Southern standard. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 1851-1856, 1852-10-30
$20,373 80
Ertra aHoWances to GeR. Pierce.
S2O.S7S 80

which General Scott has received and enjoyed du.
ring his term of service-though it be no less
sum than taUo hundred and titty-one thousand dol
lars. To that he had alegal right.
The only comment to be made on that matter is,
that if Gen. Scott has done'his professional duty
in a satisfactory manner he has been very salts
factorily remunerated therefor.
But the extra pay and allowances, and the mon
eys unlawfully withheld by him from the Treasu-
ry of the United States-which figure in these
statements to the enormous and unprecedented
amount of forty thousand dollars and upwards,
certainly do deserve the comment of the press
and the attention of the public. Let US glance
over the items
First, we find that Gen. Scott retains in his pos
session, ''without warrant of law one sum of
81, 885 l8. This sum is commission of three
and half per cent, which General Scott has APP
propriated to himself, on 1925, 291 As, which
passed through his hands from the contributions,
gamblers licences, tobacco, &e., levied by him
in Mexico. During the war, officers of the army
were detached to act as customhouse officers, and
entitled to commission for such services by an
act of Congress passed March Sd, 1849. But
moneys received in the form of contributions, &c.
do not come within that act Consequently, the
sum of Sc, 900, retained by Gen. Scott as COM
mission on such moneys Is not his. He has no
right to it. It is withheld contrary to law. ,Such
is the statement Of Mr.. Conrad, tie present Wig
Secretary of War. Here are his words
..In applying this act 1.-THE act of March 3D.,
1919 to particular case3, doubts arose whether
the clause allowing compensation applied to con-
trbutions levied elsewhere than at ports and in
the form of duties on imports The opinion of the
Attorney General was solicited on this question,
and on the 18th day of March last that officer gave
4 an opinion in the negative According to this in
depreciation of the act of March 8, 1849, General
Scott was not authorized by that act to retain tie
sum of 1885 49, as the collections or contribu-
tons on which the charge was based were not
made a. a seaport, but in the interior"
Now we must be permitted to say that this is
one of the most extraordinary developments in Of
fetal history. Here Gen. Scott is seen to pocket
/ 81, 1856 10 of the peoples money without shad
ow of authority to do-against the opinion of The
] Attorney General of the United States. He has
taken it unlawfuy The act of the highwaymar
is in no respect different-save in importance
But the highwayman is voted lodgings in the pen
itentiary therefor-General Scott in the Whit,
House.
We next find that he claimed and got SO, 1854,
70 for personal expenses and loss by exchange
5 in Europe" In 1915, General Scott desired t
, amuse himself abroad, and got from the Execu
tive vague and unintelligbe commission to Oh
serve the political condition of things -merel.
n Win b view 70 pay his EXPENSES InSIe. le wa
! then receiving the pay of brigadier-general and
to pay his expenses, the government agreed to lie
Q him have the pay Of q major general while travel
4 Hing. This favor was granted in letter from tn
: Secretary of War to Gen. Scott, dated June Is
1916 the following extract from which viii explai
!. 1.-THE whole matters
I. ssAs compensation for the trouble of this il
), formal agency, such allowance will be made fro
n the contingent fund for foreign intercourse as wi
!, secure you from any disappointment, in the RI
n lceipt-of an income equal to the pay and emol,
i mehts of a major general. But you will unde
s stand that beyond that amount, from whatey'
L fund it may be paid, compensation is to be e.
nIpected on your part =
Thus the full pay of a najor- general was q
4 that he had right to during that trip But Nhe
Or General Scott returns he charges the Governnel
Mt with
- Loss by difference of exchange 1,105
&c Allowances for servants and horses l,058
ID 2,l64 Z
For neither Of these charges had be any lee
e, warrant AS to the first loss by exchange
&c foreign ministers whether Ambassadors Extr
ordinary or Resident and down to the smallt
4 ~ -