New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-04-04
CLEAR CASE OF TROUSERS. LEG.

A CHAR CASE OF TROUSERS-LEG.
The character of the poor but honest gen.
teman who was discovered retiring in an
absent-minded way from a neighbours hem
COOP with the tail of male fowl floating in
a feathery, unconscious way through an imper-
lection in his hat-crown, and who, upon having
his attention directed to the circumstance, wGs
unable to account for the phenomenon except
upon the theory that the rooster must have
"crawled up his trousers-leg,np has always
attracted the admiration of che good and
awakened the sympathies of the benevolent.
1t is not to be denied that the historic
accuracy of the narrative has been sometimes
doubted by the skeptical, and that the narrow
minded and uncharitabe have scOffed at the sim
plcity of the poor but honest gentleman, and
openly derided his theory of the trousers-leg.
but this was before the Credit Mobilier In
vestigatioD had demonstrated the perfect prac-
tlcability of the performance upon the trous-
ers legs of some of our purest and best
Christian statesmen. When those gentlemen
stood up before Committee Of Congress,
white innocent. and beautiful, with their
hands in their pockets and their eyes rolled
up and the plumage Of surreptitious ROSTERS
waving in the breeze through their devastated
hat crowns, an admiring Congress and aston
ished people comprehended possibilities in
the poultry line that before had not been
dreamed Of
The Sanb0rn contracts are another as plain
a case of trousers-legs as ever furnished forth
the breakfast-table of honest poverty with
the tender and succulent breast Of the beauti
full bird of the barn-yard. Like the white
plume of Navarro, before which men had to
"come down" and to bleed" and other such
things in the way Of poetry-or, like the toss
ing feathers of the lost rooster from the arms
of the wayfarer, the SanbOrn contracts wave
and dip and flutter from the helms Of that
fine platoon of statesmen whose fiery charges
upon horse railroads, grave yards, and probate
courts have come to be the wonder of the age.
There are the contracts but nobody knows how
they came there, or who signed them. Mr..
Richardson, the Great Minister of Finance,
called off for a moment from his Great Under
taking, the resumption Of specie payment in
silver in sums of five dollars or less, is as in
nocent as babe of the whole business. Pos
siby he signed them in the ordinary course
of business" If he did, he did not know what
they were, and certainly did not know San
born. To his mind the whole thing is quite phe-
nomenal In character. He does not understand
it at all, but is inclined to think Congress
ought to repeal a statute or pass a resolution,
or something-he is not certain what. AS tho
Great Minister of Finance retires hastily from
the Committee room, the tip, just the bare tip
of tail feather seems to the Committee to be
lying over the Great Minister'S ear. 1t may
be quill.
The misunderstanding Of the Treasury, Mr..
Sawyer folds his hands in front of the Com
mittee and imparts an amount of information
as to the extent of his ignorance of the de-
partment of which he is second in command
which is fairly startling. 1t Is distinct posi-
tive, and well defined tail feather which flutters
through crevice in Mr.. Sawyer's hat, but the
artless manner in which he discovers tho fowl
and suggests the trousers-leg disarms criticism
and carries conviction. That is an unmis-
taxable case of trOusers-leg. The man who
doubts it must have bad heart. Mr.. Ban
field the Solicitor of the Treasury, who is one of
the finest illustrations of the practical working
of free institutions, developed degree of I'M
familiarity with the business of the depart
ment which was truly delightful. If we may
pursue the figure to that extent, during his
examination the able-bodied fowl which had
crawled up his trOusers-leg forced his way
through the top Of his hat, stood on the crown,
tapped his wings and crowed. Mr.. Banfeld
obviously has large trousers-legs.
And now the Committee and Congress and
the people wait for Sanborn. A few days ago he
was in New-York. Being anxious to make an
explanation of the whole matter to the Com
mittee, he started for Washngton-by way of
Boston. He is in a great hurry TO see the
Committee, but is absent minded. People who
90 around poultry yards with large trousers
legs are apt to be. Wherever he goes the
cackle Of lost poultry follows him. 1t drizzles
along after him like music from al abandoned
fife with the cork out. The Committee has
sent for him. The Committee is confident that
his also is case of trousers-egs, but there il a
good deal of curiosity to know the size Of his