The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1873-02-22
gtsatua Sree GRADER,
Colfax Vindicate6.


clipped 10y the Credit Mobilier ordeal, comes
out unharmed and full fiedged. The Ottawa
Republican, has taken his case in hand and
proves that Mr.. Co,fax is all right. Those
abomlnabe 81 200 are fully accounted for,
and Cakes Ames is a miserable old liar. Mr..
Coltax did receive those $1,000 from his step
father and Mr.. Nesbit and two Of his sisters,
Mrs. Nollister mot, by the way, the wife of
Judge HOLSTER, formerly OF Ottawa, or any
relation of his, as the Republican, asserts, but
very different person. and Mrs. Somebody
else, know all about 1t. Therefore, the Repub.
licut concludes:
To any fair minded person We think the ex-
PLANTATION given is full and complete, especial
~ when we consider that Mr.. Coltax has been
before the people for twenty years, and all OF
that time his integrity has been unquestloned.
The whole weight of the "Independent press
of late has been concentrated on Mr.. Colhx-
not to prove him guilty of bribery, which was
the original charge--but to prove him guilty
of lying Yet there is not one iota of evidence
given by him before the committee that is IN
the least degree inconsistent with or contra
dictory of his speech at South Bend last fall,
which has been so much misquoted against
him.
These be parlous words, and we really wish
they were true. There is NO reason why we
should desire to pull down poo- Colfax. AZ
ter his shabby treatment at Philadelphia
year ago, and the GOODNESS and indifference he
showed all last summer in reference to the re-
election OF President Grant, going SO far even
as to express doubt whether the Republican
party had not accomplished its mission and
might not as well dissolve, the opposition has
felt rather kindly toward the South Bend saint.
At all events, when this Credit Mobilier mat
ter was first preached last summer, and the
name of Coltax was mixed up with it, the OPP
position accepted his ready and positive denial
of the charges it involved without apparent
hesitation or disposition to cavl.
But IN the light of subsequent revelations
to acquit Cciax OF not only accepting bride,
but also Of the most egregious and dlsgraceful
prevarcation to crawl out of it, lisa sheer I'M
possibility.
To begin with his South Bend speech last
summer (Which has not been mlsquoted, as
the Republican falsely asserts,) he there assert
cd IN the most positive terms that "no Credit
Mobilier stock had ever been offered to him
or accepted by him; that he had never had
business transaction with Cakes Ames in his
life, and that the whole story connecting him
with it was made out Of whole CLOTH" Yet
IN the light OF this positive denial, Mr.. Cotax
did admit, before the Poland committee, that
he had bargslned with Cakes Ames for 30
shares of Credit Mobilier stock to cost s., 900 !;
that subsequently Ames accounted to him for
the first dividend, deductlng which from the
$4,000 left Colfax in debt to Ames $53i.72,
which Cofax paid 1t is no defense that Col
fax afterwards threw up this stock, and never
called on Ames to pay back the s53l72. The
fact is as transparent as sunshine, on his own
admission, that the utterances at South Bend
and the utterances before the committee are
squarely opposed to each other, and that Col.
, fax has LIED. There is no possible escape
from tLis.
In court of law, when witness has once
been caught IN lie no further credeuce is
! gwen to bis testimony; and in case like
THIS, where the motive to prlvaricate must be
stronger than /. can be even in most criminal
cases, the subsequent statement Of Co.fay, to
explain away the $1,000 business, are entitled
70 no credit whatever unless accompanied by
/ such s:rong confrmstory evidence rs to be
|, conclusive. Bat in Colfax's case there IS no
\ tie Of such confirmation. His story is, that
one I4oEnlng in June 1865, at the b.eakias.
ta1.e, lie received $1,000 bill in q letter from
|. "a s.s-ages" IA New York. The stranger de-
sTrd Inn 10 keep this "a profound secret, as lie
lthe E:sngeD had h!ms.lf kept it from the
vile OF his bosom. Nr CoItaX obeys the in
Juction 6y immediately Rolding up the $1,000
bill to his family, and remarking that it ya1
trom stranger, and the circumstances wer.
freely commented or. The story looks baC
and suspicious already. But when furtle,
investigated, it is discovered that Mr.. Cola,
had, two months previously received anothe,
$1,000, IN draft, from this same stranger; apr
week or tU'o subsequently, another slOnC
draft from this same stranger; and tAre,
months later another $1,000 N a dr,r,- n,
gratWtcs, Was ever man blessed with .rcl
a S!ra"Ag friend. But this is not all. When W,
come to Apd out WHO thi, s'raugcris. lie turn
out to he we Geo. +. Nesbit, heavy con
J tractor TO apply the government with cnvrI