The copper era and Morenci leader., 1915-07-23
PLAIN BUSINESS PRINCIPLES
 APPLIED TO STATE BUSINESS
If The Action of the Legislature is Sustained by the Courts the Ex- pense of the State is Reduced.

Pense of the State is Reduced.
 In the following communication, pr. W. F.. Sims, president of the
 senate, discusses frankly and clearly
 the legislative history of the aopro-
 priation bill: -
 Editor Era:
 t':As there has been so much discus
 sion of the Appropriation Bill passed by the Special Session of the Second Legislature, perhaps an explanation of the facts might not be amiss. The governors call included only two items: A General Appropria tion
 Bill and a Levy Bill.
 Inasmuch as the House always ori.
 ginated the Appropriation Bill and had the Bill in the regular session
 (though they never got it to final
 passage) the Senate had nothing to do until the House passed the Bill, as obviously a Levy Bill could not be passed until the amount of the appro- priation was known.
 While waiting for the House to pass the Bill, I suggested to Mr. Stap- ley, chairman of the Senate Appropri- ation Committe, that 1 would like to see the General Appropriation Bill embrace all the expenditures of the State. He, with the help of the audi tors office, formulated a draft of an Bill that showed every statutory appropriation. He then ask ed all State Department heads for a budget showing their requirements for two years This request was not promptly complied with by some De- partment heads, but when it was in timated that the Senate Appropria- tion Committee in the absence of a budget would fix appropriations that they thought would be sufficient, all departments filed budgets.
 This disclosed three unlimited ap- viz: Tax Commission, Land Commission and Militia Fund. Aside from the fact that an open or unlimited appropriation is not good business practice we were confronted with the difficulty of preparing a Levy Bill for unknown amounts for the three departments above mention ed. But by using the budgets of these three departments we could place the proper amounts in the Levy Bill to these departments. In SO doing, however, it was consistent and necessary that these open appropria- tions be repealed. If the Legislature had the right to fix the amounts for these departments, they certainly had the right to repeal the section provid ing for the open appropriations.
 The Appropriation Bill was passed by both Houses by a two-thirds vote; the Levy Bill followed it, carrying as provided in the appropria- ton and was likewise passed by two-thirds vote and became a law without the governors signature.
 The Appropriation Bill was the most comprehensive bill of it's kind that has been passed in the State, showing the taxpayers where all the States revenues go and I believe 1t carried ample amounts for the proper administration of the States various departme
 A perusal of the governors message his veto of certain parts of the bill does ont charge a lack of funds for various departments, so much as it is a criticism of the legis- Iature's authority.
 There was never manifested any in the Senate to encroach 0n the Executive Department, but I maintain that had the governor al- owed the Appropriation Bill to stand IS passed by a two-thirds vote of both Houses of the Legislature, there would not now be any litigation with l possibility of still another session ,f the Legislature and all departments would have sufficient money for prop 1T administration.
 State history is not lacking in precedent that shows the motive of he governor in his action on this iII
 There was no politics in this Appro- riation Bill, but plain business prin- iples were applied to State business nd an honest effort to show how he taxpayers money would be spent, S well as an effort to get an econo- 1ical administration to which the 'emocratic party was pledged.
 If the action of the Legislature is by the courts the expense the State for 1915-16 is $1 700 ,OO0; pr 1916-17 $1,3OO,0OO.
 If the gvernor is upheld, those would increase from $4OO,00 , $60O,O0O yearly.
 Let the courts decide