New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-04-21


were pleasant; they certainly were not profit
able. At last Mr.. Boutwell, said Mr.. Pen
t" derry. this is an important matter; suppose
" YOU produce your client and papers" The
client came. The papers were brought out,
and the Secretary and the Solicitor went over
them together. Finally, Mr.. Boutwell, rose
81 from his seat and said: Mr.. Baniield,
this is a clear case. See what are the best
! "sterms that you can make with MIR. ZEN
{" dery.'n The terms offered and accepted
rere 80 per cent on the first 100000 collect
ed. and 25 per cent ON the balance AT Mr..
Ranfeld's suggestion Mr.. Pendery made the
draft of q contract and submitted it to tue
solicitor for examination, and we may natu-
,olIv suppose that he believed his troubles to
be over.
Rut Mr.. Penderys adventures had only just
begun. Somehow or other Mr.. Banfeld never
could find time to examine the contract
Morning after morning came Mr. Pendery,
hat in hand, but the Solicitor was al
WAYS so busy In February, 1878, the
discouraged attorney determining to appeal to
headquarters, wrote a letter to the Secretary,
inclosipg draft of the contract and asked to
have it executed. Just here comes into play
one of the most beautiful contriyances OF the
Government machine. The letter, dropped
into one of the openings of the Treasury De-
partment, is instantly conveyed to its appro-
pirate rut, and reappears toward evening,
nicely folded, initiated, ruled with red lines,
and indorsed on the back, John H. Pendery
submitting draft of contract, &c. Referred to
" the Solicitor of the Treasury. Geo. 5. Bout
"well, Secretary of the Treasury" Couid
| ANYTHING be more perfect! The letter
reaches the file cases in due course, with
out anybody being put to the trouble OIL
reading it, and Mr.. Pendery is promptly
brought back to the Bureau from which he Is
trying to appeal. In personal interview
with Mr.. Boutwell,, he learned, however, that
| Mr.. Banfield had raised some legal objections.
He went to Mr. Banfield and asked what they
were. Mr.. Ban6eld said it was a serious
matter, and sent for Mr.. Robinson. Mr. Rob-
inson said it was a serious matter too. Both
had doubts" Mr.. Pendery then gathered up
| his papers and returned to Mr.. Boutwell,. The
Secretary promised to refer the whole matter
to the Attorney cat twelve o'clock
d" tomorrow 1t is perhaps unnecessary to say
that the promise was not kept 1t is perhaps
equally superhuous to add that when Mr.. Pen
derry, after two days hanging around the De-
partment of Justice, began search for his
papers he found that they had been again
Referred to the Solicitor of the Treasury"
! When Mr. Banfeld was asked if he had sent
them to the Attorney General according to
instructions, he replied that he chad not
had time" When Mr.. Boutwell, was asked
why his orders had not been obeyed he said
" he presumed the Solicitor would do 1t as
" soon as he had time" The Solicitor never
did have time. Mr. Pendery kept on calling.
"From day to day" he says, 81 would
call in, not wishing to importune them
"too muchn 1t was in February that Mr..
Boutwell, instructed Mr.. Banfeld to refer the
case to the Attorney General On the nth of
April nothing had been DONE and the Solicitor
then made the following remarkable acknowl-
edgment: "Mr. Pendery, | will be frank with
"you; we cannot give you this contract. we
cannot give it to anybody. The moment we
" do that, the railroad influence of the coun-
" try is so great that we shall have members
" of Congress and Senators focking in upon
Gus and making it so hot for us that we shall
"have to get out of the way or you WILL"
| TO which Mr.. Pendery made the very natural
rejoinder: "Why didn't you tell me that be-
fore 7"
Failing with the Solicitor and the Secre-
| tary, he next tried the President. Gen. Grant
offered to meet him at the Treasury, where
Richardson by that time reigned in Bout
wells place. Mr.. Peudery consequently went
over the papers with Mr.. Richardson while
waiting for the Presidents arrival; but
when Gen. Grant came in Mr.. Pendery was
politely bowed out of the room as soon as he
began to talk business At the next
interview the Secretary informed Mr..
Pendery that "they had concluded not
"to give the contract" and this
unfortunate gentleman is persuaded that Mr..
Richardson never talked with the President
about it at all. The Secretary was afraid that
the enforcement Of the claim against the Kan
sas Pacific Road "might bankrupt the COM
"pany," but he finally agreed to CONSIDER"
the matter and decide it next year." But he
evidently believed, with Mr.. Banfield, that the
claim was too big thing to collect.
Mr. Pendery's motto seems to be Excelsior.
From the Solicitor he went to the Secretary (;
| from the Secretary to the President; from the
President to Gen. Butler. AS he puts it HIM
self, be sought the advice of eminent ability
"such as he supposed would have influence"
But Gen. Butler had as lively an appreciation
of the power of the railroads as the Solicitor
himself. "He said it was too big thing
entirely; if it was little matter Of
100000 he could get the contract so
"auick as to make my head swim; but
/" in thing like this he could not do me any
good" So Mr.. Pendery gave it up, and
went home to Kansas, after spending six or
eight thousand dollars and though he after
ward tried Mr.. Richardson again, and applied