Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1935-09-26

SHCSN OH OF IeQeral money CnaL
Spending was expended was
accounted for an
the vouchers reviewed by the gen.
eral accounting Offices. ]. Raymond
McCarl, comptroller general of the
United States. occupied and still
occupies an independent position
In the accountings he directed and
the reviews that were made under the
budget and accounting law. But with
the arrival of the New Deal and the
crisis in government and the nation
arising from the depression, scores of
new laws were enacted, new agencies
of government were created and bill
lions of dollars were appropriated, the
bulk of it being spent without refer
ence to the accounting act or the bu-
reau of the budget. Congress, under
White House direction, did not make
these new agencies or their spending
accountable to the comptroller general.
1t was almost two years before Pres
ident Roosevelt saw fit to make any
of the emergency agencies, the alpha
betical soup, amenable to the general
accounting Office. Consequently, mil
lions upon millions of dollars were
spent and only the spending agencies
knew whether they were spent in ac-
cordance with law. Now, however.
things have changed Late last winter,
the President began extending the
broad wings of the general account
ing office over emergency agencies and
has continued to do so until, only the
other day, the last of these were made
responsible to>the comptroller general.
Thus an Independent governmental
unit-one with no axes to grind-again
is in position to say whether fed
eral money is being spent as congress
directed and in manner which the
taxpayers have the right to demand.
This spending of money in gigantic
amounts always breeds suspicion. 1t
causes people to inquire, whatever the
form of government may be or what
ever political party may be in control,
whether there is waste or graft, wheth-
er the then office holders are feather
ing their own nests, and many another
question of the like. 1t was true in
the case of the New Deal. Observers
here in Washington constantly were
receiving information alleging that
this individual or that had been dis
playing signs of unusual prosperity;
that rumors were afloat concerning
graft and crookedness in one agency
or another and that somebody ought
to expose" the goings-on with respect
to named department of government.
1t was not an unusual circumstance
because in every administration we
here in Washington who attempt to
see and to hear as much as we can,
get the same kind Of reaction. Only,
1t seemed to have been worse this time
and well it may have been because the
amount of money made available to
President Roosevelt and his subor-
climates was so much larger. 1t is my
belief, however, that there has not
been more of this intangible thing
called graft In government in the pres
ent administration than in most 9TH
ers. There has been some crookedness
because there have been court convic-
when and If the future lays bare all
facts concerning the present admins
tration and its handling of the vast
sums of money available to it, it will
be disclosed that most of the New
Deal officials have been honest in their
1;chY o4 dc ,b1f ct L.
may have profited but, If they have,
that is just repetition of an old
story, circumstance always develop
ing in a government managed under
the two party system. To the victors
always go the spoils.
If Mr.. Roosevelt has been able to
keep down straight-out crookedness,
he is to be commend
CrrtIcIze ed. It will remove
Spending from the forthcom-
ing campaign some
Of the mud Singing that really has no
place In national politics. But, while
the President is entitled to common
dalton for the attempts at honest dis
bursement Of funds, hear more and
more criticism Of the way the money
has been spent Indeed, it appears
now that the vast expenditures by the
administration are likely to be as
much of campaign issue as is his
proposal to alter the Constitution to
fit New Deal plans.
Every one knows that when an in
dlviduars pocketbook is touched, he
rises in revolt. BY the time the next
election comes around individuals will
have had their pocketbooks touched
rather forcibly by national and state
and local taxes of an increased
amount. Thus, 1t is easy to see how
the criticism of Roosevelt's spending
is growing and can continue to grow.
The government has been pushed ten
or ten or twelve billion more in debt
and the end is not in sight, despite
the fact that Mr.. Roosevelt has init
mated on several occasions lately that