South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1921-06-30
DAWES POSITION
IN DIRECTING j. S,
BUDGET IMPORTANT
Work in Handling Govern
ment Expenditures and
Taxation Vital.
BY LOUIS LUDLOW.

WASHINGTON, June 29.-In TAX
ing the office Of director Of the bu-
reau Of the budget Charles G.
Dawes of Chicago, in the estimation
of his friends, has stepped into the
most important office in the scheme
of the federal government short of
the presidency. AS director of bud
gets Col. Dawes will have a larger
and more important task to perform
than he would have had if he had
been made a member of the cabinet
Most observers have settled down
to the conclusion that the Harding
administration Will in the end be
Judged largely by its hanCling of the
inter-related questions Of govern
ment expenditures and taxation.
Dawes job will have to do with these
subjects. If he can stop the steady
waste OF money and bring about
substantial reduction in federal taxes
he will have satisfied the people and
at the same time won favor for the
administration.
Under the legislation creating the
national budget system Dawes, as
the director of budgets, will be pretty
much of a car, and persons who
have been around these parts for any
considerable time know that If here
is need of a car anywhere in the
government il is the place which
Dawes is to fill. Congress never was
keen for the national budget system
because il realized that with the in
PRODUCTION Of such a system many Of
the sO-called congressional preroga-
tives would disappear. Il took more
than 90 years to get the system en-
acted into law Notwithstanding
every president who served within
that period advocated the legislation,
congress would not act.
Not To BE Popular.
It may be safely predicted that
| Dawes, as director Of budgets, Will
not be popular with the legislative
body. In fact, many disinterested
observers believe the best thing about
the budget system is that the direc-
tor Of budgets IS beyond the control
Of congress. 1t is repeating an old
story TO say that the waste in gov
eminent had its inception largely
with the log-rolling scheme Of ap-
propriating money. Ever since
there has been a congress Of the
United States it has been the practice
for every senator and representative
TO get just as much out of the treas
ury for his state and district as he
could. You scratch my back and
/ III scratch yours" has been the mot
to.
In passing, il may be remarked
that the naval bill which is now in
conference reached its present ex-
/ cessive size through the log-rolling
process. Practically every senator
from a state with a water front sue
ceeded in getting a local grab into
the bill before it finally left the SEN
ate. This has become such a COM
mon practice that IL can be done
without attracting any particular at
tention
1t is this sort of thing that Dawes
in his capacity as director Of budgets
is 10 stop. If the administration sue
ceeds in getting a world disarma-
ment program started IN time for the
director Of budgets TO cut proposed
appropriations for war preparedness
in the first budget which he viii
! transmit 70 congress, il VIII be pos
/ slble for Dawes 10 make a good
showing Of economy right at the out
set.
Undoubtedly one OF the first evils
Dawes will strike at as director Of
budgets is that Of the various execu-
tive departments contracting debts
/ beyond appropriations and depend
ing on congress for deficiency appro-
priations with which 10 pay the bills.
1t is certain there viii be plenty OF
growing and no end Of condemnation
OF the director OF budgets. II will be
new experience for the various de-
partments Of the government 70 ind
some one standing between them and
the appropriaung authority and
saying just how much they should
have 10 spend.