The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-05-14
CONGRESS TAKING TOO MUCH POWER,
 PRESIDENT SAYS
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porary expedients, but that he felt the | time had come to call a halt before "de- structive' precedents had been estab- l lished
 The section of the, appropriation bill, which led to the veto would prohibit the printing of mimeographing of any govern | ment publication except by authority of | the joint committee. Such a provision, said the President, would give the com l mittee power to determine what infor- | nation shall be given to the people of the country by the executive departments.' Both Senator Shoot and Representative Good, however, asserted that the commit tee already had been given control over government publications by an act which the President signed on March 1, 1919, and that the purpose of the present provision was to extend that power so meritorious periodicals could be continued
 There are now 155 government publi- ca tions printed without any authority of law" said MT. Good
 "They exist only by sufferance of the joint committee. The bill which the President approved in March, 1919, was more sweeping than the one now vetoed"
 BABSON ROW BLAMED A row between the joint committee and Roger W. Babson, formerly connected with the committee on public informa- tion, was blamed for the Presidents ac- tion by Senator Shoot who said in his statement that Babson apparently had made use of the President or his ad- visers in carrying out his threat and de- termination to end the censorship which, without the least foundation, he was charged against the joint committee.
 T am in entire sympathy" the veto message said, in part, "and the depart ments to effect economies in printing and in the use of paper and supplies, but do not believe that such a provision as this should become law.
 'If we are to have efficient and eco- homie business administration of govern ment affairs, the Congress, I believe should direct it's efforts to the control Iof public moneys along broader lines. |. |. This can be accomplished by the enactment of legislation establishing an effective budget system which I have heretofore urged.
 "The Congress and the executive should function within their respective spheres. The Congress has the power and the riSht to grant or deny an appropriation, or to enact or refuse to enact a law; but once an appropriation is made or a law is passed the. appropriation should be ad- ministered or the law executed by the executive branch of the government.
 OUTSTANDING ILLUSTRATIONS
 T regard the provision in question as an invasion of the province of the execu- tive and calculated to result in unwar- ranted interference in the processes Of good government producing confusion, irritation and dstrust. The proposal as- Sumes significance an outstanding il- lustration of a growing tendency which I am sure is not fully realized by the Congress itself and certainly not by the people of the country . ."
 The President also cited a resolution adopted recently by the joint committee declaring that no person connected with any government department shoulds fur nish any publication for free distribution in excess of fifty copies without first making application to the committee. lie also called attention to the recent crea- ton by Congress of the public buildings commission to have absolute control of and the allotment of all space in all public buildings in Washington except the White House, Capitol building, Sen ate and House office buildings the cap- tol power plant, the Smithsonian Insti- tuition and the Congressional Library
 This commission, the President said "is organized and operated as congress sional commission" an1 has on various occasions directed various branches of the executive department to vacate build ings occupied by them"