Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-06-24
GUARD j. s. PURSE,
IS PLEA TO HOUSE
Fitzgerald Advocates Crea-
ton of One Large Appro-
priation Committee.
ATTACKS THE EVILS
OF PRESENT SYSTEM
Would Devitalize Several Money
Spending Bodies to Gain Bet
ter Conditions.

ter Conditions.
Representative Fitzgerald Of New
YORK. chairman OF the House approrri-
duohs committee, in a speech bristling
with legal and legislative authorities
To-Day called upon the House to take
much of the power from eight Of its
appropriating committees and create
one large committee. with exclusive
right to appropriate money, and to
make certain other radical changes in
the government which would result in
greatly frightened purse strings at the
treasury. Representative Fitzgerald
has been trying to accomplish this
thing for several years. He wants 70
take the appropriating power from
such big committees as naval affairs
military affairs. the pork barrel COM
mlttees' and the agricultural commit
tee, and to place this power in the
hands of one large body which will in
clude the chairmen of these devitalized
committees. whose sole duty will be to
prepare legislation and pass on naval,
military or river project policies.
Criticises Present Methods.
In addition Representative Fitzgerald
criticised the present method of estimat-
ing the governments needs saying that
every one had a chance to pull at Uncle
Sans leg under the present arrangement.
He proposes that the Secretary of the
Treasury be made to revise all the gov
ernmental estimates, pruning them down
to the bone before they reach Congress:
and then he proposes that Congress he
| deprived Of the power of appropriating 1
cent more than estimated for.
In introducing his ideas Mr. Fitz-
gerald said:
THE rapid increase in the cost of the
federal government is attracting uni
versal attention. Many thoughtful men
regard our proiigate fiscal arrange
ments as the grea test menace to the per-
manency of the Union, and the proper
solution of the many problems involved
Is complicated by the good-natured in
difference of the people. While a Treas
ury surplus is maintained by a system OF
indirect taxation so ingeniously devised
that individual burdens are not readily
appreciated, but are assiduously pro-
claimed as blessings. it will be difficult to
| awaken the mass of the people to the i'm
| portance of the questions involved.
Many attempts have been made re-
Gently to stir the country TO an interest
| in the problems. Students of our polit-
| ical system, officials in the executive de-
partments and members of the Con-
gresS, who have been compelled to deal
more particularly with the finances Of
the government. have agreed at least IN
one cOnclusion-that some radical change
is imperatively required in the federal
system if evils of alarming proportions
are to be avoided"
Tells of Division.
Mr.. Fitzgerald outlined the history Of
the jurisdiction of the ways and means
committee. and its eventual division into
revenue committees and appropriating
committees. He said:
I'm 1885 a new movement in
itiated under the leadership of Mr.. Nor
| rison of Illinois, which resulted in the
present assignment of appropriation
bills, as result of which eight sepa-
| rate independent committees of tine
House consider departmental estimates
and prepare appropriation bills for the
consideration of the House. While such
an illogical. unscientific and universally
condemned system prevails attempts at
reform will be futile. and an effective
remedy for the resulting evils is inn
possible
The most common demand that has
come from recent agitation is for a
budget. / am frequently asked whether
favor a budget. and my nvariable
reply is a request to be informed as 10
what is meant by a budget. The an
SwerS indicate the confusion that pre-
walls even among those most interested
as to the meaning of the expression. and
that plans have been formulated for
from consideration of the systems in
vogue in various countries where the ,
parliamentary or some other responsible
government exists. without any careful
consideration Of the happiness of such
system in our existing institutions"
He quoted President Taft In a message
of February 26. 1913. saying that the
executive branch of the government has
no way to assemble data required for
the preparation of budget summaries.
Getting Information.
Representative Fitzgerald gave i'm mi
mute detail the steps required by law
which now have to be taken TO get in
formation regarding estimates placed be-
fore the appropriating committees. He
then said:
IF the information transmitted to Con-
gress is inadequate, improperly arranged.
misleading or confusing. responsibility
does not rest with Congress. Every one
who is familiar with the history OF the
enactment of the various statutes COM
pelling the furnishing of the information
required by the law knows that il has
been a continual struggle on the part of
Congress to compel the executive de-
partments to furnish the necessary data
to enable the Congress to make proper
appropriations. and that there has been
ample authority, if the executive desired
10 exercise it. To furnish the most COM
attempt ever been made II would have
been welcomed by Congress
Further he said: A few simple changes
In our system will completely establish
the system of responsible executive con-
troll of our budget. while retaining COM
plete control of the Treasury in the rep
resentatives of the people
ITO bring about this result two things
are necessary-the duty should be i'm
posed upon the Secretary of the Treas
ury to revise the various estimates to
be submitted to Congress. and Congress
should be deprived of the power to aug
ment any request for money or 20 origi-
nate legislation imposing obligations upon
the Treasury. Such Is the rule in Great
Britain as well in Switzerland. where
this system has been developed to its
highest perfection
Not Shots at Random.
These suggestions are radical, but not
shots at random. When the democratic
members of the committee on rules had
been selected for the Sixtysecond Con-
gress / proposed a rule prohibiting
to appropriation bills which
would increase the committee recon-
above the departmental es-
Inmates or which proposed appropriations
for which no estimates had been sub
mitted 1t was a suggestion along lines
that reform in the House must eventually
follow: but il was not adopted, as ths
in tn q