Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1868-05-28
SCHUYLER coLFAx.
a BRIEF BIOGRAPHY
From putuam's Magazine for June.l

From Putnam's Magazine for June.l
Schuyler Colfax was born at house in
North Moore street, near West Broadway,
in the City of New York, March %, 1923.
His mother but sixteen years his senior.
He received good common school educa-
ton; was bred printer and settled in In
diana in 1886. He soon became foremen
and assistant editor of the village paper Of
South Bend. 1t was then very small sheet,
such as every Western settlement issues, as
a sort Of flyer to job printing business as
soon as it has got its school-house, grocery,
hotel, and blacksmith shop, and begins to
think about having Westinghouse The
typo out West frequently gets the start
of the preacher, though the race is close.
Those who saw Colfax then sat the case
describe him as a light, spindling, faxen-
in the Yankee than the English sense -
with a dclicacy of temperament which
suggested doubt whether he had the
stamina to live to manhood, without the
faintest suggestion that in his matnre
years he would be Speaker of the
House, and the second choice of the
country for President. The news then
came to South Bend by stage from Detroit,
or up the st. 10 River from the Lake. There
was but little of ii, and though Mr.. Colfax
became the editor and publisher of the South
Bend Register as soon as he became of aye,
other and subsequent evidences were required
to establish his claim to intellectual superb
ority. In 1918 he was delegate to and
Secretary Of the Wing National Convention.
| In 1850 he was member of the Indiana
| Constitutional Convention. In 1859 he WAS
again Secretary of the Wing National Con
vention. He was elected to the Thirty fourth
| Congress, and has been regularly reelected
| to every subsequent Congress. He was
elected Speaker of the Thirty-eighth Con-
gress, and has been reelected Speaker of the
| Thirty-ninth and Fortie:h. lie was urged
| but he declined to accept seat in the United
States Senate, preierring his presiding chair
| in the House. His open, pleasant face, has
become familiar 10 large audiences through
out the country, who have listened to his
addresses upon political topics, upon the
| late President Lincoln-by whom he was
warmly loved,-upon his tour across the
continent to the Pacific, or upon subjects
connected with the work of the Sanitary
and Christian Commissions.
He is pure in his personal and moral habits,
has broad, outspoken, and catholic sympa-
thy with every good work Of reform, whetli-
er political, moral. intellectual, or religious,
and has the warm and enthusiastic conf
dence of Christians and temperance reform
crs throughout the country. He attends,
| and we believe is Il member of the Reformed
| Dutch Church, and is thorough teetotalst.
| Without being educated as scholar indus
| trious reading has given him much of what
is valuable in scholarship unalloyed by its
pedantry, its clannishness, or its egotism.
Without being bred n lawyer practical fam
iiarity with legislation has taught him all
that is most valuable in law, freed from the
| conservatism and inaptitudc for change and
reform which rest like an incubus on so
| many of those minds which are bred by the
habits of the legal profession to look for pre-
cedents which show what the law has been,
rather than to broad principles which settle
what the law ought to be. Yet Mr.. Coliax
has frequently shown the happiest familiarity
with precedents, especially in questions oi
parliamentary practice. As apresiding ofli-
since Henry Clay. His marvellous quickness
Of thought, and talent for the rapid admin
istration of details, enables him to hold the
reins of the House of Representatives, even
in its most boisterous and turbulent moods
(and with the exception of the New York
Board of Brokers, the British House of Com
mons, or Fair at Donnybrook, it is the
most uproarious body in the world), with as
much ease and grace as Mr.. Bonner would
show the PAGES Of Dexter in Central Park,
or as Gottschalk would thread the keys OF
piano, in Il dreamy maze of faultless, quiv-
ering melody. As an orator, MIR. Coliax is
not aigumentatiye, except as clear state
ment and sound Judgment arc convincing.
He rides no erratic hobbies. He demands
few policies which the average sense of intel
ligent men cannot be made to assent to on q
clear statement OF his position. He is emf
nently representative. A glance at his broad
balanced, practical brain, indicates that
his leading faculty is the sum of all the facul
Iies-judgmcnt, and that what he believe.
{ the majority Of the people either believe OF
can be made to believe. Some men may bt
| further ahead of the age Mr. CofaX find
sufficient occupation and usefulness in adapt
) ing himself TO times and things as they arc
without cutting his throat with paradoxes oi
, stealing a march on mankind with som'
, new light, which they are very likely to re
gard as a "wil-o'-the-wisp." He has NJ
eccentrcities, but great tact. Ills talent
are administrative and executive, rathe
than deliberative. He would make goot
appointments, and adopt sure policies. HI
! would make better President, or Spcake
: of the House than Senator. He knows mel
!. well, estimates them correctly, treats then
e all fairly and canddly. No man will sc
7 through his business with you in fewer min
!, ntes, and yet none is more free from tn
horrid 6ruSquensss of busy men. Ther
9 are heart ard kindness in Mr.. ColfaX's pc
: likeness. Men leave his presence with th
Z impression that he is at once an able, honest
:. and kind man. Political opponents lik
!, him personally, as well ms his friends. w
have never heard that he has any enemies
J. The breath of slander has been silent towar
c his fair, spotless fame The wife of hi
II youth, after being for long lime an invalit
II sank to her final rest several years ago, ,leas
t, ing him childless. His mother and sstel
y preside at his receptions, which for man
:. years have been, not the most brilliant, br
II the most popular of any given at the Cal
is ltal. Socially, Mr. Coiax is frank, lively .oll,
1t may be that he feels his oats to some dt
l.. gree, but dignity hasn't spoiled him. Til
1t everlasting I-hood and Us-ness of great me
e is forgotten in his presence His manners al
,r not quite so familiar as those of Liuceln, bt
!. nearly so. They arc gentle, natural, grac,
IT full with bird-like or business-like quicl
n ness of thought and motion. Thougl
manly, they are genial and winning Anne
ican mothers believe in Schuyler Cola!
There are more babies named for him tina
y for any public man since Clay. 1t is sui
N test of greatness when mothers are willl
Ne to take the name of public man to the bal
q tismal font, and sacredly link together tn
II ott-repcated name and that tender, untled
IN ed lite, with holy prayer. They know tina
,e come what will, that name, however tri,
% and tempted, will never disgrace their o
G. spring. What more shall we say Of Schuy
s. er Colfax? The nation honors him. v
g. are willing TO believe he will some day
,d President. Whether President or not,
IN can afford to be riDht.
IL
" The income of Zach. Chandler, Unit
~ States Senator from Michigan, is 'Si2,5tS.
10 Day of final judgment; Second of 9