The Washington times., 1935-01-08
OLD QUESTION
Of EXECUTIVE
POWER BASIS
Presidents Request for Free
Use of Four Billions StirS
Ancient Controversy
BY FRANKLIN G. sARTWELL

BY FRANKLIN G. SARTWELL
BY asking for greater authority
to use his discretion in the ex-
penditure of Government funds
President Roosevelt has tossed
another bone to those angry Mem
bers of Congress who fear the en-
croachment of the Executive upon
the legislative branch of the Gov
ernment.
Two passages in the Presidents
budget message brought to the
fore today the question of who
holds the purse strings Of the
Government.
Congress has held from the time
Of its first meeting in New York
that it. and it alone, had the
power to say how public funds
were to be expended. 1t has
fought to preserve this right ever
since.
Ask for Lump Sum
But President Roosevelt in his
budget message of yesterday asked
that approximately half of the to-
tai amount contained in the
budget estimates-to be exact,
1000 million dollarS-be appro-
priated in lump sum to be ex-
pended without dictation by Con.
greSs.
The President asked that this
amount be appropriated Subject
to ALLEGATION by the Executive
principally for giving work to
those unemployed on the relief
rolls"
Congress will, of course, appro-
pirate the amount asked for
work relief" but whether it will
appropriate it to be "allocated by
the Executive" presents a differ
ent matter of policy, it was
pointed out at the Capitol today.
The unprecedented request of
the President to have placed at
his disposal an amount equal to
the total normal budget in nor
NAL times would ordinarily meet
with a severe rebuke by the Con-
greSS.
A better fate for the request is
probably in store at the hands
of the Seventy-fourth Congress
which is totally under the thumb
of the Chief Executive.
Even with the preponderance
OF Democratic sentiment in both
Houses, however, it was indicated
today that the Republicans and
the SticklerS for congressional
prerogatives on both sides of the
aisle would have considerable to
say about the proposal.
1t was recalled that during the
World War, when precedentS were
smashed right and left in order
to put the full force of the coun-
try behind the great effort, there
was a great deal of debate in Con-
greSS over the suggestion that
lump sums be appropriated to be
spent by then President Wilson
in his discretion. And it was
never suggested that he be given
such an amount as $4,000, 600, 900.
He was finally given about $780,
100000
FavOrs Lump Sums
There is another recommenda-
tion in President Roosevelt's mes
sage which, according to the Re-
publicans, is designed to weaken
the power of Congress over the
purse strings of the nation.
This recommendation is as
follows:
"A substantial reduction in
the number of appropriation
items would facilitate the exer-
else of budgetary control over
expenditures and at the same
time make for departmental
economy.
This suggestion, one Republican
pointed out, would further mini
mize the power of Congress to di-
rect how funds would be expended.
It would tend toward the appro-
priation of lump sums for the va
riouS bureaus and departments
and would, he said, make Con-
gresS even more of a rubber
stamp" than it was last year.