Thank you for visiting SNEWPapers!
Sign up free
Letter to Editor
April 10, 1958
Greenbelt News Review
Greenbelt, Prince George's County, Maryland
What is this article about?
R.G. Tugwell argues against Greenbelt legislators' attempt to combine legislative and administrative functions, citing historical and theoretical precedents that such mixing disperses responsibility, invites nepotism and amicism, and increases costs due to inefficiency. He urges Greenbelters to avoid this mistake.
Clipping
OCR Quality
100%
Excellent
Full Text
NEPOTISM, AMICISM
To the Editor:
Unless all the experience of government in the past, and all the theories of the political scientists derived from it, goes for nothing what is being attempted by the Greenbelt legislators is completely wrong. In our system it is necessary to separate legislative and administrative functions; and it is quite as bad to entrust administrative duties to the legislature as it is to allow administrators to make laws. It disperses responsibility, entrusts duties to amateurs, permits the entry of nepotism and amicism, and invariably results in increased costs because it is inefficient. There is something about legislators which impels them to attempt such a seizure of powers they cannot use well; but whenever they are permitted to do it, the mistake sooner or later has to be corrected.
I hope Greenbelters will avoid making the mistake in the first place.
Respectfully yours,
R. G. Tugwell
To the Editor:
Unless all the experience of government in the past, and all the theories of the political scientists derived from it, goes for nothing what is being attempted by the Greenbelt legislators is completely wrong. In our system it is necessary to separate legislative and administrative functions; and it is quite as bad to entrust administrative duties to the legislature as it is to allow administrators to make laws. It disperses responsibility, entrusts duties to amateurs, permits the entry of nepotism and amicism, and invariably results in increased costs because it is inefficient. There is something about legislators which impels them to attempt such a seizure of powers they cannot use well; but whenever they are permitted to do it, the mistake sooner or later has to be corrected.
I hope Greenbelters will avoid making the mistake in the first place.
Respectfully yours,
R. G. Tugwell
What sub-type of article is it?
Persuasive
Political
Ethical Moral
What themes does it cover?
Politics
Constitutional Rights
Morality
What keywords are associated?
Nepotism
Amivism
Separation Of Powers
Greenbelt Legislators
Government Efficiency
Administrative Functions
What entities or persons were involved?
R. G. Tugwell
To The Editor
Letter to Editor Details
Author
R. G. Tugwell
Recipient
To The Editor
Main Argument
the attempt by greenbelt legislators to mix legislative and administrative functions is wrong, as it disperses responsibility, invites nepotism and amicism, and leads to inefficiency and higher costs, contrary to established government principles.
Notable Details
References Past Government Experience And Political Scientists' Theories
Criticizes Legislators' Tendency To Seize Administrative Powers