The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-08-24
Governor Capper in Indictment
of Methods Here.
Budget System Must Be Substi-
tuted Official Says.
ECONOMY MEANS A CHANGE
Public Funds Must Not Be
Squandered in Future.
This Is Cause of "High Priced
Luxury in c. s.

LeLoup, kan, Aug. 24.-"Pork bar
rel" legislation is responsible for $780,
GOO postoffice buildings in $1,000
towns and an army of inefficients
rather than a competent man. That
was the Indictment of state and fed
eral pork barrel methods by Governor
Capper, who today talked to large
crowd which attended the annual Le-
Loup picnic. The state and nation
must substitute the budget system for
pork barrel methods If it would escape
the clutches of designing politicians
Governor Capper declared
Economy in the administration can
come only through a change in the
methods of doing things-a change in
the system of handling public affairs
was the governors remedy. So long
as the present pork barrel system is
permitted in the state legislature and
in congress, just SO long will public
funds be suuandered.
High Priced Luxury.
In his speech the governor said in
part:
Our highest priced luxury in this
country Is the public pork barrel A
large part of our state and national
funds are openly dissipated, squander-
ed. thrown away. in the colossal sys-
tenn of bribery and vote-buying called
the pork barrel. A congressman. a
senator, legislator of the state, wishes
to please the people in certain part
of his district How does he do it :?
He arranges to give them large sums
of money at every session of congress
or of the legislature and a particularly
large sum If it is a campaign year. He
doesn't give it to them out of hand,
of course, nor out of his own pocket
That would be against the law. He
gets it out of the public funds raised
by taxation. Either he gets far too
big an appropriation for some public
institution, or public enterprise in his
district, or if he hasn't such an enter
prise or institution, he begins log
rolling. lobbying. swapping his vote
for the votes of his fellow members
one.
Henceforth this is his pork" All
he has to do thereafter is to vote for
their pork schemes and they will vote
for his. And SO the pork barrel
grows 1t is pork, more than any
tional appropriations continue to pile
up. Pork gave US a billion dollar con-
gress years before we actually
one. Pork builds 100000 postoffice
buildings in $1,000 towns. It gives us
a small army at the price of big one
1t gives US a third or fourth rate navy
at the price of a first-cIass one. Pork
and larger appropriations for army
and navy, for preparedness, and for
everything else while recklessly
squandering the plenty it has. Pork
has made it cost us $4,000 to make a
soldier at West Point. and $1,000 to
educate a sailor at Annapolis Pork
squanders millions of millions of pub
lie funds uselessly decade after decade
in state and nation. and insistently de-
mands more and still more.
The remedy is the budget system
There Is nothing that will deal the
pork barrel a harder blow in the Stats
The budget is a complete list of need
ed appropriations The budget system
authorizes the governor to present ir
advance to the legislature a carefully
| itemized schedule of the needs of the
state. its departments. its schools. itl
| charitable institutions and reformator.
| les. The legislature cannot add to the
| budget, but may reduce items. Aftel
| the legislature has adopted the budget
it may pass other appropriations If i
| likes. but these appropriations arr
subject to two safeguards-theg COVER
nor's veto and the adoption by the leg
islature of a special tax levy to pay fol-
these additional appropriations Ant
| the legislature that does that UNJUST
fiably will most certainly and unmis
| takably hear from the people. Its fat,
will be a warning, if any warning i
needed. to all other legislatures tina
| come after With a budget system foi
the guidance of the legislature, run
ming expenses. charges. and estimates
of needed improvements. will vary nj
more than they do in any well con
Quoted business. If the same authorit.
/ is given the governor to disallow Of
approve them as is given to the mana
ger of every big business. This kint
| of a system will come just as soon al
| the people demand 1t but it will nevei
come until they do demand it.