The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1868-06-04
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but short time, and at the age of 10 he
was placed in a mercantile establish
ment, where he remained for three years
contributing materially from his small
salary to the support of both himself and
mother. In 1886, he and his mother, in
company with others, left their home in
this city and settled in St. Joseph coun.
ty, Indiana. Shortly after his arrival in
the West, he was appointed Deputy Coun-
ty Auditor for st Joseph county, and
employed his leisure hours in the study
of State law, in which he is said soon to
have become an acknowledged expounder
O. He read law pretty thoroughly during
these leisure hours, but not with view
to adopting it as profession. He had
but little idea of what great benefit the
information he was then gaining would
prove to him in after years. In 1845 he
started weekly journal at South Bend,
the county seat of st. Joseph county, call
ed The 81. Joseph Valley Register, be-
coming its sole proprietor and editor. A
writer in The indianapolis Journal cor
reefs mistake into which the public has
fallen relative to Mr. Colfax's connection
with the printing business. Mr.. Lanman,
in his Dictionary of Congress, says =
"He was bred printer" He never was
apprenticed to the printing business, and
knew nothing of the practical part of the
cart preservative of all arts" until after
The Register. With his ready tact and
quick perception however, and great
anxiety to economise, for his means were
yet very limited, he soon mastered the
art sufficiently to "help out of the drag"
but he never attained to any great pro-
iciency in the business, his editorial Ia
bors, the business of the Office, and other
duties soon claiming his entire attention.
The Register prospered, and soon be-
came a source of profit to the proprietor
1t was ably edited, and was model of
courtesy and dignity. Every paragraph,
however small, seemed to have passed un-
der the supervision of and to reflect the
mind and elevated thoughts of its editor.
He continued his connection with this
paper until three or four years ago,
writing a regular weekly letter for
its Columns, during his first two
terms in Congress. 1t was during the
early days of The Register that Mr.. Col
fax was laying the foundation for the re-
putation he has since ATTAINED as a deba-
ter. 4 debating club was formed, which
held regular weekly meetings, during the
winter season, and it was rare occurrence
indeed to find Mr.. Colfax absent from
one of these stated gatherings. Politics,
the temperance reform, and other sub
ofton ahlr Aahota1 thiS
society as kindred questions are in many
deliberate bodies of much greater preten-
sions of the present day. The Hon. John
d. Defrees, now Superintendent of Go
vernment Printing, aud for many years
editor and proprietor of the indianapolis
Journal, to which Mr.. Colfax was also
attached as Senate Reporter for some time
after he commenced the publication of
the Register, was also participant in
these debates. They were both Wings,
both ardent and sincere advocates Of, and
believers in the temperance reform, and
were consequently seldom pitted against
each other in these debates. The attach
mcnt formed at this early day between
those gentlemen still continues with un-
abated fervor In 1913, Mr. Colfax was
chosen as delegate, and elected as Secre-
tary of the Convention which nominated
General Taylor for the Presidency. In
1850 he represented St. Joseph county in
the Convention which framed the present
Constitution Of Indiana Ia this Conven-
tion he opposed, with all his ability, the
adoption of the clause prohibiting free
coored men from settling in the State
His opposition to this measure was the
cause Of his defeat the following year
when nominated for Congress, in opposi
ton to Dr. Fitch. But, with all the
ability, tact, and shrewdness of this OLD
politiral wireworker, he only distanced
his young competitor two hundred votes
in district which had been strongly
Democratic for years.
In 1852 he was again delegate to the
Whig National Convention. He took ar
active part in the campaign which follow
ep, speaking often and writing much
In 1854, when the "great deep" of In
diana Democracy was broken up, and ole
Hunkers laid in grave from which it j
hoped they may never be resurrccted, h,
was renominated and elected to Congress
and was consequently more active thar
ever before. His experience as deba
ter, and familiarity with State and ma
tional politics, rendered him an overmatcl
for his opponents, whom he was alway
anxious to meet in an open and fair dis
cussion before the people, where he wa
always certain of a victory. Ia 1856 h
was again nominated for Congress, an
reelected by handsome majority. Hi
entrance into Congress was in the mids
of the great struggle over the Lecompto
swindle. A writer says of his maide
speech in the House, e,-"His first speec
in Congress went forth to repel the It'd
of terror which was sweeping over strug
Cling Kansas, and clearly showed tina
even then he was one of the best debater
in the Lower House" Over five hundre
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