Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1890-04-14

/ this statement as an act of justice to Mr..
Page, for am sure that if any ''Friend
of Lieut.. Gov. Woodbury." is making any
such charge against him, he is either in
entire ignorance of the matter, or, if not
ignorant, is prompted by malice and de-
sire to do Mr.. Page great injustice.
AS to the question as to who is the best
man for our next governor, l express no
opinion I count all those who have been
prominently named as my friends. For
myself, for all that I know, / can cheer
fully support any of the candidates nam
ed for that office.
Sincerely Yours,
HENRY BALLARD.
Together with other papers in the
state, the MONITOR has engaged in
the early discussion of the character
and merits of those presumed to be
candidates for governor. We have
undertaken to discuss the matter fair
ly and to base our statements on what
are believed to be facts. In regard
to the Canada scandal on Mr.. Page,
we have taken measures to personally
examine Carroll Pages diaries, his
fathers cash books, ledgers, ETC., and
we unqualifedly vouch for the truth
of MI. Ballard's S statement in the
above letter. We learn that Carroll
S. Page did not seek to avoid the
draft and flee to Canada to escape
one, but that he was always subject
to a draft, when one could have been
made, and was nearly all of the time
in the state during the years when the
drafts were ordered. From the letter
of Col. Sawyer, published in this pa
per, and from other evidence, we be-
lieve that Carroll S. Page was as pat
riotic and as eager to 60 to war as
any young man in the valley of the
Lamoille That he did not go, if a
fault at all, was not his own. The
following are some Of the facts that
we have ascertained in the matter:
Carroll S. Page is the son of Hon.
RS Page of Hyde Park. The father,
previous to and during the war, was
engaged in an extensive business.
He sent out large number of tin
peddlers their field of operation was
in Northern Vermont and Southern
Canada. He was a sufferer from
the effects of a spinal injury in
early life, which nearly cost him his
life, making him an Invalid for life
, and incapacitating him for manua
labor and many of the important
details of his business. His sol
Carroll was eighteen years ot
age at the time the war broke out
He had been his fathers dependence
in some of his most important bust
. ness for several years-in fact haC
been sent to New York, Boston, Bur
+ lington, Montreal and elsewhere IL
, the purchase of goods, and in tn
sale of barter ever after he was fif
teen years of age. He was also hi
fathers chief bookkeeper. Mr.. Pag
manufactured his tinware in Hyd
Park for his Canadian trade until tn
, heavy duty on tin made it impossibl
to do it in the States, when he sent
man into Canada, to manufacture hi
goods there for the Canadian trade
After the business was started /
Canada, Carroll was sent up ther
from time to time to receive the bal
ter collected by the peddlers, max
. settlements with them, and to atten
, to such other matters as the busines
II required. Mr.. Ballard states tha
5. from the month of the first draft to th
n close of the war Carroll S. Page wa
. in Canada less than eleVen weeks
=, We found the same facts by the rec
is ords from the books. Young Page
D name was enrolled in Hyde Park, an
ID he was at all times subject to draft
't It happened that Hyde Park kept he
y quota we'll up at all times, and ths
r only one draft was had. This, q
E. the Adjutant and Inspector General
1T records show, was the draft where
S was optional with the drafted man
enter the service or pay $500 con
- mutation money. MI. Page, 81
n was reputed at that time to be ma
" of considerable wealth, and it is ne
7e to be presumed that he would hav
S exiled his son by running HIM to Car
- ada to escape the payment of $50
commutation. Judge Page was
in man of standing in his town; he We
first selectman in 1862 and 1868. |
1864 and 1865, though very actiV
republican, he represented Hyde Parl
then strong democratic town, in tt
Legislature. Mr.. Page, now II yr
of age, is and has been for man
e. years Judge of Probate in Lamoil
re county. He was not such ms
e as to permit his son to be disgrace
ID by running to Canada. Another fa
= shows that there was no scandal {
n Carroll Page, and that he was ~
ng held in disesteem by the people ar
lc- soldier citizens of his town. We
rs soon after the war he was chose
~ representative to the Legislature, al
the honor was repeated with the lar
by est majority ever given candida
ny in that town; as soon thereafter
m he reached that age when he was e
ne gible to the Office of senator, he W
80 sent to the state senate by the vote
of of his county. The people of L
sry moille knew nothing of 'skedaddl
vi scandal during the war, or for yea
iu- afterward. 1t belongs to that sneci
IL.