Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1868-07-22
From the New York Evening Post.
Schuyler COlfaX.
NEW BIOGRAPHIES.

Presidency and Nice-Presidency multipl
as the political campaign advances. y
class they are not pleasant, and are hard
ly profitable reading. lndiscriminat
eulogy is too apt to take the place of
just analysis of character, and the faults 0
their subjects are either ignored or undul,
mitigated
: Two biographies of the Republican can
didate for the Vice Presidency, which
have just been published, form no excep
tion to this rule One published by T. b
Peterson Il Brothers, Philadelphia, /,
written by Rev. \. 7. Moore, and the
other, bearing the imprint of the same pub
ishers, Is part of volume intended as 4
campaign document, including biogra-
phies Of Grant and Colfax
The author of the former was for twelve
years not only the pastor but the intimate
friend Of Mr.. Coltax He began his BIZ
ography two or three years ago, so that it
was not hurriedly composed, as the most OF
such books are With his advantages Mr..
Moore should have given Us new insight
into the character Of Mr. Colfax, and
should have helped US to understand more
thoroughly the secret Of a continuous and
growing political success, which cannot be
explained by fortuitous circumstances
The fact that since he began his public life
his influence and his reputation have
s+naaiI,, crown th"t IN tho midst Of the
most trying political crises he has always
sustained the expectations Of his friends,
and escaped criticism affecting his integ-
rity from his worst enemies, and that dur
.,4 +b., .3fl,o,,l.
official position in Congress for three sue
cessive terms his political opponents in the
House have again and again complimented
him for his impartiality as we'll as his
ability-all of these evidences Of talent
and character forbid the theory that the
success of Mr.. Colfax has been the result
Of series of lucky chances
1t is for his biographer to show the in
terror traits, the mental pecuiarities, the
personal habits and the home surroundings
which have gone to the making of the man
We cannot give to Mr.. Moore the credit
Of doing his work as well as he should have
done under the circumstances but as he
has done better than any one else, his book
has considerable value, especially that
part of it which gives, in the way Of ex-
tracts from the speeches, editorials and
letters of Mr. Colfax, a condensed sum-
mary Of his public career
We learn from Mr.. Moorc's book, that
Mr.. Colfax comes of good Connecticut and
Knickerbocker blood, his grandfather
General William Colfax, having served in
the revolutionary war as captain of Wash
ingtons Guard, and having afterwards
married cousin of General Philip
SCHUYLER. The union of Yankee shrewd-
ness, activity and push" with Dutch
composure and suavity may, perhaps, ac-
count for some of the characteristics of
the grandson, although the biographer
seems to attach no Importance to the fact.
Born in New York on the Goth of May,
S23-a fact whichIwe learn, not from
Mr. Moore, but from the Campaign Life
the natural mental activity Of young Col
fax was quickened by the life of the great
city, into which he entered as clerk at
the early age of eleven. Even then his
political bent was indicated by his taking
down on election day the returns at the
polls of the Third ward, where the great
struggle of the day had been, and announc-
ing them in Brooklyn. At the age of thir-
teen he removed to Northern Indiana,
which has ever since been his home, be-
coming Deputy County Auditor, by ap-
pointment of his step-father, when he was
eighteen.
While occupying this position he showed
his tendency to public life both by his in
terest in a moot legislature, held for the
purpose of cultivating skill in debate and
in parliamentary law, and by frequent
contributions to the newspapers. Before
he was twenty-one, says Mr.. Moore, " Mr.
Colfax has passed two winters in atten-
dance at indianapolis upon the legislature,
as Senate reporter for the State Journal.
This was not a lucrative position, as it
yielded but two dollars a day 1t had,
however, other advantages highly esteemed
by the editor of the Journal though not
so highly priced by the reporter for, seek
ing an increase of his per diem, the pro-
prietor demurred. He thought that the
acquaintanceship which the reporters
berth gave with public men, and the pros
poets it afforded one of becoming ultimate
ly a successful candidate for Congress.
made it good thing. The young reporter
humorously offered to sell out all his
chances for Congress for an additional
dollar per diem, but the proprietor of the
Journal was immovable."
In 1S45 Mr.. Colfax became the editor
and proprietor of the st. Joseph VALLEY
Register, a paper which he founded I'm
der his management the new paper became
widely known in Indiana and the adjacent
States, and was spoken of as 90 one of the