New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1917-08-17
SHOULD HAVE A
COMMITTEE ON
EXPENDITURES
ONLY WAY TO MAKE PROPER
PROVISIONS FOR REVE-
NUES rs TO KNOW HOW
MUCH is NEEDED AND
WHAT FOR
Special to State Record.

Washington, Aug. l4.-Hon. Jon
athan Bourne, Jr, today made ou
the following statement at Wash
ington:
In response to President wilson.
demand, congress eliminated from
the food control bill the provision
for the creation of bipartisan joint
committee on expenditures in the
conduct of the war. This is a victory
of very doubtful value to the Pre-.
sident. 1t is difficult to imagine how
his administration can possibly bt
helped, but defeat of the proposed
committee may lead to embarrass-
ment.
The provision for a joint congress
sional committee did not contemplate
any infringement upon the prero-
gatives of the Executive. 1t was a
proper attempt to create commit
tee which should aid congress to
make appropriations and keep in
formed upon the maner of their ex-
penditure. This is not merely the
right but the duty of congress. For
the intelligent performance of this
duty there is need for joint COM
mittee responsible to both Houses
of congress and giving attention to
all phases of war expenditures and to
no other subject. The personnel
should be composed of the ablest and
most experienced men in congress.
That the creation of the committee
had no partisan purpose is amply
posed by Republicans who provided
that majority of the committee
should be Democrats.
The Presidents chief objection to
the committee was that it would
hamper his prosecution of the war.
Men of ordinary business experience
will see the fallacy OF such conten-
ton. The committee would have no
power over military operations-no
power to dictate how a dollar should
be expended. The onl y power would
be to study the manner in which the
money was expended after it had
been appropriated and report the
facts to congress, together with re-
concentrations as to appropriations
IN the future. This being the case,
it is inevitable that many people
will infer from President Wilson's
attitude that he is unwilling to have
congress fully and promptly advised
how the enormous war appropria-
tions have been expended.
The embarrassing situation for
the President will arise when a full
accounting must be made. He will
be in the position Of . large corpo-
ration manager who has insisted up
on his board Of directors giving him
absolute power without permitting
any sort of check upon the manner
liz which the busihess is conducted
Instead of frankly discussing expcn-
iitures with congress through care
fully chosen committee composed of
men who are probably just as cap
able Of filling the office of President
as he, the President has chosen
policy of secrecy. He cannot avoid
full responsibility if extravagances
and favortism are later disclosed
The Presidents intimation that
the purpose of the committee was to
hamper him carries with it the as
sumption that if the ablest members
of Congress were given opportunity,
they would hamper him in prosecu-
ton of the war-a gratutous insult
to coordinate branch of govern
ment.
Members of congress know their
duties as we'll as the President
knows his. Many of them have been
in public life far longer than he and
in private life have had infinitely
more diversified and practical ex-
perience. They feel as keenly as
does he their responsibility to their
constituents. In 1918 they must go
back to their states and districts to
give an accounting of their steward
ship. If they had created a joint
congressional committee. they could
assure their constituents that thev
had taken every precaution. to guard
against waste of public funds. In
the absence Of such action the man
who goes home for popular approval
can only saw that he has voted
everything the President or the de
rartments asked and left all the
Departments md bureaus free in the
expenditures Of the money without
any ADEQUATE method of accounting
to the chosen representatives OF the
people.