The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1880-08-12

-UST II, 1880.
the truth; and having taken that
solemn oath, he said:
Mr.. Ames nsver gaze nor offered me
any stsck or other valuable thing as gin
once asked and obtained from him, and
afterwards repaid to him, 4 loan of $500:
that amount is the only valuable thing |
ever received from or delivered to him. 1
never owned, received, or agreed TO re-
ceive any stock of the Credit Mobilier or
of the Union Pacific railroad, nor any
dividends or profits arising from either of
them.
Q.-Were any dividends ever rendered
to you on the stock of the Credit MObilier
upon the supposition that YOU were to be
4 subscriber: A.-NO, sir
Q-The loan you have repaid. if un-
derstand you correctly: Ayes, sir
Both Colfax's and Garfield's sworn
denials were made. under the pres
sure of the emergency, and before il
was known or supposed that Oakes
Ames would ever be Il witness TO
the truth. Circumstances which it
is not now necessary to recall,
brought Oakes Ames TO the stand.
with his memorandum book. By
the record of his transactions with
COlfaX the account stood:
ColfaX, twenty shares Credit Mobiiier,
cost $1,000; interest for seven months ana
ten days, SS6.72, making Il total of S2OS6. ~,
less 80 per cent. bond dividend at 81,
Sl5o2-So34.12 ~
The same book showed that a six
ty per cent. cash dividend of 1920
was paid by him TO Colfax. Gen.
Garfield's account in the same MEN,
orandum book was as follows:
Garfield, ten shares Credit Mobilier,
$1,000; seven months and ten days inter-
est, S43: :56-S1043.36 so per cent. bond
dividend ut 81, S776-S267 .36; interest
June 20, 1854; balance, S27l. Ten shares
Credit Mobilier stock, ten shares Union
Pacific stock.
And i'll another place 4 general
statement:
j. A. G. DIR.
1S6S-TO ten shares Credit Mo-
bilier of A.. .......... 81 900 90
Interest ............ AZ 90
June l9-TO cash ............. 329 90
Sl.376 90
1865 Cr
BY dividend bonds, Union
Pacific railroad, $1,000
1T so per cent, less 3
per cent ............ SIG 90
June lI-By dividend collected
for your account. ...... 800 90
s1,376 90
Schuyler COlfaX SWore that he
had never received the $1,000 which
Ames claimed to have paid him as
cash dividend. Oakes Ames swore
that he had paid it by check ON the
sergeant-at-arms. Sergeant-at-Arms
Ordway produced the cancelled
check:
WASHINGTON, June 90, 1868.
Sergeant-at-Arms, u. S. House of Rep
resentatives-Pay S. G. or bearer $1,000,
and charge to my account.
OAKEs AMEs.
This check, which ColfaX swore
he had never seen, was drawn June
20. The books of the sergeant-at-
arms showed that it was paid June
81. The books of the First National
Bank of Washington, where the Vice
President kept a private account,
showed that ON June 21 Schuyler
COlfax deposited there $1,000 in cash,
and the deposit ticket in his own
handwriting was produced. His
perjury, as well as his bribe-taking,
was proved. His closest friends
ceased trying to defend him. After
one effort, pathetically absurd in its
weakness, he ceased TO try to defend
himself.
James A. Garfeld's case was even
4 - L.
ruption and perjury was added evil
dence of an attempt on his part to
suborn perjury. His cash dividend,
paid TO him June 10, 1868, by Oakes
Ames, amounted to 1929 After the
investigation had begun, he went to
Ames and besOught him to let this
payment "go as lOan," and when
Ames had refused to perjure him.
self to save him, he made figures to
show that Ames still owed him
S2400 of the bribe money.
Oakes Ames testified as follows ::
Q-You may state whether, in CONVEX
sation with you, Mr.. Garfield claims, as
he claimed before us, that the only trans
action between you was borrowing $780,
A-NO, sir he did not claim that with
me.
Q-State how he does claim it with
you; what was said? State all that oc-
Cured in conversation between you.
Al can not remember half of it. have
had two or three interviews with Mr..
Garfield. He wants to put it on the basis
of loan.
Q-What did you say to him in refer
ence to that state of the case? Al
stated to him that he never asked me to
lend him any money; that never knew
he wanted to borrow any. / did not know
he was short. made 4 statement to him
showing the transaction and what there
was due on it; that deducting the bond
dividend and the cash dividend there was
1929 due him, for which / had given him
4 check; that he had never asked me to
Q-After you made that statement,
what did he state in reply! Ale
wanted to have it to go as loan.
Q-Did he claim that it was in fact
lOan9 A-NO, sir; do not think he did
No, he did not.
Estate all you know in reference to
it. Al told him he knew very well ii
was dividend. / made out statement
and showed il to him at the time. In one
conversation he admitted IL, and said, as
near as L can remember, there was S24O0
due in stock and bonds. He made little
memorandum of $1,000 and $1400, and, as
/ recolleet, said there was $1,000 of Union
Pacific stock, $1,000 of Credit Mobilier
stock, and S4O0 of stock or bonds, do not
recOllect what.
Q-Have you the memorandum that
Mr.. Garfield made. Al have the figures
that he made.
Paper in Mr.. Garfield's handwriting
was shown TO the committee, containing
figures as follows: $1,000 and Sl400; total,
S24OO.
Q-You say that these figures were
made by Mr.. Garfield? Ayes, sir.
Q-That was his idea of what was COM
ing to hims Ayes, sir.
All this, be it remembered, oc-
Cured after the investigation had be-
gun-after James A. Garfield had
sworn that he "never owned, re-
ceived, or agreed to receive, any
stock of the Credit Mobilier or of
the Union Pacific railroad, nor any
dividends or profits arising from
either of them.
And after Garfield had sworn to
this falsehood, a Republican COM
mittee of the House of Representa-
tives, made up of his own political
and personal friends, and with
Judge Poland of Vermont as its
chairman, branded him forever as a
bribe-taker and perjurer in these
blasting words:
He [Garfieldl agreed with Mr.. Ames to
take ten shares Of Credit Mobilier stock,
but did not pay for the same. Mr.. Ames
received the eighty per cent dividend in
bonds, and sold them for ninety-seven
per cent, and also received the sixty per
cent. cash dividend, which, together with
the price Of the stock and interest, left a
balance of S27Q This s1lm WAS nafd ovar