The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-03-13
A CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET.

President Taft was faithful in pre-.
senting to Congress not only the desir-
ability but the absolute necessity of a
better system of public financiering'
| He pointed out that under the present
lack Of system there was no means of
getting at any accuracy whatever. There
is no check upon expenditures; there is
no balancing Of expenditures according
to the receipts; there is NO proper divi-
sion of accounts; there is no way to as
certain certainly whether one account
| or another will balance 1t is only by
assuming things that ought not to be
assumed but which ought to be abso'
lutely and certainly demonstrated,
that accounts are made to balance in
our system of government. Not only
does the House of representatives,
where all financial measures must orig
mate, insist upon perfect liberty OF
expenditure without any accounting by
budget or otherwise, but it has many
committees, which handle appropria-
tions and increase expenditures at
their own option as long as they can
get the endorsement of the House
therefor. President Taft pointed out
that this was all wrong; that no other
large government in the world con-
ducts its affairs in this disorderly, ir.
responsible fashion.
But nothing that the President
could do or say struck through to the
consciousness of the House of Repre-
sentatives, 1t calmly ignored all his
representations and looked with un-
concern upon his demonstration of the
impossibility Of conducting the finan-
cial affairs Of the government on a
proper basis unless a better RESPONSE
bility is brought into the case,
But, while it is true that Congress
paid no attention to President Taft g
representations and pleas, and abso.
lutely ignored all his efforts to bring
the governmental operations to better
system Of accountability, it appears
that his messages have borne fruit
where this might least have been ex-
pected. Representative Swager Sherley
of Kentucky has secured the adoption
in the Democratic caucus of resolution
intended 10 forward the budget reform
plan. whereby Congressional appropria-
tions may be brought into proper rela.
tion to the governments revenue, and
appropriations controlled and reduced.
The resolution recommends to the
House the creation Of special COM
mittee to consider and report on
changes in the rules regarding the
preparation of appropriation bills, and
especially upon the feasibility of having
all the supply measures prepared and
reported by one committee,
This is an encouraging sign, and we
trust that the House will give a hos
pitable reception to this resolution, and
will carry into practice it's purport in
an energetic and business fashion. If
the House does this, there will probably
be little opposition to it in the Senate,
since it is the House that originates
appropriations, although the Senate has
been great offender in adding to
lhose appropriations from Time TO time,
without considering in the least any re-
strictions either adopted by the House
or made necessary by reason of the lack
Of revenue TO the treasury. But the
resolution Of Representative Sherley is
a step in the right direction, and it is
good to see that the arguments of
President, Taft have not fallen alto
gether upon barren ground.