New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1849-01-19

I.
sn,ed By The la~ and the facts IS represented
some cases II ming inequality uisy, perasP- Dc
found N ihe u-iesge & the members % tne ho1se -
slowed during this Congress bat = oe.ir.,u l-'
sueh inequstv has resulted the terms az ae sN
il and not from the seton q the Cotnnittsr =
Thsy CON geleG q make the estimate aceof
% the usual read and BY the Hssrf roea he sN
hss determined L IN This manner, snd hot 10 l1o
power Of the Committee 20 change 4 Almost az sst'
Td rEs which may be- adopted on the subject OF ihe-
s-e will occasion cases az individual nAFosllp lu-
Ser n. oDsrstou. sad whether the present lav be
rrht or wrong good bad. Il = act toe province q
he Committee decide. Bat the reasons "nicn oiis
nay induced IL enactment were, 70 doubt consider
"a good ant substantial l was designed as part OF
the members mpensaticn, aud those WHO are com
PEELED 20 travel great distance 70 the Seat u Govern
fnept are intended 70 receive pToportonse increase
OF compensation over those Who reside convenient -
the Capitol The former incur greater expense q
travel consume more of their time and sufer greater
I grivsrons. During their attendance AZ Washington,
they almost In state OF exile from their families
and friends and SIRE beside cut Of from al ther Ord
nary business snd livelihood In consequence Of which
they suffer great 0ss Blt the lserthcse who reside
/ convenient 20 Washr gton-whether uerth or south,
near tie Atlantic sesbosrd, make the trip - the
city In from twenty-i0ur 20 iortyeght hours and AZ
I comparatively smsI expense; and, moreover. they
can and most az them DO whenever occasions require
H. 20 home and attend 70 their oednsry business par
suits during session Of Congress THIS privilege,
or opportunity Of attending 10 ones general pursuits
during the session Of Congress, - Of immcnse sdvan
tage, and vii than c0unterbssnce the di-erence
The lawyer can attend his courts the merchsn, can
| superius.nd his mercantile affairs the farmer sud
planter Can protect their interests snd at otneI CLASS
e. callings vocations continue 70 greater or
less extent their chosen livelihood, without detrmenL
But such Is not the with those who come tn the
exiremiues Of the Jnoni and i IS but REASONABLE 70
suppose tbs. lr these and other reasons which hight
be- given the present provisions OF the law have been
adopted. And beside. n members OF congress are 70
be paid al for their rareiiHS ought not eaoA 70 ee
paid proportion 10 the number Of miles necessarily
travelled This il would seem, Is both Just and proper
On that principle tbs law as Il now exists has been es
! tabiished
But the Committee do not design vindcation Of the
present aw. Their only object IS - reply to the
era inquiries which their attention hiss been directed
under the instructions OF the House. That answer
herewith given. But while on the subject u may be
| proper 10 add. that the difference n Mileage when
computed by the nearest mail road instead Of tue most
usua road Il In many cases very considerable, and IN
other csses there would be difference at all Tnis
/ fact has been wei known and well understood for
many years and yet the will of the people, ne express
edfhrOuEh their constitutional authorities, has steadily
perseycred in retaining the present law m full force
Within The last eight or ten yeSrs efforts have been re-
peatedly made 90 change the ia~ which now nNts the
| computation By the most ususl road AZ almost every
session this House has had the subject under cOnsdera
ton Sometimes proposed amendments have passed
the House Of Representatives. but have uniformly been
rejected BY the senate, thus leaving The provisions OF
the law they are, and have been for the lsst
thirty years The Committee, however do not pretend
that the present law perfect or that II may not be
improved BY amendment On that point they think Il
unnecessary 10 u0isnt0 any opinion. All they nov de-
sire say that il the law changed 50 as 10
compute the Mileage by the Rcares mai route the com
peusaton for travel would not be uniform or equal.
By that rule one member coming direct route from
the facilities of travel would be- paid the full legal rates
| for each mile he Travelled while another. who from
necessity could travel the nearest route would be
compelled perhaps perform third OF the travel
ing without receiving any compensation therefor Inst
change would diminish the compensation Of majority
Of the members but sore others ronld ell get precisely
| the same fhCV rsctire.
By the second resolution the committee are required
% report whether publication in the NewNork Iri
bune, made on the - day OF December, ISIS, on the
subject OF the mileage OF the members OF Congress
does not amount in substance TO allegation OF fraud
against of the members OF this House and II SO,
whether such charge be true or false.
The opinion OF the Committee, with reference to the
iGfCr branch of this inquiry will be found in the for
mer part Of this Report And they here repeat, with
confidence and without hesitation, that 80 tar as they
have been able 10 collect Information on the subject
and deducng their opinions from the evidence before
them, the charge OF fraud it be made in that publice
ton is not true AsbefOre remarked they have cons!d
cred and scruinlzed their report Of mileage allowed
to the members, and they now feel prepared to say
that their former action the subject IT, under the
law, substantially correct Indeed, the publication
itself n part Of H. states that the mileage was al
lowed according TO law. This being the case !. neces
sary follows that there could not Do fraud IN the mat
ter and II IL charged IL would not be correct
But does that publication. taken together amount in
substance, 20 a charge Of fraud
Whsever the Committee may say In reply 30 this
question will only be- their opinion founded on the ar
tIce itsef of which the House may judge as well as
the Committee and having already said that the charge
II made. 10 not true II would seem wholly unnecessary
to inquire whether the charge of fraud has bsen made
especially since no farther action has been recon.
mended or determined in regard TO the matter
But nevertheless. the Committee will not seek 10 re-
eve themselves from the task assigned them.
One part Of the article would seem 70 negative the
idea II fraud il OsitHsble objects In some places
would appear TO be- TO effect change 10 the law and
not IN ho ma Of IL
Aud Il NOT for the vein OF irony which seems 10
ptrvade the article with some other specifications and
inuendoes therein contained, the Committee would not
BE- able 10 perceive any mputaons OF fraud against the
members OF The House. As IL IT, the Committee are Of
opinion that the publication does draOHHf snbsaRce 10
allegation OF fraud sganstthe members OF the House
10 giving this opinion the Committee do not wish 10
be Understood saying that II the design Of the
rrer Of he arficls, whoever no may be, 70 charge
fraud sgsinst the members account Of their mileage
OF his motives they know nothing. They only speak
Of the impression made the mind by the article
itself and from that article stat ments being made
By others which clearly indicate the common or ordin-
arg construction 10 b. put upon H. The difference be-
the mail road and the most usual road
il called " Of mileage" erra milease' and
0rerchdrgtd mileage" All such expressions imply
something beyond what the law allows, else II could
not be ercess," -" ezra" or an Orerchlr1e" The
publication under consideration contains similar Ian
guage and preients b show the ercess Cf Mileage
charged and the amount Of " elira mileaRe" whereas,
In point Of fact there IL no eresss' or e1ra aedse
allowed for the law positively authorizes pay for the
distance by the usual road and that Is precisely
the allowance that has been made above stated And
yet the impression has gone forth by the charge Of mile
age As fxed Ia this Congress- the lac has been vol.
aied-ihat impression is made by the article under con
siderston and hence the Committee believe that the
article s calculated 10 mslesd and produce wrong i'm
pressons, which may have happened either by design
or By inadvertence
But the Committee will not indulge in comment upon
the article or unnecessarily time by exhibit
its numerous errors even undertake TO state al
length The by which they have arrived AZ their
conclusions IN regard 10 It's true character before
given for lis design be 10 represent that which
called IN the article " ercess Of mileage" much
taken ia violation Of the law 10 papaby false that
cannot possibly njure any and II the objec, be
SIMPLY 10 show the difference between the amount
allowed by law and what IL would be TIE law we're
changed o. ~ 10 make the allowance by the nearest
mail route. arguments IN favor Of such change then
NJ exception should be taken 20 toe Intention of the
writer, however Objectionable may regard the Ian
ghagc he has employed. Tia, difference between the
mode OF computation has been well understood ever
since The organization Of our Government and man
nor claim any particular degree Of credit for pub
fishing that which has been well known and fully
debated and Investigated by Congress and the country
this question mas for many years past during each
successive session Of Congress
In conclusion, tie Committee ask b be discharged