Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1867-09-19
The gRpablitaa.
Prom tho Ladies Repository
HON SCHUYLER COLFdK


| BY REV ARTHUR EDWARDS.
Ihave seer
Tsc lumh men throng {, see him, and the blind
and the commons made
A shower, and thunder with their caps and shouts.
Cor, A. 2, SC. ..
"My son." said solicitous father, "ncv
or touch politics-they are demoralizing.
Most public men if they ever received such
advice, have unfortunately proved sadly
disobedient race. The people; however,
must have public servants, and arc gcner-
ously prompt to honor these who, ir the
midst of official temptation, are saved by
grace from the spiritual wickedness so
common in high places. Impregnaele yir-
tue in secular strife is far nanlier than the
Innocence of nonentity within cloister
We know OF one sturdy soul WHO, when
both young and fatherless, boldly touched
politics" and yet has grown steadily in
christian manhood, even in that city whose
proverbial corruption compels 'the man in
the moon to hold his nose when passing
over it," He is i'm several senses represen-
tstIve slfmade, from among the people.
elect anong representatives of the people,
widely known and popular among the peo-
pie, .cmbodying the deepening political
faith of the people, rejecting the moral
sense of the best people. he, by faithful
public service, spotless life, his Christian
walk and declared allegiance TO God, is ar
example to the young and deserving of con-
fdence in every Repository circle.
The man whose first Congressional ma
icriy is Jus; Seventeen Hundred and Sew
enty-Six," has. of course. a DISH of Revo-
lutiouary blood in his veins. Tracing the
patriotic lineage, we find the paternal
grandmother cousin to MajOr-General
Philip Schuyler, and a grandfather, Cap
tain Colfax. commanding General Wash
ington's body-guard. With such antccc-
dents. Dame History was certainly not
surprised when the grandson Dedicated
himself To Freedom, and when she found
him enjoying tbs loving confidence of that
other man OF the people. Lincoln, the Great
Emsncipator and second Washington.
After the manner of staid blographers,
we record the life begun in New 1oik city,
March 23, 1923, n few months after his
fathers death. When ten wears old, his
mother remarked, becoming the Mrs.
Matthews" of modern Washington recep
tions With this event the boys school
life closed. but the scanty term seems to
have been well improved, for schuyler
always stood at the head of his class. =
The next three years were spent in the
step fathers store. In $50 the family, ta-
king hint from the shadows of morning,
came westward, crossed Michigan in a
wagon containing all their worldly goods,
and settled at New Carlisle, 81. Joseph
cuuuty, indiana. That region was then a
wilderness, but thrift. fertility, and blessing
have since made it a garden OF plenty.
Here, for thirty -oue years, has pure West
elm homc-life smiled upon and fOsiered him
whose only possible complaint is the eXpa-
triaiing majoritie. which bauiSh him Sd re-
peatedly east again to Washington.
In ls4l Mr.. Matthews, elected County
Auditor. moved 10 South Bend. Schuyler,
deputy audiior at eighteen. made such stu
diUus use of leisure that lac soon became
undisputed authority Onprecedcnis. usage,
and State law affecting sudiicrial duty
Among the inevitable schemes of American
village life. that Of "a debating society
arose in 1913 at South Bend. In maturing
outlines somebody's prophetic soul caught
the inspiration of u moot State Legislature.
The ayes had il. whereupon Mr.. Defrees,
now Congressional printer, was made MIR.
Speaker" and the future sicaker of THE
Historic Congress" found himself the hon
orable gentleman from Newton" now a
county in his present Congressional dis
trict. Thus our tledgling orators debated
not hackneyed didactics, but bills and
all bills were conducted according to strict
parliamentary rules, which doubtless gave
rural members much pcrplexing study; yet
Newton county faltcred not. Two iol-
lowing years service at Indianapolis as
Senate reporter for the State Journal gave
4 Mr. Colfax rarely clear solutiop OF the
/ perplexi,ies of parliamentary usage, he lit
tic dreaming that the knowledge ana skill
! thus obtained would later set boundaries
To Congressional debate and grandly his
, toric legislation.
| Like rays of Empires star, white lines of
covered wagons followed westward. I'm
migrants poured in. Franklin thrift long
ed for Franklin's printing press; so the re-
porter became an editor, founding in lS45
| the ST. JosEPn VALLEY REGIsTBR. Bring
ins to his new position the available capi-
tai of brain, industry, tact. and conscience,
| he for eighteen years performed an editor $
wearing toll. From first to last he was
true to- the people he sought TO educate
as well when the majority opposed his po-
litical faith as when the trusty, hopeful
tircless editor enjoyed the benefits ol
changed election returns.
Mr.. Colfax's first more public service be
gan in lS+S, as member and Secretary o.
the Whig Convention which nominal ed
General Taylor for President. In 1870 he
was An active member of the Convention
which framed the present Constitution o
Indiana. Here he persistsntly opposed
the unmanly clause prohibiting free colorc1
men from entering the State. This clause
submitted separately TO the people, was in
dorsed by majorities of eight thousand il
his district and ninety Thousand in the
State, yet where mere political trimmer
would have waived the personal issue, Ia,
like man openly voted with the minority
though he was at the time candidate fol
Congress. In 1851, unanimously nomina
ted from the Ninth District of indiana, ht
made joint canvass with his opponent
the then incumbent. who rc-obtained hi
seat by only two hundred and sixteen ma
jority Like his friend Mr. Lincoln iron
the Douglas debate, he emerged in shin
ing prophetic minority, with fund ofpop
ular confidence which later resulted in bet
ter things. Subsequent district and Con
gressional popularity is shown by eigh
unanimous nominations and seven contin
uous elections, in doubtful district" 4
the House, which has thrice by more thar
the party majority, elevated him to tn
Speakership. No other Northern man ha
such a gratifying record. His membersli
has been in the Thirty Fourth and all late
Congresses, and his Speakership in tn
Thirty Eighth, Thirty-Ninth and Fortieth
Has success, so dangerous 10 most me-
in Church or State, spoiled him? Ever
opponents will vote mo" in this delicai
test, as they, in several instances, have al
ready pronounced. AT the close OF tn
ThirtyNinih Congress an enthusiastic op
position member, mounting desk, shouted
Three cheers for our noble Speaker" an'
: the responsive shower and thunder cam
with viii. In 1860 he defeated his com
petitor, who in 1862 took the stump in hi
foUor. His present Speakership was in
dorsed by the unexpected votes OF thre
members electpd IN ConOroa as IN onnosifin