Southern standard. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 1851-1856, 1852-09-25
amount illegally scithheld
x unaceoanted, for.
S2O.373 40

which General Scott has received and enjoyed du-4
ring his term of service--though it be no less
sum than taco hundred and .Gtty-one thousand dol
lars. To that he had legal right.
The only comment to be made on that matter
is, that ifGeneral Scott has done his professional
duty ina satisfactory manner, he has been very
satisfactorily remunerated therefor
But the Extra pay and allowances, and the mon
eys unlawfully withheld by BIN 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 i
First, we find that General Scott retains in his
possession, without warrant of laws, one sum
of 81, 885,19. This sum is commission of three
and half per cent, which General Scott has APP
propriated to himself, on 1926, 291 IS which pas
sed through his hands from the contributions,
gamblers license tabacco, &c, levied by him in
Mexico. During the war, officers of the army
were detached to act as custom house officers
and entitled to-a 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 81, 600 retained by General Scott as COM
mission such moneys iSNsaot his. He has no
right to it. 1t is withheld contrary to law. Such
rs CNe StCtt6HteHt " UT OOJtFutt Ute PT6SeH ~
Secretary Of Var Here are his words
"In applying this act the act of March 8 1849
to particular cases, doubts arose whether the
clause, allowing compensations applied to. contri'
buttons levied elsewhere than at ports and in the
form of'duties on imports. The opinionoft the At
torney General was solicited on this question, and
on the 18th day Of March last that officer gave an
opinion in the negative. According to this inter
probation Of the act of March B. 1919 Gen. Scott
was not authorized by that act toretsn the above
sum of.$7 1885 10, as the collections or contribu
tons on which the charge was based were not made
at a. seaport, but in the Interior"
Now we must be permitted to say that this is
one ofthe most extraordinary developments in of
fetal history. Here Gen. Scott is seen to pocket
$685. 10 of the people'smoney withouta shadow
and authority to do so--aganst the consento the
Secretary of War, and against the opinion of the
Attorney General of the United States He has
taken it unlawfully. The act of the highwayman
is in no respect different--saye in Importance
But the highwayman is voted lodging in the penn
tertiary therefor-Generaal Scott in the White
House.
We.nextfnd that he claimed and got 80, 1884,
70 for personal expenses and loss by exchanges
in Europe In 1916, General Scott desired to
amuse himself abroad and got from the Execu-
Ftlve vague and unintelligible commission to OBJ
serve the political condition of things merely
with view to pay his expenses there. He was
then receiving the pay of q brigadier7 general !;
to let him have the pay Of a major general while
travelling This favor was granted in a letter
from the Secretary of War to General Scott dated
: June'19. 1875 the following extract from which
will explain the whole matter
GAS compensation for the trouble of this infor-
l NAL agency, such allowance will be made from the
contingent fund for foreign intercourse as will Sc
cure you from any disappointment in the receipt
Of an income equal to the pay and enloluments o.
+ a major general But you will understand thai
beyond that amount, from whatever fund it may
be paid 30 compensation is to be expected on your
part
Thus the full pay of major general was all thai
he had right to during that trip. But wheI
t General Scott returns, be charges the Governmen
, with
e Loss by difference of exchange ST. 105 s.
: Allowances for servants and horses 1853 8
9,164 II
, For neither Of these charges had he any lega
e warrant AS to the frst--loss by-exchange--ou
foreign ministers-whethefA Ambassadors Extra
2 ordinary or Resident-and down to the smalles
d Charge and Consul-one and all Of them hay
t, paid It out of their purse They do it now, the
/ did it at that day, and they did It before that day
This charge is therefore in every sense of the wor
9 an ''extra."
"A The document named as Number 3 in the Ii
of those sent in by the Second Auditor, being q
exhibit of the allowances made to General SEQ
for services "notin the line of his duty, contain
the following items
% 1919
: 1. Per diem of six dollars for 288Nays while con
s. piling military work for the
of Army, $l,4%8
ge 2. Per diem of six dollars from '1st
10 July, 1924, to 1st July, 1925,
u try Tactics, 81, 2so D
n A. Per diem of eight dollars while
e- acting as Commissioner in confer
at ence with Pottowatomies Sac, ~
08 and Fox. Indians, at Chicago,
ed Praire du Chem and Rock Island,
om from 22d June to 18th Oct, 49,
: SO, together with expenses during
70 the conference, $2a85
ore 5. Compensation as author and
compiler while experimenting the
;, tics for the Army, s5boo {
90 90 1889
6. Extra compensation for acting as
10 Commissioner under the Chero-
kee Treaty, $3.50
Z. Per diem Of eight dollars while
making Treaty with Cherokees, -
from 18th of April e, 10th of
oe December 1889, s1352