The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1914-02-13
PLAN IS TO REDUCE
NUMBER OF BOARDS
Secretary Pardee Shows Where State
Departments May Be Decreased At
A Great Annual Saving
SPEAKS OF RUSHING BILLS
Believes If Legislators Were Care.
full In Voting Much Good Would
Be The Result
SPEAKS OF RUSHING BILLS
By J. S. pardee

-NOAA
to the efficiency commission as
though everything the state is do
ing might be shaken down into
eight or nine great departments in
place of sixty or seventy boards
you can't tell exactly how many be-
cause as the little girl said, one lit
tie pig is running around so fast
you can't count him.
But as the members study it the
outlines at first vague and confused
become more and more distinct.
Assuming that something of that
sort can be done, the legislatures
work will be greatly simplified. If
such plan is carried out nobody
will come to the legislature asking
for money except through one of
the departments. OF course, any
body will have the right to go to
the Legislature direct. But anybody
who comes there without a recon-
mendation Of the department will
have to tell an awfully good story.
Something like Judge McGee's
story Of asking "a favor in the army
A congressman writes to the war
department for instance that he
wishes Lieutenant Gladboy might be
detailed to summer duty at Long
Beach. The war department writes
the lientenant: Congressman Scion
has asked to have you detailed to
Long Beach; did you put him up to
1t? If you didn't, do you approve Of
1T? Now Lieutenant Gladboy knows
If he instigated the request it will be
all day with him SO he says No. And
he is equally bound to say he does
not approve of congressman or any
other outsiders monkeying with the
running of the army, so he says
again no. All right, the war depart
ment writes back to Congressman
Scion, your request has been refer
red to Lieutenant Gladboy; he says
he doesn't know any thing about it
and he does not approve of it.
Not that the departments know
everything. But if anybody plans
raid on the state treasury and it has
to go through department, it is
fair to suppose the legitimate needs
Of the department will be taken care
of first before anything is spent for
effMvia
Getting things shaped up is one of
the secrets Of buget making, the only
secret. How heavy to plunge is a
matter Of Judgment No system can
limit the exercise Of Judgment of
the part. of the legislature. If they
wish to silver plate every building,
nobody can stop them. If they decide
to starve out every officer, nobody
can make them more liberal. The
legislature judges what is neces-
sary. But in the absence of a shaped
up budget, the legislature exercises
it's Judgment in the most rudimen-
tary way. -
One week before adjournment
three big bills are dumped into the
house and by agreement in the SEN
ate. The members have three days
to look them over. By scurrying
round few changes are agreed up
on, not over half dozen. The bills
come up in special order and the
half dozen amendments that have
been agreed to are adopted on mo-
ton of the chairman One or two
others are offered by private men,
bers and defeated. The bills go
through then as the organization
agreed they should.
One day before adjournment comes
in a little supplemental bill The
legislature votes it through under
suspension of the rules with it's eyes
shut. 1t carries not quite $1,000, 900.
Now If every member knew all the
time what he was voting on, it might
not be any more wisely done than
when only half a dozen members are
informed. But it would feel better.
And if from the first day of the SEES
sion the entire legislature had be-
fore it the requests of every office
entitled to ask for money, the leg
q islature as whole would certainly
know better what it was voting.
Members admit now they don't
know.
That is what is implied in the
budget system. But to get a budget
system you don't wave a wand and
say, Let's have a budget system You
organize your government, whether
it is the government of factory OF
a retail store or a great state, SO
that the acquisitions flow together
from smaller channels into larger
and then into the main channel,
with a sitting process all the way up
and another sitting all the way
down.
Then you get things, II not right,
at least in some proportion.
81 - Z = 3 /. ! & : s I +