The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1912-10-10
A National Budget.

rev successful business men and
fewer national governments try tc
operate without having definite re.
latlon between income and expendi.
lures. The budget system is USED
by all large business concerns anc
many small ones; it is used by the
majority of foreign governments: in
fact President Taft is authority fol-
the statement that the United States
is the only nation which does not
have 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 I'M
systematic, lacking in uniformity,
and are incapable of being summar-
lied in such manner as to give
anyone an adequate idea of what is
to be done during the coming fiscal
year. 49, 49, ....~s
President Taft says, each year
congress has been making increas-
ingly large appropriations, based on
estimates which are submitted bv
officers acting in the capacity of min
lstrial agents to congress, under a
law which makes no provisions what
ever for executive review and revi-
sion. This have sought in meas
Lire to correct by asking the heads
OF departments to send estimates to
mo before they've printed, but 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 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
in it's own Organization, however,
eongress has failed to make provision |
tor cor sidering expenditures and es-
Inmates for appropriations in relation
to revenues
- 81 lority is granted for the ex-
naaajture of thousand million dol
lars each year without any thought
az 70 where the money is coming
flpm. This is done on the theory
tIaC mere will be no deficit-con-
sr4as AS been doing what has been
called surplus financing" While !
th4 constitution makes congress re-
=z,sesasihle for money raising, as we'll
rs 5for appropriations, responsibility
zori growing has been shifted to
the% asident by empowering him to
prdeut. loans to meet deficits in case
GE''~!t may result. i
1"' great question of national
80 &se.' 'ncy, which is raised by the
s'@ti@ of congress above referred to,
- 'o11all we or shall we not have a
z Fa$sonal budget?" II
sA'aI q Country such as this where
TT 81. Z come is practically certain to
ess'I the expenditures could long
say ut of bankruptcy and follow
w. course the United States has
=. .ssfh following. The time is rapid
approaching when congress will
aajsc compelled to put the admins
9Ea pm on modern business basis,
Methodist Church In line