The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-03-28

to. see 1t killed by any amount Of evidence
whatever The charge can be made in q
line. 1t takes a column to reply. And
so much explanation shows there was
something OF it, And. when IL is forgotten,
the old lie can be set agoing in another
single sentence. But in spite OF the insati-
ate and fiendish malignity of the sun,
which rehashes II every week OF tvSo and
keeps At IL tho ten years have elapsed, il
has ceased 10 hurt my feelings. / find as
you say, such vast numbers who confide in
my integrity. and my present life Is 50
was that when the heather rage L look
on quite calmly.
PUBLIC HONORS NO INDICTMENT.
II have read and reread all you write
about returning to public life. but no
temptation could induce me to do IT,
have weighed all the considerations you
urge so strongly but they are far out
weighed by others. honestly believe IL
1 had remained In public life 1 would have
been dead long ere this. while my health
now is better than when 1 was a public
servant l was wearing out from the multi
tudinous exactio. and worries and re-
sponsibllities OF public life, tho / did not
realize II then. You have doubtless forgot
ten the attack OF twelve years ago, wnen
l was residing in the Senate on the treaty
or Washington, which settled our difficulties
with Great Britain, when L was Frustrated
so utterly ii took months TO recuperate
Now have an Independent life four times
as many lecture invitations as / can ac-
cept' a round OF visits ali over the coun-
try for seven or eight months per year,
spending every Sunday with my family, as
nix all my dates and arrange all my
routes r,1 OF travel myself, and talking about
my own times, ETC., etc.
You can't magine the repugnance with
when now View the service of the many
Vulnerable exactions of all kinds, the
never ending work and worry. the exp,a-
nations matte, about everything which the public
ION IN fhl 1arlrn -
Independence as to your goings and COM
ings. the Observation-Disclosures the envyings.
paGkDitlng, ETC., etc. etc
1T is comparatively easy TO renresent a
single district and its interests. But YOU
VIII remember that the last ten years I
was In public life as Speaker and Vice
President, my constituency widened to the
entire nation, and my entire time by day
and nearly all the nights often were mort
over the land by the hundreds OF thou
sands literally IL would take four to six
secretaries, / should think. TO attend to all
the department business. the office applica-,
tons, the correspondence on all conceivable
subjects that would come to me if 1 were
10 return 10 public life now. Besides, when
in IL, / held all the offices 1 ever had any
ambition for. Why commence again at the
foot of the ladder, when too old now TO
climb up again and when / have realized
that 1t is all vanity and vexation of spirit?
Look at the issues now as compared with
the grand and momentouS ones when / was
at the helm in the two houses OF Congress-
Important as they may be. yet what con-
traSt TO the past
81 have reserved in this hurried reply the
one which you have more largely in your
mind TO the decentralization But, my dear
sir. there is no vindication in elections on
partisan nominations by a political majori-
ty. The case OF Henry Clay, 10 which I
have referred, proves this But take later
with the same calumny and felt IL keenly.
But, knowing his innocence and having a
district with ten thousand Republican ma
lcan majority in the United StateS), he
determined to fight ii down. He was elected
But the calumny cut his ma1orit5 down to
he was elected and the next time he in
creased this diminished majority TO six
thousand and the next II was back to the
old figure. Their the legislature, by an
unanimous Republican vote in caucus and
in joint committee, elected him United
States Senator. But after all this, when
nominated for President the old lie sprang
into life again and 1929 which represented
1t, was pasted everywhere till the Republic
ans were actually forced TO trample out
the lie which repeated indications by cleo
tons could not extinguish.
After Maine went back on US in Septem-
ber 1880. and the cause seemed lost, till In
diana made that wonderful rally In october
and turned the tide OF battle. Garfield suf-
defeated' and the great national reverse
charged in history to the Credit Mobilier
charge against him. as it would have been.
al cannot continue this argument. Suffice
IL to say / have served the Nation and my
party twenty years faithfully and must be
fSeus ETH this Very hurried letter and be-
lieve me- with sincere acknowledgements
of your kind letter. Very truly yours,
SCHUYLER COLFAX"
a few months later ColfaX died suddenly
and alone while sitting in the railway sta
ton at Mankato, Mimi, awaiting train
TO take him to complete lecture engage
ment A sweeter spirit, kindlier or more
forgiving nature a more sincere ana up
right purpose, never existed tnan tnat
which animated the life and beautified the
character of Schuyler Colfax.