The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-02-18
SHALL LoG-RoLLING END?

Senator Mccormick announces that
a bill providing for a national budget
system has been agreed on unani-
mously by the special senate sub-eom-
mittee appointed to consider such
legislation and will be favorably re-
ported to the full committee at an
early date.
The keynote of what an executive
budget system would mean to the or
ganization of the executive branch of
the government was sounded during
mittee on the budget last September
Assistant Secretary of the Navy
Franklin D. Roosevelt said. in endors-
ing the adoption of the system. that
he looked to it as the opening wedge"
that would eventually bring about a
reorganization OF the executive branch.
Later developments have revealed to
the opponents of a budget system that
this reorganization will not alone in
clude the coordination of the execu
tive establishments but also perhaps
the institution of at least one new
executive department to supervise the
countrys rivers and harbors, public
buildings and grounds and all other
public works.
That large spending committees of
the house at least are convinced of the
urgent need for heavy reductions in
annual federal expenditures was indi
Gated when the annual river and har-
Dor appropriation bill was placed on.
the calendar for the consideration by
the committee of the whole. Estimates
transmitted to congress requested the
appropriation of more than $4,000
900 for the fiscal year of 1921 for
internal waterways and harbor i'm
provements. The house committee on
rivers and harbors reported out bill
carrying only $12,OOO,OO0. represent
ing cut of about II per cent. The
bill reported allowed only $1,000, 900
of it's total for~expenditure upon exist
ing projects and the remainder for the
maintenance of already completed
projects, thereby not allowing a cent
Of money for any new projects.
The senate budget plan as contained
in the Mccormick bill, specifically
provides that the secretary of the
treasury, whom the Mccormick bill
makes responsible for the preparation
of the budget, shall not have any pow
er to revise the estimates of expendi-
ture for river and harbor improve
ments. Section thirteen of the bin
says that the secretary of war shall
annually submit the budget estimates
referring to these improvements to
the secretary of the treasury, ITO be
incorporated by him. without change,
into the budget which he submits to
the president"
Witnesses before the senate select
committee on the budget criticised
this provision. River and harbor i'm
provements have cost the country
hundreds of millions Of dollars and the
money spent has shown little or no
beneficial results. The "log-rol1ing"
method of getting large sums from the
public purse to be spent in congress
in the rivers and harbors bill, among
a few others.
Senator Mccormick stated that the
reason he excluded estimates of ex-
penditures for river and harbor inn
provements from the secretary of the
treasury's power to revise depart
mental estimates, proposed in his bill,
was because they are now sort Of a
lost child in the war department" in
timating that he believes the rivers
and harbors of the country should be
under the direct supervision of an in
dividual department.
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