The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1916-09-05
Judge Pierce Tells
Need Of Budget
(By James Alfred Pearce.)

4 amendment to the Constitution O
] Maryland creating a budget system
l nearly five months have passed, anC
during that period public attention
/ has been directed almost exclusively
/ to the consideration Of questions in
/ volved in our primaries for United
l States Senator, in the approaching
Presidential campaign and other
matters of national import, and in
consequence there has been no dis
cussion of the amendment clearly
disclosing the attitude of the people
/ toward it.
l feel, therefore, the reasonable
ness of The Suns suggestion that
the members Of the Commission ap-
pointed by the last Democratic State
Convention to prepare for submis-
sion a budget amendment, and who
gave their best thought to that work
Efor more than four months, should
each for himself, state as briefly as
he may the considerations which
governed in framing the amendment,
and which they believe should Sc
cure it's adoption.
In this day of manifold and ever
extending governmental agencies, no
one, 1 believe, will dispute the need
of some system of State appropria-
tions based upon the budget princi-
pie, and, so far as l have observed,
such objection as has been made to
that proposed in this State is ex-
pressed in the vague and unsupport-
ed suggestion that it is "un-Ameri-
can and undemocratic," and it is to
this criticism that / wish to speak.
The germ of the budget, it's vital
principle is inseparable from, and
may even be said to be coeval with,
civilized government; at least, with
what is now understood by constitu-
tional government. 1t had it's early
development in the parliamentary
practice of England, our mother
country, from which we have inheri-
ted our most cherished institutions,
and, since our independence, have
adopted so many of our more mod
ern methods of procedure, and that
would be a rash judgment which
would declare any principle 'un
American" because it was practiced
in England, or "undemocratic" be-
cause England's government is a
constitutional monarchy, while ours
is a constitutional republic.
The President is required by the
Constitution, from time to time, to
recommend to Congress such meas
ures as he shall judge necessary and
expedient, thus recognizing his in
itiative in legislation.
The Constitution of Maryland of
1851, in the light of experience, re-
quired the Governor to recommend
to the Legislature, from time to time,
such measures as he may deem nee
essary and expedient. The two sue
ceeding Constitutions have repeated
this mandate, and similar provisions
are now found in the Constitutions
of most of the States of the Union.
During Mr.. Taft's administration
the demand for public economy was
so insistent that he urged upon Con-
gress provision for "a definite bud
get. a concrete and well-considered
program of work to be financed.
During this discussion Senator Aid
rich declared that such a program
would save the country 100000
year, and a commission of inquiry
was appointed, which made an elab-
crate report, and, though Congress
has not acted In the matter, the sub
ject is live one in the public mind
and has the earnest advocacy of Mr..
Wilson and Secretary of the Treas
ury McAdoo, and the support of
much the larger and most enlighten-
ed and influential representatives of
the press of the country. The asser-
tion that it is an 'unAmerican"
idea may be therefore dismissed as
without foundation.
The companion criticism that it is
'undemocratic" is equally vague,
though it is more likely to excite the
hostility or rouse the apprehension
of careless thinkers, as implying the
| invasion or Impairment of some fun
damental principle of popular gov
ernment. But even a superficial con-
sideration of this objection wil1'suf-
flee to show that the budget idea con-
travenes no fundamental principle of
popular government; that it de-
stroys or impairs no power of con-
troll by the popular branch of the
Government, and that it is, essential
ly, only a method of procedure in the
application of one of the most jeal-
ously guarded principles of popular
government, with view to the full
er protection of the people in the
raising and disbursing of their own
revenues. 1t has been well said that
the history of the development of
representative government is the rec
ord of struggle for popular control
of the public purse, and that there
is no principle upon which our politi-
cal institutions are more firmly bas-
ed than that the public finances, both
with respect to the raising of reve-
nues and the expenditure of State
funds, should be regulated by those
upon whom levies are to be made"
A chairman of the Appropriations
Committee of Congress, as the result
of long study, has recently said in
reply to the objection that 1--WE
should not restrict the right of the
Representatives of the people to loos-
en- up the pursestrings, that the uni
versal condition of this country to-
day is not that we must safeguard the
rights of the people to get money
for things. The whole curse of our
condition is that everybody is doing
his utmost to get it, and succeeds,
, and the evil to be corrected is the
evil of his excessive expenditure.
l adopt as accurate and scientific,
yet simple, the definition of a budget
given by Frederick A. Cleveland, di-
rector of the Bureau of Municipal
, Research of New York city, viz: "a
plan for financing an enterprise or
government during a definite period,
which is prepared and submitted by
a responsible executive to repre-
sentative body, whose approval and
authorization are necessary before
the plan may be executed" and l be-
lieve the amendment to be submit
ted to the people of Maryland at the
November election conforms to this
definition and is free from violation
of any popular right-or of any true
democratic principles.
An examination of its provisions
will show that it is in perfect accord
with the principle that the public
purse shall always be under the free
control of the representatives of the
people, and that it merely provide:
y an orderly method of procedure ii
the application of this principle
The amendment as a whole provides
concrete and carefully considered
plan of work to be financed by tn