THE CONGRESS: The Crack in the Constitution

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General William Westmoreland, on the other hand, assailed Congressmen for not even using Administration-supplied information at committee hearings. He charged that they do not do their homework and are more interested in "stagemanship, self-aggrandizement and demagogucry" than in analyzing "extremely complex" issues. TIME'S MacNeil contends that legislators are afraid to hire more help because of adverse public reaction, but that if they forthrightly stated their need, the expense would be accepted.

INFORMATION. Congress needs more help from computers in order to retrieve information and analyze complex statistics. Brock noted that twelve state legislatures have such equipment, while the University of Pittsburgh's Charles Jones (Minority Party Leadership in Congress) estimated that Congress has "the computer capability, roughly, of the First National Bank of Kadoka,

S. Dak." Declared Mondale: "Whenever I am on the side of the Administration, I am surfeited with computer printouts that come within seconds to prove how right I am. But if I am opposed to the Administration, they always come late, prove the opposite point, or are on some other topic. He who controls the computers controls the Congress." Congress should be provided with a modern computer capability.

LEADERS. Despite the new spirit shown by Mansfield and Albert, the leadership in both chambers was widely criticized as too conciliatory or gentlemanly to be effective. What is required, argued Correspondent MacNeil, is some of "the arrogance" of past taskmasters who ran Congress with heavy hands. Jones suggested that there is perhaps no greater congressional need than to strengthen the leaders of each party within Congress and thus pin down responsibility. He cited Woodrow Wilson's dictum that "somebody must be trusted, in order that when things go wrong it may be quite plain who should be punished."

SENIORITY. The academic experts generally argued that the seniority system of selecting committee chairmen has been attacked much too broadly as a central evil when in fact it is a minor matter. Henry Hall Wilson, president of the Chicago Board of Trade, even contended that if the seniority system were abolished, the same men would be chosen as leaders. "Why? Because they are abler." Senator Ervin conceded that the system is bad in some respects, "but the only thing that is worse is every alternative that has ever been proposed for it." Such views were challenged by Massachusetts Congressman Robert Drinan, who charged that seniority and some other House rules produce "tyranny and tyrants." Arizona Congressman Morris Udall said wryly: "My God, this is the only institution on earth where you can lead a 'youth rebellion,' as I was accused of doing, at age 47."