The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1849-01-07

MILEAGE or MESSENGERS AND MKMBERs OF Con-
GEEss-Massa Greeley is making great fuss IN
the House OF Representatives, at Washington. as
well as in his paper, the 7ri6xse, in New York,
about the mileage Of the messengers who conveyed
to the seat of government the Of the Electoral
Colleges thing which occurs only once in four
years-and the mileage of members of Congress, al
If few dollars, or less, paid to messengers or
members, is matter of such great consequence to
such rich country this is. 1t oaly shows. how.
ever the calbre of Mr. Greeley, well his absur-
dity. Msssa Greeley, our readers are already
aware, is Fourierite philosopher, and his election
TO the House of Representatives, for the short term
was the last effort and dying kick of the fourier
and final attempt to reduce to practice the absurd
notions which they represent, i, this practical
country.
Now, we would like to know what all Massa
Greeley's efforts to reduce the mileage of the mes.
seDgers or members amount to? The fact IL, that
neither the messengers nor the members are paid
much as they are entitled to, not ne ar as much
as professional men and men of talent can make
in the capacities which many OF them have abau.
doned by going to Washington, and sitting in the
national councils of Congress. Our members of
paid more, In order 10 enable them to uphold bet
ter position in Washington than many OF theln
are able TO do on the pittaace which they
receive. Instead of receiving eight dollars
day every member of Congress ought
to receive regular salary of at least five thous and
dollars a year. They are worth that sum, and
they ought to have 1t. This system OF paying
them by the day degrades them to the condition
Of day laborers. If they were paid regular an.
nual salary of five or six thousand dollars wear.
they would go to W DIRK at after the opening OF
each session, and perform the business before
them, instead Of dlsgracing themselves and the
country, as they Sometimes do, by having long, I'M
meaning, and ridiculous debates, and uttering in.
terminable speeches of the same character, about
nothing. :.
The truth is, Massa Greeley's movements in
Congress are the last kick of the Fourierites For
many years past he has been endeavorlng to gam
position by putting forth the ridiculous notions and
tancIes OF the Fourierte school of socialist His
sect have made many attempts to reduce their
theories to practice; but every instance In which
they tried it-ln France, England, and the
United otates-those attempts have ended in 40.
thing but deception, delusion, disaster and de.
preston. We have signal example of this In
the project of CADET and its finale n Texas. Yet
In spite of the good sense of the age, Greeley still
persists in his absurd attempts to benle legisla-
tion, and convert Congress into mean and con-
temptible shop Of day laborrs. He himself is
mixture of sense and absurdty, heretofore pretty
well balanced, but now we perceive that the good
serse Is in the minority, and the absurdty is ac-
quripg greater influence over his mind He
will, however, find his level by and by. At pre-.
sent, his efforts to reduce the mileage of members
OF Congress-, as well as that OF the messengers.
creates nothing but contempt and ridicuIe