Evening star., 1920-06-13

TIME national budget system will
really be in force during the
next session of Congress. even
though the budget bill was
vetoed by President Wilson. and
though the Senate failed to repass the
bill in the amended form that the
House adopted to meet the objections
Of the chief executive.
The budget plan that failed placed
the responsibility for an economic. CO.
ordinated budget upon the President.
but this was only the first step in
budgetary legislation as devised by
the special select committee after the
voluntary testimony of thirty-seven
of the most prominent financiers,
economists, executives, accountants,
engineers and politicians in the coun-
try. The second step was taken in
ldependently by both branches of Con-
gress in changing their own commit
tee organization.
The executive budget that failed
would have been unavoidable with
out the change of procedure in each
house by creating one central COM
mittee on appropriations in each body
to which all executive estimates must
go and from which all bills appro-
priating public money must be re-
ported.
Most Essential Feature.
The action of the House and Senate
in instituting the reform in their own
method of procedure, which is not de-
pendent in any way upon executive
approval, has established the most
essential feature of the budget. This
single. enlarged committee can put
| through an economic budget no mat
| ter in what form the estimates for
executive department expenditures
may come to Congress
AS matter of fact the Secretary of
| the Treasury is supposed now to do
just what the bill that failed of re-
passage provided that a director gen.
eral Of the budget should do. The Sec
| retary of the Treasury, however. has
fallen into the habit of sending along
| the estimates just as they are sent to
him by the various bureaus, commits
| sions and departments. The commit
tees of Congress have had to lop off
| from these estimates, but with all the
| appropriating power in one committee
| better coordination in effecting
| economy can be had.
As matter of fact. it is generally
believed by members of Congress tha
| President Wilson made a mistake in
vetoing the budget bill Democratic
members of the appropriations com.
mittee say that he would have accom-
plished his purpose just as well by
pointing out to Congress his objec-
tion. and an amendment could later
| have been passed to obviate any pos
sible infringement of the Constitu-
| tion. They say that now the country
he really is in favor of a national
budget.
Failed to Cinch job.
Leading democrats also point out
| that the President lost an opportunity
to cinch good $4,000 job as director
general of the budget for some de-
serving democrat. who could not
afterward be removed by Mr.. Wilson'S
successor.
Chairman Good of the House appro-
priations committee and Chairman
| Warren of the Senate committee, be-
fore they left Washington for the
Chicago convention, held conferences
| with leaders in their respective bodies
| looking to the selection of the best
men to fill out the single committee
on appropriations. In the House, TO,
example, there are now eight commit
tees reporting supply measures. and
these often overlap and duplicate in
part in recommending appropriations.
The present appre priations committee
has twenty-one members. The new
appropriations committee is to have
thirty-f1ve members. 1t is proposed.
and will probably be brought about,
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