Page:The South Atlantic Quarterly, Volume 17.djvu/128

104 THE SOUTH ATLANTIC QUARTERLY 1 ! 1 1 the preparation of estimates. It provides for absolute re- sponsibility on the part of both the proposing and the approv- ing body. There is no shifting here to persons who cannot be located. It provides for intelligent and effective criticism. It provides against "irresponsible" changes and amendments. There are no irrelevant "riders" here. There is no "pork barrel." There is no power or opportunity for the individual or a congressional oligarchy to impede financial legislation or to force through other legislation by such announcement as was made by a committee chairman near the close of the first session of the 60th Congress of the United States: "I have the report of the conference on the Public Buildings bill in my pocket. I am going to keep it there until a satisfactory currency bill is passed."? In short the system lifts the nation's finances out of the mire of private politics, achieves efficiency without any real sacrifice of democracy, and insures control of the pub- lic purse by and for the people. Far removed from the system just described stands the system followed by Congress and most of the American states. There are differences, of course, between the budgetary pro- cedure of Congress and that of the various states, but the similarities are so great that, in the main, what may be said of the one may also be said of the other. American budgetary procedure can be understood thor- oughly only in connection with the history of our financial administration. This procedure has been profoundly influenc- ed by the conditions and political ideals prevailing at the time of the adoption of the Constitution, particularly by the theory of separation of the governmental functions and by the fear of executive tyranny as embodied in George III. The basis of the budget right in the United States is found in the following provisions of the Constitution: 1. Article II, Section III,--He (the President) shall from time to time give to the Congress information of the state of the union and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.” 2. Article I, Section IX, Clause 7,-“No money shall be drawn from the treasury except in consequence of appropriations made by law; and a 1 1 1 1 1 Ford, The Cost of Our National Government, p. 43. . Cf., Adams, Science of Finance, p. 113.