Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-09-15
GOVERNORS OF % STATES
ADVOCATE u. S. BUDGET
Tell Citizens of Country They Fear Present
System Will Result In National
Bankruptcy

! Governors of twenty-five states to-
day appealed to citizens of the United
! States to advocate the adoption by
| Congress Of a national budget sys-
| tenn. The governors, in statements
prepared for the national budget COM
mittee, express fear that the present
| administration of the finances of the
| United States will result in national
| bankruptcy.
The chief executives of the follow
| ing states joined in the protest and
| Endorsed the committees campaign
| for budgetary reform: Arizona, Colo
RADIO. Idaho. Illinois, Indiana. Iowa,
| Kansas Maine, Maryland, Massachu-
sets, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey.
| New York. North Dakota. Oregon,
Pennsylvania, Rhode Island. South
Dakota, West Virginia. Wisconsin and
! Wyoming.
| The governors direct most of their
| criticism against the departmental
! system of annual expense estimates
| and the congressional method OF
handling appropriation bills.
Summary of Contentious.
/ Summed up. their contentious are
| that
! /. Departmental estimates are out
|
| mentS.
2 Expense statements are drawn
up independently by each of the ten
| executive departments.
| 3. There is no balance between IN
| come and outgo.
| 4. There is no executive Response
| bility for the budget submitted to
/ Congress.
! 5. Fourteen committees of the House
| and fifteen committees of the Senate
| have power to initiate money ollls.
| g. Individual members OF Congress
can secure the passage of approprla-
| ton bills benefiting local interests.
! Z. Log-rolling methods are USED 10
rush money bills through House and
| Senate. and that Congress, as whole,
| is unfamiliar with details of the meas
| ures upon which it passes judgment.
! To remedy these conditions. the
| governors make the following sug-
| gestion:
| 1. Demand executive responsibility
| for the national budget.
2. Establish a bureau Of the budget
| to draw up estimates of governmental
| expenses.
8. Provide for congressional consid-
Grafton of money bills by single COM
mittees of the House and Senate, or
| joint committee of the two.
4. Limit money bills to actual needs
| and cd away with pork" and log
| rolling"
The governors of the various states
| call attention to the fact that the
| United States is the only great gov
eminent of the world without bud
get system. They further point out
| that forty-one states of the union
have adopted the budget as work
plan of government or have taken
action to bring about such a reform
- Views of Governors.
| Calvin Coolidge, governor of Mas
sachusetts, said: I'VE have had a
budget system in operation for year
! in Massachusetts,. 1t has proved it
| self to be the best solution of the
| the state government 1t would seem
| to me that the benefits of this might
| well be extended to the nation. be-
| cause a national budget would make
possible a balance between recon-
| mended expenditures for all activi-
| ties of government and estimated
revenue from all sources. including
proposed increases in taxation. when
1 such means become necessary. Surely,
/ without a budget. the relative needs
of all the various activities cannot be
! understood when appropriations for
particular departments are being con-
| sidered. This condition is kelly to
encourage extravaganza in appropria-
| lions for certain functions and parsi-
! mony in others. and leaves the task
of explaining. or, if need be, defend
| ing, the burden of increased taxation
| almost impossible
Gov. Emerson c. Harrington of
Maryland said: "A million dollar
deficit in 1915 aroused the people of
Maryland to the need for an effective
| budget plan. An amendment to the
state constitution providing for a
budget system was adopted by the
people and now the budget is a part
of the constitution of the state The
budget in Maryland is working finely.
We have sufficient inspiration to de-
mand of Congress that the federal