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Editorial: Government workings kept in the dark Union-News, Springfield, Mass. April 3 A federal judge's decision allowing President Clinton to keep under wraps documents relating to pardons he issued on his final day in office might initially appear to be a victory for the previous administration and its defense of its much-criticized actions on its way out the door to the White House. Such a reading would be a mistake, an oversimplification of the matter at hand. The case for keeping the Clinton secrets was made by the Department of Justice, which, with Attorney General John Ashcroft at the helm, has favored secrecy over openness at every turn. By nearly any measure, the Bush administration is among the most secretive in this nation's history. By arguing - and winning - the case for protecting the pardon papers, the current administration can hope to set a precedent that will bolster its own penchant for secrecy. ... The need to have access to the workings of any administration is not simply an exercise for academicians, for those who will be compiling the history of the day. Unless the citizenry understand the doings of those at the helm, the governors become distant from the governed, imperiling our very democracy. The federal judge's ruling on the Clinton documents may not be - and should not be - the final word on the matter. Those who care about the functioning of their government, no matter who is in the White House, no matter which party is writing the agenda, should be sorely concerned by this administration's attempts to suppress the flow of information. Our government is based on the premise of openness. That assumption cannot be washed away by one administration's desire for secrecy. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -