The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1851-12-25
CONSTRUCTIVE MILEAGE.

SENATE DuupiS NkuSs6e' - ~ -
1.-The circumstance ia the minds Of our read
lers. Some time previous 70 the close
l,he las, session the us. Senate transact
ed ycry little business, the daily session
scarcely averaging two hours each.
viii be remembered what an ado the Ad
minis,ra,ion papers m,de al the time, abon
that body accomplishing nothing when sew
eral very important bills were pending
The River and Harbor Bill so loudly De
manded by the West was one Of the impor
liant measures which awaited the action Q
the Senate. It will also be recollected tia
the Locofocos STAYED oif this bill and thu
Wings stuck 10 il until il became absolute
nv necessary 10 drop j. to save the neccssa
~ Appropriation Bills, which we're hurri
ed through with ielegraphic speed.
VIZ was all ,bisi Why did he Loco
foco majority pegsi., in doing nothing whes
The session Was 50 rapidly drawing 70
closes Ia order to compel the President
10 convene them again, as he would be
obliged 10 do for the traisacliop Of impor-
liant Executive business. But what would
|they hin BY second convenlng! No,
only their per diem allowance but "Con-
s,ruc,iye" Mileage. And what, among
all things new and strange--the reader
may asks Constructive Mileage?-
There's the rub, that's what VIC are coming
at, this constructive mileage should have
changes rune upon il, SO long as those WI"
ayaiIed ,hemselyae Of such construction
have any desire 70 wiring change from I'm
Gle Sam.
The old session adjourned on the 4th Of
March aud the called sess1nmet after one
DAYS interval, without the members leay.
ing the city. Members Of Congress, our
readers are aware, are allowed 40 cts. per
mile in going to and from their homes e
attend the sessions Of Congress. These
honorable gentlemen claimed mileage for
attending the called session, the same as
though they had gone home and returned
again to Congress-. They placed tina, con-
shu-tion upon a. 4. ip order to ill their
own pockets from tie crib of oit-piicred
Uncle Sam.
There we're many Of the Senator's
twenty-fonr out Of forty -niue-who Ut
terly refused to connive at any such con-
s,ruction. OF these fifteen were Wings
add the balance Southern Rights Men.
OF the twenty-five who took mileage, when
no more entitled to j. than you. reader, Ill
YOU be one OF 1--WE, the people, but three
we're Wings, one Abolition, and twenty
one Locofocas. AmongAhese model States
men who put their hands into The U. S
Treasury and pulled them out full Of god
We find the names 81 Hons. GEORGE "
JOKES and ArGusrus Danes, Senators
from Iowa. The former thus obtained
$1,000; and the latter Sl440, making the
comfortable little sum in The aggregate 81
5000; nearly as mach - a laboring man
could earn a, hard workin ten years toll
and quite as much as an indus rious farmer
see1 realize with economy in three or
four 3esss
BIZ says some reader from custom
would wish to exoneraie Messrs. Jones and
Dodge-is not sconstructiver mileage 10
established usage in our Government,
Who established il, pray? |, was first au
lhorized BY Vice Presiden, Dallas in ls45
and then one-half of tho Senators refused
TO avail themselves Of the construction am
a number Of the residue did SO against ,hei
own honest convictions, merely becaus;
authorized BY the Vice President.
Al the extra-session consequent on ,ht
ascension Of Gen. Taylor to the Presiden
icy, First Controller, Elisha Whiltlesey
|adjudged constructive" mileage to be au
.horized by no law, but prohibited BY sew
eraI. What shall we say then Of ihos'
Senators who would fill their pockets from
The z. S. Treasury in defiance Of law?
How would Mr.. Fillmore, our presen
able Chief Magistrate, have acted had b
been Vice President? How did he acl
10 ls49 Mr.. Fillmore was Vice Presideu
when constructive" mileage was charge
for the second time. ale was dead agains
lie and would have crushed il, if tho oppor
tunity had been afforded him." This NJ.
Secretary Dickens knew-hayiae ascer
tanned his opinion and then held back III
accounts until Mr.. Atchison was chose
President pro tem., who without hesitation
put through the accounts, constructive
and all, and upon the strength 9th icon
s,ruclion," pockeied ST. 96!
/ Is not this system Of downright impe
siiion that appeals loudly for reiorml Ca
not Mr.. Jones or Dodge, or some of thei
humble followers, give Us an exposition 9
he Gardiner or Galphiu claims? WouI
no, such an expose appear beautiful con
ling from our two Senators, who If The
carried their .abstractions" in their peck