The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1913-08-28
Next Legislature Will be Forced to
make Some Plan for Improving Ap-
preparation System and Matter Will
be made a Campaign Issue in 1914.

make an issue Of the high appropria-
tionS Of this legislature. In a way op-
portunity has been given for discus
sion Of The appropriations early by
reason of the message Of Gov. Nc
Govern on the subject and his request
Of the legislature that it take steps
to pass a constitutional amendment
which will permit the vetoing of sep
arate portions of an appropriation
bill. Of course no action could be
taken on this question by this legis-
lature for the reason that a sufficient
number Of members were not present
in the assembly to have passed "a con-
stitutional amendment resolution after
the message of the governor on this
subject was offered.
The measure could have been given
the endorsement of passage in the
senate, but its introduction was OBJ
jected to by Chairman Scott Of the
finance committee who seemed to take
the resolution as a criticism of the
finance committee. This was not in
tended by the governor, or at least
nothing to that effect could be CLEANED
from the message. So far as the gov
ernor was concerned he merely placed
the plain fact before the legislature
that if the appropriations were passed
under the budget system it simply
placed the governor in position
where he was given no opportunity
to exercise his veto power and that
he simply had to accept or reject the
budget bills as whole and in the lat
ter case the state would be seriously
crippled because of the failure of abb
solutely imperative appropriations.
The governor IS message has brought
forth some criticism of the budget sys-
tenn. In fact, there are many people
in close touch with legislation who
have been severely criticising the bud
get system ever since it was put in
vogue by this legislature. Charles E..
Mccarthy of the legislature reference
library considered the budget system a
failure and did not hesitate to say
SO in talking around the legislative
halls. Others havc expressed the same
opinion. For one thing, it could prob
ably be said that the budget system
would be liked better by another leg
islature than by this. The introduce
ton of budget system is an innova-
ton which takes great amount of
work, and Assemblyman Spoor Of the
finance committee made the remark
before he left Madison that the opera
tion of budget system next session
would be very much easier than it
had been this year.
The budget system undoubtedly de-
layed the adjournment OF the legisla-
ture. 1t took time to prepare the bills
under the system and prior to that it
took time to arrange the financial sys-
tenn of the state so that a budget sys-
tenn could be introduced. The objec-
tion of Legislative Reference Librarian
Mccarthy to a budget system is that
the members Of the legislature are
given better opportunity to judge the
real value of legislative appropriations
if such appropriations are put in in
separate bills. Whether this is true or
not can be better told from another
legislative session when the time re-
CURED to prepare the budget will have
some effect on the question of its ad-
visibility If every session is to be
delayed as was this session by bud
get system then the result will be I'm
favorable criticism for the budget.
The budget system, if it is to be a
success, must at another session place
the appropriation bills before the legis-
lature early in the session. If the APP
preparation bills can be brought out
to the floor at least six weeks before
the session adjourns plenty of time
will be given for the examination of
the bills and the members of the leg
islature can be amply informed Of
their contents. If, on the other hand,
the budget each year is to be brought
in at the closing hours Of the legis-
lature as it was at this session, it can