Speech #600143993

The opportunity for the extravagance to which the gentleman from Illinois calls attention is in the wording of this paragraph which the Committee.on Appropriations discovered. I think at the last session. was being interpreted so as to admit of almost any expenditure. When this appropriation was originally made for the enforcement of this law under the administration of the Department of Justice. we accepted the language of the paragraph as prepared by the ddpartment. which is as follows: For the payment of assistants to the AttorneyGeneral and of assistants to United States district attorneys employed by the AttorneyGeneral to represent the United States in naturalization and other proceedings. and for other necessary expenses. When that language was written in the appropriation act It was with the understanding on the part of the committee that the words "and for other necessary expenses" referred only to the incidental expenses necessarily incurred by the assistant district attorney charged with the administration of this law. We discovered. however. in the administration of the appropriation that the Department of Justice interpreted that language to mean any old expenses that they saw fit to charge up against the appropriation in the administration of this law. and under that provision they commenced employing not only assistant district attorneys. but special examiners. which I think was absolutely unwarranted and unauthorized.