The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-03-06
FOR AN EXECUTIVE D
Senator SAKE nluminates the Dark
Places In state Finance.

Although already overtaxed. every one Is
devising new taxes, instead OF devising
efficient methods for eliminating waste.
At Washington. where they have en-
acted AN income tax law so ambiguous
that II reQuires an encyclopedia Of rules
TO interpret II. the present suggestion is
that all rates be Increased. In New York
state tho Governors speciality is direct"
taxation. while a state Senator from
New York city. after a Legislative inves-
tigation. recommends a state income tax.
In the city OF New Fork another COM
mission. this one operating under APP
pointment by the Mayor. also recom-
mends a State Income tax as "a partial
means OF securing additional revenue.
and. falling a State income tax. suggests
an abilities tax" composed Of q ''ha BIZ
tation tax" an Occupation tax" and q
salaries tax" also . tax on '1ncrements
Of land values"
Taxes ara multiplying and tax invent
ors are searching into such far corners
that even the blind begear upon the
street corner may expect at any moment
mat a tax Will be levied upon his cup. as
we'll as upon IN dog which leads him
from pillar to post. Yet. the relief IL in
plain sight n the people refuse 10 sec
II. Tn remedy Is ut hand and those at
the helm refuse to grasp II.
What. then. Is the evil and what is the
remedy? The evil IL the enormous waste
due to the present confused method Of
financing Government and the consc-
ouent leaks in the machine. The remedy
Is an executive budget and publicity in
Legislative action thereon. In other
words. the Governor should submit to
the Legislature annually a we'll thought
out plan OF financing the State Govern
ment. one for which he IL willing TO as
sumo responsibility before the people Of
the state. This budget should consist
Of estimates Of expenses prepared by re-
sronsible heads Of the executive depart
ments. together with a carefully prepared
statement Of current resources and LA
bilities and a proposition by the Execu-
tive for raising revenues so adjusted 10
expenditures AZ TO balance the account.
Al the present time in New York
state there is no plan or budget for
financing the state. The Legislature and
not the Executive initiates proposals for
expenses. And the actual work Is not
even done by the Legislature itself but
by standing committees celebrating in
secret. The Hon. Henry l.. Stimson.
speaking for the Finance Committee Of
the recent Constitutional Convention.
said. Record. pages l.5T2-3:
Tho main criticism the committee would
make. and which underlies the whole mat
ter. II that therc has been a ehie,inE Of
functions, 50 20 speak. a sliding backward
%. the things the different branches OF the
State Government ough. To- do. un:il the
du,v which tho ENecutiv. ought to DO has
been gradually allowed 20 slide over in;o
the Legislature. II has been n general
sliding back until the performance Of tho
whole function has been Get out Of ,oint.
d!sin;egrat.d.
" T. the executive department N All
Us branches which expends mos, Of the
status money. Each head OF dep,rt.
ment knows. or AT any rate knows better
n any one else. what money n. needs
10 run his department. II IS therefore
common sense that the initial stem Of
masking estimates should come from tn.
executive department. The legislature
has no iirst hand knowledge Of needs.
and the present system 81 permitting II
- founder along and evolv. appropr;a-
ton bills without any plan H. the first
reason Of the great waste IN our finar-
cial system.
To-day tho Governor IL REQUIRED bv
the Constitution 20 communicate by mos
sage 10 the Legislature AZ every session
The condition of the state and recon-
mend TO Il such matters as he shall Judge
expedient article w. Section -. Coy.
sTnors attempt 10 do this by an annual
message and "A financial message and
INV b''tEi'Ts nave written able mes
sages on finance. No Governor. how
ever. has Vet taken the positive stand
mat II Is his duty in communicating the
condition or the State and making rec
concentrations 10 furnish 20 the Legis-
nature a comprehensive budget plan COW
ering both revenues and estimates OF .x-
pchdltures, The present Governor has
concerned himself with the subje,t Of
state finance, and has recently mad.
4 w. ~ ~ 80 n q asiN.a TO- III
si"ct 10 certain details. and : was hoped
that he would assume full responsibility
Tor an executive. budget. lie cout.ut.i
himself, however, with submitting 10 tho
l-cs!slatur" n form OF appropriation hill,
and declared he WAS mot AT this tim.
prepared TO support any plan which
shall make the Executive other than
what he has been In the past
The vital need for an executive budget
- made apparent by a glance az tn. ma
ch.nery by which appropriations have
been and ave being made. \ body OF
men. or rather Two bodies. one known as
the Ways ana Means committcp of N,
Assembly and the other as the Firauc.
Committee OF IN" senate. meet together
toward thu end q. the legislative session.
with steno-raphers and adding machines.
some figures are liked by inandator,
statutes and the Comptroller transmits
fF-F ''N Wv ~ W. lHll ElaIl-
nits no plan. From somewhere or other
come Informal estimates. Many Of these
estimates are led up the back stairs by
a ruhl'c officer o. politician of the san,
political faith a. the ~ jority OF the
Legislature, This class OF individual has
no responsibility {" any one and tries to
obtain not what he needs hut what he
can get. Then each member of the COM
mittcs, and particularly the two chair
men, are hu'tonhplcd by everybody who
has an excuse 10 graft on the State from
Nassau to Erie and from Warren TO
C~hautauqua. Finally these committees.
after n good deal OF hard work upon ma
teriil for which they have no RESPONSE
bile guarantee. evolve two bills. one the
general supply bill. which is 10 take eff
fc't Immediately. and the other the gem
sral appropriation bill, which contains ap.
proprlit ons for the fiscal year commence
inc on the FIRST OF October next there
after. These bills make their appear
ance out OF committee al tho Very end OF
the session. Sometimes they are printed
In part. but they are seldom more than
partially printed, They are often COW
cred with pastors and bear erasures and
interlincations
The Constitution provides that no bill
shall be passed unless IL shall have been
printed and upon the desks Of the mem
bers In Its tiral form AZ least three days
prior TO its fnal passage. but no general
appropriation or supply bill ever had tho
honor of being printed and upon the desk
Of members in its intl form for three
hours before it, final passage, Why is