The Bemidji daily pioneer., 1912-10-10
A National Budget.

rev successful business men and
fewer national governments trv to
operate without having a definite re-
lation between income and expendi-
lures. The budget system is used
by all large business concerns and
many small ones; it is used by the
majority of foreign governments: in
fact President Taft is authority for
the statement that the United States
is the only nation which does not
have a budget.
There is hardly business man in
the country who will question the ad-
visibility Of placing the government
on business basis by the use of the
budget system as proposed by the
president an dsubmitted to CONGRESS.
by him in his June message. At the
present time certain estimates are
required by law but these are un-
systematic, lacking in uniformity,
and are incapable of being summar-
lied in such a manner as to give
anyone an adequate idea of what is
to be done during the coming fiscal
year.
President Taft says, Each year
congress has been making increas-
ingly large appropriations, based on
estimates which are submitted by
officers acting in the capacity of min
istrial agents to congress, under a
law which makes no provisions what
ever for executive review and revi-
sion. This have sought in a meas
LIRE to correct by asking the heads
OF departments to send estimates to
mo before they were printed, DuL the
conditions attached by congress have
been such as to make effective re-
view impossible.
The present legal directions as to
estimates are based on the theory
that there is no need to take stock
before passing on appropriations;
that it is not necessary to consider
revenues or treasury resources. Con-
gress has directed each ; executive
officer to submit an estimate through
the secretary of the treasury, who is
made to serve in the capacity of an
official messenger without any di-
secretion whatever unless a depart
ment head may fail to prepare a re-
quest for appropriations in the form
prescribed by congress, in which
event the secretary of the treasury
has imposed upon him the duty 90
submit an estimate for him.
Congress has created certain COM
mittees on appropriations, who alone
have power to review and revise re-
quests Of department. heads. Even
ir it's own Organization, however,
congre,,. has failed to make provision
}or Considering expenditures and es-
1:14Nte* for appropriations in relation
/" - .iues.
lOrity is granted for the ex-
" :.>'.. re Of thousand million dol
't'~ i, ch year without any thought
: IL where the money is coming
~, This is done on the theory
ere will be no deficit-con-
- - 4 as been doing what has been
asled surplus fnancing.' While
- "rustitution makes congress re-
--4ssa,sible for money raising, as we'll
- - appropriations, responsibility
rowing has been shifted to
H.. nsident by empowering him to
.'"'... loans to meet deficits in case
t may result.
i great question of national
81 ncy, which is raised by the
~"H5 OF congress above referred to,
> :. al we or shall we not have a |
1'"1'"--al budget?"
"@i'% country such as this where
come is practically certain to
= s' the expenditures could long
9'@| >ut of bankruptcy and follow
=, curse the United States has
-. :. II following. The time is rapid-
y approaching when congress will
b. compelled to put the adminis-
= on on modern business basis