Press enter after choosing selection

Constructive Mileage

Constructive Mileage image
Parent Issue
Day
22
Month
August
Year
1846
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

lt is right enough to pay me mw makcraof the nation their expenses in gojng to and from the seat of Covernmeiit ; and though the time and expenses oí' travelling are wonderfully rcduced from what they werc when the mileage was eslablished, tbé'peöple can iitionl notto be over particular as to the amount oi" the mücage bilis. Put the cohsiruclive mileage chargcri fttíd paid every four ycar.s, when Congress adjpurns on t!ie 8d i Mare]} and the Scnate convenes again ón tlie 4lh, is a matter fur just complaim nnd reproach by the people. It is uñfair also to the Senators (héïnjelvé those wlm live near Washington getling but a trifling amount, while those from the remoter States, Louisiana, for intanco, and Michigan, pocketing their hündi-eds aöd even thousancis. iHhe gift must be made, it should I)C equally distributed anionglhe Senators and called by its right nalmp - a present on the acecssion of a President. The Washington correspondent of h"e Charleston Mercunj giver, the following lists of Senators who rcfused the constni'tivc mileage on the accession of Mr. Polk :Democrats who recaed. Chestor Ashloy, Ark. $1760 rr. R. Atchison, Mo. 1696 A. P. Bugby, Ala. (l) S. Hrcoso, IÍ1. 1336 W. J. Colquitt, Gn. 832 ' D. S. Dickinson, N. Y. 3&0 80 E. A. Hannagun, Iiul. t288 00 D. II. Lcwis, Alb. 72 G. M. Nilcs, Conn. 320 J. Scmplo, 111. 1355 A. II. Sevier, Ark. 1700 D. Sturgoon, Pá. löO .; 12,8 14 40 Whtg. Alei: Burros, T,a. $1283 00 J. C Bates, Mass. 360 J. M. Bcrri(M), Ga. 608 VV. L. Dayton, N. J. 104 80 G. Evans, "Mc. . 544 S. Jarnagin, Tcnn. 792 S0 H. Johnson, La. 1Ö83 20 J. V. IVIiller, N. J. 223 60 J. T. IIorehead, Ky. 040 J. A. Pearce, Md. 104 S. S. Phclps, Vt. 424 J. F. Simmons, R. I. 360 W. Üpham, Vt. 480 W. Woodbridgc , Mich. 903 20 .Mi, r(4 00 Thosc who refuseil to takc this con structive mileage, were the following : Democrats. Whigs. Win. Allen, Oo. Wm. S. Archer, Va. C. J. Atherton N. H. T. Clayton, Del. T. II. Benton Mo. J. Crittenden, Ky. J. A. Dix, N. Y. J. HuntingtonCt. J. Fairfieid, Mc. W. Manguin, N. C. Wm. H. Hayvood,N. C. Daniel Hager, S. C. Geo. M'Duflie, S. C. Levi Woodburv, N. II.It is worthy oí note that among wobu who rcceived this mileago, being pmd for constructivo coming to Washington and returnïng home, wc fouiul tho name of Mr. Bates the tlcccased Senator from Mass., who died during the special session, and the expense of con veying hu body to his home were paid by the Senate in addition to his having rcceived his mileage twice ovev.-Bufah Pilot. „ We have before alludcd to the construcüve mileage of Senators ; and here we have the amount paid out - #22,Ü78,-1O - equal to twenty two thousund Ihree hundred and seventy eight hard days work of the laborers of thisnation. This was voted to themselves by the Senators, for constructivo mileage. Well, wlwt is that? asks the reader. Tho sessionofthe last Congress expired on the third of March, and asession ot the Senate for a fow days was neecssary on the accession ofPolkto confirm the Cabinet nominations, &c. Such asession was called to meet tho next day. The Senate met. The newly clected Senators travelled'rom home to attend this session and ofiti :our.se reccived pay lor doing so : whilc c ho othcr Senators, whose term of olHcc n ïad not expired, and who were already 1 n Washington, receivedan cqualamount f travelling fees lor a journey home and ack, supposed to have been performed C y them bctwecn the third and fourth of - tf avch. Fourtcen of thern, however, tl 'used the allowance. Senator Woodridge, it will be scen pocketed nearly ii t thousand dollars of the carninga of his c onstituenls for which he did just nothxg in return. It is worthy of remurk E hat only mie Northern Whig refused to e eceive this allowance,, while Woodbury, Vthcrton, Allon and Fairfield refused " te Some action prohibiting such allowtnces in future was oroposed during the h ate session of Congress, but whethcr o iny thing eíFectual for prevention was lone we cannot now say. s Abuses of this character will not only C ;.ist in various shapes, but will continue e 0 multiply until THE puodccino classes ike the reins of government into thcir t wn hands. The politicians and tho t ïewspapers ai'c now leagucd together to j coep a knowledge of such transactions 'rom the peoplo, or to smooth them over , Yhen their injustice is exposcd. Tlic , arty papers find it for their interest to ïxtol and glorify the leading men of the party : and henee yon can rarely find one c ivith courage enough to expose such buses of power : and when hcre and thcre 1 paper attempts it, the party politicions , and paers curse them for it. "It injuhes thk rARTY,'v they say : aud an , editor who would say any tbing that ' v.ould injure his party tliey regard as a fooi ora traitor. For instance : should the Detroit Advertiscr blame Senator Woodbridge for taking Nine Hundred Dollars fromthe pockets of his constituent.s for a pretext so flimsy that it woüld.lisgracc a villogo pcttifogger, tlie Tree Press would trumpet it far and near as an acknowledgement of W hig corruption: and the fact thus acknowledged would be uscd ns-ahandle against the Whig party, and, as Whigs think, would injure it. - Henee the Whig paper;? generally are vcry still on cases of injusticc or wrong perpetraled by W higs. The same course is pui-óued by the Democratie papers in screcning tho rascalities of tbeir par'.y from public censuro, and for the snine rcason. The more we observe and rcfifct on tlicse matters, the more fully are wc convinced that no gre.it and permanent reform in the administraron of the govcrnmcntwill be made, Uil the great iii.iss of the pcople can so fur direst thernselves of party spirit as to approve and süstain all that is rghf, and condemn and oppose all that is wrong, without referénce to party distincüons. Tliat time has not yet come.