Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-06-16
MOVE TOWARDS
BUDGET SYSTEM
By Congress Resolution 7
House Committees Have
Been Shorn of Their Power
By w. S. MANN.


ect committee on the budget, when
makes three important changes IN
the rules of procedure In the House,
has shown its sincerity In adopting
legislation providing for a nationai
budgt system.
By this resolution seven import
ant House committees are shorn OF
their authority to make a~pproprla-
tons. They comprise the veteran
membership of h House, men VINO
have worked zealously for many years
20 get positions on these committees
through the operation OF the seniority
rule
This change of rules to complete
the national budget program, makes
real government economy posslple
md Is the cornerstone of tremendous
economies tina can be effected year
after year.
The budget legislation has three
distinct steps,-(1) formation OF the
budget; CD action on the pudget py
congress; CD supervision and control
al the execution of the budget. the
first two steps are dealt with through
changes In the statutes of the United
states, and the third Is
through the provision of the constr
tuition which gives each house the
right to determine its W rules OF
procedure. the House of representa-.
lives voluntarily relinquishing all
rights and privileges of making APP
propriations to one committee SO that
the budget could be handled with the
utmost economy and efficiency;
In thus changing its rules the House
roes back to first principles and cen
fers ALI appropriating authority in one
ommittee of thirty-hve members.
The other committees which relln-
uuish the cherished authority when
brought much prestige to the mem
hers of these committees are: ASrl-
culture, military affairs, foreign ar
fairs. indian affairs. naval ai1aTs,
postofice and post roads. rivers ana
The adoption of this resolution will
permit the committee on approprla-
lions consisting of thirty-hve mem
bers to divide its work between inc
subcommittees which 1t Will create
so that the budget can come pelore
in one measure. with an ap,
preparations thoroughly co-ordlnated
as thew could not be if handled
through seven committees in thirteen
appropriation measures. 1t makes 1t
possible for the budget to receive IN
full and comprehensive dis
cussion of the all important question
of government finance. Members VINO
vote on appropriations can then see
the entire picture at one glance. the
Ilnl1CIdI ANAOA1
ment viewed in this way will have a
tendency to sober the temper OF con-
gress when 1t comes to passing leg1s-
iative bills that may mean the taklng
up of new government activities which
will require future appropriations.
Without the change OF rules con-
centrating all appropriation authority
In the one committee, 1t was decided
by the House on the advice of thirty
seven national leaders who testified
before the budget committee, that
krue budgetary reform would be I'M
possible.
While It takes from certain COM
mittees juricdiction which they now
possess and from bore than $50 mem
bers on those committees certain
powers heretofore exercised the House
approached the consideration OF the
3mportant problem with a determine
tion to submerge personal ambition
and advantage for public good.
The constitution provides that:
NO money shall be drawn from the
~rcasury but in consequence or ap-
preparations made by law, and a reg
ular statement of the accounts on
the receipts and expenditures or all
public money shall be published from
time to time"
Under this plain mandate of the
fundamental law of the land congress
has felt that it could in honor be sat
fsfied with nothing short of the very
hest plan that could be devised for
making appropriations out of the
treasury.
The ways and meal committee
was originally created in 1857 with
jurisdiction to report revenue, appro-
priation and banking and currency
measures. All appropriations were
originally reported in one bill. The
number of regular annual a~ppropria-
ton bills gradually increased until
1880 when it had cache the present.
number of thirteen regular approprla-
ton bills and one to three deficiency
bills.
The Jurisdiction of the ways and
means committee was divided in 1865,
when one committee on ~appropria-
lions and another on banking and cur
rency were created. The committee
on appropriations had control of all
the regular appropriation bills until
1880, when the committee on agri-
culture was given jurisdiction to re-
port appropriations for the depart
ment of agriculture and the commit
tee on to report a~pproprla-
tons for rivers and harbors.
Again on December 18, 1885, the
House adopted a rule taking from the
appropriations committee its jurlsdlc-
ton over six of the appropriations
bills and conferr1ng 1t upon nVe otner
committees Of the House. The sys-
tenn of giving too so many indepen-
dent committees unlimited power to
report appropriation bills has been
universally condemned by men who
by reason of their long service in
and special study of the
problems involved became authorities.
1t was condemned in 1879 by James
A. Garfield. in 1880 by Thomas B.
Reed, In 1885 by Blackburn of Ken
lucky, by former Speaker ]. Warren
Keifer, and by Senator's. Edmunds,
Sherman, Hale and others whose
names are big in legislative records.
Chairmen of the appropriations com
mittees for many years have con-
demned it-including former Speaker
Cannon who was for 10 years chair
man of the appropriations committee
and for As years a member; m A.
Tawney. for six years chairman; John
J. Fitzgerald, for more than six years
chairman, and Swager Sherley for
many years a member and for several
years chairman of the appropriations
committee.
President Wilson and former Presi-
dent Taft also approved h budget
plan.
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