Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1868-07-17
Incidents in the Life of Mr.. COlfax.
From his biography by Rev. A. Y. Moore.

In 1851, when but three years past the
age required by the Constitution, Mr..
ColfaX was the Whig candidate for rep
resentative of his district in Congress-
His opponent was DR.. Graham n.
Fitch, then a Democratic member of
Congress, an able politician, a popular
stump-speaker, and since then United
States Senator. The old and the young
politician 'fstumped" the district to
gether, meeting seventy appointments
for speaking. The first encounter was
in part of the district where DIR. Fitch
was we'll known and Mr.. CoIfax a
stranger. The former made the OPEN
young competitor with ridicule, advis-
ing him, ''instead of attempting to get a
seat in Congress, to tarry at Jericho
until his beard was grown - an allu-
sion which raised a roar of laughter
tBefore ''says Mr.. Moore fsthat derisive
laughter had died away, he was called
upon to come forward and begin his
first speech in his first canvass for Con-
gress. Stepping forward quickly and
glancing around with his keen, search
ing eyes, he took the hearts of his aud
ience captive, as with the readiness of
practised debater, and with just in
dignation that made his words sound
like the tWang of a bow that had sent
forth a Well-sped arrow, he said: i
was not aware, my teIlOW-c1tlZenS, that
brass and beard were the necessary
qualifications of q Congressman. If in
your judgment,it it is sc, I must renounce
all hope of your votes, as I confess,
what you cannot but see, that my COM
petitor has a superabuudan of both +?
The cries of Good, good,' and the ring
ing cheers that greeted his opening,
told the Doctor that if he was aGOliath,
he had, in the STRIPPING before him a
David to contend with"
In this same canvass DIR. Fitch sought
to take advantage of Mr.. Colfax's oppO-
sition to the clause of the state Consti-
tuition prohibiting the immigration of
free colored persons. The people Of In
diana at that time were almost unani-
EaOusly in favor of this clause, and 1t
required both principle and courage to
run against the prevailing prejudice,
but Mr.. Colfax met the issue, stated his
convictions, and said to those whose
support he asked, ''If you ask me to
sacrifice them (hfs convictions) for a
seat in Congress, / tell you frankly 1
cannot do it. I would not act counter
to my convictions of duty, if you could
give me fifty terms in Congress- He
lost his election by only two hundred
votes in district that had before been
strongly democratic,
In 1852 he was d delegate to the Wing
National Convention at Baltimore, of
which he was elected one of the secre-
taries. When the Nebraska bill was
he opposed it ably in his paper, and in
the same year he was nominated by a
"People's Convention" :" made up Of all
the ''Anti-Nebraska" elements, for
Congress. He was elected by a majori-
ty of seventeen hundred and seventy
six, in a district which two years be-
fore had given his competitor nearly
twelve hundred majority.
In 1868, on the occasion of Mr.. Col
ola
honored with public dinner in WASH
ington by the representatives of the
press without regard to party. In reply
to a toast Mr.. Samuel Wflkeson, q dis
tinguished Journalist said, in referring
to Mr.. Co1fax's paper, the South Bend
Register:
That paper I always read, both on
the Tribune and on the Journal. I read
it for its own sREze, for it was wise, it
was honest, it was well made, it ever
had news. Twas one of the few papers
in America into which the scissor al !
ways went, or which always commu-
nicated to daily political writer a val
liable political impression. And read !
the South Bend Register for another rea- !
soHJ wholly peculiar to myself: Eigh- |
teen years ago, at one O'Clock of win |
ter moonlight morning, while the |
horses of the stage coach in which I |
was plowing the thick mud of Indiana 1
were being changed at the tavern in |
South Bend, walked the footway of /
the principal street to shake off a great /
window. A sign, THE Register was /
legible above it, and I saw through /
the window a man in his shirt |
sleeves walking quickly about like one
that worked. i paused, and looked,
and imagined about the man and his
work and about the lateness of the
hour to which it was protracted; and I I
wondered If he was in debt and was
stru gging to get out, and if his wife
was expecting him and had lighted a
new candle for his coming, and if he
was very tired. A coming step interup-
ted this idle dreaming. When the
walker reached my side 7 Joined him
and as we went asked him questions,
and naturally they were about the
workman in the shirt sleeves TWbat
% the poor; he works hard he is very
5ociable with all the people; he pays
lis debts; he is safe adviser; he doesn't
rink whisky; folks depend on him;
III this part of Indiana believe in him.
From that day to this have never tax
n up the South Bend Register without
linking of this eulogy, and envying
he man who had justly entitled him J
elf to the dawn of his manhood p
"My brothers, you !
Aluh you KNOW Inc secret OF EutS un- /.
favor of a constituency to a l
epresentatiYe-thi continued regard {
f constituency for citizen, of this J
lppre eciation of a statesman by states t
aen. You find them in his fidelity to e
his thorough attention
0 business-in his talents for legisla-
lon-ln their constant and useful de- \
otion to the public good. The Con- 7
ressional Globe and the traditional I
nd written history of Congress are {
1ll of evidences of these virtues, and \
I this fitness for public trusts and this q
tile to honored confidence. But you
ont know the secret. I do. I LEARNED
by chance. got possession of it by
n unwilling and unwilling caves i
ropplng in the parlOr of another noble Il
IAN, John w. Forney. Eighteen years :,
fer my midnight watching of that :
rinter in his shirt sleeves, at his soIi-
ary labor, I heard him in this city ut
sr thus, his philosophy of life: Icon q
DER that day wasted in which / have tl
OF done some good to some human be- VI
lg, or added somewhat to somebody's
appiness.' What success could recede
'om that mans pursuit nay what
access would not pursue that man and d
'rc1bly crown him with honors and OF
Schuyler Coifax, editor of r.
le South Bend Register, Congressman Il
ON Indiana, and for eleven years actor ="
a philosophical life that Socrates
light have envied, you cannot escape
le love of your felIow-man. We jour r
aEsts and men of the newspaper ~
'ess do love of you, and claim you as \,
0ne OF our bone and flesh of our flesh. " ~
In July, 1868, the great affliction +
the life of Mr.. COlfaX occurred-his IL
ife died. n;
Whilst he was child, with his wild a.
we'd mother in New York, he was tax i,
on annual visits far up the Hudson
yer, into the regions of Saratoga
here he met another child, a sweet lit