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Show BUDGET SYSTEM. William H. Taf'r, when 'occupying the presidential chair, was a strong advocate ad-vocate of the budget system of pro- , viding money for the expenses of the government. A great many of the newspapers news-papers of the country have declared in favor of such a system, but the voters of the various states have not been sufficiently stirred up to force congress to take the desired action. So during' the coming winter all the big house committees will be grinding out bills carrying billions of dollars in the aggregate ag-gregate regardless of the condition of the treasury and the ability of tho people peo-ple to pay taxes. If the budget system were in operation there would be some chance, for a show of economy even though we are at war. There is no such chance under the existing order of things, and President Wilson has been balked at the outset by the house committee chairmen, who would be shorn of some of their power to do evil by wasting the people's money if a reform measure should be put through. Chairman Dent of the military committee com-mittee fear's such concentration of power, or says he does. Other chairmen chair-men occupy similar ground. The truth is that they seek to retain their own power over the making of appropriations appropria-tions and the political influence it gives them outside the halls of congress. The budget system will come some day. |