The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1878-04-17
TIE MILEAGE QUESTION.
DIR. NeadOr's Explanation.


= calling IN me for An explanation OF Tia
= mileage altar. but kindly Offering "A plac
= in Your columns tor the purpose of reply
= ing. must say that | dull appreciate
: the favor, aud will avail myself OF tn
! opportunity thus kindly offered
, Some time ago the Frankfort CORES
poudcnt of the Courier Journal came gu
in al article charging that sunhry mem
bers of the General Assembly had over
; drawn in mileage My name was in ia,
: list; but hrlicve with on" exception
ma,he Two exceptions mine WAS the
smallest. The correspondent charged III,
with having drawn tor twenty mils more
than | Wa entitled To, which doubled lor
return. made forty miles Immediately
thereupon there arose storm In the
House A committee was appointed 10
investigate the subject aud report the
amount In which each member wa en-
Titled. That Committee was composed OF
least were not charged with AZ dong. aud
subsequent InvestI- alton showed that
some ot them were below actual amount.
After lahurIDus session, that committee
made report and II was adopted bv the
House. It YOU will inspect that report,
which know you have, tor it was pub
lIshed III all the ca.iinS Journals, You will
zee that variou- members were found TO
have iraNu considerably in excess of the
amount to which they were entitled,
amounting ~ some eases to hundreds OF
miirs Iou will also see in ,hat report
that am SUSTAINED Tue Committee re
ported that | wa, entitled t. all that !
drew They had before them a table OF
dietarce irOn point To point ON ali the rail
road aud rlvrr routes. stated t. that
commute eSaciy nay place OF rerldence
aud Mr. Lewis. OF Breckenridge, and sen
aIor Murray, the ormer residing in twelve
miles OF me the latter twenty-five, both
were present AID gave the Il uatIon They
decided that wa- correct aud entitled to
mileage for .OJ miles-exac.ly the
distance tor which dre~, amounting T."
sou The decision OF the Committee wac
based upon statutory law and the facts
elected upon investigation. Now for the
explanation called Tor III the editorial and
the Stubborn facts:
When came to Frankfort, did MT
know the exact distance. called upon
the Clerk Tor certificate or order Tor
stationery and mileage. the Clerk a-ked
tue distance answered that did no.
know, but Thought ii was 100 miles. The
order MAS gwen Tor that amount, and
drew it. d Il not know. uulll my atien-
lion WAS called to 1t 10y the Courier Jour
nal. the exact distance 10y either route. !
tnen went 10 a liable OF dts ances, and
found that upon the rail route VAS not
entitled to mileage tor 2OJ miles. but for
about lao. | immediately returned the
exc 50 10 The treasury. which the book
will SHOW did 1t not because ! wa-
compelled to d. ~ 10y report of Commit
lee, tor the Committee had moi yet been
appointed, neither dill | believe that in
ve-Iisatton would. according to Law aud
Gust IN, cohtine me TO the rail road route
but | diI il because | believed that in
justice not founded upon law aud custom.
but uprn the moral code that | WAS not
enrtled to it.
Ii may he asked Why tn, Committee
gave me 100 m,Ies. From my residence
| 20 ly Louisville, either on the railroad
ar river Before the railroad WAS con-
sirucI.d the only route 10 Louisville was
hy tie river S,ncr then We have TWO
r"utr-. Ia the last four Years have AZ
oite" gore 10y the river as rail, as my
ne'ghbors can testify ! stated this TACT
To the Committee | was also asked
by the Committee the distance from resi-
druce to co .utN scat do not kn, W
whether Ihry gave me the river rouie.
which is 20I miles. or allowed me mile
aye from home To county seat. tn. nee 10
Frank tort. which is. occorilng to tables
here. ls0 miles TO which add ~ miles
from residence, and we have 200 Be
that as il may, they allowed me mileage
for 900, which il exactly the number Tor
which drew do not never did, nor
never will claim that any member has
right To mileage from home to county
scat, thence by usual route, if there is
nearer and equally convenient route, and
upon private business. No one would Tor
n moment suppose this TO be morally
right. even il sanctioned 10y law ann pre-
cedent; hut do claim that he is rntulrd
tn mileage upon the route usually travel
ed by the individual when upon business
pertaining to His own affairs In my
case, as before shown, there are tw"
! routes. one POI miles the other all told
about 40 only retained mileage tor the
shorier route the rep 'rt Of the Commit
tee To the contrary Notwithstanding that
| | was entItled 10 20O miles
! Now. sir have gwen faithful and
correct account of the mileage affair. SO
! far az am concerned. ! wish to say n
] word or two tor frllow-memhers who were
not sustained by the report of the Com
mittee | do not believe that any one
erred intentionally; but lew knew the ac-
tual distance. aud. in many cases. they
looked to zee amount drawn 10y predpces-
sor and drew the same An exlmina-
ton of the Auditors reports for years
gone 10y. will show that others have been
as careless as the members of this General
Assembly and none that know of re-