New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-10-21

gregate pocketed by them amounts to
S2,i93 60, leaving S33,226 20, or about
en-fourteenths of the whole, as the
amount bagged by the Opposition. But
Jackson Morton was elected by that party,
with the help of two or three Wing boilers
from the regular Wing nomination, and Is
about half-and-h in politics. so that half
of his pile ought to be charged to the Loco
Foco side. reducing the Wing slice to less
than one-twentieth of the whole. We
would have cheerfully raised this amount
to keep the Wing party wholly clear of this
unclean business. And should any Wing
Congressman be hard up henceforth, we
insist that he shall appeal first to his con-
stituents before joining in any such raid on
the Treasury.
Let us call attention to few facts, by
way of enforcing our view of the atrocity
of this Constructive Mileage.
There is now standing unrepealed on the
records of Congress law which prescribes
that no Member shall receIre for Mileage
at anu Session more than eight dollars per
day from the close Of the preceding to the
beginning Of that Session for ,chlch the
MILEAGE IS receired. The justice and
reasonabeness of this provision are maH-
fest. A. b. says, " | want $1,000 from
the Treasury for my expenses going home
after the last Session and returning for
this" Stop says the law there was
but an interval of forty days between
the two Sessions | prefer to pay you
IS per day for that interval, as though
you had served straight through from
the beginning of the former to the end
of the latter session Had this law been
respected in the case under consideration,
no Senator could have received more than
81 for Constructive Mileage even if such
Mileage were Justly chargeable at all
The proper accounting officer of the
Treasury, elisha Whittlesey, First Con-
troller.) rejected the charge for Construc-
tive Mileage at the Extra Session conse-
quent on the accession of Gen. Taylor to
the Presidency, adjudging 1t authorized by
no law but prohibited by several, (Which he
quOted,) and utterly Unprecedented till 1913,
save in a single doubtful instance, (where
a new Senator transferred from the House
demanded Mileage as if he had come from
home expressly to attend the Senate, and
was allowed it, In March, 1915, Construc-
tive Mileage, as a general rule, was first
authorized by Vice-Prcsidcnt Dallas and
Secretary Dickens but a full half of the
Senators refused it, and some Of the residue
expressed in taking it that they did so in
accordance with the Nice-President's deci-
sion rather than their own convictions.
The House has repeatedly and undi.
videdly voted new and express distractions
to this Constructive Mileage rapacity,
which the Senate has In no case voted down,
but has finally united without dissent in
enacting one--only taking care to postpone
us OptIdtloH' NC HdNc thuo tliC bChdIo
its ell-this last Senate-voting against the
principle Of Constructive Mileage.
Mr.. Fillmore, now President, was Vice
President when Constructive Mileage was
charged for the second time in 1919 He
was dead against it, and would have crushed
it if the opportunity had been afforded him.
But Mr.. Secretary Dickens, having first
ascertained his opinion informally, held
hack the accounts until after Mr. Fillmore
had vacated the Chair of the Senate to
give that body chance to choose a Presi-
dent pro TEN. (so that the Government
would not be left without a legal head in
case of the death of both the elected Presi-
dent and Vice President,) when Mr. Atch
ison Of Mo. was chosen President pro tenn.
and at once put through the accounts, Con-
structive Mileage included, thereby con-
STRUNG : 1896 into his own pocket The
accounts were not thus held back when
Geo. NJ. Dallas was Vice-President
- Hon Wm. " Gwn, Senator from
California, was paid his S. per day and
Sl,OOS Mileage for attending the late regu-
lar Session of Congress, and IS per day
likewise for his attendance on the short Ex-
ecutiye Session which followed He here
pockets S4,OOs more for Constructive Nile.
aSs in attending this Executive Session,
though he did not travel one mile for this
purpose. That Sl,O06 is equal to the aver.
age earnings Of twelve energetic, industri-
Gus mechanics through a whole year. Was
it right for Gwin to take that money from
the Treasury! What entitled him to it!