Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1860-03-21
GEO. M wEsroNs CLAIM.

The governor has communicated to the SEN
ate statement in regard to the claim of Geo.
NJ. Weston the Maine claim agent at Wash
ington. 1t would be more proper to say, late
claim agent, for he has been Cashiered on ac
count of his connection with the Peck defalca
ton. This Weston has made desperate at.
tempt to get money from our state treasury
and he laid his plans so skillfully as to delude
the majority of legislative committee. But
some of those who were at first deluded have
changed their views, and his effort has failed.
The failure is due in part to recent develop.
ments in Maine; but the fellows claim should
not have been encouraged for moment
The Governors statement shows that S. P
Hanscom was appointed agent for Massachu.
sets, in consequence of communications re-
ceved from Weston in regard to the NATTER
that no other person has been appointed, COM
missioned, or authorized to act,-that no other
authority was conferred upon Hanscom than
that contained in the fact of his appointment
that he 1.-THE governor had said he would re-
commend our legislature to assume a just
state Of Maine, in pursuing the joint claim
that Maine has made no request for such a
contribution from Massachusetts, that it
is for the legislature to judge whether Mr..
Weston has any just claim to compensation
for services rendered. Gov. Banks himself
does not recognize any such claim.
When the allowance was made to S. P.
Hanscom, as the Massachusetts agent, the mat
ter was good deal discussed, and the opinion
was very freely expressed that Mr., Hanscom'
pay was enormous. During that discussion,
letters from this same Weston were used to
show that the services of the Massachusetts
agent had been so 'immense" as to deserve
big pay. Every man will now judge fol-
himself how much Westons testimony was
worth. We understand that the two ex-caim
agents in question are not at present on very
cordial terms with each other, and that
Hanscom denounces the Weston claim in
the most unmeasured terms On the other
hand, as we hear, the immaculate Weston
is terribly severe against his former yoke-fe-
low in this claim business According to Wes-
toH stOIy, as repOIteu 10 us, MT. t1anSc0m
sole business was to get from Massachusetts,
liberal sum for services rendered by the
Maine agent, and then divide the same
with Weston; but our Massachusetts fellow
citizen omitted all that part of the business
which related to the said division. So the
story goes but there is no intimation that the
governor was aware of this little arrangement
between the parties. Of course, they would
not allow him to know their intentions
Nothing but long and peculiar acquaintance
with the lobby business could have prepared
and emboldened this Weston to come to Mas.
sachusetts with such a claim. He had never
been commissioned or employed in the service
of Massachusetts, nor had Gov. Banks ever
intimated that he would recommend the pay
ment of any claim that he or any other such
individual might make. He would favor moth
ing but claim justly and properly made by
the state Of Maine herself Moreover, the claim
was so full of the most atrocious practices of
the Washington lobby, that it could not be paid
without disgrace to all who should be concern
ed in allowing it. We repeat, that peculiar
training is necessary to qualify man to pre-.
sent such a claim