, 1873-02-13
h1R. CoLFAx,s CASE AS IT STANDS,


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K1R. CoLFAX's CASE AS IT STANDS.
Mr. Colfa1's explanation Of his deposit Of
s1,200 in Washington bank about tho timo TINT
Oakcs Anss says he paid him 81 200 as Credit
Mobilior dividonds would have creator mir Of
probability If Mr. Colfax Ind been truthful from
tho beginning. Ho commences Ills last speech
to tho Poland Committee by citing hiB South
Bond apooch, md attempting to make that ut
terance tally with his subsequent Bworn tosti-
mony. THIS being his really weak point. It was
boBt he should begin BY clearing up the discrop-
ancios which havo cropped out in his own deliv-
ORANGES before aaaniling those Which stand be-
tween himself and Aules, aud which amount to
simple perjury on tho part OF ono or tho othor Of
them. Ono lie makes many mora necessary,
and in tho end they trip zach other up and send
tho maker Of them sprawlng. Let us soo
principle Of moral science LAS any application to
Mr. Colfax.
The realora OF h1r. Colfa1's South Bend
speech Tor at least nino In ton Of thonD UNDER
stood from 1t that tho Credit Mobilior Charge as
regarded himrelf, was false from beginning to
ond-that it had no truth or foundation what
ovor. We 80 understood It, notwltll-
standing 1t was u suspicious circum~
stnnce that he had no word of fault
to find with A1noB for giving tho list OF names
toh1Comb-on the contrary, praised him unduly
na great public benofaetor, while ho vented
much heat and indignation on tho nowspapora
that published the list, aud commented very
mildly upon 1t, as tie facts now show. It is
plain that Mr.. Cofax intended his donial to DO
taken in tho broadcast Heuso mud It WAS 30 taken.
In order to mako this speech dove-tail with his
subsequent Testimony, and with now admitted
facts, ho quotes 1t, and In it these words arc
found;
have said that If twenty sharoa Of 1t could be pur-
chased at par without buying into prospective aw-
auit It sco,d b good tnrestn II 1t is valuable
stock represented but mover having been plaintiff
nor dcfcndaut III court Of Justice, want stock
Mt my prics With lawsuit on top Of It,
Ho then goes On in his spoech to tho Commit
tee thus:
1t will DO soon from these extracts that publicly
claimed last full the right to purchase the stock and
avowea frankly that .rould hare been whiting ia
pay for t,renty shares If d not buy into proApeo-
Two lawsuit but that possible profits could Induce
mo to involve myself In litigation.
Now those two statements arc at variance with
each other to the full extent Of the charge
against mr. Colfax, and, unfortunately, neither
Of them ia true. Tho charge against h1r. Colfax
was that lie had the atock, and that the mode In
which it was obtained was equivalent to gift,
since 1t WAS then worth twico or three timoA as
| much a. he paid for it. In Lis South Bend
spcech, after most elaborate and circumstan-
tial denia1 Of any gift, ho says TINT ho had said
TINT the atock "would be a good Investment" !"
This Is tho expression Of ones judgment OH a
financial question, such IA broker might giyo
to Ills customers IT asked whether
this or that thing would probably pny. He now
anys that he avowed frankly at South Bond that
ho "would have boen willing to pay for twenty
shlrca," II 1t woro not for tho lawsuit. Ho did
| not make any suoh avowal at South Bend. II 10
had dono so, 1t would havo been Nh admission
TINT he had boon In negotiation with Amos on
tho subject Of Credit bIobiler stock, and this ho
had in offect though, porhap8, not technically,
denied. And noitler statement contains tho
whole TRUTH for it has been admitted by Mr..
Colfax In his sworn tontimony that he did buy
The stoch-not that it would have beon good In
vestmont not that ho would have boon willing
( to buy 1t, but that ho did actually buy it.
| When Ill accused porHon sots out with III ILL.,
| truth as glarfng aa this, subsequent doubts aro
t1..
these doubts may be enumerated. Ho says that
| he paid Amos five or ai1 hundred lollars on tho
stock, as purohaso-money, and afterwards told
| him (Anes) not to mind about returning tho
money to him, bocauae he (Ames) had
| got into financial difficulties! Ames now
aays that tho lyo or six hundred dollars
was check for $534.72, and that It was bal
anco due him (Amos) aftor payment to Oolfax OF
certain Credit AIobilier dividends. AmoB saya
1t is not probable that Colfax would
have given him check for s53l.72 without
knowing what 1t WAS for. This ia all tie answer
which tho Massachusetts millionaire tegnB to
make to the suggestion Of tho South Dend ocon-
oulst, that tho latter gavo him s53I.72, aB DO.
nation, because llo (Amea) Lad asked mud OBJ
talned al extension from Lis creditors to the
amount Of somo millions. But ho adds thns
Colfax neyor told him that no wiahod to snr.
ronlor tho stock. Thia Is another and important
discrepancy In tho Testimony Of tho two wit
nesses. II Colfax wanted to make donation tt
Ames why s~,uld 1t bo exactly $6s4.72? 1t III
was paying for twcnty shares Of Credit MobIlor
ut par (s2,ooO, why should lo pay exactl,
9534.722 QhiH ia not round sum. It IL no
tho kind Of sum which would natural.
have boon paid. But In striking balauce DO
tween dehits Aud credits, Involving tho computa