The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-05-05
COMING OF THE BUDGET.

! The United States senate finally has
passed budget bill. The house en-
acted such a measure several months
! ago. The matter will now go to con-
ference and its friends are hopeful
that an early agreement will be
reached.
! Interest in national budgetary re-
| form received its first impetus during
the administration of President Taft.
Believing that governmental expendi-
lures were increasing out of all pro-
portion to actual needs, President
Taft obtained permission from con-
gress in 1910 to appoint a commission
on economy and efficiency. The pur-
pose OF the commission was to investi-
gate the organization of the United
States government and report to the
president on what steps could be taken
toward reducing the amount of an
nual expenditures.
After three years of effort, the COM
mission made an exhaustive report to
the president and recommended that
an executive budget system be adopt
ed by congress to avoid the many du
plications of departmental effort that
its investigation disclosed. President
Taft was confronted with a much
changed congress in 1913, however,
and the report of his commission
which was approved by him and sub
mitted to congress, was not kindly re-
ceived. The president did succeed,
however. in focusing public attention
upon the need for economy in the ad-
ministration of the nations fiscal af-
fairs.
In the last presidential campaign,
both the platforms of the Republican
and the Democratic parties contained
planks pledging the adoption of fed
eral budget system. Last July the
speaker of the house appointed a Sc
lect committee on the budget to which
was referred for consideration several
bills and resolutions introduced in the
lower chamber of congress looking to-
ward the adoption of a budget system.
Hearings were begun on September
20, concluded on October 4 and on Oc-
tober s Chairman Good introduced his
bill and reported the result of the Sc
lect committees hearing The bill
was adopted on October 81 with only
three votes recorded against it.
The bill, altho hailed as the first
move on the part of congress to give
tenn, did not receive widespread en-
dorsement as an effective budget
measure. Its main provisions created
bureau of the budget in the office
of the president, to which was trans
ferred all OF the present duties of the
secretary of the treasury in collecting
and transmitting to congress the an
nual departmental estimates of ex-
penditure, and an independent audit
ing and accounting department, an
swerable solely to the fund granting
body. congress. The bill, therefore,
did not attempt Immediately to set UP
budget system, but gave the presi-
dent the machinery with which to
work out two years hence a system
under which he would have not only
the authority to receive and collate
departmental estimates but the much
more needed power to revise or reduce
and coordinate these estimates.
Co-incident with the introduction of
several budget bills and resolutions in
the house, bills and resolutions of sim
liar intent were introduced in the SEN
ate. A select committee of the bud
get was likewise appointed in the SEN
ate to which was referred all of the
bills and resolutions introduced. Sen
ator Medill Mccormick OF Illinois was
named chairman of the committee.
During the first few days of the
present session of congress, Senator
Mccormick introduced a new budget
bill upon which the senate select COM
mittee commenced its hearings De-
cember IS.
The Mccormick bill differs radical
~ from the house bill in that it would
Immediately set up a budget system
and give the secretary of the treasury
full power to transmit to congress,
thru the president, the annual execu-
tive budget. in which departmental es-
Inmates of expenditure would be pre-
scented by him, revised or reduced as
he sees fit, and balanced against avail
able revenue. The Mccormick bill ac-
cordingly would place the bureau of
the budget in the office of the secre-
tary of the treasury and make him a
true finance minister by relieving
him of the supervision OF all activi-
ties not germane to the actual conduct
of the nations fiscal affairs.
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