New-York daily tribune., 1849-10-30
The u,Iense swindie-' Check


The Mileage swindie-' Check
We use a plsln word 10 characterize ver,
Ugly thing. II msy rot be strictly parliamentary,
but IL is decidedly expressive. The Mileage re-
ceved by certain Members OF Congress IS public
piaDder, and nothing short. In thus character
iziDg it, we by no means imply that eoery Member
who has received more Mileage than we think
lust has been guilty Of conscious wrong. We
know well that the fact s otherwise. A great
proportion charge exactly M they travel, and Il
they q cd it most convenient TO reach Washington
from Vermont by way Of Boston, or from cincin-
matt by way Of Wheeling they think 1t but fair to
charge Mileage accordingly, and do It, The ella"
who travel q roundabout way IN order to charge
up. 10 much smaller; while those who charge by
ito long circuit, even when they don't travel II
are fewer still Yet the law itself is so loose and
vicious that it invites all manner Of abuses and
leads on to downright rascalities. We rejoice 70
see that there 10 prospec. Of speedy Reform.
The Courier d Enquirer Of yesterday had
Warrington letter which we copy disclosing the
crafty ing fact that ELISHA WHITTLEsEr, Gene
raj Tsyors new First Comptroller OF the Trea'u
~, has decided to disallow the payments OF Con
structipe Mileage made to Senators at the late
esssion, amouating to Forty Thousand Dolars-
Tits of course puts Mr. Secretary Dickens OF the
Senate into the uncomfortable attitude OF de-
fsolter, and mus, bring the whole subject OF Mie-
age. and especially Of Constructive Mileage, very
onspicuousiy before the Senate 10 passing upon
Mr.. Whitteseys nomination. Hitherto that dig
nifed body has scarcely deigned to consider the
demands for Mileage Reio-m at all. As the ma
lority of its Members must now drive away this
faithful guardian Of the Treasury or di'gorge a rs
ther comfortable amount OF public plunder er-com-
Portable to get, but scarcely 90 much so to pss
back--they will hardly be able 70 feel or fegn o.
sovereign a contempt for the opponents Of Con
gresssional crookedness as hitherto.
The facts mstcrial to the present question we
UNDERSTAND to bo as follows Constructive Nile
age is OF very recent origin. We think no instance
IN which II has been claimed and paid car be
found prior To the accession OF Polk and Dsllss.
Ba, in lsa5, Mr. Secretary Dickens frat and Mr.
Wee President Dai'ss after him ruled that the
Senators who remained over after the 4Ih o.
March. to attend the rev or called Session o. the
Senate to act upon the Presidents nominations
were entit ed to doable mileage-once Tor the
Journey to Washn gton IN November and home
again In March or April. and again Tor coRstrrc
t,rt journey. suppositiously performed during the
n,ght interv enng between the I'd and 9Th days Of
March About half the Senators appear to have
considered this rather barefaced, aud refused the
swsg-they were not the long Mileage haii O.
oourse-tu, some Of the squesmish are understood
to have come To their milk some time aaerwsr'. .
seeing that the public did not seem TO care who
took or who refused. Mr.. Dix OF our State re-
fused to touch, taste or handle, and We trust he
pe~severed in that resolve to the end, though We
have never inquired. Mr.. Dickinson Of course
took the double dose without grimace, and II
was said at the time that he put in his claim for
tArss dips-hrst as Senator appointed by Gov.
pouch next a elected by the Legislature and
the third time as in attendance at the Called Ses
sion commencing March +th. But as nobody else
shared his peculiar claims. he vi" only allowed
the second pull.
of oourse, the precedent thus set was GOOD
for the next time-but of course Nice-Presidens
Fillmore dad no, follow nor IN any way respect
tho decision OF his 'illustricus predecessor. We
speak from knowledge OF Mr.. Fillmore's senti
menss on this subject and Of his scrapulous intes
riiy. Rely on II, when sll the facts come out i
will appear that Mr.. Faluore ssvsR passed tkSst
claws for oonssruetsre psaeage and il they have
any show Of sanction from the Chair they mus,
have been approved by David r. Atchesop, who
WAS made President pro ten. OF Mr.. Fillmore
vscating the Chair at the closs Of the Called
Session 70 afford opportunity Tor .hs cboics Of a
Presidon, pro Tern And 10 no; that pretty way
of dispcsing of Forty Thousand Dollars of Public
Money
The courier's letter says that al the Senators
bat tA,ce took the double dose. We regrss 1t.
There are more than three men in the category
whom We should have deemed incapable of doing
IL Oae we are very certain did not-thst is jo
ssph R. Underwood Of Kentucky. Ancther We
could almost swear for--ihst 10 Roger S. Baldwin
OF Connecticut. John P. Hale Of NewEsnpshire
ought also to be in the righteous list; but ssoce
MS proposition to increase the pay Of our Foreisr
Ministers 10 Twelve, Fifteen or Twenty Thousand
Dollars each, We don't feel at all sure OF finding
hin there.
The Couriers letter ta&s abou, Gen. Cas-
being or rather not being, in the list That is
nonsense, and We have struck il out- Gen. Cas-
WAS a rer Senator q, the Called Session, Il
course entitled to Mileage for that and with Goth
ing to base q claim upon for any other So with
Messrs. Norris. Seward, Cooper, chase, Howsrc'
Sc.-all the new Senators. Those who REM 9ef
with the Old Congress could make no shadow Of
claim to the Constructive Milesge, and OF course
Gii not take any. Il was those only who he'd errr
frcm the expiring or XXXth Congress, and took
their ssan also in the ser or Called Senate, who
could possibly calm ths Mileage. There can hard
y have been over thirty Of them. sad they muH
have charged like sroops" to bas sesv ThsssAAd