesus, The Messiah; or, the Old Testament Prophecies Fulfilled in the New Testament Scriptures by Woodrow Wilson
Cover of the book Minstrel Weather by Woodrow Wilson
Cover of the book The Three Miss Kings: An Australian Story by Woodrow Wilson
Cover of the book Following the Equator by Woodrow Wilson
Cover of the book Soldados da Revolução by Woodrow Wilson
Cover of the book A philosophia da natureza dos naturalistas by Woodrow Wilson
Cover of the book The Capsina: An Historical Novel by Woodrow Wilson
Cover of the book Hann Klüth by Woodrow Wilson
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy