Fair play., 1873-02-13
THE MILEAGE SWINDLE.
What ii Costs Missouri Legfsla.
tors 10 Travel 10 and from
The State Capital.

OF the st. LOUIS DemOCrat E0S Uccl
looking over the advanced sheets O
ex Auditor Drarer's report, ane
finds therein some very interesting
facts concerning the expense to the
State of the last General Assembly
Mc says:
The mileage of the Senators for
1871 and 1872 amounted, although
there were ba, thiriy-siX Of them, to
ST. ,059, 60, or just about ore-haif OF
the per iien,, which aggregated s34.
25l. The mileage Of the eight Off
GERS of the Senate swelis the amoun.
to sl9, ,J6e, 50. The mileage OF the
members Of the lower body is the
nice little sum OF s72,6l3 q and the
per diem is sl43, ,3l2 50. The total
amount drawn from the State treas.
ury for per diem and mileage fol
both Bodies is s2s0,276 81.
One Of tho strangest features ol
the exhibition is the wide difference
Of opinion many of the members en-.
tertain rs to the ''usual route" from
their homes to the State Capital.
The law allows them twenty cents q
mile for the :.usual route" and FIVE
dollars day for the time occupied
in travelling. When it is remember
ed that every member OF the Legisla-
,ure has free pass on all the roads
in the State, the large sums charged
by m:nsy of them for travelling ex-
penses become all the more inexpli-
cable. 1t is related Of one member
from Southeast Missouri that when
demonstrating the accuracy of his
account to the Auditor, he explained
that he was obliged to make the jour
ney from his home to Jefferson City
by way o: Memphis and Louisville,
around through Iowa and Kansas.
The member from Cole county
last year resided in Jefferson City,
within almost IA stones throw of the
Capital. He, nevertheless drew $40
mileage on.tha estimate that he was
a day in journeying to and from the
Capital each Of the eight times he
strollcd backwards and forwards at
the beginning aud end Of the sessions.
The member from Galway, Mr..
Samuels, resided in Cedar City, Just
across the river from here, and yet
he charged $40 for mileage. A
worse case is that Of Bass, of Boone,
who resides twelve miles from here.
An economical calculation of the cx-
pcnses of his journey at 20 cents a
mile and So day, would make the
amount 500. He charged S4l4.-
The good Senator from Pike, al
though it would have been possible to
make the journey in 100 miles, and
all by rail, at cost of s62, charges
S69S. The member from Pettis
drew Sl6S for his journey, while the
member from Clinton, who resides
fifty or sixty miles further away,
charged exactly the same amont. 1t
cos, the State s72O in travelling ex-
penses for the pleasure of the COM
pany of Moore Of Livingstone last
winter, while Hubbell Of Grundy,
who resides the next county north,
came for s6l4. The average charge
fer mileage by tie St. LOUIS delega-
;ion was $40. Some of the charges
are absolute swindles, and deserve to
be looked into. The members are
allowed the widest latitude in MAX
ing ont their accounts, the finarce
COMMITTEES approves them, and the
Auditor car do nothing more than
order their payment.
As the Democratic party now hold
the balance of power, and they have
"blowed' so much about being the
champions OF retrcnchment. econo-
my and reform, right here they tave
= chance of displaying their prowcss
in that particular respect. We have
their promise and now We desire to
witness their acts. Let them leris-
late to this end. Let the Attorney.
General, in the name and on behalf
Of The State, institute suit against ex-
members of the Legislature and all
Others who are guilty, f'rr the recov-
cry Of a"sry dollar that has been
wrons:niiy appropriated ont of the
public trca>u.;:. The tax PAYERS of
the State demand it and nothing
short ot a direct and decisive action
IN the part OF our public servants will
satisfy an ovcrbuf,icncd and tax-,i,i
.taf -1a.,f. -. ,,s,;,, !. -,