The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1908-08-22
Hills Milea &c Vote.
ADVERTISEMENT

special session of the 58th Congress
? all OF the Senators and Representa-
tives remained in Washington and
did not 90 home and were therefore
not entitled to mileage.
When the proposition was up before
Congress to take $3.50, 900 out OF the
National Treasury tc pay their imag.
mary mileage, only a very few OF the
Southern Representatives voted for
the graft and Hon. w. 5. Hill, Con
gresham from the 4th district, was
the only Congressman from MisSiSsip-
pi who voted for mileage, when in
truth there was no mileage, and thus
voving to himself over $500 of the
peoples money to which he was ia no
sense entitled.
The following are the comments OF
w j. Bryan and Tom Watson rela-
tive to the action O.: Congress in the
matter.
WI. Bryan'S editorial in the Com
mOner, Vol. S; No 8 Of March II 1906
on page 2:
WHERE THE SENATE SCORED"
THE United States Senate is en-
titled to one large credit mark. The
Senate prevented the accomplishment
of what is known as the Mileage
grab
The second session of the 5Sth
Congress met as soon as the first SeS.
sion had adjourned and it was phvSi,
cally impossible for the members of
congress to have done anything to
earn mileage for the second session.
In spite Of this fact the House, by a
vote OF 80 yeas to 50 nays, adopted
an appropriation Of $3.50, 600 for the
purpose of paying this mileage.
Many members OF the House
fought the proposed steal and many
others who did not have the courage
to vote for it., lacked the honesty to
vote against it. But the Senate's
representatives On the conference COM
mittee refused to give their consent
to the grab and the House was forced
to yield.
In January, 1904. an attempt was
made to cut through this same grab.
1t was freely discussed in the House,
but because election day was approach
ing, the members did not dare to 90
on record in favor of the steal, know
ing that they would be required to
explain to their constituents. Att
that time no vote was registered in
favor Ct the grab, while 1877 votes
were recorded against it; the Chicago
Tribune, a republican paper, recalling
these facts says: The men who were
timid in 1904 were bold and brazen in !
March, 1905, after the election But
the senate struck out the appropria-
ton and is entitled to the thanks OF
the people,"
AS the Tribune we'll Isays: The raid
on the treasury fails and the members
of the House gained disgrace, but no
money. The incident is dishearten-
ing. 1t shows how much more the
chosen repreSen tatives Of the pc ople
for a little money than they do
for the good opinion of the public.
They are ready to dip their hand into
the national treasury il they ian do
so without mourning the risk OF being
indicted"
Extracts from an editorial COM.
ment by Tom Watson appearing in
The April number, 1905, of Tom Wat
sons Magazine.
REMEMBER THE RASCALs.n
The cost OF travel was greater in
)lden days than now and the free pass
lad not then become one of the dew.
rs favorite inventions. Consequently
The law makers declared that the tax |
layers should furnish twenty cents ,
Der mile to meet the expense of the
representative in going from his home
his post of duty.
A member who lives west of the !
Mississippi will find his pay increased
sixth or a fifth according to the dis. :
ance from the Atlantic seaboard: '
While the delegate who comes from :
Hawaii will pocket considerable more
han $4,000 for alleged cost of RettinoI
0 Washington.
So far, 80 good. Everybody knows
hat Congressman do not pay their =
ray, and everybody knows that mile. i
&c no longer mas any honest founda- =
lon. But we've got used to the grab1
nd we let it 70 as inevitable with
'eary sigh OF hopeless disgust. 8
But the congress which has ad. n
burned recently broke all previous =
ecords and gave the country q new y
1apter In the record of brazen dis. y
OnOr.
Previous to the meeting OF the req.
ar session there had been an extra &,
SSion. This held on till the regular N
SSion began. There was no inter. IS
i between the two, SO far rs the
me was concerned, the n ran into
other. Hence no member went NJ
from the extra session and came 70
to the regular session. ~
There was absolutely no recess at No
NOT single minute between the s
9 recess and the other.
THE imaginary recess having been y.
,ated by construction the members =
the lower house took an imaginary
p home during the imaginary re- No
and then proposed that they be No
ID their imaginary expenses, not ini i