Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1872-06-20
JOHN MlLLIKAN, Editor and Publisher
An Interview with Mr.. Colfax

A nmber of Indiana delegates to the
National Republican Convention, witt
Indiana Republican Congressman, called
at the Vice Presidents room at the Cap
itol yesterday. Judge Denny, of Evans
vile addressed Mr. Colfax in their behalf
as follows.
MIR. Vice President,-those of the
Indiana delegates now in the city on their
way home, with others of your personal
and political friends, are unwilling to leave
without making this call and expressing
their high appreciation of the invaluable
services rendered by you to the Republi-
can party and the country and while we. as
lndlanians, regret your defeat at the late
i hepublIcan Convention, where we earnes.-
/ ly lab0red for your nomination as candj-
date for the office of Vice President of the
United States, we at the same time feel
proud of your patriotic conduct in Joining
with us in the hearty and cordial endorse
ment of the ticket there nominated and
we hereby approve the sentiments contain
ed in your telegram to Col. Foster We
feel assured that we have a strong ticket.
which bears the name of men whose re-
spectiVe private and public characters are
so pure and high that the country must
approve them at the ballot box ia Novem-
ber Before closing this intrveiw we can
not refrain from expressing also our high
appreciation of the honorable manner in
which you saw fit to conduct yourself du-
rlng the earnest canvass made by the Ind
lana delegation at the Convention to in
sure your denomination. While we can
not resist the expression that had you
consented to make personal efforts in your
own behalf such as all candidates are per-
mitted to make without loss of character
or manhood, success might have crowned
our efforts. We are at the same time con
strained to admit that the dignified course
which you chose to adopt deserves
greater honor than could be conferred
by any office within the gift of the Ameri
can people. We beg leave to reassure
you ofour gratitude for the patriotic servi-
ces you have rendered the country, and OF
our personal esteem and confidence"
Mr. ColtaN replied that he was proud
to be the recipient of such warm and ear
nest friendship as that exhibited by the
delegations from Indiana and other states.
and SO kindly expressed in Judge Denny's
remarks. He bowed to the decision of the
Convention without murmur Of regret
and he should prove hereafter as faithful
To the Republican creed in private lie a.
when he had been the standard bearer OF
the cause. He reioiced that after eighteen
years OF public life, with all his acts, like
the open page of book, before the peo
pie, the worst that was said OF him. al
Philadelphia was that he had written
a letter stating his willingness to retire
from official position, and that he after
wards consented to accept a denomination
if the party deemed it best. This charge
he could not DENY, but he had never writ
ten or said anything broader tLan is found
in the expressions of that much quoted
letter. So much has been said lbout it
that, now the convention is over, he felt
he had the right to tell his home friends
W hat his lips had been sealed on hereto
fore, namely, that it was not written or
for publication. He had expect
ed to submit the desire he felt, and which
was expressed in it to leading Republicans
from his own state and elsewhere, when
Congress reassembled, for their advice
bat he said he must add, in justice to val
ued friend to whom he wrote, that the
letter was not marked contidential, and
bting from Il public man on putlic ques-
ton, that friend had an uuquestionable |
right to infer that it was not private, and, |
therefore, he justified him fully in print |
ing it. When he decided last winter at |
the appeal of many active Republicans !
from IIuitlna ana Ojilef sections OF the |
MON, that his denomination or retiracy |
was aquestiOn a of which the party should |
lecide rather than himself, he felt it would !
be improper 10 elcctioneer with any one
IN the subject, and he did not On the
contrary, he told every delegate that he
saw that his name ought not to be pre-
sented, if another could insure greater
lnity and certainty of victory to the cause
nc loved far better than political hOnOrs
The Republican organization, the record
IF whose great deeds for liberty, human
ty. justice, and nationality during the past
decade are unapproached by any political
party in any age, has other advancing
steps in progress and reform to take be-
fore disbandment or furlough from duty.
" hile joining himself therefore, to the
retired list without the slightest unkind
feeling toward any one who desired
change in the Vice Presidency, and wish
ing to obtain decisive vitcory in a CLOSELY
State in October, he should Join
with them in November in cordially sup
porting Ulysses S. Grant and Hery Wilson
for President and Vice President of the
United States.