The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1911-04-15
LEGISLATIVE MILEAGE

IN an editorial reprinted elsewhere in
this issue, rather inclines to defend
the present system of allowing mem.
bers OF the legislature Communication
in money for expenses of railway tray
ell based upon railroad mileage at the
rate of ten cents a mile, which rate
has been criticised as excessive be-
cause the railroads average to charge
two cents mile for passenger fare
when paid for by mileage ticket The
Banner however, says in effect that
this extra eight cents allowed by the
state only goes to reimburse the leg
islator for incidental expenses of tray
ell, those expenses that are not repres-
ented wholly in the railroad fare.
Very we'll, we will say it Is no
more than right that the state should
pay these incidental costs of travel
but it should pay for them as what
they are and not under the fiction of
an allowance for railroad fare.
The state should be as precise in its
bookkeeping as the individual. And
it should be as precise in its expendi-
ture of money as in its accounting. Let
every man be paid back exactly what
he paid out in the first place, every
penny in an itemized account setting
forth the nature OF the charge; let
every man present his own account
and be reimbursed on the audit Of his
own personal charges.
AS it is today a blanket allowance
for everybody alike gives some men
more money than they spent, and
other men probably not enough.
And the whole charge is entered on
the state ledger under a fictitious
head at that.-St. Adams Messenger.
All that The Banner desired was
that the argument should be over the
facts in the case and not over the
bold assumption that ourHegislatures
in voting mileage make an absolute
ly unjustified raid on the state treas
ury. We knew that The Messenger
would treat the question fairly when
once the facts were brought to its at
tention
We believe, too, that The Messen-
ger is getting closer to the right in
proposing that the state pay the actu-
al bill of each member upon proof or
sworn voucher Sul it is difficult to
adjust a hard and fast system that
will be just to all concerned.
For instance, under the system pro-
posed by The Messenger. a man living
say within fifty miles Of the state cap
ital could go home Saturday morning.
look after his private affairs. return
Monday, save his board bill at Mont
pelier and draw his mileage and ex-
pense account, while his seatmate, liv-
ing possibly $50 miles away finds it
difficult to get home and back again
during the Sunday recess. to say
! nothing of doing any work at home,
so is compelled to stay at Montpelier,
/ look after his home affairs by long
distance telephone pay his board bill
at Montpelier over Sunday and draw
no mileage or expense account Hard
4 ly fair, is it?
Some persons will say that the
members get free telephone service
while at the capital. They do during
the time the legislature is in session
but not on Saturday, Sunday and Mon
day, when they need it most, and th'
telephone toll from Montpelier to Ben
nington is seventy cents for three min
utes conversation and for other pla
ces in proportion. Abuses too, would
be hard to detect and possibilities o
graft enlarged. After all, isn't the fla
rate per mile to all alike about as fai
as any substitute would be likely t
prove?
The Messenger further says tina
these expenses "are not represented
wholly in the railroad fare" and tina
the whole charge is entered under ,
fictitious head. These statements are
true only in part for the great bull
of the charge is railroad fare actual!
paid by the members. Charging it al
mileage is doubtless ninety per cen
truth and that is as near fact as tn,
average sermon on the commandment
forbidding the bearing of false wit
ness. We may argue until we ar
black in the face, but still there is
chance for disagreement Few thing
in this world are perfect