Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-02-05
Vice President COlfax and Senator
Patterson.

PatteFSOu.
Cakes Ames said, on leaving the committee
room of the Credit Mobilier investigating
committee, one day last week, that he sup
posed he could 60 home to Massachu-
sets for little business excursion, as the
important question then before the commit
tee was not enc of bribery, but of yeracity.
statement of the present phase Of thus inves-
tigati'n; not that the bribery is any less
ev dent than it has been heretofore, but be-
cause such men as Colfax, Patterson and
others. have, under oath. made statements
before the Committee that are now generally
believed To lie false The case against Sena
tor Patterson is. we are sorry t. say, beyond
all dispute or question, lie denied owner
ship Of the STOCK, and he denied receiving
dIvId, rGs: and receipts in bis own hand
writing show that he owned the stock and
receired large dividends upon it. lie Is
proved To have committed downright and
deliberate perjury; and the fact that he has
done this in order u escape the reputation OF
having protted by Credit MYbilier stock is
the highest evidence of his own judgment
of the immortality Of the stock Transaction.
Men do not make haste to swear falsely ln
order to deny conduct which Of itself brings
no reprOa'h.
The case of Vice President Colfax is only
less clearly proven than that of Senator Pat
terson MIR. Coliax during tie campaign,
last summer, denied in set terms any cor
necton with Credit Mobilier plumber. He
substantially and crcumstantitlly repeated
that denial under oath before the committee
some weeks ago only ad hitting that he had g,
at one time, sJme talk with Ames about pur-
chasing thirty shares, and afterwards paid
him $500 toward such urchase, but finally
told him be would have no hing more to do
with it, and was thus out Of pocket $500
1t is now proved, however, beyond question
that he bought the stock, dividend paying
for it except five hundred thirty-two dollars
and some cents, which Mr.. Collax paid to
Ames Ames says that be also paid Culfax
a dividend of $1,000, in a check payable to
IS. Z. or bearer y on { Sergeant -at-ArmS
Such a check was pad by the Ssrgeant-lt-
Arms on June q, 1868, but MIR. Cofix
swears he never received the check or the
money.
His bank account at that time, has, how
ever. been produced. and it shows ieposit,
IN currency, OF $1,000, June p, 1865 Mr..
Coliax hts not Yet explained where e got
that 1900, unless it WAS from Ames' check
but promises some sort of an explanation.
As he has already testified (belore the bank
account was produced,) that he could not
have received sc much money without re-
memberng it, it seems now impossible to
doubt the evId. nee of the check and tie
bank account; in other words, the evidence
lie almost Overw helming that the Wee Pres
idsnt of the United States has committed
perjury. As Mr.. C1liax proposes to at
tempt some explanation, he Can be assured
that he will be gwen the full benefit OF 1t
by the people, for No one, not even Polti-
cal oppuuuut, wants 20 believe what the
evidence now cOmpels every one to believe.
As the FIREMAN has frequently spoken III
praise of botn Mr.. C ,lf.x and Mr.. PAtter-
SOD, we are all the more particular now, t,
lie, our readers see the worst that can iairy
be SAID against them; and It is bad enough
For Mr.. P .Etersoa III zee Is a1j ought to be
no e. cape from the swlf.est public condem-
nation II the Senate choust to allJw him
to rems in longer a member of that DO y
that if, in purt, their affair; although tina
body may as well understand that the put
lie viii judge all of them somewhat by tht
company they cho ,ss 10 keep. Inc people,
however, cannot find any excuse or apology
for an fhc al who is corrupt and untruthI al
ami they ought to Fl ID nJne.
As TO Mr.. CUlfax the final judgment mus
be The same, unlt IS he is able now to prov
his innoc of the gravesG charge agIlns
him; and in any event., his unirdthlu Ines
as ~ some now admitted facts, is SO eviden
that he can not hope to be restored t. hi
old ace in the public cuff 1euce. If h
hos any explanation that IN the least ex
plains his position, he cannot offer it to
soon, both ON his own account, and out G
regard to the government, OF which he is, il
official position, the second offi Ter.