The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1913-02-26
BUDGET SYSTEM. WOULD
SAVE The NATION MONEY
And Pay Of the Public Debt
in a Period of Twenty
Years
SAYS THE PRESIDENT
In a Strong Special Mes
sage to the Federal
Congress.
cBy Associated Press. J

WATERMELON, d. c., Feb. 26-
President Taft today sent to Con-
gress his much discussed budget
message. He recommended the
adoption OF budget system OF re-
lating proposed expenditures to ex-
lpected revenues and declared that
Congress would be greatly benefited
3y having before it such statement
before it began the annual grind up
on appropriation bills. The United
States, the president wrote, was the
only great nation in the world which
did mot use the budget system and
in consequence it may be said with
out plan or program. He Indicated
that owing to the late day at which
he was able to transmit his message
he expected little Legislation on the
topic from the present Congress.
The president took full RESPONSE.
bility for the message upon himself.
Congress in the last sundry civil bill
directed the secretary of the treasury
| to submit estimates hereafter in che
old way. Mr.. Taft pointed out, how
ever, that he had directed the secre-
tary of the treasury to agree with
the directions of Congress and also
to send to him information for a
burget message. He referred Con-
gross also to the portion OF the con-
stitution which requires him from
time to time to recommend such
measures as he shall deem neces-
|sary and expedient.,
Some OF the advantages of the
budget system as pointed out by the
president were:
A means of locating responsibility
for estimates in keeping with rev.
enues.
A means of allowing Congress to
see how much gross it will have to
spend before it begins appropri-
ating for each department or detail
of government machinery.
Because it would furnish Con-
gress and the public with ready ref
erence to reports and detailed rec
ords Of account.
BecauGD it would produce an ade-
quate organization for assembling
and classifying information to be
used in telling the country what has
been done and of the governments
future needs.
To aid in working with a we'll de-
fined purpose in many bureaus
hitherto organized but directed I'M
der an, inconsistent and ill-defned
program.
To caacel the nations debt,
through sinking fund and to elimi-
nate the deficit, which is slowly
growing.
To carry out the budget plan, to
reduce the deficit and the fixed
charges against the government the
president proposed:
To create a sinking fund commits
sion to consist of the chairman OF
the finance committee of the Sen
ate, the chairman of the House
ways and means committee, the at
torney general and the secretary OF
the treasury, with the, comptroller
OF the treasury as annual auditor
OF the sinking fund account. Legis-
lation which would wipe out the ma
tional debt in twenty years after
/ July /, 1914. Congress should set
aside $45, 100000 annually for that
purpose. That would be $15,O0O,-
600 year less than the present
amount required by law. That fund
should be invested in three per cent
government bonds and in twenty
years the s1.16O.OOO,OOO debt, the
president says, would be retired.
The adoption of definite theory
is recommended for future pro-
posals for internal improvements so
that such improvements would be IN
accord with well thought out plan.
In that connection the president
suggested the saving of the rent
paid in Washington for buildings
used by the government through
J tho construction of new buildings to
cost about 100000, 900 to he paid
for through period of twenty years.
Briefly stated" wrote the presi-
dent, my suggestion is that the
government first plan for it's land
purchases, buildings and public
works, then borrow money to ac-
quire and to construct them, proper
tioning the cost over a period OF
twenty years, and making the bonds
issued to meet the cost payable out
of an adequate sinking fund"