New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-11-02
Schoonmaker mt least can appreciate. VIII the
Democratic masses also understand hint
MJLEiGE.

! former Is known by his mileage ou"Sou w
this standard, the Hon. Allen &. Beach may
fairly take the very first rank among REFORM
| ers In period when Reform Is the upper
most topic, and Reformers throng all the
bar-rooms, splitting the nightly air with their
vociferations and their opponents heads with
| empty bottles, the Hon. Allen c. Beach Is
! Justly entitled by his mileage to be called the
Blue Ribbon Rcformer of his time. In -FOUR
years this statesman travelled no less than 2S,-
| 500 miles as member of the Canal Board, and
probably n no less distance while acting rs Com
missioner of the Land Office and Member of the
Water Grant Committee though as to the latter
we cannot be positive. since the Controller dc-
clines to furnish or permit access to the ac-
counts. 1t is, however, within bounds to es-
innate that during these four years Mr. Beach
travelled not less than $4,000 miles, or l2,JOO
miles n year. What RefOrmcr can point TO
such a record as that? We do not mean to as
sert that Mr.. Beach travelled these 10000 miles
on foot, though we deem it quite probable that
the 2S,500 miles charged as Member OF the
Canal Board were clean heel-and-tOe walk
on the tOw-path, with an occasional squirt on
the bernie bank. We are aware that it has
been minated that very large part of this
/
what statesmen call constructive" But we
submit that travel by rail costs not more than
three cents a mile, and Rcformer like Mr.
Beach would not charge thirty cents, as ne did,
even though authorized by statute, for what
cost him only three
OF course he walked. He must have walked
on an average twenty miles day, which
would make his mileage $50, precisely what the
statute provided for his services III addition.
There are many men willing to walk twenty
miles Il day on Il tOw-path, aud lead mule
in the bargain, for So, let alone the additional
SO per diem. Oh, he must have walked. 1t
may be argued that at twenty miles
dav this would have taken all his
time. leaving no show for him to attend the
meetings of the board or earn his other mile
ages: and on the face of it there does seem
little officially about it, Bat 1t Is quite posi-
BILE that Mr. Beach walked with the Colt
"ometer" invented by john Phoenix attached
TO himself. In the experimental trial OF
that instrument, it will be remembered,
SljDoery BilI,r to whom it was at
tached. INDUCED iii a dance during the
progress Of the experiment. and quite aston
ished the inventor with the amount Of mileage
he had registered on what was supposed to
be Il very short walk. 1t is not unlikely that
Mr. Beach wore a "Go-it-ometcr,' and, like
David, danced before the Lord n-eithor
Jarvis or George-and charged M his milo
age from the register OF the instr-
ment. At any rate, we undertake to say
that statesman who travels 12,500 miles "A
year at 80 cents a mile whether he goes aioot
or wears Il g0-t-ometer or walks on the tow
path or the bernie bank, is the kind of Rcformer
to encourage. He reminds us by his prudence
and frugaity of Mr.. Elijah Hitchcock, Con-
nectlcut constable, whose character being under
scrutiny Deacon Solomon Rising was inquired
of about him.
deacon Rising" said the questioner, do
"you think Mr.. Hitchcock is a dishonest man y
Very promptly. "Oh, 10, sir; not by any
"means."
well, do You think he is a mean man ?"
"WelI, with regard to that said the Dea-
con little more deliberately, :" | may say
." that | don't really think he's a mean man
1--WE sometimes thought he WAS what you
might call keeIlul mani prudent man, so
TO speak,
"What do y0u mean by prudent man? p
"Well, mean this: that one time he had an
Execution for 81 against the old Widow
"Wttcr back here, and he went up to her
"house and levied 1t on Il flock of ducks
land he chased them ducks one ut time
Ground and round the house pootty much
call day, and every time he catcheI a
duck he'd set right down and wiring his neck, |
"an' charge mileage; an his mileage mounted !
so more'n the debt. NOthm' mean bout !
sit as | know of, but always thought after |
"that that Mr. Hitchcock was very prudent |
"man."
Now, in the case of Mr. Beach, we do not
mean to intimate that, in making his charge of
$4,000 miles travel in four years, he tool, any
such unusual steps as Constable Hitchcock did
with regard to the ducks. What we do
say is, that any man who travels that
distance in that length of time, at the
rate Of 80 cents Il mile and makes it
a matter of record. is entitled to the credit
which Deacon Rising gave Mr.. Hitchcock of
being not only an exceedingly industrious and
energetic, bat an unccmmOnly prudent
man. We have patience with those
captious and unpleasant persons who
would go over those distances with Il measur-
ing chain, or apply the yard-stick to Mr..
Beach's bills against the State and we quite
sympathize with the Controller i'll his refusal
to let Mr.. Beach's accounts be overhauled. 1t
is enough for us that he has certified
that ne did the distance. 1t is physi-
cally impossible for every voter to witness, in
person, the performances of Il pedestrian who
makes his l., 800 miles "a year. We have to
fessional, like Weston, walks thousand
tI,n 6 4, -,