Washington sentinel. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1856, 1856-01-03
The Case of Mr.. Bates-His Petition to the
Queen.

Mr.. Bates, late of the firm of Strahan, Paul
i Co., has at length separated his interests
from that Of his former partners, and from his
cell has addressed petition to her Majesty the
Queen. The memorialst places his case in a
new light, and discoses facts which, we fear,
have their like in too many OF our commercial
firms. To alternate his guilt in connection
with the frauds of Strahan and Paul, Mr.. Bates
alleges that he was not initiated into its Sc
creis, and had no authoritative voice in the
conduct of is affairs, but from the nature Of
his relation TO Strahan and Paul had simply
to do as he wasbid.
When to these facts he has added that he
was absent from the bank before, at the time,
and for some while after the conversion Of DIR.
Grifhth's securities, he conceives that he has
diseHgaged himself from the responsibility, or
at least from the criminalty, of that act. He
tells us that he entered the clearinghouse in
1920 as junior clerk, and obtained gradual
promotion. At the close of l84l, Mr.. Robert
Snow, the representative of the original foun-
der of the bank, retired, and Mr.. Bates was
offered further promotion, which he thus de-
scribes:
Your petitioner was invited to become q
partner in Mr.. SHOWS stead, but upon the dis
tnct understanding that his promotion was not
\ " WIZ" 'Io's fs'"s tfJ Pftetcyc bS1ohu al
crease of his salary to $500 per annum, and
being announced to the world as partner"
| Such was the bargain made between the
several parties. The firm had just lost in Mr..
Snow the prestige and confidence of time
| honored name; by the invitation offered to
MIR. Bates 1t sought to reinforce itself with a
| reputation made by industry, punctuality,
ability, and every other business merit. On
| the other hand, Mr.. Bates in accepting the
title of partner, probably realized the dream
of life. He appears to have been man oil
| frugal habits and modest social expenditure,
and with his f800 year, afterwards raised to
| Ell 900, and his apartments gratis in Norfolk
| street, appears to have considered himself =
made man for life.
| The compact satisfied the parties to it, and
who else was there to think off Only the pub
| lie, to whom the association Of Mr.. Bates 8
skill, care, and rectitude, with Mr.. Strahans
wealth and Sir John Dean Paul's piety, seemed
pledge Of the security Of their deposits. We
say that Mr.. Bates, in permitting himself to be
held out TO the world as partner upon the
distinct understanding that his knowledge and
experience were not to be permitted their share
in the affairs of the bank, gave a pledge which
he knew he had no right to give, since he knew
it was one he could not redeem.
In his petition he relates to her Mriesty the
process by which the bank was ruined, describes
the repeated applications Of the Gandells for
accommodation, and how it was given against
his earnest remonstrances, how he advised the
closing of the bank in December, 1853, ere its
misfortunes we're complicated with guilt-ad-
vice which, as usual, was disregarded; how,
for eight months in 1854, and five months in
1855, he was removed almost entirely from the
bank, where his presence was more than ever
necessary, and sent hither and thither like q
submissive servant of Strahan and Paul, as he
was.