Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1876-03-22

Mr.. George I'll. Pendleton, who has
been for many years a conspicuous
Democratic aspirant for the Presiden-
cy has probably resigned all hope
now of ever attaining nomination
for that Office or any other national
distinction. He has been hedgcd in
by labyrinth of suspicious circum-
stances until forced to make q state
ment and confession on his own be-
half relative to the collection of the
claim Of $l48,3S5 from the United
States Government for the Kentucky
Central Railroad. That statement
had better not have been made, so
far as Mr.. Pendleton's personal repu-
tation is concerned. Its effect may be
to relieve Mrs. Belknap Of the charge
of having received a large sum of
money from Mr.. Pendleton for secur-
ing the allowance of this claim; but
to do this he has confessed action on
his own part which he cannot sue
cessfully defend, either politically or
commercially.
The claim which he collected from
the Government by the allowance of
Belknap while Secretary of War was
extra compensation for services rem
dered by the Kentucky Central Rail-
road. This road had already been
paid i'm full by the Government at the
same rate which the Government paid
all the other railroads in the country
for the transportation of troops and
supplies. The management of the
Kentucky Central, however, never
acquiesced in the justice of the set
tlement, and demanded pay at the
rate of 80 per cent of its regular rate.
The difference between the amount
paid and the amount claimed was
$l4S,3S5. This swindling claim was
successfully rejected by Secretaries
of War Stanton, Scho field, and Raw
lins. Gen. Meigs pronounced twice
strongly against it. But it was al
lowed by Secretary Belknap, whose
present wife had been on intimate
social relations with the Pendietons.
The charge was made that Pendleton
had paid Mrs. Belknap q large sum,
and the books of the railroad compa-
ny showed that it had received sum
greatly less than the Government had
paid. At that time Mr.. Pendleton
was President of the Kentucky Gen.
trail Railroad and likewise admins
! traitor of the Bowler estate, which
owned large part of the railroad
stock. In the former capacity he
made contract with himself in the
latter capacity-a sort Of Oakes Ames
"Credit Mobilier' arran gement--to
pay himself 80 per cent for collecting
the claim. He has now admitted that
of the $l4S.3S5 fraudulently collected
from the Government, the Railroad
Company only received $68,OOO
while he received SSO,3S5. All of
this he says he retained except a
small percentage, which he paid to a
clerk in the railroad Office who had
made up the rascally accounts against
the Government.
Accepting Mr.. Pendleton's state.
ment of the case as correct, then we
have confession that he first assist
ed in collie citing an exorbitant and
unjust claim from the Government
which had already paid the Compa.
NY for its services; and second in
gouging the company which he rep.
resented after making this collection
Mr.. Pendleton stands confessed OF
having, as matter of fact, takeI
$50, 1856 of Government money with
out rendering any compensation
therefor. There is probably no more
glazing instance on record of th'
character Of the professional lobbyist
, and Mr.. Pendleton is entitled to tn,
crown of the King of the Lobb!
heretofore worn by Sam Ward; OF
J if Ward contests it, then at least Ware
must yield the palm of departments
lobbying to Pendleton. The latter
by his confession, may have save'
Mrs. Belknap in this particular case
though further testimony will prol
ably be taken before the case j
J closed; but he has doomed himsel
politically to do it. Meanwhile it j
evident that the Democratic Congress
have caught bigger fish than the.
, were angling for, and in water
: which they did not care to reach.