The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1922-03-26
FISCAL POWER I'M
lone COMMITTEE
BRINGS ATTACK
New Scheme Puts Right to
Pass on Appropriations on
One Body.
PART OF BUDGET PLAN
Scheme Said to Be Throwing
Away Experience of Spe-
ciaI Groups.
BY JAMES X. NOURSE.

Universal Service.
The growing tendency toward
Capitalization of power in the
. hands of few men is causing
a deep and rebellious resentment
in the breasts of many members
of Congress.
Right at this time it is the
appropriation committees of the
, Senate and House which are
under fire, because they have be-
come the immediate bepeficiaries
of this new policy of centralizing
authority in a small and selected
group.
. Has Exclusive Powers.
First the House, and more recent
ly the Senate, enlarged the powers
of the Appropriations Committee.
taking from all the other commit
tees the right to pass upon appro-
priation measures and comforting
upon the Appropriations Commit
tee exclusive powers to deal with
the supply bills that keep the wheels
of government moving. From the
Military Affairs Committee was
taken jurisdiction over the appro-
priations for the War Department;
the Naval Affairs Committee lost
control of the bills for the navy,
and the Agricultural Committee,
the Indian Affairs Committee, and
all the others were compelled to
give up the privileges heretofore
enjoyed Of drafting the appropria-
ton measures for their respective
departments.
The change in the committee juris.
oiction was not accomplished
without opposition In each house,
but the real opposition has Just
began to develop as the actual
working Of the system has been
revealed.
There is complaint rom prac,i-
cally all of the minor committees
that the enlarged Appropriations
Committee in each house is dealing
unfairly and unjustly with the de-
partments which were for 70 Ions
served by the individual commit
tees. The charge is made that one
committee made up indiscriminate-
~ Of members picked at random
from the Senate or House cannot
be expected to give the same care
full and minute attention to depart
mental matters as could be guar
anteed by men who have made a
special study of the particular needs
OF those departments.
Experience Thrown Away.
One of the gravest complaints
against the Capitalization process is
that by means Of it the work of
special committees which have
spent many years in building up
and establishing what they believe
to be the correct Government policy
in those directions is torn down and
cast into the discard when the mat
ters involved are turned over en-
urely to the enlarged appropria-
tons committee.
For instance. chairman Tom But
Ter of the House Naval Affairs
Committee and Chairman julius
Kahn Of the House Military Com.
mittee have devoted years TO
the building up Of naval and
military policy for the Government
TO follow. Now when all afpropria-
non measures for the navy and the
army haye to he turned over to the
mercies Of a committee which deals
solely In figures on the basis of
how much an appropriation means
to Uncle Sans Treasury. the poll
cles thus so carefully built UP have
no chance whatever.
Chairman Kahn and Chairman
butler are among the stoutest oppo.
.nents Of the new system, which IL
now undergoing its first year of
trial. Around them has grown up
a rather strong clique. which be-
neVes, as they do. that concentra.
ton Of power in the hands of the
committee is not altogether an ideal
system.
3. Those who advocated the concen.
tration of authority in a single ap-
preparations committee said II was
necessary outgrowth of the adop
ton of the budget system. They con.
tended that on account Of the groun.
ing together under one head Of the
business of formulating estimates
Tor appropriations, as is done under
the budget plan, It also was es.
eentia! that a single committee