New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1849-01-19
|Y THE MIDNIGHT SOUTHERN NAIL
THE MILEAGE REPORT.
Mr.. Belcber. from the Commitfec on MILEAGE,
made the following Report.

I sd1gtec the following resolution. viz
ReioirsA Thai TIE C0uiee cr hlesge - Instructed
70 1.-- into ard report 70 tis House Shsiher during NJ
present Coz ges grssieT suuri Of Mileage rss ce--
drawn from ~ Treasury By Any more o. the n-u
b-rs Of h.s H1u.s thau be wa euut-d By aud Z
| 90 BY whom 20 drawn ard 70 WIS amount leo, ih,i
.s Conn Zee report % MS House BY whai rue he MI
sg- 10 every c0psi- BY w1cm the claim Tor u !.
Z sl0Eei. ant upon whai evidence slowed
Fe.-rss iec1ltiy Ihsi Ps5icsron made IN il. Nsi--
nesg- ofth= members . 49, s0rh All commented o1. be
referred 10 he niee VIII i1sirucious 10 irqe
irio and report Wheeler ssit puhcalon does . snount p
s4s.a-lr 70 a. assa ~ oiifsl1 ais' ms. ~ - =
5ers % lbs House b. he ms-r u I-ir mileage sri r. "a
- 49, 80 = -l -i..- % 80
non OF ifal1 y n % neif an1 report Hl-sf Aa Ars,
In the tschsrge Of the duties imposed By the icrego-
ina resolutions the COMMITTEE hsve teen scil7et ~
sncs r. desire . elicit the rrs and present them 20 TIE
Ouse aud % The country 70 leave no unnecessary
doubt or even suspicion hanging over tais SUI
sct Justice % the people AZ large, - well ~ TO the
individual members Of the House seemed - demsnd a
full invest cation On the part Of the Committee. u TIE
public money hss been By design Illegally drawn from
tn treasury By any member a. compensation Tor mile
age IL certainly gni and proper thsi the fact -hou
be a,cerianed and the guilty person exposed but n
the contrary the truth should BE- found otherwise u
Il equally necessary 10 vincicste the Character 81 me
House against ell such mpuiatious But the power u
Committee IN the performance Of this duty has be- n
quite limited The House refused % pass resolution
authorize them serd for persons and papers 70
sssst the invest CATION AL therefore. that the Com
mItteo could 90 their animation 20 this ecf was
- n axe u-e ot the same evidence upon which their
former report o. the Sergeant AZ Arms wss predicted
which stated tie distance for which esch member was
entitled q pay However. within the scope OF their
limited poweT. they have undertaken and prOsecu ted
with care and attention the Investigation OF the subjects
submitted o. them.
BE- the fret resolution il viii 10 tina, the Com
mitiee have been charged with inqurng into and re
| porting upon the following points. 10 Wit
l. W aeher. during The present Congress sny greai-r
any more o. he members Of he House Ian be a.
entitled 10 By s~
3 By vhAi rule The mileage % 10 every case computed
| By whom tie claim for Il 10 slowed, and
Upon Whist evidence allow d. 80
To each OF these points ne Committee nave specially
directed their attention. and their conclusion snd re
sponse with reference TO each of them will be found In
the general statement which follows.
From the accounts Of the several members Of the
House Kept ~ the serseantstArms Il appears ii Al
each member n the AS, session OF Congress with one
exception has drawn from the Treasury the sum Of
eShf dollars for every twenty miles travel ~ the usual
road to and from the City OF Washington reported
By the Committee on Mileage and no more One mem.
Der nsde small deduction from the distance reported
| for him and no member has exceeded the distance
reported for him. These remarks also apply to tho
present session far the pay for travel has been By
the members respectively drawn
The sergeant Arms takes the mileage OF Members
A. reported 20 him by the Committee and pays - each
one under supervision of the Speaker the c0mpensa-
ton authorized by for the distance thus reported
He has nothing DO with the question of mileage far
Their than 70 pay the legal rstes tor the distance OF travel
ascertaued the Committee fnd n, therefore
excess Of mileage has been drawn by any member, the
responsibility for such cannot in any degree, be
chsrgeabe to the SergesntstArms. 1t must rest upon
others as will be hereinafter more fully shown and
II could only have resulted from the estimated distance
OF travel for the lesal rates Of travel clear and
questionable.
The law fixing the compens alton Of member of Con
gress was approved January p lsls-see statutes
Large vol. 80 page 4Oi. The allowance Of mileage in
that act in addition 20 the per dsm pay for attendance
IL In the following language, 20 vii and shalf also be
allowed eight dollars tor every twenty miles Of the es
mated distance by the usual road from his place OF
residence 10 the seat OF Congress- At tine commence
ment and end oil each session and meeting
Now it will be observed that the allowance for mile
age is by law made according 20 the esdffd distance
Of rGrei BY The most usual road IL Is not governed or
controlled by the nearest mail road by the most
usual mail r0aci by any mail route whsiever. but
1t IS expressly and mperatvey governed by the most
usual road whether such road be- mail ROAD, wheth
be road OF travel and OF transportation merely
Here then have the rule by which the mileage was,
In every case, allowed.
The Committee have already stated that no member
has drawn from the treasury any than the ieRGi
rats for his mileage snd the next fact 10 be sscertaned
TO- whether the distance for which he has received pay
be correct not when computed according TO The most
usual road This IL. In fact almost the only proper
subject OF inquiry And this point they remark with
out hesitation, that from All the evidence before them
majority of the Committee were In each case In favor
Of allowing the distance heretofore reported to the SER
gesnt al aims A. the basis Tor compensation Tor mile
age and from thorough determination Of the whole
matter they have been unable to discover any
In their former action.
By the rules of the House the Committee Mileage
required 10 ascertain and report 30 the Sergeaniat
Arms the distance Tor which each m ember shall re-
ceive pay. This duty under the law above shown.
consists Of two branches the hrst Is 10 ascertain
the usual road from the place Of residence OF each
member 10 the seat Of Congress and the other Il 10
the estimated length OF such road But how
shall these facts be sscertalned Questions Of fact
here presented which only be justly determined
=. = .H.. a
The Committee have no power 10 subpoena witnesses,
compel the production Of any other instrument Of
evidence They, therefore were compelled % rely an
such information they possessed, could obtain
from the members or others As hereinafter stated
o. the latter pOnt-that OF ascerisn!ng the lenRt Of
the road by which the mileage should DO cOmputed-lne
Committee experienced but little difficulty. When the
IsHdi Rad from the members residence 20 the seat
OF Congress sscerained and determined upon the
estimated lsHfh Of such road very easily and
ratey found 80 far the most usual road Of travel
the Dsi route, the Pos, Office distsn.
ces a. certified BY the Department IN eve.
~ And for that purpose, the Committee bad be-
fore them statement from the Post Ofce Department
showing the distances % the promsent places through
the Union. The distance OF travel allowed b every
member was governed by the inyarabis rule of /
estimate far they entitled 10 charge for travel
BY the road. The distance To these prominent /
places was determined upon and each member Who /
same OF travel 10 that extent When any pert
OF the usual road was found not 20 be mail route,
estimated distance Aceftsined from general IN
formation the statements Of members themselves and
other reliable about which there be
son able doubt or controversy.
But by far the greatest difficulty which the Commit
Zee met with IN this whole msuer, 10 ascertain
" hich was the usual road from the members
ience 10 the City of Washington and By which the
sstmale should be made. This question depends much
upon the habits customs and practices OF the neghbor
hood in which the member may reside and these too,
slso depend greatly upon the facilities and accommOds-
hons OF travel That road which 10 ordinarily Travelled
rom given point ~ another ought ~ De regarded
ths usual road and local and Influences
frequently control the direction Of the travelling public.
And order % obtain the necessary local information
)n points from which draw Just aud equitable
conclusions conformity with the lsw the Committee
addressed letter 10 each member Of the House, re
iuestng Information on the subject OF bis mileage.
This done In accordance With the uniform Gus.
om Of the Con mriee Mileage during former
lions Of Congress. and seems T. have been founded
lpon the necessity OF having some evidence upon
he inquiry. To this communication replies re-
'eived from a large majority Of AT the members and
ire now on bic IN the Office Of the Sergeant - Arms
The Committee hsi but little personal information on
he Jet aud they hsd D very lev and very
United FROM which sny light could b. shed
lPon T. A general knowledge OF the geography snc
BIOGRAPHY u the county o. ise wholly insufh-
eat though il might did an Ia me Inquiry. They.
herei0re, relied msHy the statements VI The mem
frf ]