Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1873-03-21
pefrees to A. R. Sample, Esq, of this city.

He says;
"You know that four years ago tSa long and in.
innate relations which had existed between Mr..
oolfax and myself were broken on, but my sense
the bitter and cruel denunciation OF q portion Of
the public press against that gentleman. have
known Mr. Colfax from boyhood. and I do not be-
iieve him to be corrupt, norwould he make state
ment under oath he did not believe TO be true. l
know how easy II IL to inAame the public mind on
any subject and how unreasonable Il becomes
when inhamed. A reaction, however, always
takes place, and In that reaction. which is bound
to come IN this instance an more Q. reasonable
Will exist toward all these gentlemen"
Need l add to this generous and voluntary
letter that, having heard how vigorously he
had defended me against all reflections on
my integrity and truthfulness, was
glad the first time I met him to
and shaking hands together the
unpleasant alienation Of the past four years
ended, and l trust forever. Many minor
points In this matter / would like to analyze
at length, but have referred to those which
have excited the most discussion, and do not
wish to unnecessarily prolong this state
ment. The falsehoods that have been tele-
graphed over the country during the In.
vestigation have been persistent and malic-
lous. was astounded when, for the first
time in my life, saw the "s. o." check in
the committee room and found II was to be
charged to me, and the astonishment was
telegraphed as the evidence of my guilt.
Next 1t was telegraphed that was going to
try and prove that received the 81, 200 from
Jasper Shoemaker, Stuart and Bowen, and
when 1t was found that this was false 1t was
| tolegraphed that had to change tactics and
charge 1t to deceased man. When wrote
to the committee In regard to the other Nes-
bitt remittances, and the desire OF his family,
and the decision of my counsel that they
should not be presented to account for q
deposit on certain day in June, 1t was that
had forgotten them; and when another
falsehood was telegraphed that had, after
Nesbitt's death, acted as his attoney, or
| lobbyist, the Postmaster General officially
refuted it, and showed that / had
done no more than any Congress-
man could have done without criti-
clsm, and no more than l have done as
to any department business which any con-
stituent of mine, friend or foe, asked me to
have decided Justly during the year l repre-
sented this district in congress. could
read you more letters have received on
this subject from confidential friends with
| whom conversed more or less about this
| generous man. Here l must close. From
| first to last l have stated all the leading
| practical points In this transaction, In identi-
cal and unchanged language, and l am not
| responsible for the malicious perversions
and twistings of these statements with
which the newspapers have been filled. In
the confidence of the family circle, before
| you here In public speech, and In the Com
| mittee room at Washington, | have stated
| what is the fact-that l never received q
dollar of dividends on the Credit Mobilier or
Union Pacific Railway from Mr.. Ames or
any one else-on all occasions have stated
that while / would be willing to buy it at
par and to hold it as l understood it in 1868,
| no prospect OF liberal dividends could in
duce me to buy into lawsuit. For over
| four years, by Mr.. Ames' own testimony,
although we have both been at the capital,
| there has not been word exchanged be-
tween us as to dividends on this stock.
Could there be stronger confirmation of its
abandonment?
| stand before you conscious OF no wrong
doing in this matter, in thought, word or
| deed. As was represented to me by Mr..
Ames, agreed to buy twenty shares; after
ward, and within few months, on my own
convictions, / abandoned it, preferring to
lose what had paid than to hold it. 1t
never influenced a vote or a ruling of mine
in the slightest degree. Mind, and heart,
| and conscience, all acquit me of the unjust
| imputations to which have been subjected.
My record has never been stained with dis
| honor or Justification, and this extraordinary
| manifestation of unshaken confidence and
Interchangeable regard by old friends who
have known me from boyhood, answers q
| thousand malicious attacks, and thrills my
heart with gratitude ] cannot express In
words.
After the conclusion of Mr.. Celfax's
address, the following resolution was
unanimously adopted:
ResolUed, That in welcoming Schuyler Colfax
| home to-day, after his twenty years Of arduous
| public service, in which he has been excelled by
none as model stateeman-temperate, judicious
| and faithful to prlnciples-we do so with undmn
ished confidence in his honor and integrity, both
| as public man and private citizen.