, 1881-11-20
4 FORTY YEARS WAR,


will in the end be reformed.
-
FORTY YEARS WAR.
The war between Mr.. Conkiing and Mr..
Blaine has ragged scarcely twenty years. 1t
is mere skir,nish as compared with tile war
between the Chicago veterans, John Went
worth and jonathan Young Scammon, which
has lasted forty years, and now gives PROM
ise of Il fresh and vigorous campaign, Both
parties to the contest belong to the church
militant Mr.. Wentworth always knows lie
is right, and Mr.. Scammon always knows he
is right. The presumption is that in the pres
cnt controversy both the,distinguished gen.
tlemen are right.
Alr. Wentworth has 4 suspicion that his
membership fee went into the Marine Bank,
and that the Historical Society never rccoy-
cred the same from that defunct institution.
This is mere suspicion Of Mr. Wentworth,
it should be noted. Mr.. Wentworth does
not pretend to kno,u he is right in
this particular Instance. On the other
hand, Alr. Scanltnon has an impression
that Mr.. Wentworth never paid $500
or any other sum OF money into the treasury
Of the society as a membership fee. Mr..
Scammon is not absolutely certain, but lie
has very strong impression that Mr. Went
worth was made a life member of the society
in return for "a quantity Of Congressional
documents which he had received rs 4 meln-
Der Of Congress-" 1t follows that Mr.. Seam
mon is confident that the Marine Bank could
not have "stoen " any OF A[r. Wentworth's
money through the Historical Society, be-
cause he eltertalns such q strong opinion
that the society never had any of A[r. Went
worth's money to deposit in the Marine
Bank. AS he managed the bank, he must
have been familiar with its usages. He
knows probably that the bank was not
in the habit Of receiving Congressional
documents" on deposit, and hence is
quite sure that the bank not only
did not steal Mr.. Wentworllss money,
but did not steal his Congressional
documents. Indeed, the probability is very
strong that if the Historical Society had in
fact deposited Mr. Wentworth's Congress-
ional documents in the Marine Bank the i'll
stitution might have drawn them out in kind.
The statement of Mr.. Scamlnou does not,
however, wholly settle tie question. Mr..
Wentworth is man OF strict business hab-
its. he deposited with the society. GER
tain Congressional documents in lieu of the
money price Of membership lie has right
to inquire what became of the documents.
The society has no right to sQuallder its
property, whether in money or books and
papers. Assuming that Mr.. Scannon
is right in declaring that Mr.. Went
worth did donate 4 quantity Of Con-.
s+n
as the equivalent of S;300-the price of 1leil,-
bership fee-the presumption is that Mr..
Wentworth regards said documents and the
sum Of $500 as convertible terms; that in al
ludlng to the alleged fact that his $500 has
been stolen he means that lis Congressional
documents have been stolen.
This theory relieves the controversy of
much embarrassment. 1t becomes, perhaps,
i mere misunderstanding. Mr.. Wentworth
thinks his Congressional documents were
deposited in the Marine Bank, that they werc
never drawn out of the bank, and that they
constitute part of the claim Of the Historical
Society on which that venerable Institution
recovered Judgment against the Marine Bank.
Now, ii they were not deposited in the
bank, but remained in the archives
Of the society, A1r. Wentworth has
no quarrel with Mr.. Scammon. II they were
deposited there, but drawn out in the rcgu-
lar course Of business, still Mr.. Wentworth
has no cause Of quarrel with Dir. Scanmon.
Suppose tile Congressional documents were
deposited in the Marine Bank rs collateral
security for loan of $50, and suppose the
loan was subsequently, paid at maturity, as
it must be presumed such loan would be
paid, the documents would naturally be re-.
turned to the shelves of the society. Mr..
Wentworth might, perhaps, justly complain
that this was putting the precious documents
in jeopardy, but it would hardly justify
the charge that they were stolen. But
whether Mr.. Wentworth's documents were
deposited in the Marine Bank as SO
much actual money-S300- as collateral
for loan does not matter materially. If
they were returned to the shelves OF the His-
torical Society Mr: Wentworth has no cause
Of quarrel with Mr.. Scammon. We're they
so returned2
1t is probable that Mr.. Scammon can an
swer this question and adduce proof on the
subject. He says: '.After the burning OF the
building in the great fire OF 1871 gathered
together whatever was left Of the society's
library, and as soon as l had roof to cover
my own head put it and the contributions
that were made to it into room in my own
building, No. 16 Congress street. and added