The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-04-26
BY Sheldon S. Cline.

An idea of the magnitude of the
thing may be gained from the fact
| that it is alleged that as a result Of
the inquiry it will be possible to cur
tail appropriations by not less than
seventy millions of dollars year. It
not to be understood, of course, that
the amounts appropriated as the re-
| suit OF Misrepresentation amount to
| anything like this sum. It is probable
| that the Misrepresentation was DELHI
crate only in small number of in
stances, and the committee may not
| seek to prove these instances at all.
dollars a year can be saved without
impairing the efficiency of admins.
tration is ample evidence that some
people have been guilty of gross care
| lessness. to say the least.
Where Blame Is Placed.
If such a condition exists the blame
cannot be made to rest wholly on the
executive departments. The appro-
priations committees of the house and
senate are supposed to satisfy them
selves of the necessity of appropria-
tons before they recommend that
they be made. If they have been
| recommending seventy millions a year
more than was necessary, it will be
difficult to convince the public that
! these committees have been very earn
est in their scrutiny of estimates.
No information is given as to which
departments have been the worst Of
tenders in securing and spending
more money than was needed, but it
is said that the fault lies largely in
the general system, or rather lack of
system, which has been the growth
of years. Not only does Uncle Sam
pay generous wage to those who
serve him. but it seems that he gets
less return in work performed than
any other employer in the world
With the administration and con-
gress both on the war-path against
extravaganza, however. there is q
promise of better things. Already
the reformers are hard at work at
both ends of Pennsylvania avenue.
In the past it has been the practice
for each department to make up its
and submit them to congress without
revision. When the appropriations
committees of the two houses had as
sembled and tabulated the estimates
1t always was found that the total
exceeded the estimated revenues by
many millions of dollars. The COM
mittees were supposed to pare and
trim until they got them down some
where in the neighborhood of the
treasury's income. But cutting down
estimates is the very hardest work
congress has to do. Every time an
item was cut from somewhere there
would go up as big Il howl as though
it had been an ear instead of an esti-
mate.
Chief With a Hobby.
A bureau chief with a hobby pre-
walls upon the head of his department
to recommend $4,000 to pay for put
ting the hobby into execution. A
mere bagatelle compared with the
| bulk Of the appropriations. it is argu-
ed. sum SO small 1t will never be
missed from the treasury. When the
| subcommittee in charge of the bill in
which the item is included reaches the
$4,000 it calls on the head of the de-
partment for the why's and where
fores. The department head sends the
bureau chief who asked for the
amount up to the capitol to answer
questions He knows all about the
subject, has his arguments prepared.
and as there is no one to oppose his
views he makes 1t appear this is the
most vital thing in the whole appro-
priation bill. The members Of the
appropriations committees cannot be
experts in every phase of the govern
ment's activities. and OF necessity
| they are more or less ut the mercy Of
those in the executive departments
who are experts
| When Uncle Joe" Cannon was
chairman of appropriations he used to
rave and snort over the approprf-
atoms asked by the government scien-
lists. but az Cannon nor any member
OF his committee could combat their
arguments, the scientists usually rot
what they wanted.
This to be Changed.
The new system which Taft ID nut
ting into effect viii change all this.
Hereafter, instead of sending their e.