New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-04-02
WASHINGTON,
THE SANBORN SCANDAL.

REGARD 10 1Hh mANhVh'-NN
TREASURY DEPARTMENT-THE BLAME OF TIE
sASBoRN CONTRACTS THROWN ON SOLICITOR
BANFIEI.D.
IBY TRIRGRAPH 10 THE TRlBuNEl
WARRINGTON. pril1.-Assistant Secretary Sawyer
had more assurance during his examination To-Day
by the WAYS and Means Committee, on the SUBJECT
of the Sanbom contracts ,than secretary hich'uu-
son had Yesterday, but he was as dehGlent III inio
nation. This was the only point of difference MI
Richardson did not know anything about Iio Du''
ness of the Treasury Department, but ne was Sou-
tlemanly and modest in his treatment OF the Ooin-
,rittee Assistant Secretary Sawyer had quite as
1,ttlo information as Mr. Richardson, but he had
more assurance and buster and was quite ready 10
nlaoe his word against that of two members OF the
Comrnittee who concurred in their remembrance Oh
certain facts which Mr. Sawyer disputed But SO lar aS
practical results are concerned the committee are
no better informed than they were yesterday except
asto the Assistant Secretary of the Treasury. Inc
two days' examination of the two principal officers
Of that Department has given the COMMITTEE A'tie
insight into the nsimfcane of the duties they per
form and with what small attention the greatest
DEPARTMENT Of the Government may be conducted.
From what has been developed through these TWO
gentlemen it cannot be denied by anybody that
their places so far ms practical work is concerned
NAV be lust as well supplied by two stamplng-ma-
chimes with solicitor TO them and indicate
the places for stamping their names. lhere
NAV be other matters OF puphc NATURE
such as the refund of duties On frult' HDoohs'
otc in which the two Secretaries are Det'er
informed but if they know as little about important
public matters in their department as they 90 aoo'
the SanbOrn contracts, il would be saving 10 ,no
Government to abolish the oflices and make so
licitor Banfeld responsible for his own acts AS II
,s now the Solicitor does what he pleases without
farigG
prove his acts without even stopping to inquire
what they are. In other words the whole teSH-
mony of Messrs Richardson and SAWYER goes 10
show that Mr. Banfed is the one who has done, or
caused 10 be done everything In connection WIFE
the Sanborn contracts in the Treasury Department
and that the two Secretaries have signed Whatever
was placed before them without either reading or
iuquiry Their approval of Mr.. Banfelds acts re-
heyes him. and they assume to escape criticism Oh
the ground Of ignorance of what was being DONE
1HR MANNER OF CONDUCTING BUSINESS IN HE
DEPARTMENT.
Mr. SAWYER in his examination, did not seem TO
feel very friendly to the newspapers and referred to
their alleged misstatements several tunes during
the day. 1t was evident that he was very well IN
formed ON matters outside of his department. III ne
wonld devote portion Of the time he spends IN
reading criticisms Of himself in the newspapers to
reading the documents which he signs, there might
not be so much to complain Of in connection with
The Sanborn scandal He said he never read one OF
the contracts in question, and that hls attention
was never drawn to the working OF the law, ana ne
knew little about It, Mr.. KassOn made a good point
by questioning Mr. Sawyer very closely on the Gus
tom of the officers of the department IN signing
papers He said if the Secretaries were in the habit
tf signing papers recklessy, as they were handed
10 them even though they had marks on them TO
tell from whom they came, then 1t was more lIn-
portant ttan the SanbOrn contracts dc SAID II
inch was the fact there no need for the omcers;
that the clerks who prepare the papers might as well
have stamp and thus at1ix the Secretary's
name He also thought it was strange
that an officer called to administer law,
Mould also cOnstrue IL; but Mr.. Sawyer made
no answer To Mr.. Roberts, who shows fine ap-
precation Of the conduct of the Departments and
uuickpess to see the strong and weak points MI
Sawyer admitted that the signing of papers was
snere matter of routine 1t was in answer to Mr.
Robertss questions that the witness admitted that
e. MI Banfeld construed the law; that Mr.. Banfeld
drew the contracts; that Mr.. Banfield made decl-
oisioDs relating to the matter; that Mr. BaDheId
prepared the papers; and that the whole admins
tration Of the law was in his hands-s power in
itself at once extraordinary and unprecedented.
Mr. Roberts asked: If this has been an exercise
Of power beyond the law who Is responsible1" NO
answer was made to this question. 1t very fre-
ouently happened during the examination that when
apretty difficult question was asked Mr. Sawyer IN
trenched himself behind the fact that he was not
LAWYER and that it was question Of law" or "a
technical question" and he would thus decline to
answer it. He made much of the point OF the busl-
ness of necessity going to the proper bureau. and he
said il was impossible to match 1T all. MI kasson
then called his attention to the fact that in this
be had ignored the Internal Revenue Bureau,
whose special duty it is to look after that
class of revenue cases One Of the most disgraceful
facts developed to-day was IN relation to letter
which MI Sawyer had signed for Detective Pres
trey This letter in reality made the Supervisors
and Collectors of Internal Revenue subordinate to
Presbrey who had no position under the Govern
ment and who was merely an employs of Sanborn.
II was directed TO the Supervisors and Collectors.
and was signed by Sawyer. 1t was prepared by Mr.
Banfeld, and has frequently been referred to- IL
was one of those papers that Mr.. Sawyer says he
signed without reading. lie not only did this, but
he wholly forgot thai he had signed any paperwhat-
ever Of that nature.
Mr.. sAwYKR's LETTERS or INSTRUCTION.
So reckless has this practice been that during the
examination, when this letter was shown to him, he
said Are there any letters here that have signed
other than the one referred to 7" The answer
Eyes; there are Others" and yet the Treasury
Department undertook on five different occasions
10 send in all the papers relating to the Sanborn
contracts and Mr. Foster said to-day that they were
not all in yet 1t seems that some time after signing
the letter for Presbrey, Mr.. Sawyer spoken to
by Mr. Banfield Mr.. Banfed always turns up when
ANYTHING is wanted in the Sanborn matter. When
asked for a letter for Presbrey for operation
in another field. he explained the nature