Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-06-23
THE NEW BOSS OF THE BUDGET


THERE will be general public satisfaction
J. with the selection by President Harding
of Charles q. Dawes, of Chicago, as Director
Of the Budget.
Mr.. Dawes Is man of large experience
in financial affairs. He is Of undoubtcd
courage and has large powers of initiative.
His qualities have been demonstrated many
times. the latest of which was when he called
down a congressional committee which was
wasting time and money in an investigation
into war expenditures.
AS Director Of the Budget he will be in
a position to make himself. as one Congress
man said in describing the powers of his
office, 'thc second largest man in the cx
ccutivc department of the Government.
The Budget Law is based on the theory
that the President. the only executive officer
elected by the votes of all the people, should
prepare the estimates for Congress and
should lay down the financial policy Of the
Administration.
The Director Of the Budget is made the
personal appointee of the President. holds
Office at his pleasure and is not subject to
confirmation BY the Senate. He is to con-
suit with the heads of the executive depart.
ments and then make out n budget Of the
expenditures for the year. using his judg-
mcnt in apportioning the probable revenues
among the different departments.
II the Director finds duplication Of work
and overlapping bureaus 1t is within his
functions to recommend to the President that
appropriations for maintaining the bureaus
at fault be cut off. And IL any Cabinet off
Ger is disgruntled by the curtailment Of his
appropriation he will have to take the matter
up first with the President and fight it out
in Cabinet meeting or elsewhere. So long
as the President backs up his Director Of
the Budget Cabinet officer cannot appeal
to Congress without being guilty Of insub
ordination.
No better plan could have been devised to
bring about n busncsSlikc estimate of the
sums needed for the support of the Govern
ment. 1t puts the members Of the Cabinet
under discipline and compels them to accept
the estimates for their departments as parts
of complete whole. In the past the best
jollier Of Congress has got money for his
department when other Cabinet members
had their estimates cut to the bone. All
this is to stop.
OF course. Congress will be At liberty to
make what appropriations it pleases It
cannot be deprived Of this power under the
Constitution. But the executive budget will
have the moral prestige of the President and
his whole Cabinet back OF it. and when Con .
gress disrcgards the recommended ations it will
have to Justify it's course.
When Mr.. Dawes begins his work on
July there should be that stirring among
the dry bones in the Washington depart
ments which believers in business efficiency
long have been hoping for. He will really
start the reorganization Of the departments
of which there has been footless talk for
several years. and IL he does not run up
against the opposition Of the spoilsmen in
Congress it will be for the reason that they
dare no. challenge his ability to win popular
support by n direct statement of the issues
involved.
The satisfaction with which the country
will receive the appointment of Mr.. Dawes
will reflect satisfaction with President Hard
ing himself The appointment is another
act of the President which commends itseli
TO the judgment of every one, and which en-
couragcs public confidence in his future
course in other matters.