Detroit evening times., 1945-04-19

PARADE
BY George
RothweN Brown(
CHICAGO. April 1S-All the


" reports from Washington
of the economy slant in Presi-
dent Truman's mind have been
reassuring to business in the
Middlewest.
1t Is well realized that as
soon as the vast waste of the
most costly war in the history
of mankind can be terminated
the President will have to turn
his thoughts to retrenchment.
Twenty-four years have
passed since the first organized
effort to accomplish economy in
government administration was
made in this country.
1t developed, remarkably
enough, from the AEF of the
old war, when Gen. Pershing,
over the protests of eight mill
tary spending agencies, CO.
ordinated them under Gen.
Charles G.. Dawes.
IRON this rich experience IN
France developed the
establishment under President
Harding. of the first budget in
the history of the United States
This was in 1921. The man
selected to create the first bud
get, and who became the first
director of the budget, was
Pershing's righthand man over
seas, Gen. Dawes, the Chicago
banker.
II is we'll to recall what hap
pened when Gen. Dawes took
charge, for something OF this>
sort-preferably the identical
setup-must be done again 10
meet what will be one OF the
major ,pcacetime problems TO
confront our new President. the
eventual balancing of the bud
get.
Gen. Dawes may be re-
called. although many may have
forgotten II, established the
federal co-ordinating system.
and appointed Gen. H. c.
Smither as chief co-ordinator.
DAWES called a meeting OF
II all the cabinet. department
tai heads. some 1.600 chiefs OF
bureaus. which President Hard
ing attended. Dawes demanded
a pledge of economy. Harding
dramatically, at this meeting.
conferred the necessary power
upon him.
Harding relieved the various
co-ordinators that Dawes Sc
lected of all responsibility 10
the cabinet. and made them re-
sponsible solely 10 the President
through the director OF the
budget.
In other words. the members
of the cabinet. spokesmen in all
administrations for the spending
pressure groups" were by.
passed. II must be said of
Harding that he manfully stood
by Gen. Dawes, against his own
cabinet.
Under the budget and the
system of rigid economy insti-
tuted the great war debt OF
S26. 900 600, ,000-great for those
days--was reduced by 1880 TO
Sl9.O00.Oo0,0O0.
There were 43 spending agen-
cies in the government when
Gen. Dawes took over.
Today there are MOREs
THAN 200.
WHAT happened is I hat
w President Roosev welt
abolished the federal co-ordi-
mating system by executive or
der on June 10. 1888, only a
few months after taking office
for the first time.
Under Harding and Dawes a
system was devised under
which pressure was exerted for
economy and retrenehment.
Since the early summer OF
1888 the pressure has been
coming from the spending
agencies.
The budget has been virtually
thrown out of the window.
1t must be brought back, and
everything that the Middle
West has been hearing about
President Truman has en-
couraged the belief that the
country will once more. and at
no distant date. be placed back
on strict budget basis.
Fortunately. the reports
about President Truman are
based on substantial fact. The
greatest spending era in Ameri-
can annals is drawing 10
close.