New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-10-31
MR.. BEACH'S MILEAGE.

RAPID TRAVELLING.
lrRoM STAFF CORRESPONDENT oP THE I'ibuNh,I
Albany. Oct. 30-The mileage accounts OF Allen
C. Beach, when member of the Canal Board, anu
The Board of Land Commissioners. by virtue Oh HIS
holding the acknowledgements, nave oo'"
sionalv been spoken about during the present pouV
ical struggle but they have not hitherto been given
This cannot be considered remarkable view OF tno
fact thu. the Controllers office and the Office oil the
Con.l BOARD in which the accounts recorded, are
an tho possession of men of the same party as Mr.
Roach The mileage accounts of Mr.. Beach with the
Canal Board have at last been obtained. but those
held by the Controller are yet inaccessible II was
10 be expected that the officers in charge OF these
departments would decline TO show their books
but still il is far criticism of the Controllers re-
fusal 70 display the Land Commissioners accounts
that they contain something that would DO MI
Beach harm next Tuesday. As member OF the
Canal Board Mr. Beach received during ms TOUT
years service the sum of Ss,547 20 for mileage
and 81 40 for services. at the rate OF S6 per day
He was paid mileage at the rate of thirty cents
mile 60 that he must have travelled during the
four wears 2S 100 miles. Mileage was estimated to
this or that part Of the State from his home IN
Watertown. But this not all OF the mileage
Services only formed a small part in, and mileage
was the main portion of 500 20 whch ne re-
ceived as a Land Commissioner and member OF the
Water Grant Committee. This amount Is mucn
less than he received from the Canal Boaru
Cs1OO17. also inclusive Of mileage Ii Is talr TO
conclude then, that the amount OF pay ne received
outside Of the mileage as commissioner was less
than he received outside of the mileage IN the Canal
BOARD. The mileage as Commissioner of the Land
Cfice must take nearly all of the $3.50 mentioned
above: and combined with the $s,547 received for
mileage m the Canal Board it makes the total mile
ace received by Mr. Beach during his four years ser
vice probably over S5 900. Altogether, while serv
ing as a member of the Canal Board, Commissioner
of the Land Office. and member of the Water Grant
Committee. Mr. Beach received S17,527 20. More
over he also received IN addition 10 TINS amount
his COMPENSATION as Lieutenant-GOvemor During
the same four years the Governor OF the state
despte his far more arluous and responsible Office,
received \ yearly salary Of only $4,000; total for
the four years, SlG,00&
II has been charged shat Mr.. Beach asked the
State to pay. and was paid by it constructive
mileage" some Of the items in his bill to the Canal
Department for services on committees OF the Canal
Board in the Winter Of 1871 certainly look con-
stuctiye. Here is the portion Of the bill Teierred TO-
1871. 49,,
To attending meetings OF committees OF tho Canal
J gGanSf 14-M Albany shern's claim aGG on
harG ss l 5,y AoY t'I ''.. ''u' 'oo 121 so
Marcel y At Albany, iiizptrick's claim, 500 50, on
rcbraary is-At Albany, Johuson's claim, 800 -, 90
Am, ml' ga y @'l Conn io SYRACUSE and Oneida. in
matter OF feeder ~ Oneida, -H6 miles, DAYS 100 ~
The dates Of the meetings with the exception of
tbc last are upon Saturdays; ard April and are
Saturday and sunday respectively. Upon every
FRIDAY before the Saturdays mentioned, the state
Legislature was in session and there is record in
the Journals Of the day to show that Lieutenant
Governor Beach did not preside, as was his duty,
over the Senate.
It's. of course, impossible 10 prove now that Mr..
Reach did not 20 10 Watcrtovn, on Friday and re-
turn I'm time for Canal Board meeting probably at
noonfhc next dav butit morally certain that heidi
not do So. 1t would have required sixteen hours
railroad riding for the privilege Of being in Water
town very few hours, and IT would have been
necessary for him 10 leave at noon on Friday 10 ac-
compsh THIS. But there is not the slightest reason
10 suppose that he left Albany at all It's the cus
tom for Iieutenaut-GovcruoIs to remain pretty
steadily at their posts, at Albany, during
the session. and men familiar with Albany
matters i'm past years, charge, with the ut
most dircctness. that Mr.. Beach remained in
ALBANY. although he was charging the state 30
cents q mile an imaginary journey to and from
WATERFOWL Some of his other journeys seem TO
hsve been imaginary also. His bill for 1871, rs
Ineinbcr Of the Canal Board, shows the following
charges.
- u
June na Ro F r s6 5D c @'s, mems 127 so
June 26-At syracuse scoyllc a Eitons claim
- ui'Cs 3 dll ~ 90
Altogether, 1858 80 for-waS IT days7 OF was il
o days work? The mileage IS faithfully estimated
every time from WaicrtoWu TO Oswcgo, to Albany,
and 10 Syracuse and return. The great amount Of
mileage received, IN compari on with the amount
paid for the services rendered. is stukingly shown
in Nh. Bcaohs yearly accounts with the Canal
Board That for 1869 declares that IS days ser
vices were rendered, which, at 80 per day, brought
In only S2ss; VIII lie the mileage amounted 10
$3.50 30. lhe account for 1870 asks $500 for
66 DAYS service, and S24SS for mileage; an account
for portion of 81 and SD asks $ljG for rs days
service aud 50 26l 20 fol- mileage; account Tor
portion Of SO aud Of 1871 asks $3.50 for fifty
five days service, and $242S for mileage.
The making Of the Ljcutenant-GOve member
OF the various board, mentioned was intended to
give hm far greater pant iu the administration of
the State Government than he ENJOY ed us presiding
officer Of the Senate. II certainly gave BIN a
greater opportunity 10 make money. As member
OF the Water Grant Committee he given
absury trivial dutc, 70 ute, and was dbsuTdlY
ovcrpaId. il an application was made for
a water lot az. say Buffalo, he joumeyed
10 that CITY, looked over tie surface Of
the water and returned and made report ABOUT the
apphcatiou-and tine state pad nm mileage at the
rate of 30 cents 20 mile md - day. THIS was an
expensive way Of doing business IN me state, but
In more expensive way was som invented: the
Licutcuaut-GOvcruor was gwen q bunch Of such aT-
phcations where tie applicants llNed near cacn
other, and was paid mileage TO and from every one
one OF them, although only making one journey.
The system came TO an end IN Attorney General
IairCMlds time. An unusually large bill of TINS
would report whether constructive mileage could be
legally paid. Tie replied that 1t could not be-, ana