The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1922-01-27
CONGRESS PROGRAM OF ECONOMY
SHOULD HAVE AGGRESSIVE f
SUPPORT.
Legislative Branch Has Made Spleen
did Record In Reducing Public
Expenses.

Expenses.
AS to whether the economies which
have been effected in federal affairs
since the Inauguration of the Repub-
lican administration in March are to
be made permanent and Increased, OF
whether they are but flash In pne
pan will be largely determined with
in the next 80 days.
Although many bills carrying I'M
portant legislation will come before
the Congress in the regular session
which has just opened, it is only
fair to state that nothing will exceed
in Importance the appropriation
measures which will be presented
of Congress-. If one is to believe the
common reports, there is going to pc
a real struggle between the advocates
of genuine and permanent economy
in public administration and the OPP
ponents of such a program.
Congress Friend OF Economy.
Contrary to much that has been
written upon the subject, the real
friend of public economy is the Cor
gress. During the past SIX months
the Congress has been most unfairly
represented as being the influence
which is arrayed against cutting
down expenses. In point of fact and
as matter of official record, the con-
trarv is true. There has scarcely
been a request for appropriations
made of the Congress by any executive
department. or commission, or other
Administered agency but has been
considerably reduced. Even requests
for appropriations which have re-
ceived the approval Of the budget
bureau and sent to Congress have
been very materially reduced by that
body.
While a great deal of publicity has
been given,-and justly SOTO the
fact that since the creation OF the
budget bureau there have been saw
ings of approximately S3O0,Ooo,ooo
made by the Inauguration OF econ
omies in the various administrative
bureaus there has not been very
much said regarding the equally i'm
portant fact that since Congress
assembled in special session the 18th
of April it has made savings of over
S30O,0O0,00O by reducing requests for
appropriations made of it by various
executive departments, commissions,
bureaus, etc,
Congress Created Budget Bureau.
Furthermore, without any detrac'
ton from the budget bureau and its
operations, it should never be for
gotten or cease to be emphasized
that the very existence of the budget
bureau. with all the power il
possesses for introducing business
methods in public affairs and enforc
ing economies in the various admin
istrative agencies, is due solely anc
wholly to the act of Congress which
created the budget bureau and cloth
ed it with whatever authority L
possesses.
Congress we'll knew what it was do
ing when it did create the budge1
bureau. 1t enacted the law calllns
that bureau into existence and giving
it tremendous powers to enforce
economies for the reason that 1T wa
in the heart and mind of the Con
gress to reduce public expenditures
Nor was it an act performed upon thu
spur of the moment or in wave
enthusiasm. The Republican Con
gress elected in 1918 enacted bulge
law differing in no great detail from
the budget law now on the books
only to have it vetoed by Presiden
Wilson upon the ground that it in
terfered with his executive preroga
tives.
So it may be truthfully stated tina
it has been a firm and fixed polio,
of the Congress to compel reduction
of public expenditures. 1t was i
order that this policy might be mad
effective and more easily carried int
execution that it enacted law Great
ing budget bureau at whose hea