The sun., 1903-12-08
An Amazing Suggestion From the
white House.

citizens of all parties, than the compare
lively inconspicuous recommendation
which is tucked away in the midst Of his
fearless phrases denouncing bribery and
corruption in public life.
The last Congress appropriated half a
million dollars for the specific purpose
OF the prosecution by the Department
Of Justice OF certain alleged offences
against the antitrust and. interstate
commerce laws. This money. or at least
Q considerable portion of it, remains
unexpended; for the President now asks
for power to divert the same from specific
to general purposes, These are his
exact words:
II now recommend as a matter OF the utmost TN
portdnee and urgency the extension Of the purposes
of this appropriation. that II may be available.
under the direction OF the Attorney General 1.-THE
President and. until used, for the due enforcement
of the iars OF the United States IN general and espe-
cially of the civil and criminal laws relating to pub
lie lands and the laws relating TO postal crimes
and offences and the subject of naturalization"
Suoh legislation as the President asks,
apparently without the slightest percep-
tofi,efithe extraordinary significance of
his demand, would put at the disposition
of the Executive great sum which he
could expend for any purpose whatso-
ever, without control by Congress, so
long as he chose to regard the expendi-
ture as incidental to the enforcement
of any law of the United States. He
regards it as "a matter of the utmost i'm
portance and urgency that this fund Of
half million, originally appropriated
by the Legislature for narrowly defined
and rigidly confined purpose, shall now
be turned over to his discretion for Athe
due enforcement of the laws of the United
States in general" 1t is true that he
mentions certain special purposes, such
as public lands, postal crimes and fraud
ulent naturalization, but the scope Of the
authority he asks is limited not by these
specifications but by the clause preced-
ing them. "the due enforcement Of the
laws Of the United States in general
Every dollar appropriated by Congress
II for the enforcement or execution of
some Law oftlts' United States. It's the
constitutional function of the Legisla-
tive department to apportion the money
required for specific purposes; mot to
turn it over in lump sum to the Executive
for appropriation afterward by him.
The last Congress at its last session appro-
priated something like five hundred mil
lion dollars for the enforcement of the
laws of the United States, but every item
ony,,tirinal ", ol
VANCE. Under Mr. RoosEvELTs new
theery of Executive distribution the
Fifty-seventh Congress might have
voted to him the $500, 900, 900 in bulk 4for
the due enforcement of the laws of the
United States in general, and especially
such laws as were in his opinion more
particularly in need of enforcement.
mis- would greatly simplify the work
of the Legislature and correspondingly
increase the burden that rests upon the
Executive. Nevertheless, we do not
regard it as probable that the Congress
will ever surrender its constitutional
function Of specific appropriation to the
extent of $500 900, 900 or of s5oO,oOO. The
same principle applies to either sum; and
it is fundamental in our system of govern
mcnt. 1t is jealously and sedulously
protected by many statutory provisions
which Mr.. ROOSEVELT has overlooked,
such, for example, as this:
SECTION 3so2.-An estimates for the compen-
saion of officers authorized by law to be employed
shall be founded on the express provisions Of law.
ana not upon the authority OF ereeuttre distribution"
And this:
SECTION 3Gs4.-Whenever the head OF Depart
mcnt. being about to submit to Congress the an
nusl estimates OF expenditures required for the
coming year. fpds that the usual items OF such
propriation ordinarily asked for the object named
and especially from the Appropriation granted for
the same objects for the preceding year. and when
ever new items not heretofore usual are intro
duced Into such estimates for any year. he shall
accompany the estimates by minute and ruH er.
panatfoAs of oil such rartdttons ana new TENS show
Ing the reasons and grounds upon which the amounts
are required and the different, items added
And this:
"SECrIoN 37s.-All sums appropriated for the
various branches of expenditure In the pubic
service shall be applied solely to the objects for
which they are respectively made. and for no
others"
How different is the system estab-
lished under the Constitution and forti-
fed by so many explicit statutory provi-
sions like the foregoing-how different
is the system of specific appropriation
by the vote of the representatives Of the
people in Congress assembled-from that
which the Hon. THEODORE ROOSEVELT
is the first of American Presidents to
propose as "a matter of the utmost i'm
portance and urgency, namely, the vote
of lump sum to be expended by the
Executive, ,forahe due enforcement Of the
y laws q tho United States IN general!'
Indeed, this is matter Of the utmost
Importance and urgency. if the distinc-
tion between specific appropriations by
Congress and irresponsible expenditures
by tho President rs TO be- preserved as
one OF the mainstays Of republican in
stitutiOns. 49, .>---..~--..
Andthe matt or. Of the greatest concern
is not the slender possibility that Con-
: "a