Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1866-08-31


that, WI bout public denial Of this charge, it
should be taken as true. Now, be IT known TO
the Freemen Of this District, that, though it has
always seemed to me wise and proper not to
notice the excited charges aud accusations Of
the press. made during the heat and excitement
Of political canvass, yet for once depart from
my uniform custom and do hereby deny, in the
most public manner, the truth Of all such
charges, and proclaim that they are founded IN
fgiseh0od! And If any Of my sccusers shall
see 81 10 attemp; to sustain the truth Of any
such charges. by sDy such evidence as could IN
any way be regarded as legal evidence, hereby
sssure them that will be ready TO nee; them
on all occasions, upOa reasonable notice, and
efectualy dispose Of the truth Of all such
charges. P0RTUS BAXTER,
u. {. 81 Ccngressicnal District
The ItalIc IL ours.
Passing by the bad grammar OF this curious
pronunchmento, lie. Us notice few points
in regard to it. Aud fra the late dav at
which il aprears- 1t is now nearly sir
'eeeks since the charge to which this Iroics
se- to be q reply wac given t. the public. Il
wac then, We were told, too general to he
noticed. and something sepeiE- was called
for Last week Friday such a specification
W. given in the FEEE Pans VI. Baxter
Wa IN town when it aIpelre!, aud c7l,i a;
once have branded It az q islschoIl, " *
planned It away If that were possible. lie
did nothing VI the kind ba. now, within
a week OF the election, having taken himself
OFT 5. tie way meantime - taa- 30 such
meeting tor tie Ir'loct..u o. evidence a. lac
suggests, can possibly lie arranged in season
to affect lie result, he c.usrs tbs harjtill to
b. issued
Notice again tia ia 5h-s production Mr.
Baxter passes over entire,y :he specific state
ment in tie Gaze Of NJ. s;,rrs. ard goes
back 10 tie original charge, which his
fiicnl- have been all nj =. claiming was too
general TO require denial
With tins doubtless , lore him, and pro
Tossing to quote it. aasaasc, he mistates
the same. Tie Language o: that charge was
that contributions upct salaries Of subor-
dinate officials have been levied IN the name
Of Mr.. Baxter. and pad foT his use and
benefit" The difference nav be Of little
consequence, but we car conceive no reason
why Mr.. Baxter shOuld misquote, unless
that be finds 1t easier to deny that the con-
t,i5utions was collected md paid 10 hHn
directly. than that they were levied in his
name and paid for his benefit. We think
tie evidence is iolerably distinct, that Mr..
Baxter 5GrgaiRed for the $50 a year from
Mr.. Storrs that he dunned for it if lie did
not collect it; and that the circumtance
that the 800 was paid to VI. Clapp, Mr..
Baxter not being at hand to receive It, does
not relieve Mr.. Baxter, as long as it was
paid expressly upon thar agreement.
Again Mr.. Baxter was asked no; only to
challenge the prosf OF the charges; but to
release his former friends from certain obi
cations Of confidence which interfered
with the production Of some Of the evidence.
This was Just demand. Ii is not, be it
noted, the ease Of a man on trial before a
our, Of Justice. In that case one Is not
bound 20 consent 70 the production Of evil
dence against himself But this is the case
of a candidate for the votes Of the freemen,
against whom grave charges have been made,
on whom grave suspicious rest, and who is
bound to refute the charges If they can be
refuted, and to explain and clear his record,
if it can be cleared. Does Mr.. Baxter con-
sent to the production Ct his letters.
which viii settle the question Of veracity
between him and his accuseTs? He is care
full to DO nothing Of the kind.
But he announces that "up4n reasonable
notice" (iaying meantime taken himself Of
to parts unknown, SO that no notice can be
sure to reach HIM he will meet those who
have evidence which can be regarded as
legal evidence" OF course he knows that
strictly legal evidence is not to be secured
without a suit at law, and nc such suit is
lending. But for the purposes Of the present
Issue, in which the people Of tie Tniri Dis
trict are the jury, and in which tie question
Is whether Mr. Baxter is a ct candidate for
THEN votes, whatever viii produce moral
conviction of Mr.. Baxter's guilt OF innocencs,
Is legal enough evidence for all sensible and
candid men. And such evidence re have in
the letters which we reproduce in another
column.
What DO those letters .-.T5?
!. The letter Of Mr.. S,.srs, the principal
on one side in the Transaction, proves that
an agreement was made W which he was to
pay q. portion oihis salary for an Office that
he look the Office under .ne agreement, and
subsequently, paid 500 expressly upon that
agreement, which he handed to Mr.. Clapp
for Air. Baxter. lie was removed, as be be
leyes. because re did ~, -oon.r pay for his
Office
.. Tie agreement Wa IL de by Messrs.
Benton, Child and Sawyer. acting tor Storrs,
Mr.. Child Is dead but Col Benton is living
and confirms, over his own signature, the
statement Of Storrs. Col Benton adds that
Col. Sawyer informed nam hat Baxter was
calling On him Sawyer ITO make up what
StOrrs had failed to pay or the $50 per
year
3. Col SawYer's Letter co-roborates the
other two. 1t does 80, fr,,, by not denying
the statements as to tie agreement, and as
to Baxter's call on him Sawyer to make
good the same, which, as they lay before
him, Col ) would OF course have denied
had they not been true; and second by offer
ing to produce certain letters written by Mr..
Baxter, which would proye the truth or
iaisity OF the statements or course no
eight letters Of Mr.. B-x.er's could prove
the talsity OF the statements, Tor other let
tiers might contain illusions to the agreement
and demands for its iulhllment, If these did