The evening times., 1897-04-20
SCHC YLER COLFAX.
His Personal Ha bits in washington,
The Credit NobiIfer

His Personal Habits in Washington.
The Credit MobiIier.
Schuyler Colfax, was = man of medium
height, OF fair complexion, fun beard, with
shayen upper lip, blue eyes and an active.
nervous manner. The newspaper wits
used to call him -smiIer Colfax. from tbs
readiness with which sruiIe would come
upon his rather large mouth A genial
hearty manner and a thorough compreheu-
sion OF public affairs were the secrets of
his success in life. He had a habit Cf never
allowing any neEvspa per error concerning
himself to 60 without a correction. and
he was frequent visitor 70 the offices
In newspaper row on Fourteenth street In
Washington, late OF evenings, on the er-
rand OF pointing out TO the CORRESPONDENTS
some Measurements concerning his position
or expressions on public questions He was
always welcome, for he had been a news
paper man hlniselfin his younger days, and
he liked to drop a piece Of information
here and there that would make a good
paragraph for the special dispatches of the
ight
II was strange that, after all his years
OF fTiendliness with the Washington cor
respondents, they should have combined
against him, almOstiu body. al the Phila-
delphia convention Of 1872, where their in
fluence turned the scale in favor OF Henry
Wilson for the Vice Presidency. 1 was
at that convention for the New York
Tribune, but 1 did not Join in the hostile
movement against COlfax 1 always felt
a sincere liking for him In his dress and
manners he was very plain, but without
any affectatiOn OF simpli city. I remem-
Der that when gold shirt st uds first came
into fashion TO take the place OF the old
pearl buttons Garfield appeared one day
in the House with a set whch he had Just
purchased Colfax went up TO him ami
said: do you know, general. I should
not dare TO wear those things In my dis
trict. The farmers would think / was
putting on too much style" That was
not long before Blue jeans Williams was
elected governor Of Indiana mainly be-
cause of the suit of hOmespun clothes he
always wore Indiana has changed
good deal since that day.
COlfax vas driven out Of political life by
the Credit Mobilier scandal, which killed
politically some Of the best men who ever
sat in Congress. l reported the whole pro-
ceetiings for the Tribune at the Committee
table in the basement of the old Capitol
building. I did not believe then, and have
never since, that single one of the erci-
nent men who accepted thelittIe parceIsOf
Oakes Anes' stock did so with a corTuu5
motive, or that Oakes A mes gave them the
stock with any purpose OF influencing their
votes. They We're his personal fIienGs. and
they were poor men The corruptiOnisIs in
Congress were pretty well known to the
newspaper reporters, and no shadow Of
suspicion had ever fallen upon any one Of
those men. Ames' motive was. l believe.
10 do good turn to few Old friends who
in need Of making a little money.
The public mind was, however. intensely
lgItated at the time, and the newspapers
stirred up the feeling against these un-
men with merCilcSs pertinacity.
Some Of them made the mistake Of not tell
ng the whole truth about the transaction
COlfax, who stood within what seemed the
lirect succession to the Presidency Of the
United States, and was unquestionably one
Of the strongest and most popular men Of
that day, was forced into private life He
went upon the lecture platform afteTward
as a means OF gaining livelihood for his
'amIiy. I met him shortly before ms death
N railway station in Minnesota where
be was waiting for a belated train. He
tried to tell me how much he enjoyed being
9ut of political life and being a free man.
Dutit seemed to me there were tears in his
voice as he sp0ke.-Chicago Times-H Herald