The Republican journal., 1921-04-14
THE STATE CONTINGENT FUND

The legislature of 1915 authorized and
Treasurer to open on their books an &C
count to be known as the State Contin
gent Fund. On the first of January of
each year all balances of unexpended
appropriations were to be transferred ard
credited to this account. The only ex-
ceptions to this were the appropriations
providing for the issue and payment of
State bonds, temporary loans and certain
sp ecial funds held in the treasury depart
ment.
The actual income of the State for each
preceding year was also to be credited to
the contingent fund. The Governor and
Council were given authority to expend
this fund as follows:
"Warrants may be drawn upon, charged
to, and paid out of this fund.- to pay out
standing bills or accounts that were prop
erly chargeable to the several appropria-
tons previous to the first day of January
of each year; to pay outstanding bills
necessarily contracted by State depart
Legislature failed to make sufficient pro-
vision, and for such other expenses as it
may be necessary to incur under the re-
quirement of law or for the maintenance
of government, which the Governor, with
the advise and consent of the Council,
shall authorize; provided, however, that
no payment shall be made from this fund,
except as above provided, unless some
emer gency shall arise requiring an eX-
penditure of money not provided for by
the legislature
For several years prior to the passage
of this act the legislature made an annual
appropriation Of $4,000 under the title
Contingent Fund of the Governor and
Council which was to be used as and
when needed for the benefit of the State.
When this was expended the Governor
and Council had no authority to draw
any warrants for the expenditure of pub
tic money for any purpose unless the leg
Islature had made an appropriation for
shat specific purpose, and no agent in
StltutIon or department of the State was
allO wed to overdraw the appropriation
when the appropriation was expended
and those whose expenditures exceeded
the appropriation were told to ask the
ieglsl allure to pass special resolve au-
tho Tzing the payment of the over ex-
penditure. We admit that this was an
oldfashoned and slow way of doing BUSH
ness, but it was safe, and the experience
OF the last few years has proved that it
was vastly more economical than the
present method.
In his first address to the legislature
Governor Baxter speaking of the State
Contingent Fund showed that he had
given it an X-ray examination. He said
I'm looking over the appropriations
and actual expenses of the various State
departments for the years 1919 and 1920
it appears that overdrafts were made
amounting to 81, 5l7, 927,82, and the Gov
ernor and Council were called upon to
make provision to meet these overdrafts
out of the { ontingent Fund. Shortly
after assuming the office of Chief Execu-
tive ] invited the heads of departments
to a conference and impressed upon them
the fact that the Legislature, not the
Governor and Council, was the appro-
priating body, and l explained that here
after each department must plan to live
within the income provided for it by the
Legislature. The Governor and Council
cannot assume the responsibility of en-
larging legislative appropriations and the
Contingent Fund should be drawn upon
in case Of real emergency only"
When Governor Baxter said: s'The Leg
Islature, not the Governor and Council
was the appropriating body" he gave
expression to fundamental and import
ant truth The purse strings of the State
should always be firmly held by the Leg
islature. No part of the power to make
appropriations should be delegated to