Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1867-03-09
SCHUYLER COLFAX.
Prom tho New York Timea

Prom tho New York T1meAJ
A deep-toned voice, stern, yet pleas
ant, with hurried, sharp articulation
and nervous tones, indicating prompt
decision and quick tact, is heard anon
during the whole Of the proceedings,
and il comes from the broad chest Of the
Speaker, Schuyler Colfax, Of Indiana.
He is a nan who dissppoints you at
first sight, as he seems lacking in age,
though satisfactorily digni6ed for his
years. A moments observation Of him
dissipates this disappointment, as his
wonderfully energetic and truly sudden
decisions Of parliamentary questions,
mark him distinctly as the ''right man
in the right place" He is instinctiyely.
a parliamentarian, with strange ability
to prompt application Of his instincts.
He is a plain, practical man, whose ap-
pearance is solid and seems to invite
confidence even from strangers. He
has a large forehead, rounded at the
temples, with great depth back from
the eyes and immense perceptive bumps
%protruding above his eyebrows. His
hair is brown, brushed forward q little
below the parting on the left side, with
two or three heavy locks hanging caro-
lessly down over his forehead. His
eyebrows are very light in color and not
very heavy. They o~vershadow q pair
of deep-set, very low, bluish-grey eyes,
which sparkle with intelligence, good
fellowship and shrewd perception Of
character. His nose is Roman, with
compressed nostrils, which form wrin-
les in his cheeks, running away from
them toward the back part Of the square
jaw, and making his cheek bones rather
too prominent. Under his eyes there
are semi-circles or wrinkles Of heavy
flesh, showing constant use Of these
organs in reading or writing with the
aid Of artificial light.
His whiskers are cut so as to form a
complete covering from the tips OF his
ears to hi. chin, and add to the natural
extraordinary squareness Of his jaw,
which is not unlike Grants in general
appearance: His dress is unexceptiona-
bly, American, consisting Of a black
broadcloth frock coat, and complete suit
to match. He stands gracefully when
he addresses the House, and when he
leaves the chair to take the floor for a
regular speech, he has, in my opinion,
no equal in Congress for pleasing de-
meanor and elegant g~esticulation. He
without generalization, right to
the point, in a captivating, easy style,
peculiar to the impromptu speakers OF
the Northwest, and above all exerts a
magnetic influence over his hearers
carries them enthusiastically into
his belief before they realize it. There
is a genial, warm-hearted honesty in his
defamation which is all-convincing,
and his miraculous correctness in his
rapid delivery greatly adds to the plea
sure of hearing him. Socially, he is o
prince among princes. He knows a lit
tie about everybody, and salutes them
at his leyees with q kind, hospitable
grip and pleasant word, which puts them
at ease from the "word CO." and wins
for him the name Of being the most
pleasing of all the public men in the city
who receive" He is, l Am frank to
admit, my hero, and my beau ideal Of a
democratic official, such as our Repub-
licsn Government should be supplied
with in every position demanding pub
lie recognition. Such a man could not
fail to have hundreds Of warm personal
admirers, and his position as Speaker
of the House demonstrates clearly the
fact that he also has q large number OF
political friends. He lives in fine style,
including in his household his mother,
Mrs. Matthews, and his sincere flial re-
gard for her has won for him the respect
Of all who know him. She seldom ap-
pears in the galleries that he does not
call some member to the chair and 60
Immediately to her side. he is my can
didate for the next Presidency.