Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-07-11
sPEclMEN RErRrNcnmrNr.

"MAcK," the Washington correspondent
Of the Cincinnati Commercial, gives the fol-
lowing as a specimen Of Congressional econo-
my aud retrenchment:
Congress is becoming economical, and has
solemnly resolved TO reduce the expenses of
the different Departments Of the Govern
ment, commencing with its own The coun-
try says amen 10 this. As | am desirous to
help on the good work, have little advice
70 give 10 the honorable members of both
Houses. 1t is that they enforce the eighth
commandment, as between themselves and
the public treasury, and lest the religious
education Of some Of them may have been
neglected, as | think it sadly evident. will
state for the benefit of such that the COM
mandment aforesaid is in these solemn and
significant words: 'rhou shalt not steal" If
about TO be delivered from the Mount in
these latter days it would undoubtedly be
rendered into the Hebrew for. "Thou shalt
deal gently in thy mileage account, and when
thou ridest as deadhead over railroads
thou shalt not charge double distance on that
account" Here are few items iii this mile
age business, made up from d comparison Of
an official statement Of the Secretary of the
Treasury, with APPLEToNs Railroad Guide:
For the Thirty-eighth Congress, Mr.. Brown,
of Missouri, charged S2,677 mileage for
66SG miles. The law entities him to but
four "rounds'-he charges six, because he
came here, on the reorganization of the
Senate on the 4th Of March, 1868, a special
session of the Senate's own calling, and not
Of the President
Mr.. TRUMBULL, of Illinois, who lives in
Chicago, charges 50, $4,000 miles, for
the same Congress. He too, it appears,
charges mileage for the extra session, con-
vened on the 5th of March, 1868. Now
Mr.. TRUBIBULL was in Washington, as a
member of the Thirty-seventh Congress, on
the Sd and 4th of March, 1868, How did
he get to Chicago and back by the 9Th
lie must have travelled by telegraph. The
distance to Chicago is thus recorded by APP
pleton's Guide:
Miles. Miles
Washington to Batimore) Z. and 0. r. R.)39
baltimore to Harrisburg Northern
Central 50
Harrisburg to Pittsburg Penn. CentraD. 2l9
PIttsburg TO Chicago (P-, F. W. and Chi r.
caSO...
Total
Travelled four 1854
Miles charged by Mr.. IRUNBULL.......".... 600 |
Excessive milcago......,....,.............. 1856
Computed at forty cents mile, that |
amounts to 81, ,l34 40, which, under the re-
trenchment arrangement, will be saved, |
have no doubt
Mr.. ARNOLD, of Chicago, in the same !
Congress lin the HOuse), charged 1864 |
miles. As he was not member of the |
Senate and had not the poor excuse of |
special session to cover his grab at the |
Treasury, he ment by his charge that it was |
1,2l6 miles to Chicago. l have shown it to
be precisely S4l by the ordinarily travelled |
route. The amount of Mr.. ARNOLD's excess |
was, then, $50 miles, or S604
| might make other illustrations from this |
mileage statement, but l have given |
enough. They are all in excess in about the |
same proportion-Ohio members and all
for the Thirty-eighth Congress. Ny only |
object in calling attention to the matter is to |
help the Committee on Retrenchment in its |
laudable purpose Of saving money to the |
Government by pointing out few mistakes
in the mileage business.
THE LONGEST BRIDGE IN THE WORLD.
Much has been written by tourists and /
journalists about the various long bridges in |
this and other countries. 1t is pretty gen.
orally conceded that the Niagara Suspension
Bridge is a splendid specimen of that kind
of architecture, and its great dimensions
have made it, very justly, a subject of pride
with those who had any hand III its con-
struction. find, however, by the mileage
account of the Thirty-eighth Congress that
the people of Cincinnati and Covington,
Kentucky, are connected by the longest
bridge ever heard of in the worlds history
Thus: GREEN CLAY SMITH, living in Gov
ington, Kentucky, says it is 756 miles to
Washington; Mr. PENDLEToN, living in
Cincinnati, says it is S72 miles to Washing
ton. The exact length of the bridge over
the Ohio River, from Cincinnati to Coving
ton, can be ascertained by simple subtrac-
tion, in this way:
From Washington to Cincinnati-.........SI2 miles
From Washington TO CoYingtOn.........-.756 miles.
Length Of the bridge connecting Coving-
ton and ati--..................ll ll6 miles.
Now, if any one knows of a longer bridge |
than that I'd like to hear from him-and