The Washington herald., 1915-10-19
Budget and Tariff Commission.

| concentrations OF former President Taft. But both
will probably fall because it will be difficult fol
the proponents Of these reforms to do more thar
iprcsent them experiments which may be bet
ter than the old system. The budget to be made
up by the Cabinet, in England, looks well on
Paper, and it appears logical that nine men at the
head OF the great executive departments of the
government would more nearly agree upon the
amount of money necessary to run the govern
ment than would 435 Representatives and ninety
six Senators who are not intimately acquainted
with the work of the departments. To the ordi-
nary the outside there would appear to
| be ground for any controversy on this point.
But practical results sometimes upset theoretical
maxims and they do in this matter of budget
when it is applied to economy.
There has not been a session of Congress in
the last dozen years when the estimates from the
heads of departments have not been in excess Of
the appropriations made. Sometimes the original
estimates moderate and appeared economi-
CAL but these have been followed by supplemental
estimates, sometimes so many and continuing so
late in the session to necesstate deficiency
bills making grand total that far outran the cst
mated revenues. Last year the estimates sub
mitted to Congress were nearly Saoooo,ooo in ex-
cess Of the appropriations made, and the appro-
prations far exceeded the revenues. 1t is only
fair to Congress to admit that it has been more
economical and more careful to keep the appro-
priations within the revenues than have been the
heads of departments to keep the estimates down
near that old-fashioned plan of cutting the gar
ment according to the cloth. 1t might be that
clothed with responsibility the members of the
Cabinet would be careful in preparing
budget than they have been in preparing esti-
mates, but that is only a surmise which is not
likely to be tested, because officially there is no
Cabinet in this government. The heads of the
departments invited by the President to come
together week and talk over matters. They
are the Presidents appointees, confirmed by the
Senate, but they have no more relation to the
House, where revenue bills must originate, than
have ordinary citizens. The House is not con-
bers of the Cabinet, and after long experience in
pairing down extravagant estimates to keep the
appropriations within the revenues it is not prob
able that the House will be in hurry to abdicate
its function of preparing revenue and appropri-
alton bills and hand that responsibility to the
members of the Cabinet, who, after all, are but
the subordinates of the President. So much for
the budget.
The United States District Court in New York
has recently decided that revenue law is uncon-
stitutonal because it did not originate in the !
House of Representatives, provided by the
Constitution. That is old contention between |
the House and Senate and with court decision |
the House it will be more difficult to
persuade the members of that body to abdicate |
not to she Senate, but to a tariff commission ap-
pointed by the President this important function
Of preparing tariff bills We have had much agi- |
alton in favor of tariff commission and we have
lad two experiments in that line, neither of
which helped the agitation Congress authorized
President Arthur to appoint a tariff commission,
Ind after it had labored for months and reported
tariff BILL with volumes OF testimony, estimates
md arguments to support that bill, Congress
brew the whole into the waste basket and
made new tariff of its own, which, by the way,
proved to be very satisfactory tariff for many
ears. Congress again authorized President Taft i
o appoint tariff commission, and after that body
lad labored over schedules for many months and
lad its report neatly bound in buckram to the
xtent of dozen handsome volumes, Congress
aid it all aside and enacted the Underwood tariff
aw.
The election in 1912 may have. been responsible
or the discard of the tariff commissions report
IT it may not have been. The Republicans had
he Payne tariff law on the statute books and with
majority in Congress they might not have paid
he Democrats. The fact is that the Constitution
rovidcs that bills shall originate in the
House of Repres cntatives, the only place in our
,cderal government where the people repre-
ented on a numerical equality, and to have
arif made anywhere else would require that the
louise should abdicate the one supreme function
ivcn to it by the Constitution. 1t argues nothing
ganst the theory OF a tariff commission but We
night well look the situation in the face and {
Omit that Congress will continue to make tariff
aws just so long as the Constitution places that
esponsibility on Congress and not in the cxecu
i've department of the government. |"
But both these agitatious are so much better S
nd healthier than many others that are started $
y the numerous national organizations" that
hey should not be discouraged Let them con- c
niue and they may at least persuade business men !
D study the tariff question, the general revenue
ucstious, and the government under which they ,
VIC and which they must support without always !
moving exactly how or why. II
Jersey Speaks on SUFFRAGE Todav r