The Colorado statesman., 1921-07-16

has been appointed as budget director
IL is probable that not even the
political opponents OF General Dawes
will Intimate that he has sought
government job for the pay or the
glory that is In II. His civil life
position probably paid him many times
the amount of the salary which the
government will hand him ench year.
Mr.. Dawes Is going to take hold
of five billion dollar year business
and try to run II so that enough money
can be saved to Uncle Sam each year
to make the installment of the nee
essary machinery of accomplishment
a justfuble bit of legislation.
And so the long looked for budget
system is to 20 into operation. BY
the provisions of the law every presi-
dent of the United States In the future
will be under legal obligation to send
TO congress In December the first
budget of government
What will this budget lnclude7
Well. 1t must have In II estimates or
every forthcoming appropriation and
with them estimates of the probable
government income from every source
under the law as it exists. and 1t also
must contain an estimate OF the re-
celpts as they are likely to be under
such proposals for revenue raising
as the budget may contain.
In addition 20 this there must be a
statement of the condition of the
treasury and what II Is believed the
condition of the same department Will
be when another fiscal year Is ended.
In addition to this there must be
complete statement Of the Indebted
ness of the government and such other
financial statements as congress may
need to see its way clear to legislate
wisely In what may be called a
financial way.
OF Prime Interest To All Of Us.
The country probably will watch
the operation of appropriating money
under the new budget system with
keen interest. 1t is the peoples money
which Is being spent, and therefore
In a way the chairman of the budget
will be the steward of the people.
In the house of representatives
there already is a consolidated COM
mittee on appropriations. The chair
man of this committee, James w.
Goode of Iowa, has left congress. NO
body knows who will succeed him.
The job of the consolidated appropria-
tiOns committee Is peculiar one,
for 1t is sort of guardian OF bills
proposing expenditures and 1t is Its
duty in large measure to see to 1t
that the smaller committees when
they make their reports shall not be
led into the way of extravaganza.
1t Is possible that the senate Will
he compelled to follow the example OF
the house and dissolve large number
of its smaller committees, or else keep
them in their present form but with
merely n narrower field in which to
work. Virtually the enlarged ap-
propriatiOns committee of the house
has taken over everything which per-
tains to finance, or at least 1t has
constituted itself a sort of court of
last resort in appropriation matters.
If the same course shall be applied
In the senate, the committee of which
Senator Penrose now Is chairman will
have greatly enlarged powers, and
while all appropriation measures must
originate in the house of representa-
tives. the fact that the senate has a
last word in the matter will give to
the chairman of the senate appropria-
tions committee power perhaps
greater than that held by the house
committee chairman.
Dawes Vigorous Man.
Charles G.. Dawes, who has been
appointed director of the budget is
the Charles G. Dawes who aroused
the risibilities of the country, and
to considerable extent its admira-
ton. by the course which he pursued
MS n witness before the committee
of the army expenditures investigat-
ing committee of the house of repre-
sentatives.
1t will be remembered that Mr..
Dawes served in France and doubt
less made a side excursion or two into
Flanders. 1t may be that he learned
some of his picturesque language in
the latter country. for it was the mud
in Flanders which gave Uncle Toby
the inspiration for his smile when
he said. "swore like the army in
Flanders
There may be no occasion for pictur-
esque language in the office room of
the new director of the budget but
If n man is to be moved to strong eX-
pressions by hard work, the moving
force will not be absent. The budget
is new thing; it is intricate in its
imposed duties and moreover it deals
largely with finance, about which men
have disagreed ever since the days
when the Indians and the early set
tiers used wampum as medium of
exchange.
A New Version.