The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1885-01-21
Schuyler C0lfax Dead.

Ex-Vice-President Colfax dropped dead
Tuesday forenoon in a railway station in
Mankato, MINI. He arrived from the East
at ten o'clock, walked three-fourths of a
mile to the Omaha station, and lived about
five minutes after arriving at that place.
The mercury was at thirty degrees below
zero, and it is supposed that the extreme
cold the over-exertion and the subsequent
heat caused fatal arrangement of the
hearts action. The following is an cpl
tome of his life Schuyler Colfax was
born in New York city on March %, 1923.
Until he was ten years old he attended the
common schools. His training then ended
and he was launched into life. He began
Then he removed, with his mother and
stepfather-a Mr.. Matthews-to Indiana,
where they settled in st. Joseph county.
Mr.. Colfax became clerk in a store at
New-Carlisle, and remained in that position
until he was seventeen years old. In 1910,
while still boy, he made his first appear
ance in public life. He was appointed dep
uty auditor for the county, and in order to
properly discharge his duties removed to
the town of South Bend. There he en-
ployed all the hours which he might have
devoted to recreation to hard study in or
der to remedy the defects of his earlier edu
cation. He read law industriously, and
among his friends was deemed an authority
on legal matters. He entered into journal
ism, writing for the local paper and for sew
eral years reporting the proceedings of the
Indiana legislature for the indianapolis
journal. In 1915 he became the proprietor
and editor of the 81. Joseph Valley Register,
the local newspaper of South Bend. At
the outset he had only two hundred fifty
subscribers. He worked hard, but at the
end of the first year was 81 400 in debt.
He was on the high road to success few
years later, but his office was burned out,
and he had to begin again. He worked en-
ergetically and in few years made the ST.
Joseph Valley Register the most influential
newspaper in that portion of Indiana. In
1913 he was delegate and secretary to the
wing national convention which nominated
General Taylor. In 1S49, although his dis
trict was not wing, he was elected a MEM
Der of the convention to revise the consttu-
ton of the state of Indiana. He was soon
afterward offered a nomination to the state
senate, but declined. In 1851 he was nom
mated for congress, and was defeated by
only two hundred votes in district OPP
posed to him politically In 1852 he was a
delegate to the wing national convention
which nominated General Scott. He de-
clined to be candidate for congress in the
subsequent election. The succeeding con-
gress passed the Nebraska bill, and the rep
resentative from Mr. Colfax's district made
himself unpopular by voting for it. When
he took the stump as a candidate for re-
election, Mr.. Colfax opposed him and was
elected by majority OF two thousand, a
Colfax at once took a prominent position in
the house. He detected and foiled two at
tempts to put democratic speaker in the
chair, and during the debates on the Kansas
Nebraska bill delivered two strong speeches
in behalf of the free settlers. One of these
addresses was published as a campaign doc
ument by the republican party in 1886.
While in Washington he was nominated for
reelection, and carried his district, although
the national election went against his party.
He was reelected to each succeeding con-
gress until he was chosen for higher honors.
! In the thirty-ffth congress he was a mem
| Der OF the committee on Indian affairs, and
| in the thirty-siXth he was chairman of the
committee on post-offices and post-roads
| He was active in extending the mall facil-
tiles of the West and in reforming the
| postal laws. The nomination of Abraham
Lincoln in 1860 was highly satisfactory to
Mr.. ColfaX, and he labored earnestly for his
| election. Mr.. Lincoln always regarded him
as firm friend. At the opening of the
thirty-eighth congress, in December, 1868
Mr.. Colfax was elected speaker of the house
of representatives He was twice reelected
to the office, on each occasion by larger
majority than before. In April, 1865, he
went with party of friends on a journey to
San Francisco. He called to take leave Of
President Lincoln. In an hour afterward
| he was astounded by the intelligence thai
the president had been assassinated. Before
starting for California Mr.. Colfax delivered
a eulogy on the president in Chicago, ant
repeated it in Colorado, Utah and California
Mr. Colfax was well received Throughout
the West, and on his return delivered lee
ture entitled Across the Continent" Or
May 20, 1868, the national republican con
vention assembled in Chicago. After Tho
nomination OF General Grant Mr.. Cola,
was nominated for the ce-presidency oil
the first ballot. The news of his nomina
ton was received with great enthusiasm II
Washington, where he was personally yer!
popular. He made a brief speech, in thu
course of which he spoke with great earnest
ness of the republican triumph in abolishinl
slavery. Mr. Colfax entered actively int
the campaign, which was an exciting con
test, and resulted in decisive victory fo
the republican ticket. When General Gran
was renominated, Mr.. ColfaX was beaten b,
Henry Wilson in the contest for the seconC
place ON the ticket Charges were brough
against Mr.. ColfaX in connection with tn,
Credit Mobilier matter, and this resulted il
his retirement from public life.
OWING TO Irregularities in the Merchant
and the Shetucket National banks of Nor
witch, Conn, the Merchants bank has los
about 100000 and the Shetucket banl
about $4,000 through speculation ON thu
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