The American. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1857, 1857-09-23

@. w. FEsroN, ESQ.,: ~,
SIR-The following card to the public appeared
in the Evening Star of Monday, and il seems 70
call upon me for statement of what know IN
relation to the matters alluded to. FAs s'st9gi
"To THE FVsifc. There is published in this
city, by Mr.. @. w. Fenton, a paper styled The
American" In the number issued last Saturday,
there was an editorial conveying ifnputations
against my integrity, and refsrringto transac.
ton Of which Vespasian EBiA ESQ., might have
given Mr. Fenton satisfactory explanation, and
In regard to which have neither affected con
cealment nor fear a exposure - st1a'S -
am sorry Mr.. Fenton has lent himself to the
base uses Of the surviving quorum pf the Monu-
ment Board. have heretofore valued Mr.. Fem
toms friendship. and he was one Of those from
whom ] should least have Appreciated a covert
attack upon my reputation. % INK Asls7
'ilIs..,,1tilH 5..." SAMUEL YoRkE ArLEE."
The following facts / suppose are mot disputed,
to witr that Mr.. AtLee severed bis tconnexion
with the Board Of Managers OF the Washington
National Monument Society on or about. the lst
day Of June; that on or about the 10th Of August
Mr.. Alice received a remittance Of 40 from Ala
bama, by draft payable to himself as ''agent" Of
the Board, and that he negotiated it by endorsing
it as such "ageat.n x g4lt lhsa '9s@ pttst'
Mr.. AtLee sent me the letter in which the draft
had been forwarded to him, and which letter con-
tanned the names Of the contrbutofsoof the sew
eral sums Of money, amounting TO 80, and he
wrote in substance, on the letter, t Is now in pos
session Of the treasures, and can onlyspeak from
memory, That 10 had applied the aaaos'ss of tho
draft as credit to the Board an account of sohat
spas due him TOR his SALARY ..,3,,.
Immediately haaded the letter to General Nc
Calla-who alone is authorized to receive funds
for the Board and he telegraphed to- New York,
where the draft was payable, to stop payment, on
the ground that Mr.. Alice, not being the agent"
Of the Board, had no right to endorse the draft az
such, and the payment was stopped.
Il can say nothing of the state Of the accounts
between Mr., Alice and the Board only that he
claims balance due him, which the Board does
not admit. Nor shall pass any opinion here on
the question Of the right of Mr.. Alice TO nego-
tate draft as " agent" Of the Board, two months
after he had ceased to be the 8 agent" my pre-
sent purpose being to- do what Mr.. Alice has
deyoved upon me, to soits to give the g explains
ton" which he says '"naiglt haze giyen, Mr.
Fenton,n and which the former thinks would have
been satisfactorily Whenever the subject has
been mentioned, / have stated, as now do, the
substance of Mr.. AtLee's endorsement on the
letter. a, r.'y5'.t "a 49, 1T ~ NJ .so sacs t.a \.
Having thus done Mr.. Alice the justice of Civ
ing his explanation of the matter referred =
as contained in his Endorsement on the ~ q
which the draft was transmitted, feel ,s s.
to notice the first sentence Of u, oons'ralne'
graph of his card, in which he : y cioslng para
that "Mr. Fenton has ler aApresSes his so1Tos
uses of the snrviv;n, 1t himself to the bas
BOARD 60 far q. qoorum Of the Monumen
volvad in this -, you (Mr. Fenton) are in
Cor von,saIr baseness, you can respont
bavs Az one of that surviving quorum,
~ 90 say Cor myself and my associates, tina
remark of Mr. Alice contains an atroeiou
ana an s''.nitigated calanmy.
~, a. -@f Your obedient servant,
v. ELLIS.
CoAMEsr--We can see nothing in the "expla
nations" called forth in behalf Of Mr. Alice
which changes the view we presented on Saturday
last When man ceases to be agent" cashier
president, collector, other official representative
of an institution, of a corporate body, or of pri
vatc association, his power to use the official char
acter which he heretofore held, csases,-and the
fact that he assumes to be the creditor Of such
association does not revive his power to negotats
paper due to said association
1t is a most preposterous and absurd claim or
his part to say that If a draft comes into hi
hands, being forwarded by a party ignorant Of biz
having ceased to be "agent" Of the board, he has
a right to endorse it as agent" when he was no,
"agent," and had not been "agent" for several
weeksl If a man who is not "agent, or cashier,
or other Judiciary character negotiates paper as
"agent," cashier, or in any Judiciary character
which he does not occupy,is it no crimeS Is II
no ofenceS Is It no wrong2
We gave the facts Of the case last Saturday
without comment, and we make no further com.
ment now. ~