NRLF LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. GIFT Received Accessions Shelf No. MEMORIAL ADDRESSES ON THE LIFE AND CHARACTER OF RUSH CLARK, (A REPRESENTATIVE FROM IOWA,) DELIVERED IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND IN THE SENATE, FORTY-SIXTH CONGRESS. SECOND SESSION. PUBLISHED BY ORDER OF CONGRESS. WASHINGTON: GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 188 I . JOINT RESOLUTION for printing the eulogies delivered in the Senate and House of Rep resentatives upon Honorable Rush Clark, deceased. Resolved by the Senate and Hoiise of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That nine thousand copies of the eulogies delivered in the two Houses of Congress upon the late RUSH CLARK be printed, six thousand copies for the use of I he House of Representatives and three thousand copies for the use of the Senate, and the Secretary of the Treasury have printed the portrait of Mr. CLARK to accompany the same; and for the defraying the expense of pro curing the said portrait the sum of five hundred dollars, or so much thereof as may be necessary, be, and is hereby, appropriated out of any money in the Treas ury not otherwise appropriated. Approved, February 25, 1 880. ADDRESSES ON THE DEATH OF RUSH CLARK PROCEEDINGS IN THE HOUSE. APRIL 29, 1879. Mr. PRICE. It becomes my mournful and painful duty, Mr. Speaker, to announce this morning to the House of Representatives the death of my colleague, Hon. RUSH CLARK, which occurred at his rooms at the National Hotel in this city yesterday afternoon, after a brief illness of only a few hours. At some future time I may ask the indulgence of the House to submit some extended remarks in reference to the life and character of my colleague. I think it proper to say at this time that after full consultation with the delegation from the State of Iowa and with the friends of the family, and in view of the time when the train will start, also in view of the fact that when the remains shall arrive at his old home his neighbors, acquaintances, and friends will hold funeral ceremonies, we have concluded to dispense with any funeral ceremonies in this Hall. It is due to the House and it is due to the friends that this explanation should be made. I now offer the resolutions which I send to the Clerk s desk. The Clerk read as follows: Resolved, That the House has heard with sincere regret the an nouncement of the death of Hon. RUSH CLARK, late a Representa tive from the State of Iowa. Resolved by tfie House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That a special joint committee of seven members and three Senators be appointed to take order for superintending the funeral and escort 3 PROCEEDINGS IN THE HOUSE. the remains of the deceased to his late residence in Iowa ; and the necessary expenses attending the execution of this order shall be paid out of the contingent fund of the House. Resolved, That the Clerk communicate the foregoing resolutions to the Senate. Resolved, That as a mark of respect to the memory of the deceased this House now adjourn. The SPEAKER. The House has heard the resolutions read by the Clerk. The question is upon the adoption of the resolutions. The resolutions were then adopted. The SPEAKER, in obedience to the second resolution, announced as the committee on the part of the House the following : Mr. PRICE, of Iowa; Mr. REAGAN, of TEXAS; Mr. HATCH, of Missouri; Mr. NEAL, of Ohio; Mr. HENDERSON, of Illinois; Mr. COOK, of Georgia, and Mr. BENNETT, of Dakota. And then, in accordance with the foregoing resolution, the House adjourned. APRIL 30, 1879. A message from the Senate, by Mr. BURCH, its Secretary, announced that the Senate had concurred in the resolution of the House provid ing for the appointment of a joint committee to take order for super intending the funeral and to escort the remains of Hon. RUSH CLARK, late a member of the House of Representatives from the State of Iowa, to his late residence; and that the President pro tempore had appointed Mr. KIRKWOOD, Mr. PLATT, and Mr. HEREFORD as the committee on the part of the Senate. The SPEAKER. The Chair desires, in this connection, to announce that the funeral services of Hon. RUSH CLARK will take place at half past six o clock this evening, at the National Hotel, and the remains will be removed to the cars at seven o clock. Members of this House PROCEEDINGS IN THE HOUSE. are respectfully invited to attend and to accompany the remains to the depot. JANUARY 14, 1880. Mr. PRICE, by unanimous consent, submitted the following reso lution; which was read, considered, and agreed to: Resolved, That the special order for Saturday, the 3ist day of Jan uary, 1880, at two o clock p. m., shall be the presentation of suitable resolutions in reference to the death of Hon. RUSH CLARK, late a member of this House, and the expression by members of the esteem in which he was held by his associates on this floor. JANUARY 31, 1880. Mr. PRICE. Mr. Speaker, I arise for the purpose of submitting res olutions of respect to the memory of Hon. RUSH CLARK, late one of my colleagues in this House, and I ask that the resolution introduced by me on the i4th day of this month be read by the Clerk. The Clerk read as follows: Resolved, That the special order for Saturday, the 3ist day of Jan uary, 1880, at two o clock p. m., shall be the presentation of suitable resolutions in reference to the death of Hon. RUSH CLARK, late a member of this House, and the expression by members of the esteem in which he was held by his associates on this floor. ADDRESS OF yVlR. PRICE, OF JoWA. Mr. SPEAKER: For an hour we stop the wheels of legislation, and turn our backs upon questions which cause diversity of opinion and clash of conflicting interests, to give attention to the consideration of a subject and an event which no legislation can affect and no statute can change. ADDRESS OF MR. PRICE ON THE Death, it is well understood, is no respecter of persons. He strikes alike in cabin, cottage, or palace. Place, position, or power makes no change in his purpose. On this floor he has repeatedly asserted his prerogative as a privileged member. No resolution or statute de vised by human ingenuity or enforced by human power controls in any degree his movements. When he demands the previous ques tion it is always seconded, always sustained. No motion to post pone, commit, or amend is in order. The grim monster never lacks a quorum, and can always command a majority, for "all that tread this earth are but a handful compared to those that slumber in its bosom." My late colleague, Hon. RUSH CLARK, commenced his career in this House at the opening of the Forty-fifth Congress with apparently as good a prospect of long life as most of us, and because of his fewer years much better than some of us. But, sir, in the meridian of his manhood, with, hopes and aspirations reaching onward into the future, and upward toward the achievement of deeds which might make the world glad that he had lived, he was in an unexpected moment, and almost without notice, arrested by the summons which sooner or later will be served upon all of us, and compelled to ex hibit his accounts and his character where forever the debits and credits of the former must remain as he placed them, and the latter know no change except in degree. Mr. CLARK was born in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, October ii, 1834; graduated at Jefferson College in that State in 1853, and removed to Iowa City the same year, where he resided until his death. He was a member of the General Assembly of the State of Iowa from 1860 to 1864, and for two years of that time speaker of the house; he was also a member of the board of trustees of the Iowa State University; in all of which positions he discharged the duties devolving upon him in such a manner as to command the re spect and confidence of all classes of people. LIFE AND CHARACTER OF RUSH CLARK. My acquaintance with Mr. CLARK was of a general and not of an intimate character until I met him as a member on this floor. I shall therefore leave others to speak more particularly of his character as a man and a citizen. I may be permitted, however, to say that as a man Mr. CLARK was social, unassuming, and kind in his deportment. As a legislator, either State or national, his constituents could rely implicitly on his energy, industry, and h onesty in attending promptly to all the business which belonged to his position; and the members of this House who served with him in the Forty-fifth Congress, and in the first or special session of the Forty-sixth Congress, until his death, will bear witness to the fact that few members were more con stantly in their seats during the session of the House than he. Mr. CLARK was apparently in as good health as usual on the even ing of one day, and on the evening of the next he had no place among the living. The going down of the sun on the evening of the 2yth of April, 1879, found him busy with the cares and activities of this life. The setting of the sun on the evening of the next day found him a dweller in the spirit land. This sad event, Mr. Speaker, forces the conviction upon all of us who still occupy positions on the time side of the river of death That when the angel of shadow Rests his feet on wave and shore And our eyes grow dim with watching, And our hearts faint at the oar, Happy is he who heareth The signal of his release In the bells of the Holy City, The chimes of eternal peace. But, sir, no eulogy that I can pronounce, no tribute that 1 can bring to the memory of my late colleague, can equal that which was accorded him by the people of his own city, his neighbors and ac quaintances who had known him intimately for more than a quarter of a century, and who turned out en masse to his funeral. His mon- ADDRESS OF MR. PRICE ON THE ument is in the hearts of those who knew him longest and best. Mr. Speaker, Mr. CLARK is no longer of this earth. He will answer never again to the roll-call in this Chamber. He has been called to visit that "undiscovered country, from whose bourn no traveler re turns." And may I not add, sir, that these sudden and solemn calls so frequently made upon members of this House during the last two years should admonish us wh o remain to So live, that when the summons comes to join The innumerable caravan which moves To that mysterious realm, where each shall take His chamber in the silent halls of death, We go not, like the quarry slave at night, Scourged to his dungeon, but, sustained and soothed By an unfaltering trust, approach the grave Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams. I submit the following resolutions : The Clerk read as follows: Resolved, That this House has heard with deep regret of the death of Hon. RUSH CLARK, late a member of this House from the State of Iowa. Resolved, That as a testimony of respect to his memory the officers and members of this body will wear the usual badge of mourning for the space of thirty days. Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be transmitted by the Clerk to the family of the deceased. Resolved, That the Clerk be directed to communicate a copy of these proceedings to the Senate, and that as a further mark of respect to the memory of the deceased this House do now adjourn. LIFE AND CHARACTER OF RUSH CLARK. ADDRESS OF y\A.R. pOFFROTH, OF PENNSYLVANIA. Mr. SPEAKER: RUSH CLARK, our deceased brother, was born in the district that I have the honor to represent in this Congress. There fore, it is fitting in me to rise to second the resolutions presented to this body in respect to him and to bring my tribute to his worth and my praise to his many ennobling qualities. RUSH CLARK was born in the beautiful village of Schellsburgh, Bedford County, Penn- sylvania,on the nth day of October, 1834. His father, John Clark, was of Scotch-Irish family and was born in Cumberland County, Penn sylvania. His mother was born near the line between the States of Pennsylvania and Maryland, opposite Hancock. His parents were among the early settlers of the lovely valley in which RUSH was born, and they were universally respected and beloved far and near by all who knew them for their hospitality and their upright Christian walk. RUSH CLARK was the sixth son of John and Mary Clark. His deep and fervent love for his father and mother made him linger long around the threshold of his childhood s home. During the period when he was at home basking in parental affection I first made his acquaintance. How well I now remember his happy home, the warm brotherly and sisterly love that ever greeted him ! He was generous and kind, intellectually bright, and full of life, energy, and untiring zeal. He did not doubt when he met obstacles or reverses in his pathway; he moved on with renewed courage until he over came every difficulty and accomplished his aim. His boyhood days were pleasant and happy. He imbibed and ingrafted into his being the loveliness of the country in which he lived. There the morning sun kissed into life and beauty the many flowers that grew up around his home; there the evening shadows of 2 R c 10 ADDRESS OF MR. COFFROTH ON THE the mighty Alleghany rested upon the earth he trod. He was sur rounded by relatives and friends who encouraged him to deeds of kindness and honor. A relative who loved him and knew him well writes me, " If I were called upon to pass a eulogium ever so brief, it would be that RUSH CLARK loved his mother and lived for the good he might do others." What more need be said in praise of our de ceased brother? He will live in the memory of alHhose who knew him. The great good he did for others surpasses in grandeur the greatest intellectual and political achievements of his wonderfully suc cessful life. Ecclesiastes taught that " a good name is better than precious ointment." Lord Bacon said, " Death has this also, that it opens the gate to good fame and extinguished! envy." Thus it will be with the memory of our deceased brother. His good name, his kind disposition, his benevolence, his pleasing manners, his great ability, and his social qualities will be remembered long after his body molders to " mother dust." He was liberally educated. He attended the schools at Schells- burgh; then went to the Ligonier Academy in Westmoreland County, a place of learning of high reputation, under the charge of an elder brother; from there he entered Jefferson College and graduated with the highest honors. He then went West to carve for himself a name and fame in a new country far from his relatives and the friends of his youth. He located in Iowa City, then the capital of the State, read law, and was admitted to the bar. He gallantly and manfully strug gled in his profession to attain eminence, and soon made for himself a reputation that secured him a good practice. In 1860, at the age of twenty-six, he was elected a member of the General Assembly of Iowa, and was continued in the position until the close of the session of 1864, and was speaker of the house in 1863 and 1864. He also held a number of positions of trust and honor in the State ; and was elected in 1876 to the Forty-fifth Congress, and in 1878 re-elected to the Forty-sixth Congress. LIFE AND CHARACTER OF RUSH CLARK. Mr. Speaker, we separated in the days of his boyhood, and only met again here at the extra session. I did not then imagine that in a few days we would separate to meet no more until the great waters of the deep, the mountains, and the valleys give up their dead. The last time I saw him alive was the night before his death; when we parted he said, " We will meet in the House to-morrow." We did not meet. Death during the night laid its icy grasp upon him, and when the hour arrived when we should have met at the House, his spirit was taking its flight from " the shore touched by the mysteri ous sea that never yet has borne on any wave the image of a home ward sail." How sudden was his death! He was in the prime of life. Many years of distinction and honor were apparently before him. He was beloved, because he was frank, candid, and sincere, and looked with the eye of charity upon the failings and mistakes of men. " He be lieved in the power of kindness, and spanned with divine sympathy the gulf that separates the fallen from the pure." We are called upon to mourn the loss of one who in a brief time accomplished much, but promising more and more if he had not been cut off so early in life. Ne er gathered the reaper fruit more fair, Never the shadows of dark despair Fell on a deeper woe. Gone from his task half complete, Gone from caresses kind and sweet, Into Death s arms of snow. Mr. Speaker, I have no language to describe my feelings when I viewed his form encased in the casket of the dead. Handsome in death as he was pure in life, I remembered that Shakespeare had defined death to be " the blind cave of eternal night," and I trem bled at the thought, but I quickly drew sweet and enduring consola tion from the divine promise of the Saviour of mankind when he de clared: " In rny Father s house are many mansions; if it were not ADDRESS OF MR. SAPP ON THE so I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." Bulwer has feelingly expressed: There is no death! The stars go down To rise upon some fairer shore, And bright in Heaven s jeweled crown They shine forevermore. His remains are interred in his adopted State. The people of Iowa will cherish his memory for his devotion to their interests, and the statutes and public records of that State will be a lasting monument to his intellect and legal ability. His friends in Pennsylvania will forever mourn his loss, and the country at large will regret the early and sudden demise of an able Representative in Congress. Gone from his country s august claim, Where he, from the lofty dome of fame, Hung like a bright polar star ; Swift as a sunbeam snatched away By a sudden cloud when April day Broods in the heavens afar. ADDRESS OF yVLR. J3APF, OF JoWA. Mr. SPEAKER: Death, always an unwelcome messenger, is espe cially so when he claims as his victim one with whom we have been closely associated. This thought is impressed upon my mind on this occasion, set apart in commemoration of the death of my late col league, Hon. RUSH CLARK. In sorrow for the necessity which ex ists, I, too, sir, second the motion to adopt the resolutions before us. There are times when obituaries become an imperative duty, and a conviction of this is the motive that governs me to-day. Our rela tions for many years were such that it makes this duty a painful one; but I cannot allow this occasion to pass without paying a brief trib ute to his memory. I have not the gift of eulogy, and will not at- LIFE AND CHARACTER OF RUSH CLARK. 13 tempt to make one ; but I would, while these solemn rites are passing, lay a few garlands of regard and affection on his grave. Mr. CLARK died at his hotel in this city on the 28th day of April last, suddenly and unexpectedly. No intelligence of his sickness and approaching dissolution had reached his constituents, neighbors, and friends at his home until after Death, the conqueror of all, had done his work. I parted with him in the afternoon of the day preceding his death to visit my home in the West. He was then buoyant and hopeful, saying to me as I left him that he never felt better in his life. On the following morning but one I was startled by the shocking intelli gence that he was dead. And in the same hour, by the electric spark, the sad announcement that " Hon. RUSH CLARK, of Iowa, is dead" sped away to his far-off home, to his friends and trusting con stituents. Mr. CLARK was a native of Pennsylvania, having been born at Schellsburgh, Bedford County, in that State, on the nth day of October, 1834. His education was begun in the public schools, after which he re ceived an academic training preparatory to entering Jefferson Col lege, at which institution he graduated with honors in 1853. Shortly after this, filled with that spirit of enterprise which has led to the wonderful growth and development of the great West, he emigrated to Iowa, selecting as his home Iowa City. He first commenced the study of medicine, but in a short time, finding this profession uncon genial to his tastes and wishes, he turned his attention to the study of law, and, when prepared, was admitted to practice in the several courts of that State. From that time until his death he kept an office and practiced this profession with success. Mr. CLARK was repeatedly called upon by his fellow-citizens to fill places of honor and trust. He was elected by the people of Johnson County to represent them in the General Assembly in 1860, and was 14 ADDRESS OF MR. SAPP ON THE re-elected to that office in 1862, serving during this term as speaker of the house of representatives. He was elected to and held the honorable and responsible position of trustee of the Iowa State Uni versity from 1862 until 1866. He was again elected a representative to the State Legislature, which position he resigned upon being nom inated by the party to which he belonged as their candidate for Rep resentative to the Forty-fifth Congress, and to which he was elected. He served with fidelity and ability, as all of us know who served with him in that Congress. So faithfully and well had he served the people who elected him that he was renominated without opposition and was again elected by a very large majority to this Congress. I shall not attempt to give even a general statement of the way he performed the arduous and responsible duties of Representative here, but this much may with propriety be said, that in the discharge of his public duties the great leading and controlling question with him was : What is right ? And when he had settled that question he firmly adhered to his convictions, never permitting considerations of policy or expediency to divert him from the right. He was unremitting in his attention to the business, interests, and wants of his constituents, ever devoting himself to the discharge of his whole duty to them and "to the country. He was prompt, regular, and constant in his attendance upon the sessions of the House and the meetings of his committees. Mr. CLARK possessed a quick, active mind, enabling him at a glance to comprehend a subject requiring thought and study with many others. As a man he was always, under all circumstances, urbane, kind, courteous, and genial. His generosity knew no bounds. Ever thoughtful of the happiness and well-being of others, he was of necessity a marked favorite in the community in which he lived. Possessing these noble qualities in a high degree, he endeared him self to all with whom he was intimately associated. But there are none, sir, who know so well the full measure of his LIFE AND CHARACTER OF RUSH CLARK. 15 noble generosity, of his kind and sympathizing heart, as do the grief- stricken wife and children who were the recipients of all that is good and noble in a husband and father. Yet we should pause here and draw the veil over a sorrow so sacred. It is not for us to intrude therein. It has been said that a merciful Providence confers on man a most gracious boon when He conceals from him the " time that he shall cease to be." Spared the weary hours of pain, the wan specter of. anxiety and anguish, the relentless warnings of the pale messen ger, he receives unheralded the final stroke. To those who so believe there may be comfort in the death of our friend whose early sum mons we all so much deplore. His call was so sudden, so unex pected, that it is difficult to believe that the seal of death has really been placed upon him, that he has crossed the cold river to the spirit land, and that all there was of earth to him has forever passed away. Truly " in the midst of life we are in death." ADDRESS OF yViR. MANNING, OF MISSISSIPPI. Mr. SPEAKER : The inexorable voice of mortality is again heard in these halls of legislation for the sixth time in the recent past, and pursuant to an immemorial custom, we have ceased our daily routine of labors that we may pay fitting tribute to the memory of our de parted associate, RUSH CLARK. I ask but a brief space in which to contribute a modest chaplet on the same hallowed shrine, in addition to the highly graceful tributes which have been presented by those who were longer and more inti mately acquainted with our deceased friend than myself. We were all greatly shocked by the suddenness with which he was stricken down while at his post of duty in this city, on the 28th day of April last, and while in the midst of a public career honorable to himself and his people. 1 6 ADDRESS OF MR. MANNING ON THE The simple story of his life is a far better eulogy than the plaudits of admiring friends. He was born in Schellsburgh, Pennsylvania, on the ist of October, 1834, and was therefore called to enter the great beyond in the forty-fifth year of his age. His alma mater was Jeffer son College of the same State; and immediately after graduating at that college in 1853 he removed to Iowa City, Iowa, where he con tinued to reside, and in a short time thereafter entered upon the prac tice of the law. As a lawyer he soon enjoyed that distinction to which he was entitled by his marked ability, energy, and integrity. In 1860, when the war clouds were lowering upon the country, in the hope of serving his State at this critical juncture, he was elected to the Legislature and at once took front rank among the leaders of the party to which he belonged. In 1 86 1, when the tocsin of war first sounded in the land and the whole population was springing to arms, he accepted service upon the staff of Iowa s governor with the rank of lieutenant-colonel, and was at once active and efficient in sending forward to the war armed men for the maintenance of the Union of States. In 1862 he was re-elected to the Legislature, and was elevated to the position of speaker, the delicate and responsible duties of which place he discharged with dignity, ability, and fairness, although at that time he was only about twenty-eight years of age. Soon after the restoration of peace he resumed the practice of his profession, forming a copartnership with Judge W. J. Haddock, which continued until dissolved by his untimely death. He re-entered the halls of his State Legislature in 1876, although to do so involved a sacrifice of his personal and business interests. At the ensuing Con gressional election he was rewarded by his party for the eminent and patriotic service he had rendered his State and country by electing him to the Forty-fifth Congress, and again in 1878 by returning him to the Forty-sixth Congress. Those who knew him upon this floor know how faithfully and LIFE AND CHARACTER OF RUSH CLARK. 17 5 promptly he responded to every duty that devolved upon him, and it is not strange that his generous impulses, strong mental faculties, pure private and public character, and love of country s honor and welfare, secured for him a warm place in the hearts of his constituency, whose interests he ever guarded and protected with so much zeal and effi ciency. An exalted public spirit ever animated his breast; and every movement, whether originated in legislative halls or elsewhere, which in his judgment tended to benefit the country in large or small degree, and bring peace and fraternal relations to the whole people, received his utmost aid. Now that his life is finished the testimony is cheerfully borne by all who knew him, without regard to party affiliations, that he left to his family, friends, and country a name without a stain. The following resolutions adopted by the citizens and professional associates of his distant home attest the esteem and affection of those in whose midst his life has been spent : As citizens of Iowa City, desiring to express our sorrow in view of the death of our friend and neighbor, Hon. RUSH CI.ARK, we resolve: 1. That we cherish a grateful remembrance of his many public and private vir tues, his genial disposition and courteous bearing, ar.d his ready and able advocacy of all that tended to promote the material, social, and educational prosperity of our city. 2. That we rejoice in the merited distinction which he attained in his profession and in the legislat.ve councils of the State and nation, and we deeply mourn that his life should so suddenly close in the midst of so much promise of usefulness and honor. 3. That our sympathy is hereby tendered to the family and relatives of our de parted friend, knowing as we do that this bereavement robs them of one whose domestic virtues rendered him peculiarly d< ar to them. Truly, it can be said of him, "He was the noblest work of God an honest man." He was too brief a time a Representative in the Congress of this Government to afford him either time or opportunity to adequately impress upon the country the many sterling qualities of head and heart which so much adorned his character, and which would have 1 8 ADDRESS OF MR. MANNING ON THE resulted in benefiting so greatly all who were so fortunate as to come within the reach of their influence. In all the range of his social and political relations his bearing was marked by such loftiness and purity of purpose that the profoundest respect was paid him by his adver saries, and the sincerest affection by those with whom he co-operated. Be it known, Mr. Speaker, to the credit of our humanity, that while we pause in our labors to observe the time-honored custom of laying our tributes upon the tomb of a departed colleague, party distinc tions are unknown, as is beautifully illustrated by the intermingling at this hour of the voices of his political friends and adversaries. His mind had received the training and discipline of a quarter of a century of active mental labor, and the invigoration of countless collisions in intellectual gladiatorship, both in temples of justice and upon the hustings ever wielding the cimeter of argument with manliness and dignity. As a statesman he was conservative in all his views, appealing always to the pure and elevated judgment, and not to the passions or prejudices of the people. On the page of RUSH CLARK S history it can be truthfully written that he " was of the most artless, candid, open, and benevolent disposition, disinterested in the extreme; of a temper mild and placable even to a fault, with out one drop of gall in his whole constitution." But he is gone forever from the earth, and only his deeds can live after him, which, let us believe, will improve and elevate those who remain. The gladsome songs, the voice of loved ones, the beauties of nature are no more for him. Rest and sleep, sleep and rest ! There are many who mourn you eyes that are dimmed with tears as they remember with grateful hearts your many generous acts of kindness. There are those who feel that your place can never be filled. "The best portion of a good man s life are the little, nameless, unremembered acts of tender ness and love," with which your life was made redolent and glorious. From these events of Providence we should receive not alone the LIFE AND CHARACTER OF RUSH CLARK. 19 impression that in the midst of life we are in death, but also that as death ends life is filled up with duties. Our brother has fallen asleep. May he sleep on in peace until the last grand reveille of recorded time shall awake him again and sum mon him from on high to mount the radiant heights of glory on the dread morning of the resurrection. Death is not the end : It but breedeth an infinite beginning; Limits are for time, and death killed time; Eternity s beginning is forever. ADDRESS OF MR. NEAL, OF OHIO. Mr. SPEAKER: The Great Reaper has been in our midst. He who considers neither age, nor sex, nor condition of man, who inexorably and impartially cuts down the young, the middle-aged, and the old, has laid his icy hand upon one of our number in the prime of life, in the full enjoyment of every intellectual faculty, and in the mid-career of manly activity and usefulness. RUSH CLARK, of Iowa, has "swept through the gates," and he will come in and go out with us no more forever. His accustomed seat in this Hall is now filled by another. His life in this world is ended; his mission accomplished, and he has gone to join the innumerable caravan in that undiscovered country from which there is no return. Well and truly has it been said by one of earth s wisest sages, man s life is but a hand breadth ; a solemn truth, of which, in the hurry of business, in the toil and turmoil of life, and in the pursuit of the phantoms of our hopes, aspirations, and desires we too often lose sight, until rudely brought to our recollection by such a death as that of our late associate. We determine upon our plans, we lay out our work, we arrange our programme for the long vista of years which, panorama-like, unfolds itself before us, when suddenly, may hap without warning, our lives are required of us, and the bright 20 ADDRESS OF MR. NEAL ON THE and brilliant future fades away into the black nothingness of death. And this is all we are certain of in this world. Why even now Our hearts, Like muffled drums, are beating Funeral marches to the grave. Mr. Speaker, it was not my good fortune to have known Mr. CLARK previously to the assembling of the Forty-sixth Congress in this Hall in the month of October, 1877. We met here and then for the first time, strangers to each other as we were to most of those who were to be our associates during the life of that Congress. An acquaintance early formed soon ripened into a friendship which con tinued without a jar until he yielded up this life, on the 28th day of April last, to the resistless demand of that master of the human race, Death ! I early discovered that he was a man of high sense of honor, of irreproachable integrity, Of fair abilities, fine literary and professional acquirements, and sterling patriotism ; that he possessed a heart of as tender susceptibilities as a woman, without pretension and with out sham. He fully appreciated the responsibilities of life, and met them in a right manly way. To him Life was real, life was earnest, And the grave was not its goal. There was nothing sordid nor mean about him ; nothing low, base, nor groveling. His aspirations were ever upward and onward, "ad astra per aspera" ; and he appreciated this earth and the things thereof only so far as they aided him to achieve that which was of the intellect and the spirit. His inspirations were: Build thee more lofty mansions, O my soul, As the swift seasons roll, Leave thy low vaulted past, Let each new temple grander than the last, Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast, Till thou at length art free, Leaving thine outgrown shell by Time s unresting sea. LIKE AND CHARACTER OF RUSH CLARK. Mr. Speaker, I said he was a man of sterling patriotism; and so he was. It was bounded by no narrow State lines. The whole country was his fatherland, and he alike rejoiced in the prosperity of the East, the West, the North, and the South. Although a citizen and a Representative of one of the most flourishing of the States of the Union, a State which is already a very giant among her sister States, and whose future is as bright and promising as the most sanguine of her children could ask for, a State which our associate loved right well, and he was proud of Iowa, of her enterprising people, of her past history and brilliant future, yet the fountains of his heart did not congeal as he passed beyond her border. He loved the whole country as well, for he was more an American than he was an lowan, and he could illy appreciate the feeling and judgments of those whose horizon was bounded by the contracted limits of their own petty State, and whose vision was so limited that they saw nothing to love and admire and to excite their patriotic emotions in the grand reality that they are citizens of the great and proud and free Republic of America. With him, before all else was the nation ; the State occu pied a secondary place in his heart, his judgment, and affections. He was an earnest advocate of Republican principles and polity, because he believed those principles to be founded upon the firm basis of justice and right, and that the continued supremacy of the Republican party was essential to the peace, the prosperity, and well- being of the American people; yet he judged not unkindly those who conscientiously differed from him in opinion. I question whether a single member of the Forty-fifth Congress ever heard from his lips an unkind word or an uncharitable expression. He was possessed of a large heart, and his sympathies were with the people. Oppression and wrong, wherever or by whomsoever ex ercised, he denounced with honest indignation. Incapable himself of wrongfully depriving any one, even the humblest and most obscure, of the rights bestowed by Providence or guaranteed by law, he could ADDRESS OF MR. THOMPSON ON THE illy brook to see others do so, and was unable to understand how any one possessing the instincts of an honest man or the principles of a gentleman could persuade himself to reap the fruits of a crime or enjoy the emoluments of office obtained by outrage upon the sacred rights of the people. He desired to see our Government in truth and in fact, as it is in name, " a government of the people, by the people, and for the people." Mr. Speaker, I desire to say but a word more. I honored Mr. CLARK for his many estimable qualities of heart and intellect, for his manly independence, for his quick apprehension of the right, and his firm determination at all times to do the right as power and in sight were given him to discern it, regardless of the consequences to himself. But although in all these views and opinions my judgment heartily approved and my heart fully sympathized, yet beyond them all I loved him because he was my friend sincere, earnest, and true; and for this I drop the silent tear upon his grave, and pay this last tribute of respect to his memory. OF yVi.R. THOMPSON, OF JOWA. Mr. SPEAKER : The humble and brief tribute which duty as well as inclination leads me at this time to bring as friendship s offering to lay on the grave of my honored friend and dead predecessor, though long delayed, will be none the less sincere and heart-born. And the eloquent and well-timed utterances of those who have preceded me leave but little more to be said. Many circumstances led to a more than usual intimacy and friend ship between Mr. CLARK and myself. We were near the same age, both born and reared to manhood s years in the same State, the old Keystone; and in the morning of young manhood both, in the latter part of the year 1853, left our native State and went to the young LIFE AND CHARACTER OF RUSH CLARK. 23 and then extreme frontier State of Iowa, scarcely known in the bright constellation of our grand sisterhood of States at that time. He was without friends and but little means, among strangers and in a strange land. He had nothing to rely upon except his own energy and high resolve to conquer difficulties and overcome obstacles by an upright life and honorable conduct; and like every true-hearted American youth, he had unfaltering faith in the future of his country. He loved her institutions, her laws, and, above all, felt the hope-giving fact and realized the grand truth that the highway to usefulness, honor, and fame was not monopolized by the accident of birth, nor was the pathway to renown by divine right the property of either class or person, and the gates to the temple of fame opened not at the touch of golden keys. Recognizing no aristocracy except the aristocracy of brains, by his own energy, industry, and honest labor he sought to achieve whatever success in life he might, knowing that under our Government these ways were open to the poorest and humblest boy in our broad land who with an honest purpose fights the battle of life with a good intent. The occasion of our first meeting, and the forming of an acquaint ance which in after years ripened into a friendship unbroken during his life, and which will for all coming time remain to me a sacred memory, is worthy of special note at this time. It has lately become a question of some interest as to which State called, and, in fact, held the first Republican State convention, several claiming that honor. I deem it fitting to state upon this occasion that on the 226. day of Feb ruary, 1854, in the then capital of Iowa, a Republican State conven tion assembled under a call of a few citizens of the State, and upon that day and occasion I had the honor of being present as a dele gate, and then and there met for the first time Mr. CLARK. He was not a delegate, but being a resident of the city and in active sympa thy with the movement was present, and very materially aided by his wise, well-digested, and carefully prepared counsel in forming the 24 ADDRESS OF MR. THOMPSON ON THE platform of principles adopted by the convention, which then nomi nated for governor that noble man and grand statesman, James W. Grimes, whose subsequent career in the councils of the nation made his name a familiar household word, and whose acts and doings make one of the brightest pages in our country s history, and who at the following election, then held in the month of August, 1854, was chosen as chief executive of the State, and, as I claim, the first Re publican nominated or elected to a State office. With these scenes I ask that the name of my honored predecessor stand associated for all time to come, and as a tribute to his worth, who, although so young and inexperienced, dared, in the face of a defiant majority, stand true to his convictions and sacrifice present success that conscience should remain approved. It was my privilege to know him well and long, nor can I now realize that more than a quarter of a century has passed since I first met him, and that those years bridge the chasm separating that day from the time of his decease. In these years I was associated with him as an attorney of the same judicial district, and practicing often at the same bar. I watched with pride his career in the General As sembly of our State, rejoiced when I saw him called to preside over their deliberations as speaker of the house, and all his public acts re ceived the plaudit of " Well done, good and faithful servant"; and in all these various positions of honor and trust which he through the partiality of his countrymen was called to fill he discharged the duties of each with that same marked ability and integrity which silenced the fault-finder, and in the presence of his pure, unsullied life as a pub lic man, the tongue of slander was mute and vituperation died on lips that would detract; and after he had discharged these duties, public confidence so firmly established called to him to come up higher, and he was intrusted with the proud honor of representing his district in this House, and though among the youngest of those who achieve this distinction, he brought to the work a varied experience and ripe LIFE AND CHARACTER OK RUSH CLARK. 25 judgment, which enabled him to do credit to himself and honor to those he represented. But a strange, mysterious Providence, to mortal wisdom incompre hensible, as he was just entering upon his second term in this House, at an unexpected moment called him to go hence, and in obedience to the inexorable summons he went from an active, useful life, in the prime of matured manhood, out into the mysterious realms unexplored by mortal man and from which no human voice gives back a response to ours. And faith and hope only give assurance that we may meet again. I received from him the last letter he ever penned. It was written the Saturday before he died, and the startling words, " RUSH CLARK, is dead," flashed along the wires and were read by many a moistened eye hours before I received and opened his last letter ; and as I read the lines the truth came with crushing weight, that the hand which so lately penned those lines was then palsied in death and the eye that watched the page as the words of confidence were formed was forever closed. How true the poet s words : The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power, And all that beauty, all that wealth e er gave, Await alike the inevitable hour ; The paths of glory lead but to the grave. Mr. CLARK possessed a high order of oratory; not, it is true, that kind which sweeps like a tornado, not that heroic, impassioned elo quence which captivates the imagination, leaving the reason and judgment untouched, but a clear, classical statement, compact and logical, forcing conviction on the hearts of all who heard it that his utterances were the result of honest convictions. Always gentle manly and courteous, sensitive himself, he was ever tender of the feelings of others; and even in the fiercest contests before courts and juries, where intellectual swords flashed keen and bright, whatever he may have felt he never forgot himself so far as to utter a word or sentence which required a subsequent explanation or apology, and 4 R c 26 ADDRESS OF MR. THOMPSON ON THE yet when once convinced of the right he was heroically loyal to those convictions. He never betrayed a friend or compromised a principle. As a husband he was kind, considerate, and devoted. As a father he was sincerely and wholly attached to his children, and was a most indulgent parent, and in their midst, under his own roof-tree, sur rounded by wife and children, so enshrined in his manly and loving heart was the place and circumstances which gave to him unalloyed pleasure, not enjoyed under any other circumstances. That beautiful home is now lonely, dark, and sad. Gloom and sor row brood in the hearts of those he loved so well and tenderly. And while human sympathy in the presence of so great a sorrow feels that it can do but little, still it gives to those lowering clouds the silver lining. And if it be true that the good deeds men do die with them and the evil deeds survive, I thank Heaven that his life was such that no intentional wrong on his part survived him. To his orphaned chil dren he left a heritage of honor and an unblemished character, in coming years the contemplation of which will bring to their hearts only joy and gladness. And at his grave, on the beautiful hillside near his former home, they may in aftertime repair and there recall his example and emulate his virtues. Could he have written his own epitaph, he would have them read : When to their airy hall my Father s voice Shall call my spirit, joyful in their choice, When poised upon the gale my form shall ride, Or dark in mist descend the mountain s side, O may my shade behold no sculptured urns To mark the spot where earth to earth returns ; No lengthened scroll, no praise- incumbered stone My epitaph shall be my name alone. If that with honor fail to crown my clay, Oh, may no other fame my deeds repay : That, only that, shall single out the spot : By that remembered or with that forgot. LIFE AND CHARACTER OF RUSH CLARK. 2^ ADDRESS OF y\^R. BENNETT, OF Mr. SPEAKER: Well may we stand uncovered and with solemn mien in the presence of death. On either hand are only the crum bling walls of mortality; behind, all the world, alike forgetting and forgotten; before us the silent unsounded sea stretching away to the echoless shore. Across the starless waste another of our number has gone. The ordinary business is suspended while we pay the cus tomary tribute to his memory and connect perchance for the last time, his name with the records of this House. Others may speak of RUSH CLARK as they knew him in these Halls; of his patient, untiring labor; of his faithful, conscientious discharge of duty, his devotion to his convictions of right, and his unswerving loyalty to his country and to truth. The tribute I would bring springs from the pleasant associations of almost a quarter of a century of intimate acquaintance, and is that which a friend pays to the cherished mem ory of a friend. Tis melancholy communion we hold by an open grave, with the vanished years speaking to us of all their joys and sorrows In tones as voiceless as the steps of thought. Starting in our profession very nearly the same time, living for a while in the same judicial district, and practicing in the same courts, our pathways for years ran close together. Close only in point of time and personal and professional contacts. His career lay along the heights, on which fell the full effulgence of erudition s light; mine the plodder s path, that only skirts the mountain s base. While many who enter the contest for the honors, so tempting, and yet so hard to win, in the legal profession, are exhausted, or become discouraged when they have reached the steps of the temple of jus tice or are jostled within its vestibule, RUSH CLARK did not rest until 28 ADDRESS OF MR. BENNETT ON THE he had pressed his way to its very altars, and brought to its service all the energy and enthusiasm of his noble nature. He knew that no half-hearted devotion would find acceptance there or bring the coveted reward. He studied and practiced his profession with a proper conception of its dignity and exalted character. He was not of those who regard it as a means to a selfish and sordid end, an occupation or calling by which he might simply amass wealth, or a mere stepping-stone to the gratification of political ambition. His views of the law were broad and comprehensive. To him it was a science, beautiful and symmetrical; a fabric grand and in spiring, not a network of technicalities to ensnare the weak while the strong might escape its restraints. His conception of its majesty is well expressed in the words of Hooker: "Her seat is in the bosom of God, and her voice the harmony of the world; all things in heaven and earth do her homage; the very least as feeling her care, and the greatest as not exempted from her power." As a practitioner he was careful and laborious, seldom entering upon the trial of a case without full and thorough preparation. He made his client s cause his own, and carried into the contest all the zeal and energy of mind and body. Tenacious and persevering, he seldom abandoned a case of importance until he had the decision of the court of final resort. In many respects he was a strong advocate. He had a clear, logi cal, and well-disciplined mind. His style was terse and forcible, and his manner pleasing and dispassionate. His very earnestness made him impressive, and his well-known honesty in the maintenance and expression of his views and opinions gave him weight before courts and juries. He had fairly won and deservedly held an enviable position at the bar of his State, and left a name and record which are among the richest of his legacies to his family and friends. Mr. CLARK was a man of cordial qualities and gracious manners. LIFE AND CHARACTER OK RUSH CLARK. 29 His purity of life and character, his honesty and probity none ever questioned. Everywhere he went, and in all the relations of life, he gathered about him hosts of warm personal friends, and " grappled them to his soul with hooks of steel." Within the sacred precincts of that home of which he must have been the light, and it the joy of his life, we will not intrude. It could not have been other than the abode of peace and love that sweetest of all boons to mortal given endeared by affection and hallowed by the joys and sorrows shared with each other and borne together under the shelter of its roof. From 1853 he had made Iowa City his home. His manhood was spent there. There were the scenes of his early struggles and ulti mate triumphs. He allied himself with every movement for the ad vancement of the growth and prosperity of his adopted city. Lib eral and generous to a fault, kind-hearted and obliging, ever ready with an encouraging word and a helping hand, he became endeared to that community as few men do. The immense throng that waited at the depot, far in the night, for the funeral train, and gathered again along the streets and in the cemetery, where his mortal remains were committed to the dust, while the heavens were hung with black and the clouds dropped their tears, attested the hold he had on the hearts of that people. When the aged man dies, full of years and honors, " goes down like a shock of corn fully ripe," we are prepared for the event, and there is resignation in our sorrow, for his end is as natural as the fall ing of the leaves when the autumn winds sweep the forest. But Mr. CLARK S sun went down while it was yet noon. In the prime and vigor of manhood, in the midst of life and usefulness, his summons came. And as we looked at his vacant seat in this Cham ber, and then into the faces of those sorrowing fatherless children and disconsolate widow, as they again sat down among the familiar scenes of that desolated home; when we remembered how much of love and hope and happiness was wrapped up in his being, and what 1 30 ADDRESS OK MR. BENNETT ON THE the possibilities of his future, and how all in so brief a moment had been dashed to the ground, we felt like exclaiming " How unsearch able are His judgments and His ways past finding out." On the banks of that beautiful river where for so many years he lived, labored, and loved, he sleeps well, while the garland of earthly honors that bound his brow in life has but changed to a wreath of fadeless beauty in the land beyond the shadows. When a good man dies we are apt to think the loss to community and the country irreparable, and that his place cannot be filled; but the cold waves of Time close over him, others take up the burden that he has laid down, and the great world moves on. It is a rea sonable hope, born of the experience of the past, that the wise Creator, whose foot-prints are seen all along the highways of history, will raise up the men and devise the methods necessary for the ac complishment of His infinite designs, that embrace, as we trust, the highest good and supremest welfare of mankind. This thought helps to reconcile us to the inevitable and presses upon our unwilling atten tion our own insignificance. He of whom we speak to-day filled his niche in time, and with an abiding faith in Him whose wisdom is over all, whose power protects all, and whose mercy encircles all, " fought a good fight, finished his course." Over the dark billows that now divide us is only the light of the Star of Bethlehem, bright with the promise of immortality. To this we finally all come, when every other refuge fails, whether doubting or believing, hoping or despairing, and here at length is the anchor cast, for weal or woe, " when our rest together is in the dust." LIFE AND CHARACTER OF RUSH CLARK. 31 ADDRESS OF y^R. CARPENTER, OF JOWA. Mr. SPEAKER: Less than a year ago, while at my home in North western Iowa, I read in a recently received number of the Congres sional Record the memorial addresses in honor of Beverly B. Douglas. Among them was one delivered by RUSH CLARK. 1 remember in reading his sympathetic words nothing more deeply impressed me than the thought that I could see in his utterances an illustration of that principle in the human mind which leads one in analyzing the character of another to make those elements promi nent which constitute the strong points of his own nature. So now, the kindly and noble-souled RUSH CLARK, whose generosity and un selfishness had been proverbial in Iowa for twenty years, emphasized the fact that "the immediate friends of the deceased testified to his goodness of heart and openness of hand." One could also read in this address that the appreciation of a generous public for honorable service and manly effort formed the under-current of his thought, and reflected the inspiring purpose of his own laborious life. In course of his remarks he recited the evidences of respect and attach ment to the dead Congressman shown by the people of Virginia, whose attentions and hospitality to the officers of the House and committee of Congress were everywhere manifest on the route from the capital to his former home ; and in this connection he said : At the time expected by the friends, we met them at the village of Mr. Douglas s residence and attended his remains to the church. The entire village seemed to be present to attest their respect for his memory. As we read these words between the lines, and in the light of sub sequent history, they seem to be not only a tribute of respect to the dead, but a half prophecy of like evidences of appreciation at the side of their author s own new-made grave. In less than five months from the day they were spoken, the lips that uttered them were closed 32 ADDRESS OF MR. CARPENTER ON THE in death. It seems almost like a coincidence directed by the hand of Providence that these words thus fitly describe the scene at the grave which so soon opened in the cemetery of that beautiful city of the prairies to receive all that was mortal of the noble and generous- hearted RUSH. I had met him occasionally during the last nineteen years, and knew him as busy men living one hundred and fifty miles apart some times know each other. But on coming to Washington at the begin ning of the first session of the Forty-sixth Congress, and finding myself occupying a seat nearer him than any other of my Iowa col leagues, as I called upon him day after day for information in respect to the application of rules with which I was unfamiliar, I came to understand more of his character and to more thoroughly appreciate his worth. I also learned why it was that, notwithstanding he was a lawyer of strength and acuteness, a clear and persuasive speaker, a man of unremitting industry and devotion to his duties so much so that before sending him to Congress his fellow-citizens had chosen him three times to represent them in the State Legislature, where his services had been so conspicuous that he had been elected speaker of the house of representatives for one of these terms he should still be known all over the State by the familiar and friendly name of RUSH. Who that hears me to-day has ever known a man possessed of a spirit so generous and a patriotism so exalted as to subordinate his own interests to his friends, his fellows, and his country, that the dis criminating and great-hearted public did not learn to express its fondness and favoritism by calling him some pet and familiar name ? But, notwithstanding he was the object of so much love and esteem, his friends could not hold him back from the chilling em brace of Death. And now that we have come to lay the last green sod upon his grave, may we not hope that wife, children, relatives, and friends, who leaned upon him here, and whom he cared for with LIFE AND CHARACTER OF RUSH CLARK. 33 such unexampled love and tenderness, may find, as they continue life s journey, that though the way may seem longer and lonelier than heretofore, it will still be smoothed and cheered by fellow-travelers, who in all that constitute a generous manhood and kindly heart are neither more nor less than such as was our good friend RUSH CLARK ? ADDRESS OF MR. HENDERSON, OF JLLINOIS. Mr. SPEAKER: The relations existing between the late Hon. Rusii CLARK and myself were of the most friendly and cordial character. My acquaintance with him began long before we were associated here as members of this honorable body. He represented a district in which I had many acquaintances and friends, and with portions of which I had been familiar from early manhood. From that fact we were brought into closer and more intimate relations with each other when we became members of the Forty-fifth Congress, and what before had been a pleasant acquaintance ripened into a sincere and confiding friendship. Hence, Mr. Speaker, on this occasion I speak not simply as a eulogist, but as a friend. I desire not merely to do honor to the memory of a deceased member of this body, but to pay a tribute of respect to one whom I regarded with all the feelings and sentiments of a warm and generous friendship. It is not my purpose to speak at length of the private and public virtues of Mr. CLARK. This has been done, and better done, by his colleagues who have preceded me. I will, however, say that in pri vate life Mr. CLARK was beloved by all who knew him and shared his society and his friendship. In public life he was respected and honored by all associated with him who knew his many virtues and his manly worth. I never knew a man more conscientious and faith ful than he in the discharge of a public trust. As a member of this body, I have no doubt but that his fidelity in the discharge of his 5 R c 34 ADDRESS OF MR. HENDERSON ON THE public duties and the constant, unremitting attention he gave to the many wants and interests of his constituents wore his life away. The arduous labor he performed here at his desk and at his room during the silent watches of the night prepared the way for the successful attack of disease, if it did not induce the very disease of which he died. He worked more, Mr. Speaker, than he had the strength to work, and no one who intimately knew him could fail to observe that he often seemed to be overworked, overtaxed; yet I can never forget his warm friendly greetings, his cheerful demeanor, and how bravely and uncomplainingly he bore up under the burdens resting upon him as a Representative. Mr. CLARK was not only a faithful public servant, but he was faithful in all the relations of life. As a counselor and advocate he was able and faithful, and deservedly occupied a high position at the bar of his county and State. As a member of this body, while he took no active part in the debates of the House, yet he was in con stant attendance upon its sessions, closely and accurately observed its proceedings, and took a deep interest in them. I doubt if any man ever brought into the public service as a legis lator a more earnest, sincere desire to serve well and faithfully his constituents and his country. As a citizen he took a deep interest in all that pertained to the welfare of the community in which he lived, as well as of his State and nation; and he enjoyed in a high degree the respect and confidence of his fellow-citizens, neighbors, and friends. But, Mr. Speaker, he has obeyed the mandate which sooner or later must come to all of us. He has laid down life s duties, responsibilities, and cares, and is at rest in the cemetery of the beautiful city in which he lived. I confess, Mr. Speaker, when I heard, as I did on the day of his death, that RUSH CLARK was dying I was greatly shocked. It was one of those sudden admoni tions which sometimes come upon us, overwhelming us with sorrow LIFE AND CHARACTER OF RUSH CLARK. 35 and reminding us of the great uncertainty of human life. I had met Mr. CLARK but the evening before his death as we were walking on Pennsylvania avenue. I had a pleasant conversation with him, in which we discussed the probabilities of an adjournment of the extra session of Congress, and we spoke of our anxiety to get home ; and now, in a few brief hours, he was dying, he was going home, and there to rest forever. Such is human life. Mr. Speaker, some poet has truthfully said: Death is here, and death is there, 9 Death is busy everywhere ; All around, above, beneath Is death, and we are death ; First our pleasures die, and then Our hopes and fears ; and when These are dead the debt is due ; Dust claims dust, and we die, too. Surely those of us who have served here in this Hall for the last few years need no poetic admonition that Death has been here. We know, as we have seen one after another of our fellow- members stricken down, that Death is here; and that no distinctions, no gifts, no honors, however great, can save us from his ruthless hand ; when the summons comes we must all obey. Mr. Speaker, those of us who accompanied the remains of RUSH CLARK to the home he loved so much, and to their final resting- place, could not mistake for a moment the deep hold he had upon the affections of the people among whom he had lived and worked and toiled for so many years. The multitude which in the rain and in the darkness of the night met us on the arrival of the train, and thronged the line of our march from the depot to the residence of the deceased, demonstrated in a remarkable manner the love and re spect which the people cherished for a noble citizen and a faithful Representative, and the great sorrow which had been so suddenly visited upon them. I was myself deeply affected at the demonstra- 36 ADDRESS OF MR. HENDERSON. tions of sorrow which everywhere met us at his home, and by the * very general expression of deep and tender sympathy for the grief- stricken wife and fatherless children. I sincerely trust and believe the memory of our departed friend may long be cherished by the people he served so well, and that the God of the widow and the fatherless may keep and bless his bereaved wife and children. The SPEAKER. The question is on the adoption of the resolutions. The question being taken on the resolutions they were adopted unanimously; and, in obedience to the fourth resolution, the House adjourned. PRO CEE DINGS IN THE SENATE. APRIL 30, 1879. A message from the House of Representatives, by Mr. GEORGE M. ADAMS, its Clerk, communicated to the Senate the intelligence of the death of Mr. RUSH CLARK, late a member of the House from the State of Iowa, and transmitted the resolutions of the House thereon. Mr. ALLISON. Mr. President, I ask that the message from the House be reported. The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The action of the House will be read. The Secretary read as follows: IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, April 29, 1879. Resolved, That the House has heard with sincere regret the an nouncement of the death of Hon. RUSH -CLARK, late a Represen tative from the State of Iowa. Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring], That a special joint committee of seven members and three Senators be appointed to take order for superintending the funeral and to es cort the remains of the deceased to his late residence in Iowa, and the necessary expenses attending the execution of this order shall be paid out of the contingent fund of the House. The SPEAKER announced the appointment of Mr. HIRAM PRICE of Iowa, Mr. JOHN H. REAGAN of Texas, Mr. WILLIAM H. HATCH of Missouri, Mr. HENRY S. NEAL of Ohio, Mr. THOMAS J. HENDER SON of Illinois, Mr. MARK H. DUNNELL of Minnesota, and Mr. PHILIP COOK of Georgia, the said committee on the part of the House. 37 38 PROCEEDINGS IN THE SENATE. Resolved, That the Clerk communicate the foregoing resolutions to the Senate. Resolved, That as a mark of respect to the memory of the de ceased this House do now adjourn. Mr. ALLISON. Mr. President, I offer the following : Resolved, That the Senate agree to the resolution of the House of Representatives providing for the appointment of a joint committee to take order for superintending the funeral and to escort the re mains of Hon. RUSH CLARK, late a member of the House of Rep resentatives from the State of Iowa, to his late residence, and that the committee on the part of the Senate be appointed by the Presi dent pro tempore of the Senate. The resolution was agreed to unanimously. The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Chair appoints Mr. KIRK- WOOD, Mr. PLATT, and Mr. HEREFORD the committee on the part of the Senate. Mr. EDMUNDS. Mr. President, as a further mark of respect for the memory of the deceased, I move that the Senate do now ad journ. The motion was agreed to; and (at one o clock and nine minutes p. m.) the Senate adjourned. MAY i, 1879. The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Chair has been requested by the Senator from Iowa [Mr. KIRKWOOD] who was appointed one of the Senators to attend the remains of the late Representative CLARK to his home to announce to Senators that funeral services over the remains of Mr. CLARK will take place at the National Hotel to-day at six and a half o clock p. m., after which the remains will be re moved to the depot. Senators are invited to attend. PROCEEDINGS IN THE SENATE. 39 FEBRUARY 3, 1880. The VICE-PRESIDENT laid before the Senate the following resolu tions from the House of Representatives : IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, January 31, 1880. Resolved, That this House has heard with deep regret of the death of Hon. RUSH CLARK, late a member of this House from the State of Iowa. Resolved, That as a testimony of respect to his memory the offi cers and members of this body will wear the usual badge of mourn ing for the space of thirty days. Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be transmitted by the Clerk of this House to the family of the deceased. Resolved, That the Clerk be directed to communicate a copy of these proceedings to the Senate, and that as a further mark of re spect to the memory of the deceased this House do now adjourn. Attest: GEO. M. ADAMS, Clerk. Mr. ALLISON. Mr. President, 1 offer the following resolution : Resolved, That the Senate has received with profound sorrow the announcement of the death of Hon. RUSH CLARK, late a member of the House of Representatives from the State of Iowa. The VICE-PRESIDENT. The question is on the resolution offered by the Senator from Iowa. 40 ADDRESS OF MR. ALLISON ON THE ADDRESS OF yVLR. ALLISON, OF JOWA. Mr. PRESIDENT : This is the first instance of the death of any mem ber of either House from Iowa during his term of service, since that State was admitted to the Union. Mr. CLARK died in this city after an illness of a single day, on the 28th of April last, during the extra session of the present Con gress. His term of service was brief; he having been first elected to the Forty-fifth Congress, and re-elected to the Forty-sixth. Be cause of his brief service he was not personally well known in Con gressional circles except to his immediate associates and those with whom he served on committees in the House. No man of his age, however, was better known in Iowa, which State he had chosen for his home when he and the State alike were young. Mr. CLARK was born in Schellsburgh, Pennsylvania, October i, 1834. He graduated at Jefferson College in that State in 1853 at the age of nineteen, and immediately afterward went to Iowa and became a student at law in the office of an elder brother who was in the enjoy ment of a lucrative practice at the bar in Iowa City, tnen the capital of the State. He was soon afterward admitted to practice in the courts, and in a short time attained a respectable rank among his associates at the bar of Iowa City, which was then, as now, composed of men of marked ability. At the urgent solicitation of personal friends he for a time edited the Republican, which was then the leading Whig newspaper in the State, and continued in charge of that paper until and for a considerable period after the Whig party became merged into the more aggressive and liberal party which was organized in that State in 1854 in hostility to the repeal of the Missouri compromise. His pen exerted a wide influence in changing the political complexion of LIFE AND CHARACTER OF RUSH CLARK. 41 the State, which until then had been under the control of the Demo cratic party. In 1859 Mr. CLARK was elected to the State Legislature. In 1861 he was re-elected, and at the beginning of his second term of service was elected speaker of the house, being the youngest man ever called to fill that exalted position in our State. He carefully studied the rules of parliamentary practice. This, together with his agreeable manners, enabled him to fill the office with ability and impartiality, and secured for him the respect and esteem of his political adversaries as well as of his party friends. At the Republican Congressional convention in his district, the suc ceeding fall, his name was presented, and he came within only six votes of receiving the nomination, which was then, as it has been since, equivalent to an election. He continued in the practice of his profession, becoming well known in the State as an able and successful lawyer, taking no very active part in political affairs until 1875, when a Senatorial election was to take place in our State. At that time the friends of my col league had in view his election to the place to be made vacant by the voluntary retirement of Hon. George G. Wright. Mr. CLARK was called upon by the citizens of the county in which he and my colleague resided to become a candidate for the lower house of the General Assembly. His candidacy was pressed upon the ground that the county was doubtful politically with any other candidate, but that his personal popularity would render his election certain. He hesitated only because of the inconvenience to him on account of his professional engagements, but finally yielded his assent and was elected by a respectable majority, and served another term in the General Assembly. In the spring of 1877, Hon. James Wilson, who for four years had served the fifth district in the House with industry and ability, publicly announced his determination not to be again a candidate for re-election. Public opinion fixed upon Mr. 6 R 42 ADDRESS OF MR. ALLISON ON THE CLARK as the fittest man to become his successor; he was nominated at the Republican convention, and elected by a large majority. It was no easy task for a man trained only to hard service before the courts to accustom himself readily to the daily work of the House and the daily drudgery of department labor. Although he possessed an active and vigorous intellect, he had a delicate and nervous physical organization too delicate for the labor he undertook; for it is the concurrent testimony of his immediate associates and late constituency that he labored constantly to famil iarize himself with the great work of Congress, and at the same time to look patiently and vigilantly after the errands of his constituents in the executive departments. The most of those who hear me know how much of toil, care, and anxiety are involved in this brief recital of the daily work of a faith ful member of the House of Representatives; yet few persons who are not familiar with such work from personal experience or observa tion know the extent and growth of the necessary demand of a con stituency upon their public servants in Washington; and fewer still know that these requests involve considerable journeys and a vo luminous correspondence. A faithful Representative is attentive to these details and none more so than Mr. RUSH CLARK during his brief Congressional service. The labor was too great for him, and when disease seized upon him he soon yielded to its resistless power. His service, though brief, was in all respects creditable to him and was full of promise for the future. His knowledge of the law and of affairs, his practice in the courts, his familiarity with the methods of legislation, constituted for him training schools so efficient that he needed only the experience which length of service alone can give to make him a most useful member of Congress. Observation discloses that there must be, added to ability, industry, and integrity, continued service to enable members of either House to take a conspicuous position and exert a commanding influence in LIFE AND CHARACTER OK RUSH CLARK. 43 the settlement of the great questions which every Congress brings before us demanding our consideration and action. It is not too much to say of our departed friend that had such opportunities been given him he would have shown himself equal to the service. He was a fair type of that large body of professional and business men to be found in every State and in every Congres sional district who need but opportunity and experience in public life and length of service in either branch of Congress to impress themselves upon the legislation of the country, and the faithful and successful administration of its great affairs. Although Mr. CLARK, held but few public offices, public trusts of considerable magnitude were confided to him. He was a member of the staff of my associate, who was during the most perilous period of the late civil war governor of our State. He was for a consider able time a member of the board of regents of our State University, and also held other public trusts. In all these he discharged the duties assigned him with ability and integrity, as he performed the duties of his broader sphere of service here with scrupulous honesty and fidelity. In saying this of him I do not intend to distinguish him from the great body of his associates in the House. Having had some expe rience here in both Houses of Congress, I can truthfully say that, in my belief, instances are rarely found of those who allow their con duct to be controlled by private motives of personal gain, aside from the general good, or who legislate for their own private benefit rather than for the public advantage. And any opinion that here more than elsewhere sordid selfishness controls the conduct of public men is wholly erroneous and baseless. Mr. CLARK at his death was about forty-five years old. Coming to our State when he was still a youth, he participated in and con tributed to its rapid growth and development. He found there a population of less than a quarter of a million, and saw it grow to a 44 ADDRESS OF MR. HEREFORD ON THE million and a half. His own immediate constituency at the time of his death numbered more than two-thirds the entire population of the State when he became a citizen. Thus early identifying himself with its interests and progress, he was well known in the State, especially among our lawyers and judges and leading public men, and was highly esteemed for his ability, his benevolence, his sense of justice, and his high character as a citizen; for his fidelity to friends and courtesy to opponents. An ardent Republican, he had the respect and regard of his political adversaries. Strong in his own convic tions, he respected the convictions of others. His sudden and untimely death shed a gloom over our State; and the numerous eulogies pronounced upon him through the press and public meetings indicate the strong hold he had upon our people. In his death the community in which he lived lost a valuable and public-spirited citizen, his district and the State a faithful public serv ant, and the House in which he served one of its ablest and best representative men. ADDRESS OF M.R. JiEREFORD, OF ]^EST VIRGINIA. Mr. PRESIDENT : A few hours ago I was requested to make some remarks on this occasion. I cheerfully accepted the invitation to perform the sad task. It is a pleasure, though a sad one. The his tory of the short life of RUSH CLARK has been given you by another more capable than I. On the 28th of April, 1879, all that was mor tal of RUSH CLARK passed from earth away. Mr. CLARK presented in his physical, mental, and moral qualities a fine type of that class of men who at an early period in life bade adieu to the loved ones in their Eastern homes and swelled the thronging, surging mass that crossed the Father of Waters to make a new home in the far West. He located himself in the beautiful town of Iowa City, which dots one of the wide-spreading prairies of the mighty West, where but a LIFE AND CHARACTER OF RUSH CLARK. 45 few years ago the Indian and the buffalo held undisputed sway, but now the happy home of thousands of " fair women and brave men." Where once was the wigwam of the child of the forest, now we be hold churches erected to the living God, and schools, academies, and colleges in which are being educated a class of men and women who are to be the future rulers of this the grandest and only true repub lic the world ever saw. Where once was the trail of the buffalo, now may be seen thousands of miles of railroads over which the iron horse, with sinews of steel, muscles of iron, and a breath of fire dashes along over mountain heights and boundless prairies clad in nature s green and relieved by flowers of every hue, bearing in his train the commerce of a great, contented, happy, and united people. Such a country is well adapted to expanding and developing the soul, mind, and energies of its citizens. In this country, surrounded by such people, was the head and heart of RUSH CLARK, already prepared by his early training in the mountain fastnesses of his native State, stored and expanded for the great work before him. Too much honor cannot be given to the early pioneers of the West. At an early period he saw the " star of empire" taking its course westward, and eagerly followed in the bright pathway lighted up by its beneficent and inviting rays. At an early period his fellow-citizens saw in him future usefulness, and elevated him to the councils of their giant young State, over which he was elected its presiding officer. Nor did they wait long until they called him to a higher and more responsible position, and sent him to the national councils in the other end of this beautiful building. But the icy hand of death was laid upon his big, bounding heart, and its warm currents were chilled and ceased to beat forever, and his beaming, benignant eye closed on the bright future forever. Mr. CLARK was an affectionate son, a fond husband, and devoted father. His beautiful, kind, and intelligent wife and his three bright, rosy-cheeked children are left without a protector. Oh, no; that is 46 ADDRESS OF MR. HEREFORD ON THE not correct. His thousands of true, devoted, and admiring friends, male and female, will be their protectors and guardians. No one could doubt for a moment the high estimation in which he was held by his constituency if he had been present that dark night when the train arrived at his home and seen the thousands of people, irrespective of party or creed, coming to receive the casket containing the remains of their brother, and looked out upon the im mense procession marching to the beat of muffled drums with sad and sorrowful hearts. Whether at the bar discussing abstruse legal propositions with his brethren of the legal profession, or as speaker of the house of repre sentatives of his adopted State, or as an honorable, highly respected, and laborious Representative in Congress, he always commanded the respect ay, the love and admiration of all with whom he came in contact Mr. CLARK was a decided partisan, but be it said to his honor he had no bitterness of feeling. Would that all public men would emu late his example in this respect ! Always kind, courteous, and respect ful to his political opponents, he won, as he deserved, friends from all sorts and classes of people. The public man who upon any occa- casion would engender or foster party hate, or seek to array one class or interest or one section of his common country against another is no patriot, whatever his protestations may be, and deserves the scorn and contempt of all good men. Such a man RUSH CLARK was not; hence I honored him when alive, and respect his memory, though dead! I have laid my wreath upon the bier of my dead brother. Small and insignificant though it be, yet it is none the less fragrant if it shall be tested by the sincerity of the sentiments of the donor. My friend, I bid thee farewell until that great day of assize shall come ; that day for which all others were made ; for which earth sprang from chaos, man from earth, and God from eternity. LIFE AND CHARACTER OF RUSH CLARK. 47 ADDRESS OF yVlR. PLATT. OF pONNECTICUT. Mr. PRESIDENT: It may not be entirely inappropriate for me to add a few words to what has already been so well and touchingly said by those Senators who have preceded me and who knew and respected and loved him whose worth they justly seek to perpetuate by these ceremonies. I was not acquainted with RUSH CLARK. I do not know that I ever met him. I cannot speak of him therefore from that more in timate knowledge which conies from personal contact and associa tion; but in the performance of my duty as one of the committee appointed by this body to attend his remains to their final resting- place, I learned much of his true character and of the sterling quali ties of his mind and heart, of which I may speak. The grave has at least one feature which somewhat modifies its gloom. There a man is truly judged by his fellows. The sharp antagonisms, the un just judgments of life are buried there, before the coffin is lowered, and the abilities, the impress, and the true character of the one who is to be its occupant are there justly acknowledged. The courtesies of the grave are accorded to all, but men do not there deceive themselves or others in the estimate which they place upon the life of a fallen comrade. There you may learn his real history, his innermost life, his true character. At the home of RUSH CLARK, from the moment we reached the station till the last sad rites had been tenderly and lovingly performed, the evidences of a great sorrow pervading the entire community were unmistakable. At the very borders of the State which he had adopted as his own, we were made to feel that his influence had extended beyond the limits of the district which he more immediately represented, and that the whole State mourned for one of its truest and noblest men. All along the 48 ADDRESS OF MR. PLATT ON THE route to the beautiful city which had been the scene of his more active labors, we were met by strong, true men, who grieved as if the deceased had been a brother. I shall never forget the hour of our arrival at Iowa City. It was night, but the whole population had gathered to pay its tribute of respect to the dead, to testify its sym pathy for the bereaved. The saddened faces of the people, seen in the light of the torches which were to guide us ; the whispered orders for the disposition of his remains; the tears which fell from the eyes of sturdy men, all spoke most emphatically of the character of the man and of the place he had won for himself in the hearts of all. If deep sorrow could have restored him to life he would have lived again. It was an hour to be remembered always, and its im pressions were intensified by the obsequies of the next day, when a vast concourse gathered to attend with uncovered heads the impres sive funeral ceremonies, and to follow in long procession to the tomb all that was left of him who had been their reliance and pride. Neither the falling rain nor the sharp thunder could deter those who honored him from the performance in minutest detail of the last solemn rites. So he was laid away to rest in the beautiful cemetery just outside of and overlooking the city he had chosen for his home. How appropriately such a resting-place is called "God s acre. There we buried him, in the early springtime, when the opening bud, the sprouting grain, and the springing grass were nature s assurances of the life to come. I have said I was unacquainted with the deceased, and yet, from mingling with those who knew him best, I think I came to under stand and appreciate his life and character in some degree, as if I had lived in the community that so much honored him. His was a noble and unselfish career. What words of higher commendation can be spoken of any man ? He had ability of no common order, but it was used less for his own advancement than for the service of others. Ambition never blunted his sympathies, and a well-earned LIFE AND CHARACTER OF RUSH CLARK. 49 popularity never caused him to be forgetful of his friends. Duty was his watchword, and in its performance was his reward. With all his struggles and trials, his life was a happy one, for he consciously contributed to the happiness of others. Such men must die, but the world is the better in that they have lived. ADDRESS OF yViR. JClRKWOOD, OF JoWA. Mr. PRESIDENT: Other Senators have spoken fully of RUSH CLARK in the relations he bore to the public whom he had served as a lawyer and a legislator. It becomes me, by reason of my more intimate per sonal acquaintance with him, to speak of him as he was known to those who, like myself, had the pleasure and the advantage of fre quent, close, and friendly intercourse with him. He represented in the Forty-fifth Congress and, until his death, in the Forty-sixth Congress the Congressional district in which I live. I was one of his constituents; he was my fellow-townsman, my neighbor, and I am glad to be able to say my friend. He was by some two years an older resident of our young State than myself. When I went to reside in Iowa City in 1855, I found him there, a young man and a young lawyer, struggling for and gradually win ning, by his knowledge of the law, his close attention to his busi ness, his energy, and his perseverance, that high rank in his profes sion to which he afterward attained. When he came to Iowa his capital, or as we sometimes express it in our quaint Western way, his "outfit" was his head, his heart, and his hands a clear head, a stout heart, and willing hands. After closing his collegiate life in Pennsylvania, he judged, as I think wisely, that there was a better chance for him to win his way in the battle of life in the new, broad, free West, than in the older, more crowded, and I trust I may say without offense, less liberal 7 R c 50 ADDRESS OF MR. KIRKWOOD ON THE older States. He knew well that the journey of life for him was not to be^n easy, pleasant travel over a broad, smooth highway, but a tedious and painful progress over a rough and rugged path, every foot of which was to be made by his own labor and perseverance. He did not quail at the prospect, but went to work manfully and persistently. He met, as such men almost always do meet, many obstacles in his way ; but he met them boldly, overcame them, and left them behind him, monuments of his energy and courage. Before his death these qualities had brought him to where his path way was broader and smoother, and the outlook for his future more bright and cheering. And then he died; died in the prime of life; died of overwork; died of the earnest and exhausting labor he gave to the interests of his country and his constituents, which was greater than his physical powers, never strong, could endure. My colleague has told of the different honorable positions held by Mr. CLARK by the favor of those among whom he lived, and how he performed the duties attached to them. He held at one time a position not by election, but by my appointment that brought us into close and cordial relations. I had the honor to hold, during the first three years of our civil war the war of the rebellion as it is in my judgment properly called the office of governor of the loyal State of Iowa, and thereby was charged with the duty of raising and organizing the volunteers called for from that State for the preserva tion of the Union. I needed to aid me in that work the services of some bright, earnest, active young men. Mr. CLARK was one of them; my colleague (I trust he will pardon me) was another. Largely by their aid and the aid of others associated with them in giving form and direction to the patriotism of our young men, the quota of Iowa s soldiers was always full ; and I must be allowed to say in this presence, where are men who fought on the same side with them, and men who fought against them, no better or braver soldiers fought under either flag in that unhappy strife. LIFE AND CHARACTER OF RUSH CLARK. 51 As a citizen RUSH CLARK was orderly, law-abiding, and public- spirited; as a neighbor, kindly, generous, and helpful; as a friend, true and trusty; as a husband and father, kind, loving, and devoted. The scene on the arrival of his remains at his home showed the estimation in which he was held by his neighbors, those who knew him best and to whom his sudden death had given a great and pain ful shock. It was late at night when the train carrying his corpse reached our quiet town, and yet the depot and the street between that and his home were filled by his friends and neighbors who came to testify by their presence their -respect for him and their sorrow for his loss, and who on the next day followed him to our quiet cemetery where his mortal remains " rest in peace." When we look about us and see death choosing his victims, we sometimes wonder why the idler is left, and the active earnest worker is called away; why those in the pride and vigor of their manhood are taken and those older and perhaps weary of life are permitted to remain. We do not know why. We know that God who does all things well, so wills it, and bow in submission to His will. We only know that he to whose memory we do honor to-day has gone before us to learn the mysteries of that other life in which we all believe, as to which many fear so much, and as to which all hope so much and know so little. If it be true, as many believe, that the best service we can render here to the Great Father of all is to give strength to the weak and help to the helpless of His children, then my friend has done his proper work well. If it be true, as many believe, that in the other life we shall be assigned to do the work for which our mental and moral develop ment here has best fitted us, then my friend will be given there im portant work to do. If it be true, as many believe, and it is becoming very pleasant for me so to believe, that in the other life we shall know and enjoy the 52 ADDRESS OF MR. KIRKWOOD. society of those whom we knew and loved here, then my friend who has gone before is enjoying pleasant communings in his new home and waits with patient longing the coming of those whom he loved and left behind. I move, Mr. President, the adoption of the resolution offered by my colleague. The resolution was agreed to unanimously. Mr. KIRKWOOD. I move now that, as a further mark of respect to the memory of the deceased, the Senate adjourn. The motion was agreed to, and the Senate adjourned. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY