Case: JOSEPH McDONALD v. THE UNITED STATES
Abbreviation: McDonald v. United States
Decision Date: 1888-11-19
Docket Number: 
Citation: 24 Ct. Cl. 524
Volume: 24
Reporter: United States Court of Claims Reports
Court: Supreme Court of the United States
Jurisdiction: United States
Parties: JOSEPH McDONALD v. THE UNITED STATES.
Judges: 
Pages: 524–524

Head Matter:
JOSEPH McDONALD v. THE UNITED STATES.
[23 C. Cls. R., 104; 128 U. S. R., 471.]
On the defendants’ Appeal.
A naval officer is ordered to proceed from Callao to Washington. A part of the journey is made while the law allows actual traveling expenses ; the remainder of the journey while the law allows mileage. The accounting officers allow traveling expenses for the entire distanoe.
The court below decides:
Where a statute {Act 16i/t June, 1874, 18 Stat. L., p. 72, § 1) provides that “ only actual traveling expenses ” he allowed, and a subsequent one that “ the sum of eight cents per mile he allowed such officers in lieu, of their actual traveling expensesV (Act'ZOth June, 1876,19 Stat. L., p. 65), and a journey was begun under the former and completed under the latter, the re-imbursement of the officer must be apportioned under both, so that he shall be re-imbursed for each portion of his journey at the rate prescribed by the then existing law.
The decision of the court below is affirmed on the same grounds.

Opinion:
Mr. Justice Lamar
delivered the opinion of the Supreme Court November 19, 1888.