Buchanan County bulletin and guardian. (Independence, Iowa) 1866-1869, 1868-06-26

Ps.nam's Magazine for June gives tbs
following timely and graceful sketch Ct ths
next Vice President:
SCHUYLER Colfax was born ut = house ia
North Moore street, near West Broadway,
| $. the City OF New York, March %, ls23
His mother is lc years his senior. lie re-
ceived . common school education was
bred . printer, and settled in Indiana il
1886. He soon became foreman and as
sistant editor Of the village paper Of South
Bend. II was then very small sheet, such
- every Western settlement issues, ~ sort
Of flyer TO . job printing business rs soon q.
it has got its school-h0use, grocery, hosel
and blacksmith shop, and begins TO thint
about having meeting house. The "typo''
out West frequently gets the start Of the
preacher, though the race is close. Tbose
who saw Colfax then Mt the case" describe
him Is light, spindling, aaxen.haired, boy.
ish looking youth-clever rather in the Yam.
kee than the English sense-with delcacy
Of temperament which sugce ted doubt
whether he had the stamina TO live TO man.
hood. without the fainlcst suggestion tha, in
his mature ars lie would be Speaker Of the
House, and the second choice Of the coun.
try for President. The news then came to
South Bend by stage from Detroit, or up the
ST. Jo River from the lake. There was but
little of il, and though Mr.. Colfax became
tho editor and publisher Of the South Beno
Eegister as soon as he became Of ags, other
aud subsequent evidences nsfe required to
cs .ablish his claim to intellectual superiori>
~.
In 1913 be was dclagaie to and Seere>
tary of the Whig National Cun ention. In
1850 he was 4 member OF the Indiana Con-
s,i,utional Convention. In lsj2he was again
Secretary Of the whig National Convention
He was elected to The Thir,y.fourth Con.
gress, and has been regularly re>eected to
every subsequent Congress. He was elect
ed Speaker Of III. Thirty-eighih Congress,
md has .,een reelected Speaker OF the Thir-
ty ninth aud Forticth. He was urged but he
declined to acc pt a seat in the United States
Senate, prcferring bis presiding chair in the
House. His open, pleasant face, has be-
come familiar 10 large audiences throughout
the conntry, who have listened 10 his ad-
dresses upon political topics, upon the late
Prcsiden, Lincoln-by whom he was warns
" loved-upon his tour across the contnen,
to the Pacific, or upon subjects connected
with the work Of the Sanitary and Christian
Commissions. lie is pure in his personal
and neral habits has Q broad, outspoken
aud catholic SYM athy with every good work
Of reform, whether political, moral, intellect.
ual cs ssligious, and has the warn and en-
thusiastic confidence Of Christians and tenn,
perance reformers throughout the country.
He attends, and wc believe is . member oi
the Reformed Dutch Church, and is thor,
ough tcetotalist. Without being educated
as scholar, industrious reading has given
him much of what is valuable in scholarship
unalloycd w its pcdantry, its claarsshness,
or its csotisnl. Without being bred Law.
yer, practical familiarity. with legislation has
taught him all that is most valuable in Law,
freed fiom tue conservatism and inapti:ude
for change and reform which rest like an in
| cubus on so many of those minds which are
bred by the habits Of The legal profession Il
look tor preccdcnis which show what the
law has been, rather than TO broad priaei'
pies which settle what the law ought to b.
Yet Mr.. Colfax has frequently shown the
happicst familiarity with pretcden,s, esPee.
Tally in questions Of parliamentary practice
As presiding officer he is tho most popu'
| lar the House has had since Henry Clay
His marvellous quickncss uf thought and tai
ent for the rapid administration OF details
enables him to hold the rcins Of the House
Of Representatives, even in its most bolster
ous aud turbulent moods land With the ex'
ception Of the New York Board Of Brokers
The British House Of Commons, or . Fair n
Donny brook, il is the most uproariQus bod!
in the world. with Is much ease and grace
AZ NJ. Bonner would show the PAGES o
Dexter il Central Park, or as GottschalI
would thread me ksys OF o piano, in .
dreamy maze Of faulslcss, qnivering mslo'
dy.
As an orator, Mr.. Colfax il not argument
Ative, except as clear statement and sount
Judgment are convincing. He rides no er'
ratio hobbies. He demands few policies
which tiie average sense Of intelligent mc'
cannot be made 10 assent to OH a clear state
mcnt of his position. Tie is eminenly rep
resenta,ive. A glance at his broad. wel
balanced, practical braia, indicates that hi
leading faculty is the sum Of all the facnltie
Judgment, aud that what he helieves tn
msjori,y Of the people either believe q CO.
be male 10 believe. Some men may bs igr