Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1858-08-13
Correspondence Of the Ne,1 York Herald
How Corruptions are Smothered fl
W,sg,yoroy JnIv 81 1888

WASHINGTON July 81, 1858.
IT is often very difficult to get at the ex-
| travagant expenditures and coIruptions oil
government and government officials. as in
almost all cases the items are carefully mixed
| up with others and separated from their proper
connection. The accounts are frequently
presented at different times and under forms
! that deceive an ordinary observer. In fact
| il would be something like the task of Pencil
| ope to unravel them. Sometimes. however
| yonr correspondent can get an linking and
| push an investigation to some result.
| In no department of government is there
| perhaps, more of these covered up extrava-
| gances and eorruptions than at the Capitol
! The constant friendly Intercourse, if not actual
participation, with the members of Congress
and the employees Of Congress, favor these
| eXtrava gances to an extent not so practicable
| in other departments; and one reasonable
| ground Of suspicion that there may be some
! thing even worse than extravaganza arises
| from the fact--Of which | am crediDly in
! fOrmcd-that a member specially solicited a
| position on the Committee of Accounts, and
| that many of the accounts have been passed
without the knowledge of other members of
the Committee. Several have declared so,
and have expressed their surprise when spoken
to on the subject. To say the least. this loose
! way of passing accounts in which large sums
are involved, is highly rcprehensible. The
words ''cXtras,' extra allowances" which
the employees of Congress have such facilities
of getting through. under the mysterious
wording of an ambiguous resolution, which
the employees frequently draw up themselves,
or attached at the heel of the session to a
mass of other resolutions which hardly any
one knows anything about, or has time to in
vestigate, cover up great deal of which the
people and even the greater part of the MEM
bers of Congress know nothing.
Among those extravagances may be men,
toned the fees of the Sergeant-at-Arms. 1t
appears the Sergeant-at-Arms of the House
of Representatives receives an annual salary
of S2,160.
In addition to this, the House allows him
50 for every writ or summons, 81 for every
discharge, and travelling expenses at the rate
of 10 cents per mile.
His bills under the above allowance, al
ready presented and allowed by the Commit
tee of accounts, for the last session, amount
to Sl49S5 81.
Now it will be recOIlected that the Ser
geant-at Arms does not leave his post in the
House. The service is performed by mes
senger of the House, who is on regIJNr
salary.
In making up the account the Sergeant-at-
Arms charges ten cents a mile for each wit
ness, although there were number residing
at the same place, summoned at the same time
and by the same messengers.
As for instance, in the investigation of the
Fort Smelling matter there were ten or twelve
witnesses summoned from that place, and in
stead of charging for travelling expenses at
the rate Of ten cents mile the Committee
on accounts allowed ten cents a mile for each
witness.
1t has been decided that the accounting
officers have no control over the allowances
of the Committee of Accounts.
The vigilant accounting officers of the
Treasury raised question on the legality of
these and other allowances, but in some in
stances they have been oveTruled. Some are
still undecided.
As to the Sergeant-at-Arms it is not yet
certain how much more over the Sl4.9Sj al
ready claimed for the last session. he will vet
claim, as the accounts come in from time to
time. 1t is quite possible it may yet amount
to twenty or twenty-five thousand dollars
As much as the salary of the President of the
United States. for one session of Congress, is
a nice sum. This is no eXaggeratiOn, as it is
well known that he has to pay but little out
of this amount for travelling expenses.
When there is Il call of the House the Ser
geant-at-Arms get two dollars for every sum
mons to members, and one dollar for their
d soharge. So that should there he on a call of
the House one hundred members absent. he
gets three hundred dollars. and if this call
should be three or four times during pro-
tractvd session, as has been the case sOme-
times, he would make nine or twelve hundred
dollars in a day.
1t is said that the extra allowances to clerks
and other employees at the Capitol last SEES
sion, going back for several Congresses past,
to near one hundred thousand dol
lars.