Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1876-03-24

The surmises and inuendoes. that have
been flying about of late, affecting the
standing Of hEr. Geo. q. Pendleton, have,
within few days, gathered such force as
to LEAD that gentlemsn to make state
ment, which certainly Involves his rsEInta-
ton, both politically and comnercially. He
iaEolves himself asa siaim-asent seainst
the Government, in way that makes post
traderships venial affairs n comparison.
A bogus claim Of s148, Ss5 was Peter Funk
ed out Of the Government on behalf Of the
Kentucky Central railroad, Of which ''gen-
tlemaa George was President and con-
trolled some three or fOur-ffths Of the
stock $4,000 or $4,000 Of which-he
does not exactly recollect which-he placed
n his owz pocket. The claim thus collect
ed. was allowed by the late Secretary Oh
War. and was for services rendered by the
railroad, and which had already been pad
IN faIl bF the Government at the rate paid
10 all other roads in the country for the
transportation Of troops and Supplies This
COMPANY refused an acquiescence in this
settlement, and demanded 90 per cent. of
regular rates-the difference being the
amount ofclaim collected, e148, ,3S5. Messrs.
Stanton, Schodeld. Rawlins and Meigs,
seyerally pronounced against the payment
Of this swindling claim. It was. however,
allowed by Belknap-Ehose wife was on
intimate social relations with Pendleton
and family. The charge was made, and
not without corroboratiEe evidence from
the books, that Pendleton had paid Mrs.
Belknap large sum of money. The con-
tract for pushing the claim was made by
Pendleton as President Of the Company,
with Mr.. Pendleton as administrator of the
Bowlor estate, which owned large part of
the stock, to pay himself so per cent. for
the collection. He has now admitted that
Of the $14s, 1856 fraudnlently collected from
the Government, THE Railroad Company
only received Se8, 600, while he received
$50, ,sS5. All Of this he says be retained
except small per eentage, which he paid
to clerk in the railroad Office who had
made up the accounts
Accepting Mr.. PeDdleton's statement Of
the case as correct, then we have confes-
sion that he first assisted in collecting an
exorbitant and unjust claim from the Gov
eminent, which had already paid the Com
pany for its services; and second, in goug-
ing the Company which he represented af-
ter making this collection. Mr.. Pendleton
stands confessed Of having, as matter Of
TACT, taken $50, SS5 OF Government money
without rendering any compensation there
for. There is probably no more glaring in
stance on record of the character Of the
professional lobbyist.
Such revelations as this and Bellmap's
twin affair, are sufficiently mortifying and
sickening to every honest man and patriot.
In them, however, our Democratic friends
viii have little ground for cOngratulation.
The desperate effort to turn the Belknap
swindle to political effect viii not, proba-
bly,, be pursued in the light Of this last rev
elation. So far, the country and the Re
publican party have been the gamers by
the Clymer investigation. We have lost a
of War, to be sure, which win
hardly equal the loss Of one of the most
members Of the Democratic
ex-candidate for vice-President,
an ex-Member Of Congress and prominent
aspirant for the Presidency.