The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-03-03
THE MILEAGE ALLOWANCE OF
CONGRESSlTEN

THE MILHAGE ALLO WANCB OF
CONGRESSMEN.
BILL was yesterday passed by the House of
Representatives allowing mileage to members
of the present Congress who may be returned
from States where elections have not been
held Under the existing arrangement men,
bers of Congress are entitled to mileage from
and to their homes for every session; except
at the short spring session of a new Congress
the reelected members are prohibited from
drawing mileage for journeys they have not
performed. If we admit the propriety of the
present mileage regulations, the bill passed
yesterday will appear perfectly unobjection-
able, as some of the elections referred to will
not take place for several weeks, and the
members of the present Congress who are
candidates for reelection cannot be expected
to remain in Washington in the expecta-
ton of such fortunate event, and
if they go home they will be
entitled to mileage after they return to
Washington. The fact is, however, that Con-
gressional mileage, as at present regulated, is,
like the franking privilege, an open and
barefaced swindle upon the taxpayers of the
country. Every unprejudiced person will
admit that members of Congress, officers of
the army and navy, and all others who
travel upon public business, should receive
such an allowance as will enable them to
perform their journeys like gentlemen. The
mileage should be liberal enough to cover
all reasonable expenses, but anything beyond
this is wrong against which the taxpayers
have right to protest. There is a practical
admission that the Congressional
mileage laws are improper in the fact that
Congress has established entirely different
regulations for the army and navy. An officer
of the army or navy cannot draw his mileage
unless he actually performs a journey upon
public business, and an allowance of ten
cents per mile is judged sufficient to enable
him to travel in the best style, and still to
leave margin of profit; in other words, ten
cents per mile is as liberal as such an allow
ance should be, and it will more than cover
all reasonable expenses. Now the tax payers
of the country have a right to inquire why
q Congressman cannot travel at the same
price as an officer of the army or navy, and
why Congressman should be allowed to
draw his mileage if he does not perform
journey, if the same privilege is not granted
to the officers of the army or navy?
The distance between this city and New
York is about ninety miles. For travelling this
distance under orders an officer will draw about
$9 the actual expense of the journey will
be about So; thus the officer will pocket
clear profit of Sc. In some sections of the
country, and upon long journeys, of course
the expense will be greater, but it is certain
that ten cents per mile will enable any man
to go from one end of the United States to
the other in the best conveyances, to put up
at the best hotels, and otherwise to travel in
frst-class style, and yet make money by the
operation. Ten cents per mile is not too
much, as the allowance should be liberal, but
it is certainly ample; and therefore it is diff
cult to understand the propriety of members
of Congress voting themselves an allowance
of thirty cents per mile, and, with the excep-
ton of the regulation with
regard to tho spring session at the
commencement of a new Congress, allowing
the mileage to be drawn from the Treasury,
whether the journey is performed or not.
The distance between this city and Washing
ton is about one hundred and forty miles, the
fare is about So (we assume for the sake of
argument that our Congressman pay their
fares), and the mileage allowance about $42,
so that each representative for this city
makes profit of $74 in his mileage at each
session of Congress. For Western, and espe-
cially for the California members, the mileage
amounts to several thousand dollars annually,
and the whole sum unnecessarily drawn from
the Treasury by the extra-liberality of Con-
gressmen in voting into their own pockets
the peoples money is enormous. Congress
has decided that ten cents mile is sufficient
to enable an army or navy officer to travel
like gentleman, but that thirty cents per
mile is not more than sufficient to sustain the
dignity of Congressman. In the language
of the lamented A. Ward, We inquire "Why
is this thus 2"