The Washington herald., 1918-03-15

The sole purpose OF the budget
system is to economic and MAKE
the most efficient use of money.
War is one time when 1t is impossi
BILE to do this. Hence the war pro
posal that the budget system be
installed in our government can hard
ly be expected to prevail. Even II
given the Endorsement Of the Con
gress of the nation 1t would be &
long and difficult route to travel tC
ultimate success.
We say war is one time when II
is impossible to carry out the bud
get principle. We mean war is sc
much a work of waste that 1t is use
less to try to make the waste orderly
and steadfast to any particular ruiz
that might be laid down for a CON
structive period.
There has been considerable dis
| cussion over the country of the pro-
posal to create a government budget
All the editors who have been ad'
vocating efficiency in government fol
years past have taken to this idea
as entirely feasible. and all the
statesmen who have felt that il
would serve them best to advocate
those things which meant dallyinf
carefully with their constituens
pockebooks, have also come out ir
favor Of 1t.
The greatest money-saver our ma
ton can have at the present timt
is the men themselves. And this
work has to extend pretty much w
and down a huge line of officers, and
even rank-and-file men. There art
so many sources of out-go that II
is next to impossible to detect tho
waste. All we can do Is raise the
money-and then pray that 1t is goinG
to some good purpose. There is nc
earthly way OF checking 1t all. II
the men who spend it finally are not
careful We will never know it prob
ably and therefore will never know
what laxity to mourn most Bu
meanwhile let us hope that the
movement to save will prevail amone
all the men who have the power
to spend any part of our good ole
Uncle SamueTs fortune. If these
men do not save there Is nothing
we can do in the way of Legislation
that will help US. That is how finn
sy. after all, man-made government,
are.
Our good friend McCarty. OF the
Wisconsin legislative reference bu-
reau, used to write of the many
, reforms accomplished in that State
and of the reforms still unborn which
he hoped to live to see brought into
this peaceful old sphere. What 6
shock to his sensfbilities this Hun
made affair is. What a shock t.
him to know that in the pursuit o.
safe and lasting government we can
| not plod along in our own weary
way. but find our path closely con
nected with other paths. and cross
ing them, sometimes, at points wher'
we least suspect 1t. But here is tht
point of this paragraph-after tn,
war is over and when entirely new
principles appear in the skies to di
rect these foresighted men like Dot
McCarty, we suspect it will be easy
for them to find new treatment fol
them. and new reasons why tht
world should look 70 these ideas tc
save it from all future harm, anG
to make It the safe abiding place
Of superlative democracy. 1t was
ever thus.
Men in the ranks of our army
though thousands of them are still
on this side of the water. are gath,
ering quite an idea of the govern
ment they are serving. Their return
to civilian life will be the signal fol
them to take a live interest in az
fairs. 1t will not be many years
Washingtonians. until we will havs
these men in our midst as lawmak.
ers. Then we will see crystallizet
into law the thoughts they are think
ing now.
And what will be the product O
the legislation that will come from
the minds Of these men?
We wish we could answer tn,
| question. But we cannot. We cal
only predict that the legislation re
sultant from their efforts will b,
legislation designed to make ALI
men and women share in their gov
ernment. The idea of doing you
bit" will not. stop with the endin,
of the war. There is a bit to d,
all the time which many have no
thought about in our years of con
tentment. That bit will come to us
The boys who learned the lessor
in the camps of America, and on tn
battlefields of Europe, will impres
it upon us when they make tn
| laws. .,s -.
The failure of the Senate to Pu
OF until this year the adoption o