The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1919-10-17
U. S. BUDGET SYSTEM

A national budget sytem, scienti-
fic step forward in the interests of ma.
tional economy, is about to come be-
fore Congress in the form of bill to
be reported to the House of Represen-
tatives by the Appropriations Com
mittee. Although stubborn fight is
expected to be made upon it by old
time Congressional privateers, jeal-
Gus of their historic privilege of
spending the Governments money
with lavish hands, it is expected that
the measure will pass. AS President
Wilson has consistently urged the en-
actment of such law there is no ques-
ton of his approval.
Democratic and Republican leaders
of progressive tendencies have real
lied that something must be done to
abate the waste of money that is an
nually appropriated by Congress,
hence the efforts for budget legislation
in the Goth Congress have so far met
with less opposition than ever before.
Most Of the other large nations of the
earth are administrated on the bud
get plan, and the United States has
been practically alone in it's legisla-
tive appropriation system.
The bill as at present drawn will
differ materially from the budget
laws of other nations, this being due
to the difference in the American style
of government and placing of response
bilities. Former President Taft. an
ardent advocate of budget, and Car
ter Glass, Secretary of the Treasury,
another espouser of the project, have
been heard by the committee and their
views obtained as to what they be-
lieve the bills salient features should
be.
The United States Government has
at the present a law permitting the
revision of estimates, but it contains
no provisions for the machinery neces-
sary for investigation of the desira-
bility of the recommendations.
If the budget bill now being evolved
by the House Appropriations Commit
tee becomes law there will be two
major officials in charge of the work.
First, there will be director of the
bureau of the budget, or some similar
title, who would be appointed by ehe
President and subject to confirmation
by the Senate. His salary will be
$4,000 a year and he will have an
assistant at $500. He will be as
signed sufficient force to investi-
gate all claims for appropriations and
to keep tab on the necessities of the
various departments, not only from
month to month, but day to day.
The director of the budget would be
directly under the President, and on
him the chief executive would largely
depend for his departmental estimates
and general information.
The other official will be styled the
auditor general. He, too, will be APP
pointed by the President and confirmed
by the Senate and it is planned that
he be subject to removal only by res
olution of both Senate and House for
misconduct, incapacity or other such
cause. This would remove this i'm
portant office beyond the reach of
politics. His salary would be COM
mensurate with that of the budget di-
rector, and he also would have suit
able staff. The business of the audi
tor general would be to check the APP
preparations, revenues and expendi-
lures of the Government, so that Con-
gress may obtain at moments no
tice figures on the state of the nation
al finances and everything relative to
expenditures.
1t is considered possible that Con-
gress may recommend, or insist, upon
joint committee of supervision of
everything concerning the bodget. If
done this will be stop to the old tim
ers who today resent any interference
with their ancient powers of disburs-
ing the public money. AS matter of
fact, the auditor-general plan has
been worked out with the idea of Sc
curing to Congress the control Of all
expenditures, but this may not salts
fly some Senators and Representatives.
The departmental estimates will be
called under the proposed law to the
attention of Congress by the director
of the bureau Of the budget, as stat
ed, while the auditor-general, on the
part of Congress, will report on their
practicability as regards the prospec-
tive revenues, state of the treasury,