Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1868-06-24
A Pen-Picture Of Schuyler Col
fax in His "Den."

lFrom Washington Letter to the Cleveland Leader.
In what he called his s den," L
found Schuyler Colfax, some days
ago. little closet room, lighted by
one basement window, under the Cap
itol. 1t was a curiosity shop Of doc
uments, order reigning through super
fetal confusion. Here the Speaker
hides himself away from pages and
harpies, and works unassistedly at his
speechs and correspondence, the lat
ter of itself a drudgery as great as
any accountants.
But lighthousa nevor. grows old
after the hundred years its flame is as
youthful as when it began. The
pure unaffected, radiant cheerfulness
of Mr.. Colfax keeps him as rosy and
hopeful as boy. Here he sits, sur
prised in the midst of smile, for
all his thoughts are good companions.
l took a seat before him, ana while
he answered some questions l had
brought, | tried to make out his face
and character-a very difficult type
were both of them, for country Of
which the speaker is so preventative,
and yet of a temperament so uncom-
mon.
We are a sober-minded people, with
lines of thrift and anxiety in our fa-
ces, like the marks Of whip and bur
den. We 90 to law and 90 to church
with the same countenances. We
want to make money fast, and on
the way and after the end we have re-
morses, aches, wounded selfesteems,
asceticisms. The air, the soil, the
worry and hurry Of American life,
provincialize the American into a
hard, repellant, dreadfully over-earn-
est man, with skin, a stomach, and
a soul equally dyspeptic.
Out of this population face grows,
now and then, like cloverhead out
Of stock yard, all freshness and col
or, and quick 10 feel the earliest
breezes This is Mr.. Colfax, His
life is perennial hopefulness, having
good conscience for its compass, and
for its ballast a temperament that is
equal as an hour glass. Full Of the
elasticity of the Empire City, q
widows son, born forty five years ago,
with parentage reaching back on
one side to the Schuylers on the
other to an officer Of w ashiugton's
body guard. At ten years of age his
schooling ceased and he had found
new father. At thirteen he quilted
New York and his step-lather'S store
for a home in Indiana. At twenty
he was an editor, twelve hundred
dollars in debt. At twentv-seven he
was a candidate for Congress-al-
ready a young widower made sadder
but manlier by a deserved love. A
thirty he was a Congressman, as he
has been ever since, and three times
elected Speaker of the House, the
third position in the nation. At the
base of this successful career we find
neither wealth, chicanerv nor patron
age, but good citizenship, faithful
public services. steadfast self-respect,
and cheerful temper. 1t is a quiet
career of success under republican
institutions, with steady talents, 'qnicl
perce ntions. and excellent confidence !
His model IN the State has been Hen
rv Clay, whose manners were like his
own, and he confesses to have mod |
eled his speakership upon Clay's ca
reer as Speaker of the House; " New
er hoping" he says, to "reach this
high standard, it has ever been before
my mind, as the scui ptor studies the
model Of the great master of his art.
In this position he has never been
traduced till of late, when during the |
Impeachment trial the majority of the |
House connived at certain quarrels, /
bit the Speaker himself has aimed,
in his own language, to make all !
" forgetful of the asperities winch |
should perish with the occasion that
evokes them.
Mr.. Colfax is member Of the Dutch
Reformed Church, and total absti-
nence Is one of his private principles. /
He is loving traveller, by foot and
stage. HIS oratory is fervid and for
id together, and has served his party
handsomely in trying times, while his
judgement Is guarded vet decisive as
hls mode Of speech. Ofhis speeches
| have collected some illustrations
from various parts of the Globe.
Thus he SAID of the employment of
negro troops:
Il do not cali negro soldiers bet
tsr than white ones. If l was TO ex-
press my own opinion it should be
that those of nv own color are better
and braver; for | have always told
you, in spite Of charges TO the contra
~. that l believe the Anglo Saxon
race was superior to any other that
walks the footstool of God II
So he said of moral faithfulness in
legislation: -
:. Whether travelling in the valley
Of humiliation or disaster. or keeping
my eyes on the heavens, l believe
/ God reigns. | don't believe his bles-
sings will fall on the Confederacy.
Gods ways are sometimes dark. but
sooner or later they reach the shin
ing hills Of day.
/ He first announced the Republican
platform after the breach with Mr..
johnson, thus:
Let Us make haste slowly. and
we can then hope that the foundation