Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-02-27
Urges Upon Congress the
Need for System in Man
aging Expenses Of Gov
ernment in General.
SENDS MESSAGE
URGING A BUDGET

Country; Without Plan
or Program at Present.
washington, D. c., Feb. 26.-Presl
dent Taft today sent to congress His
much discussed budget message; he
recommended the adoption OF pud
get system of relating proposed expea
ditures to expected revenues ano
declared that congress Woulo
be greatly benefited by naVlns
before it such a statement be1ore y
began the annual grind upon appro'
nriation bills. The United States the
nres. tent wrote, was the only great
nation in the world which did not use
the budget system and in consequence
# "may be said to be without plan or
nrogram.' 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 responsibility
for the message upon himself; Con
gress in the last sundry civil Dill al'
rected the secretary OF the treasury 10
submit estimates hereafter In the Ola
way. Mr.. Taft pointed out, however,
that he had directed the secretary OF
the treasury to agree with the dlrec-
tions OF congress and also to send to
him information for budget mes
sage. He referred congress also 10
the portion of the constitution Whlcn
requires him from time to time to
recommend such measures as he shall
deem necessary and expedient.
points Out Advantages.
Some of the advantages Of the bud
get system as pointed out by the presl-
dent were:
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 appropriating for eacn
department or detail or government
machinery.
Because it would furnish congress
and the public with ready reference
to reports and detailed records or
account.
Because it would produce an ade.
ouate 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 well defin-
ed purpose in many bureaus hitherto
organized but directed under an incon-
sistent and ill-defined program.
To conel the nations debt, through a
sinking fund and to eliminate the
deficit, which is slowly growing.
To Wipe Out National Debt.
To carry out the budget plan, to re-
duce the deficit and the fixed charges
against the government the president
proposed: E
To create a sinking fund commits
sion to consist of the chairman Of the
finance committee of the senate; the
chairman of the house ways and
means committee; the attorney gen.
eral and the secretary of the treasury,
with the comptroller of the treasury as
annual auditor of the sinking fund ac-
count Legislation which would wipe
out the national debt in twenty years
after July /, 1914, congress should set
aside s45,O00,OOO annually for that
purpose. That would be $15,000,000 a
year less than the present amount re-
quired by law. That fund should be
invested in three per cent government
bonds and in twenty years the $1,160,-
100000 debt, the president says would
be .'etired.
TO Quit Renting Buildings.
The adoption of definite theory Is
recommended for future proposals for
internal improvements so that such i'm
provements would be in accord with a
we'll thought out plan. In that con-
nection the president suggested the
saving of the rent paid in Washing
ton for buildings used by the govern
ment through the construction Of new
buildings to cost about s100,000,O00 to
be paid for through a period of twen-
ty years.
Briefly stated wrote the president,
"u1y suggestion is that the govern
ment first plan for It's land purchases,
BUILDINGS, and public works, then bor-
row money to acquire and to con-
struct them, proportioning the cost
over a period of twenty years, and
making the bonds issued to meet the
cost payable out Of an adequate sink
ing fund"
Cut Down Salaries.
OF reduction Of the salary roll Of
the government amounting to about
Sc. 50O0OO annually, two thirds, the
president declared, would be saved by
adpoting his scheme to classify what
are not presidential appointments.
Almost $3,000,000 annually could be
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