The Van Buren press., 1873-02-11
From 81. Louis Republican.
Our Vice.President.

1t is now five days since Vice. Prssi.
dent Colfax was all but absolutely con
vieted Of very grave offence, in the
capital Of the United States; and, as yet,
he has done nothing to exculpate himself
from that ruinous exposure. The chain
Of evidence against him. partly direct and
partly circumstancial--the very strong
est testimony known to the law-was
connected, coherent and terribly con
vincing; there was possible flaw at but
one place in it, and the distinguished vic
tim has not yet proved that there was a
break even there, though the country has
waited with great patience for him to
make the effort. The Vice President
swore that he had never received one
cent, either in stock or dividends from
the Credit Mobilicr Cakes Ames swors
that ho habitat he himself had paid
him $1,000 in dividends, in an order ON
the sergeant alarms of the House. This
the vice. president vchemently, and with
all possible emphasis, deaied. The ser.
geant-at-arms was called up and he pro-
duced the identical order on which the
vice president had drawn the 81 200.
This was very strong confirmation; but
il was not all; the bank at which the
vice president was in the habit Of deal
ing was called on, and i: produced tick
ct Of deposit signed by Schuyler Colfax.
dated two days aftor the order on the
sergeant at arms, one Of the items of
which was $1,000. The conclusion is ir-
resi,tible that this 81, 200 and tho 81, 200
drawn from the sergeant at arms two
days previously were tho same sum Of
money-that the vice e-president had
drawn it from the sergeant at arms, on
Oakes Amcs order, and deposited il in
the bank to his own credit AS long as
the case presented was the positive as
scrtion Of Oakes Ames against the equal
ly positive denial Of the president,
the superior character and position Of
the latter weighed strongly in his favor;
but when these mute bits of paper came
in to reinforce the statement of Ames,
tho case against the vice president was
crushing in its cumulative force. Ames
had proved his assertion, and the vice
president had failed even to strengthen
his denial. To the grave impropriety of
owning Credit Mobilier shares and re
ceiying Credit Mobile, dividends he had
added the still greater offence of declar-
ing under oath that he never had owned
or received them. This latter act is one
Of which it is not necessary to speak it
is sufficiently defined and denounced in
the criminal laws of the country, and TO
them we leave it. AS to the first offence,
that of holding Credit Mobilier shares
and receiving Credit Mobilier dividends,
opinions may differ, but Mr. Colfax 8
own opinion last summer was that it was
q grossly improper thing; the mere i'm.
putation of it to him was 80 damaging
that he felt it necessary to deny it, Ms
something that man in his position
could not afford to be guilty Of and that
he was not guilty Of. The following is
the denial made by him in speech made
last October at North Bend, Indiana:
DO need to add that neither Oakes Ames
nor any other person ever gave. or offered to
give. me one share. or twenty shares, or two
thousand shares In the Credit Mobiler, or any
other railroad stock, and that unfortunately,
have never received the value Of a farthinY
out Of tho 270 per cen.. dividends. nor the 800
! Der cent. dividends In cash, stock and bonds,
you have read about every day for the past
month, nor 100 per cent, nor per cent, nor
the tenth OF per cent. have said that II
tw, nty shares OF 1t could be purchased at par,
without buyinE into n prospective lawsuit, II
would be good investment, II II was ~ val
liable a stock as represented; and have said
that would like to buy twenty shares at par,
| IL attainable. In the Studebaker Wagon COM
pany. or the Birdsell Clover Separator com
pany here. ! challenge either one ofthe two
last companies to give me such an opportun-
| ity now or hereafter; but never having been
plaintiff or defendant Ia u court Of justice.
want no stock of any kind, at any price, with
a lawsuit on top Of II. not even with the pi os-
| pective dividends Of $23000, which, | am free
to maintain, neither these good eyes Of mine
nor this p0cketbook have ever seen the hrSt
dollar Of although 1t 10 so positively asserted
that have been entitled to this handsome
amount ever since four years ago.
This denial. accepted as true at the
time it was made. has since been proved
to be false-pait Of it by the sworn tes-
timony Of Mr.. Colfax himself; for while
the speech quoted from was intended and
accepted IS denial that he had had any
thing whatever to do with the Credit
Mobilisr his written evidence given TO
the investigating committee admits that
he bought, and at one time owned, ten
shares Of ito stock, and waived his claim
on it only when he discovered that it
would involve lawsuit.
The vice president appreciates the dis
astrous position in which the Amcs tes-
.imony has involved him. for he has
abandoned the attempt to defend him
self, and sought the aid fan attorney =
itself a proof of his extremity. 1t was
grven out that he would prove that the
81, 200 depositcd,n bank simultaneously y
with the draft made on the sergeant at
arius was received from some one else,
and was paid him to bs used in the In
diana election. But five days have passed,
and this has not been done, nor has the
vico president or his attorney done any.
thing to break the force of the terrible
public conviction that is overwhelming G
him. He has asked for new investigat
ing committee in the senate, composed
of his political opponents, to inquire into
the accusations against him, and asserted
HE confident belief that IL would find him
guiltless. But this is absurd; It's the
wild proposal OF o bewildered man II
the vice. president can prove his inno'
cence bsfore one committee he can prove
it before another Why have two com
mittees to do what one 10 abundantly
csmpet snt to do The committee before