Milford chronicle., 1922-12-01
Copyright. Western Newspaper Union
XVI.
EASY COME. EASY co
By EDWARD G. LOWRY

EASY COME, EASY GO
Back in 1912, when Mr.. Taft was
President, and when the gross ex-
penditures of the government were
about One-quarter of what they are
now, he became exercised and con-
o cerned about the higgledy-piggledy, un-
scientific, disOrderly, grab-bag methods
by which your money was expended
for public purposes. He said then
what is equally true now, that the
activities of the national government
"are almost as varied as those Of the
entire business world. The operations
Of the government affect the interest
of every person living within the
jurisdiction of the United States. Its
organization embraces stations and
centers of work located in every city
and in many local subdivisions Of the
country.
"This vast organization has never
been studied in detail as one piece
of administrative mechanism. Never
have the foundations been laid for a
thorough consideration of the relations
of all it's parts. No comprehensive ef-
fort has been made to list it's multi
farious activities or to group them
in such a way as to present clear
picture of what the government is
doing. Never has a complete descrip-
tion been given of the agencies through
which these activities are performed.
tho offnr10nt hnnn
made to study all Of these activities
and agencies with a view 10 the as
signment of each activity to the
agency best fitted for its performance,
to the avoidance of duplication Of
plant and work, to the integration Of
all administrative agencies Of the
government, so far as may be
practicable, into a unified organization
for the most effective and economical
dispatch of public business"
This extraordinary and indefensible
situation, which exists today as fully
and completely as it did when Mr..
Taft portrayed it seven years ago,
came about quite naturally and simply
through our tolerance and slackness.
For years and years the government
lived and grew and extended it's ac-
tivities on Santa Claus money. Its in
come came as easily as money in
a letter. For years and years the
national income was greater than the
expenses. Every year there was a
surplus.
n1bo o,ovornroant vUos Y,recise1v in tha
position of the Rockefellers and the
CarnegIes and the Rothschilds. It's
problem was not how to get money
enough to live on, but how to spend
its income. 1t naturally got in the
way Of throwing some of it to the
birds. It lived like a remittance man.
You may remember that back in the
lime Of the first Cleveland administra-
tlon one of the problems Of public
was: "What shall be done
with the surplus?" Then there was a
change Of administration and Corporal
Tanner was made commissioner of
pensions. The whole country was
amused and had a hearty laugh when
re announced his policy: "GOd help
he surplus" Them was the halcyOn
iaysI
Mr.. Gilbert, the present undersecre-
ary Of the treasury, in an address
aid:
"The estimates for the year 1920
how that over a billion dollars of ex-
,enditures were authorized by the last
ession Of congress in addition to the
mount shown in the usual compiled
tatements Of appropriations. In fact,
he practice has reached such proper
Ions as to be almost a national
candal, and it was vigorously de-
ounced in the Presidents last annual
ut has become the first principle
{ strategy on the part of people in
crested in appropriations for various
pecial purposes to frame the matter
0 as to authorize the use of the
ublic funds indirectly, or in indefinite
erms, or by authorization for ex-
enditure Of unexpended balances, per- !
aps appropriated originally for other
or by authorizations to
Ivert government receipts before they
yer reach the treasury. Efforts are
Iade to find general words which do
Ot speak in terms of appropriations
nd cannot be readily calculated.
''The last session of the present
)ngress, for example, authorized ad-
tional expenditures out of balances
prior appropriations and from re-
,lpts to the amount Of over $5O0,0OO,-
70, including over $40O,000,OOO for the
tipping board. The present ses-
on Of congress by similar procedure
kes credit for refusing appropria-
Ons for the shipping board, but, at
e same time, purposes to authorize
e expenditure Of receipts in amounts
at may reach as high as $20OO0O,-
%. By the indefinite appropriation
r the railroad guaranty about $780,
5000 was in effect appropriated
Ithout appearing in any Of the state
ents Of appropriations"