LIBRARY UNIVWW* OF, CALIFORNIA I SAN 01 EGO MEMORIAL ADDRESSES IFE AND CHARACTER LlFE AND C OF HENRY H. STARKWEATHER (A REPRESENTATIVE FROM CONNECTICUT,) DELIVERED IN THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, FEBRUARY 24, 1876. PUBLISHED BY ORDER OF CONGRESS. WASHINGTON: GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. ADDRESSES ON THE DEATH OF H. H. STARKWEATHER. PROCEEDINGS IN THE HOUSE. FRIDAY, JANUARY 28, 1876. The House met at 12 o'clock m. Prayer by the Chaplain, Rev. I. L. Townsend, D. D. DEATH OF HON. HENRY H. STARKWEATHER. Mr. BARNUM. I rise to announce the death in this city this morning of my late colleague from the third congres- sional district of the State of Connecticut, Hon. HENRY H. STARKWEATHER, and to offer the resolutions which I send to the Clerk's desk. The Clerk read as follows: Resolved, That a committee of seven members be appointed by the Speaker of the House to take order for superintending tfie funeral of Hon. HENRY H. STARKWEATHER, late a member of this body from the State of Connecticut. Resolved, That as a mark of the respect entertained by the House for the memory of Hon. HENRY H. STARKWEATHER, his remains be removed to Norwich, Conn., in charge of the Sergeaut- at-Arms and attended by the said committee, who shall have full power to carry this resolution into effect. PROCEEDINGS IN THE HOUSE. Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these proceedings to the Senate. Resolved, That as an additional mark of respect to the memory of the deceased the House do now adjourn. The resolutions were unanimously adopted. The SPEAKEE, in pursuance of the first resolution, an- nounced the appointment of the following committee : Mr. BARNUM, Mr. GTARFIELD, Mr. WHEELER, Mr. PHELPS, Mr. HOAR, Mr. LANDERS, of Connecticut, and Mr. ASHE. And thereupon (at three o'clock and ten minutes p. m.) the House, in accordance with the concluding resolution just adopted, adjourned. FEBRUARY 24, 1876. The SPEAKER. The Chair desires now to say to the House that he was notified early this morning by the friends of the late Mr. STARKWEATHER, of Connecticut, that it was their desire at three o'clock to proceed in the House to pay the proper respect to the memory of Mr. STARKWEATHER. That hour is now passed, and twenty minutes more. What is it the pleasure of the House now to do? Mr. PHELPS. I wish the House now to listen to the resolutions of respect to Mr. STARKWEATHER'S memory which I send to the Clerk's desk. The Clerk read as follows: Resolved, That this House has heard with deep regret the an- nouncement of the death of HENRY H. STARKWEATHER, late a member of this House from the State of Connecticut. PROCEEDINGS IN THE HOUSE. Resolved, That as a testimony of respect to the memory of the de- ceased, the officers and members of the House will wear the usual badge of mourning for thirty days. Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be transmitted by the Clerk to the family of the deceased. Resolved, That as a further mark of respect the House do now adjourn. Resolved, That the foregoing resolutions be forthwith transmitted to the Senate. Address by Mr. Phelps, of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, it has again become the sad duty of the Representatives of the State of Connecticut to announce the decease of one of their colleagues in the councils of the nation. The shafts of death have recently fallen with such rapidity upon the distinguished citizens of the Republic that even the eloquence of eulogy has become common- place in these Halls, and it is difficult without repetition to select language suitable for the expression of our feelings. But a few days since we were required to suspend the prosecution of our ordinary official duties and pay the cus- tomary tribute of respect to the memory of one who, at the time of his decease, was in the enjoyment of the high- est honor which a State of this Union can bestow on its most deserving citizen. Now, sir, it is not a Senator who has fallen but one of our own members, an honored mem- ber of this House, who possessed the respect of us all, and the friendship of many of the oldest and most prominent members of this body. Hon. HENRY H. STARKWEATHER died at his lodgings in this city on the morning of the 28th of January last. His recent invocation in behalf of another to "come quickly" ADDRESS BY MB. PHELPS ON THE was speedily answered to himself, and his spirit has been borne to the presence of Him who gave it. He was born, of highly respectable parents, in the town of Preston, Conn., on the 2<Jth day of April, 1826. His father was in moderate pecuniary circumstances, and followed the plain but reputable pursuit of agriculture, and his son until twenty-one years of age, when not at- tending the common schools or teaching in them, assisted his father in his work upon the farm. With such oppor- tunities for education as he possessed, and with a strong desire for learning and a natural intellect of a superior order, he acquired a thorough common education, and by much and well-selected reading stored his mind with use- ful information, which a vigorous and well-trained memory enabled him to retain. In that way he acquired a fund of valuable knowledge from which, as occasion required, he drew in after life and made available in all the exigen- cies of his professional and political career. His ambition for distinction led him to adopt the pro- fession of the law, for which he qualified under the instruc- tion of an eminent and accomplished lawyer, now one of the judges of the supreme court of the State, arid was admitted to the bar in 1850. He immediately commenced practice in the city of Norwich, and at a bar which num- bered among its members some of the most able and distinguished practitioners in the State, occupied a respect- able position. Like many other young and promising members of his profession, he allowed himself to be with- LIFE AND CHARACTER OF HENRY H. STARKWEATHER. 9 drawn from exclusive devotion to it by the excitement of politics, and after a short practice of ten years, during which he had been steadily rising toward distinction, he accepted the appointment of postmaster in that city, and from that time gave little attention to his profession. In politics he was a whig until the disintegration of that party, and then actively assisted in the organization of the American party, by which he was elected to the lower house in the State Legislature in 1856. He afterward aided with enthusiasm in the formation of the republican party, was prominent in its councils, and was a delegate to the national conventions which nominated Mr. Lincoln in 1860 and General Grant in 1868. He was re-appointed postmaster in 1865 by President Johnson; but after the latter made his celebrated speech on the 22d of February, 1866, he could not longer consistently retain office under his administration, and resigned. He was nominated and elected to Congress in 1867, and by successive re-elections continued to occupy a seat here until his death. The period embraced in his congressional service was one of the most interesting in the history of the country, and during that period he at different times held positions on several of the most important committees of the House, and was remarkable for the faithfulness with which he constantly endeavored to perform his duty. No request from a constituent, however humble, was dis- regarded by him, and his known fidelity to duty and his conscientious adherence to principle were what most es- 2 s 10 ADDRESS BY MR. PHELPS ON THE pecially constituted the elements of his strength. He was quiet and unassuming in his official demeanor, and seldom attempted to participate in debate beyond the formal statements which were necessary to explain the reports from committees which he had occasion to make ; but he had, notwithstanding, acquired an influence from his long membership and his familiarity with the rules of congres- sional proceedings which any member, however long in service, may be satisfied to attain. That made him a very valuable and efficient Representative, and enabled him to acquire a usefulness which no inexpeiienced member, however able, can hope to possess. His congressional career is familiar to many now here who have been long associated with him, and to them I leave the friendly office of more ably and particularly illustrating it. He possessed an uncommon natural power in another respect. He had a remarkably accurate judgment of men, and an almost intuitive perception of their character. This added much to his capacity and influence as a legis- lator, and was a material and valuable constituent in the composition of the man. He also possessed great force of will, and bravely strug- gled against the disease which overcame him. He had successfully passed through previous severe attacks of ill- ness and doubted not he should escape fatal consequences from the last. Through fear of occasioning his family unnecessary apprehension, he refused to allow them to be informed of the severity of his suffering, and as late as LIFE AND CHARACTER OF HENRY H. STARKWEATHER. 11 the afternoon before his death addressed with his own hand, which betrayed no sign of weakness, a few affec- tionate and encouraging words to his wife, who, unknown to him, was then hastening, in feeble health, but with true wifely instinct and devotion, to administer to him the comfort of her care and the consolation of her companion- ship. She arrived in season to receive an intelligent and affectionate recognition from him, and a few moments after he passed from life as gently as the twilight fades into the night. He has gone in the pride of his intellect- ual strength, before the frosts of age had silvered his locks or the hand of time fun-owed his brow ; gone in the midst of his usefulness, when his services were more than ever valuable and needed. There was another prominent element in his character, too rarely found in the statesmen of the present day, which cannot be omitted without doing him great injustice and rendering the portraiture of his life very incomplete. He was a devoted Christian. Disease assailed him at his post of duty and soon conquered his weak frame; but the invitation from his Master did not find him unprepared; " he knew in whom he trusted." He had in early life clothed himself with the armor of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and that shield and helmet and breast-plate which were the panoply of his defense against the assaults of the enemy of all righteousness were worn by him in tri- umph to the end. At his obsequies the overflowing church and thronged streets, the saddened countennnces and tear- 12 ADDRESS BY MR. PHELPS ON THE ful eyes, spoke eloquently of the universal respect and grief of the community who had known him longest and best. The benedictions of a bereaved people were rev- erently breathed upon his casket. Death is under all circumstances a solemn event and can scarcely occur to the humblest and most obscure without inflicting torture on other hearts ; and while it is true that the sorrow of such is sometimes more deep and lasting than that of those who move in a higher sphere, yet the public are not shocked. But when a citizen whose posi- tion and services have made his name familiar is stricken down. in the conflict of life, with his official armor on, the electric announcement which thrills throughout the coun- try produces a sensation of public calamity and loss, a feeling that a public servant has fallen, the loss of whose experience and service is a public bereavement. It is a singular fact that the last public act of Senator Ferry was to pronounce a eulogy upon his colleague, Senator Buckingham-. It is a more singular circumstance that Mr. STARKWEATHER'S last official work was the prepa- ration of a similar address upon Senator Ferry. It is yet more singular that before that address was delivered he had been suddenly summoned from this world, and that paper was read to this House in the place of a eulogy of his own by the distinguished gentleman from Ohio, [Gen- eral Garfield.] I will leave to others who have finer imagination and more fervid speech to paint with glowing words the beauty of the closing part of that address, and LIFE AND CHARACTER OF HENRY H. STARKWEATHER. 13 to tell how descriptive it was of his own feelings and con- dition, how personally prophetic in its application, and how truly it sounded like the triumphant strains of the dying Christian singing his own requiem. In private life Mr. STARKWEATHER was above reproach, modest and unaffected in his manner, amiable in his dis- position, genial and social in his intercourse, generous to his friends, charitable to the poor, just to all. He was deeply devoted to those who composed his cherished household circle and equally beloved by them. 14 ADDRESS BY MR. STEVENSON ON THE Address by Mr. Stevenson, of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, it had been my intention rather to listen than to take part in these solemn ceremonies. But at the request of my honorable friend from Connecticut, [Mr. Phelps,] I desire in brief words to add my tribute of re- spect to the memory of him whose loss we deplore. My acquaintance with Mr. STARKWEATHER began at the opening of the present session of Congress. From the first he impressed me as a gentleman of a high order of ability, laborious in the discharge of every duty, and faithful to every trust. A continuous service in this House for more than eight years fully attests the value placed upon his services by the people whom he repre- sented. The record of the proceedings of this body will show that he played no unimportant part in the discus- sion and adjustment of the great questions of public policy which have agitated the country during the last decade of years. Wrong he may at times have been in his con- clusions, but that those conclusions were the result of intelligent deliberation and conscientious conviction 110 one who knew him could doubt. But, sir, it is not for me to speak more fully of his public services. Others who LIFE AND -CHARACTER OF HENRY H. STARKWEATHER. 15 have known him longer and have been his co-laborers here have performed that duty. Mr. Speaker, the sad duty devolved upon myself with others of this House, under your appointment, to bear the remains of our late associate back to his native State, to his home and people, and there consign them to their last resting-place. The sad yet pleasing recollections of that service can never be effaced from my memory. If I had doubted the strong hold that this Representative had upon the hearts of his people, such doubts would have been dispelled by the symbols of grief, the evidences of true sorrow we everywhere beheld. For one day all business was suspended, public buildings and many private resi- dences draped in mourning, while the countenances of the many thousands who followed him to the silent grave bore unmistakable evidences of deep and lasting sorrow. Mr. Speaker, our late associate has played his part in this little drama of human life, and the record of his deeds here is forever closed. The places that have known him upon the earth can know him no more forever. In a beautiful New England city, surrounded by the eternal hills, among a people who so long honored themselves by honoring him He sleeps his last sleep, and No souud can awake him to glory again. Mr. Speaker, we mourn him as a trusted associate, as a faithful public servant, but what must be the bereave- ment of those to whom he sustained the more endearing relation of husband and father! Within that vale of 16 ADDRESS BY MR. STEVENSON ON THE sacred grief we would not enter; but "may He who tem- pers the wind to the shorn lamb" soothe and sustain the bereaved in this trying hour. Sir, as we pause for a brief moment from the cares and duties that press upon us, to pay this last tribute of re- spect to the memory of our departed friend, it is a pleas- ing thought that to the character of faithful Representative, exemplary citizen, and devoted husband and father, he added that of a humble, devout Christian. The dread summons which came to him, and which we know not how soon must come to us all, found him calmly, reso- lutely awaiting its approach. Mr. Speaker, almost the last act of Mr. STARKWEATHER'S life was the preparation of the beautiful and touching eulogium upon Senator Ferry, which he did not live to utter, but which was so impressively read to this House but a few days since by my honorable friend from Ohio, [Mr. Grarfield.] Sir, I know of no more fitting language with which to close these remarks than those prophetic words with which he closed his tribute to the memory of the dead Senator from his own State: It was most beautiful aud grand, amid failing strength and long years of pain, to hear him discourse of Rest at last, Repose complete, eternal ; Love, rest, and home. No cloud obscured the effulgence of his hope or dimmed his vision. Clear and high his intellect and his faith rose above all storms and darkness, and sustained him in sweet companionship amid the unrevealed mysteries of pain. Thinking of trials past, and knowing, as we do, how well he LIFE AND CHARACTER OF HENRY H. STARKWEATHER. 17 had wrought for the future, trusting iu the merits of his dear Lord, he could repeat the sweet lines of Bonar Beyond the parting and the meeting I shall be soon ; Beyond the farewell and the greeting, Beyond the pulse's fever beating, I shall be soon. Love, rest, and home! Sweet home! Lord, tarry not, but come. Beyond the frost-chain aud the fever I shall be soou ; Beyond the rock-waste and the river, Beyond the ever and the never, I shall be soon. Love, rest, and home! Sweet home! Lord, tarry not, but come. 3 S 18 ADDRESS BY MR. HALE ON THE Address by Mr. Wale, of Maine. Mr. Speaker, from the day when I first entered this House, seven years ago, the deceased member and I have been thrown much together. We both served upon the Committee on Naval Affairs in the Forty-first Congress, and during all the arduous labors of the Committee on Appropriations for the Forty-third Congress we sat at the same table, engaged in the same work. Still later, (and this recollection summons his face before me in clear relief,) he sat next on my right in the chair which is to- day vacant; and so it came about that I knew him well were it not for that fine reserve which was a feature of his character, I should say intimately. Like other gentlemen who have served with him on committees, I learned to value Mr. STARKWEATHER for the faithful services that he brought to every duty laid upon him, and for the clear judgment that he displayed in often- times conflicting national, sectional, and political interests. Through it all he was honest and earnest of purpose, and, though by no means an aggressive man in temper, he was effective and spirited in maintaining his views, and if ever LIFE AND CHARACTER OF HENRY H. STARKWEATHER. 19 assailed in any manner reflecting on the consistency of his political course, he always showed that he was amply capable of taking care of himself. He has left this presence where not a few still remain who have served with him, and among them all I venture to say there is not one who does not feel that he was honest, capable, and faithful. His constituents appreciated this high character, and manifested their appreciation by repeated returns. It is no common thing either in Connecticut or in any State for a member of this House to be returned here at five successive elections. Few higher honors ever fall upon an American citizen. From some acquaintance with his constituents I have been impressed with the belief that their confidence in him has been for ten years a growing and not a waning sentiment. Like many of our public men, Mr. STARKWEATHER gave his best years to the service of his country, and died a poor man ; but he has left to his dear wife and children that precious legacy, a good name and the memory of a well-spent life. Upon this floor we have all seen him, attentive and watchful ; in the committee-rooms of this Capitol, where is molded the legislation of forty millions of people, some of us have sat by him and have been benefited by his counsels. The years of his public service have come and have gone. They failed not with him, as they fail not with 20 ADDRESS BY MR. HALE ON THE most of us, to deepen the unseen burdens of mortality and to sap the strength with which we resist the common decay. But out of it all Mr. STARKWEATHER brought none or little of the accumulations for which many men in other walks barter health, honor, and life. He was content to do well his duty, and the recollec- tion of his patient life and the protection of a kind Creator and Father will, I know, raise up friends for those who were dependent upon him and who are well-nigh heart- broken at his loss. Listening the other day to the deep and fervent words which he had written for an occasion like this, in memory of his deceased friend, the late Senator from Connecticut, in which in rapt language he prefigured the soul's relation to the illimitable future, and also looking back, as I now do, to the incidents and observations of every-day life, which are apt to elude us until after our friends are taken from us, I am impressed with the belief that Mr. STARK- WEATHER carried with him, as a constant presence, the conviction that death might at any time come to him. He was never, or at least not for years, what might be called a well man. Lassitude, weakness, illness, all con- spired to drag him down. Against these he always made an uncomplaining and manly resistance, and notwithstanding them wrought out a life of useful deeds such as few men ever compass. But, Mr. Speaker, what struggles and misgivings the watches of the night, could they be laid bare, might show LIFE AND CHARACTER OF HENRY H. STARKWEATHER. 21 to us we can never know. There are no such heroic com- bats as these silent, solitary ones, with the relentless foe that at last occupies all human fields. The ordinary con- flicts of human life sink into littleness beside them. To know that the destroyer has made his lodgment, and that whatsoever may be the tie that binds us to life, the allure- ments of public station, the charm of love and friendship, the laughter and confidence of little children, he will yet give us but little notice, is what with most men breaks down courage and palsies every effort. Thinking of such a conflict, and believing as I do that our friend waged it, I recall the words of Thackeray upon another of life's lost battles : The thought of it smites ine down in humble submission before the Euler of kings and men, the Monarch Supreme, the inscrutable Dispenser of life, death, happiness, victory. He who has left us was no recreant here. He suc- cumbed only when the hand could be no more upraised and the asserting will failed forever. But he has left with us the memory of the cheerful companion, the good friend, the honest, faithful public servant. 22 ADDRESS BY MR. GARFIELD ON THE Address by Mr. Garfield, of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, in some respects this Hall is the coldest, the most isolated place in which' the human heart can find a temporary residence. We are in the service of distant constituencies, each of us representing the wishes and aspirations of separate communities, people with whom we are far more closely connected than with each other. Few of us have been neighbors, or even acquaintances. We are here not for each other, but for the public ; and the duties of our temporary sojourn are such as necessa- rily to keep us isolated from each other. I have often been saddened with the thought that in no place where my life has been cast have I seen so much necessary isolation as here. True, our work brings us together every day ; we see each other's faces ; we compare opin- ions upon public questions ; we divide, combine, clash, agree, attack, and defend : but, after all, this life is a wonderful isolation. The accidents of committee service, of the seats we may occupy in this Hall, of the places in the city where we may reside all these frequently deter- mine whether we shall really know much or little of each LIFE AND CHARACTER OF. HENRY H. STARKWEATHER. 23 other. And usually it is difficult, without the favorable concurrence of these accidents, for two busy members of this House to become very intimately acquainted with each other. Mr. STARKWEATHER was a member of this House several years before I could say that I had any intimate acquaint- ance with him. It was only when our duties brought us together upon the same committee that I came to realize how much I had lost in the four years during which he had been a member of this body. Our service together on a very laborious committee gave me unusual opportuni- ties to study the character of his mind and heart, and to know that, in the best meaning of the words, he was a true, genuine, manly man. Foremost among his high qualities was his unselfishness. He was one of the few men we meet in this ambitious tussle of public life who is willing to take up a difficult and tangled subject, patiently work it out, and put his results into the com- mon fund of work as cheerfully and faithfully as if the duties and the honors were all his own. Without com- plaining, quietly, patiently, and faithfully he did his work, finding his reward in the consciousness of duty well done. There was another circumstance that enabled us to know more of his character than would otherwise have been pos- sible. I have sometimes thought that we cannot know any man thoroughly well while he is in perfect health. As the ebb-tide discloses the real lines of the shore and bed of the sea, so feebleness, sickness, and pain bring out the 24 ADDKESS BY MR. GARFIELD ON THE real character of a man. Who knew better than he the sacred ministry of pain? Who fought more bravely for life? Who struggled more courageously to do his duty uncomplainingly and appear to be well? I have seen him in the committee-room in such paroxysms of coughing that it seemed he must die in his chair. Yet, with a rare hope- fulness and courage that rejected help, he waved his friends off, as if annoyed that they should notice his weakness. Thus, for years, he pushed away the hand that was reach- ing for his heart-strings, and bravely worked on until his last hour. I do not doubt that his will and cheerful cour- age prolonged his life many years. He was a man of uncommon soundness of judgment, of rare common sense. I recently heard one of our fore- most scholars and thinkers say that of all the men who had made the most enduring impress upon the character and history of our institutions, the men of sound judgment had done vastly more for us than all our brilliant men had accomplished. He noticed especially the example of Washington. Hamilton was the master of a brilliant style, clear and bold in conception and decisive in execution; Jefferson was profoundly imbued with a philosophic spirit, could formulate the aspirations of a brave and free people in all the graces of powerful rhetoric; and other master-minds of that period added their great and valuable contribu- tions to the common stock; but, whether in the camp or in the Cabinet, the quality that rose above all the other LIFE AND CHARACTER OF HENRY H. STARKWEATHER. 25 great gifts of that period was the comprehensive and un- erring judgment of Washington. Itwas that all-embracing sense, that calmness of solid judgment, that made him easily chief; not only the first man of his age, but fore- most "in the foremost files of time." I was deeply impressed with this tribute to the value of sound judgment, of saving common sense, as contrasted with the more flashing qualities of genius. And I may say that our departed friend was girded with a calm, balanced judgment that made him a man to be trusted in moments of doubt and difficulty. I have known but few men who knew so perfectly the drift and current of public thought and of what would be just right and fitting and wise to do. It was this which made Mr. STARKWEATHER so valuable a member of the committees on which he served. They found him never fickle, always wise, never extreme, always steady, having the courage of his opin- ions and always ready to defend them. He had one experience that almost every man must have before his character can be fully tested. He was tried in the fiery furnace of detraction and abuse. I re- member well, in that period of assault, how calmly, how modestly, and yet how bravely he bore himself without bitterness, without shrinking boldly meeting all assaults, calmly answering, bearing himself through the storm like a genuine man as he was. That was the test which set the seal of character and gave assurance that he was made of the real stuff of which genuine, heroic men are made. 4 s 26 ADDBESS BY ME. GAEFIELD ON THE But, after all, we have but small ground to judge of a man's real merits here. We can judge of many qualities; but if we would know a man's heart and learn how the foundations of his character have been laid, we must enter that circle where he has been known from his youth and in which his life has been developed. Well as I knew Mr. STARKWEATHEE, I confess that I never knew until we bore his body back to his home, and saw his neighbors gathered around his bier, how true, how tender, and how noble a soul was his. We know but little of each other here. Behind this public life lies a world of history, of quiet, beautiful home- life, within which the religious opinions and sentiments are manifested a world of affection, the features of which are rarely brought out in this forum. Who of us knew the deep, the profound religious life of our departed friend? None of us ever saw anything in him inconsistent with the highest religious character; but who of us had learned that at home, in the circle of his family and his church, he was a steady, clear light, illuminating the whole circle in which he moved, and filling with the radiance of a sweet and beautiful religious life the hearts of all who knew him. On the evening of his very last day at home, only a month before he came here to die, he spoke in his own church, in a quiet social gathering, such words as we found were echoing and trembling in the stricken hearts of those who came to follow his bier. There was no religious cant in this man no ostenta- LIFE AND CHARACTER OF HENRY H. STARKWEATHER. 27 tious parade of piety. It was with him, as he said of Senator Ferry, not a sentiment merely, but a controlling force, that cleared his pathway and molded his own life. And it was this that bowed my soul in reverence and love as I stood beside his grave. I believe we may say in every good sense of the word that his life has been a noble and worthy success, a life that we ought to remember for our own sakes and for the sake of our country, a life that those who knew him can never forget. The resolutions were then unanimously adopted; and in accordance therewith (at four o'clock p. m.) the House ad- journed. PROCEEDINGS IN THE SENATE. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1876. A message was received from the House of Represent- atives informing the Senate of the death of Hon. HENRY H. STARKWEATHER, late a member of the House from the State of Connecticut, and transmitted the resolutions of the House thereon. Mr. ENGLISH. Mr. President, I ask for the reading of the resolutions of the House of Representatives. The Chief Clerk read as follows : IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, February 24, 1876. Resolved, That the House has heard with deep regret the an- nouncement of the death of HENRY H. STARKWEATHER, late a member of this House from the State of Connecticut. Resolved, That as a testimony of respect for the memory of the deceased the officers and members of the House will wear the usual badge of mourning for thirty days. Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be transmitted by the Clerk to the family of the deceased. Resolved, That as a further mark of respect the House do now adjourn. Resolved, That the foregoing resolutions be forthwith trans- mitted to the Senate. Mr. ENGLISH. Mr. President, in view of the resolutions just received from the House of Representatives an- 30 PROCEEDINGS IN THE SENATE. nouncing the death of Mr. STARKWEATHER, late Kepre- sentative in that body from the State of Connecticut, I offer the following resolution for adoption by the Senate : Resolved, That as a mark of respect to the memory of Mr. STARKWEATHER the business of the Senate be suspended, that the friends of the deceased may pay fitting tribute to his public and private virtues. The resolution was agreed to unanimously. LIFE AND CHARACTER OF HENRY H. STARKWEATHER. 31 Address by Mr. English, of Connecticut. Mr. President, the Angel of Death in passing has again thrust his hand into our midst and taken from our number another member of the Forty-fourth Congress. HENRY H. STARKWEATHER, a member of the House of Representatives from the third congressional district in Connecticut, died in this city on the morning of the 28th ultimo. By this sudden dispensation of Providence the State of Connecticut has lost one of her most honored citizens and faithful public servants, on' whose wisdom, experience, integrity, and patriotism her people have been accustomed to rely, and whose death we mourn to-day, and here and now join in paying tribute of respect to his memory. Born of Christian parents, whose piety was of that decided type which prevailed in New England in the last generation, he was early taught to fear and reverence God and love his fellow-man. Guided by the prayers and counsels of his parents, his life developed into that devoted and useful Christian character which so much endeared him to all of his friends and fellow-citizens. Mr. STARKWEATHER was born in the town of Preston, 32 ADDRESS BY MR. ENGLISH ON THE Conn , on the 29th day of April, 1826. His early years were spent in laboring on his father's farm in that town, and improving his early educational advantages in the public schools, which are open, free, to every child in that State. Endowed with fine natural abilities, and with a full determination on his part to improve to the best advantage the talents which God had given him, he em- ployed the time during his minority by cultivating the soil and teaching in the public schools, and by diligent reading and study he acquired that mental culture that enabled him to enter upon the study of his chosen profes- sion. In the year 1846 he made the city of Norwich his future place of residence, and entered upon the study of the law under the guidance of the Hon. Lafayette S. Fos- ter, and was admitted to practice in 1850. For several years he retained a large and remunerative practice and occupied a high position among his professional associates of the bar. He was elected a member of the House of Eepresentatives in the Legislature of Connecticut in 1856, and distinguished himself as a capable and faithful legis- lator ; was a delegate to the national republican convention of 1860, which nominated Mr. Lincoln, and in 1868, to that which nominated General Grant, for President. He was appointed in 1861 postmaster at Norwich, and re-ap- pointed in 1865, which office he resigned in 1866, as he said in a letter at the time, "that a soldier who had fought and bled for his country might receive the honor and endowments of the office." He was elected to the LIFE AND CHARACTER OF HENRY H. STARKWEATHER. 33 Fortieth, Forty-first, Forty-second, Forty-third, and Forty-fourth Congresses as a republican. Mr. STARKWEATHER early exhibited a taste for political life. Three of his paternal uncles had been prominent lawyers, and two of them, Hon. David A. Starkweather, of Ohio, and Hon. George C. Starkweather, of New York, had been members of Congress, which fact undoubtedly stimulated him to struggle for political honors. By his capacity and assiduous attention to all the duties which had been intrusted to him as a Representative in the coun- cils of the nation he won the confidence and respect of his constituents, and, as an evidence of their high sense of ap- preciation of his services as a legislator, he was elected to represent his district in Congress for five consecutive terms, and died in the service. As a member of the House of Representatives, Mr. STARKWEATHER had the confidence and respect not only of his constituents and friends at home, but of his fellow- members in that body, all of whom honored him for his simplicity and Christian virtues, and all who knew him testify to his untiring industry and diligent, attention to all of his official duties. Mr. STARKWEATHER was a modest man, not brilliant in speech, participating in debate but seldom. He possessed a clear, strong mind and sound judgment, which enabled him to readily comprehend all matters of business before the House and see it in its proper light. When his mind was . once made up, it was not easy to swerve him from 5 s 34 ADDRESS BY MR. ENGLISH ON THE his purpose. By his quiet manner, by personal solicita- tion, by urging measures at the right time, he was very successful in making himself felt, and often achieved greater results than a more demonstrative orator could have done. In a word, it may be said : He was faithful. He was capable. He was honest. Alas ! he has gone. His voice will no more be heard in these Halls forever. With him the voyage of life is ended. He has reached that haven at last where the winds cease to blow, the waters are still, and where there is eternal rest. LIFE AND CHARACTER OF HENRY H. STARKWEATHER. 35 Address by Mr. Dawes, of Massachusetts. Mr. President, I was the associate and friend of Mr. STARKWEATHER during all the time of his service in the House, and I therefore deem it my duty as well as priv- ilege to briefly bear testimony in this body, to which he was officially a stranger, to his great value as a public man, as a citizen, and as a friend. He was called to the discharge of the duties of a Representative with the well- earned reputation of an officer faithful and trustworthy in the minutest detail and most difficult complications of a responsible public trust ; and he brought to his new work the same earnestness and fidelity which had already won the confidence of his immediate fellow-citizens. There fell to his lot in the distribution of business among the members, as is the wont to the willing and the faithful, an unusual share of the labor in committee and upon the floor of the House. His patient, painstaking, and clear, well-balanced mind made him of great service in the committee-room, and his candor and plain, straight- forward business method gained him great influence in the management before the House of the business he had matured for its consideration. He made little stir and less 36 ADDRESS BY MR. DAWES ON THE proclamation beforehand of any effort it became necessary for him to make, and after its performance he was content to let its merits commend it to the approval of his fellow- members and fellow-citizens. In all he did, modesty and self-distrust were handmaids of usefulness and success. Though no orator, he always spoke with effect, and was quite able in debate. What he had to say always had about it a directness and simplicity of statement and illustration so necessary to profitable dis- cussion and for which the House always hungers. His usefulness as a member was recognized by his repeated appointment by different Speakers of opposite politics upon the most important standing committees of the House ; and he thus participated largely in shaping the important measures brought from time to time before that body. In all the relations of private life Mr. STARKWEATHER won the esteem and personal regard of all who knew him. Sincerity and frankness written on his countenance and illustrated in all his daily intercourse with his fellow- members were the charm of his social intercourse. He made no enemies, but many friends, who were attached to him till the end by the ties of companionship and brotherhood. Purity of life and nobleness of aim and endeavor are the great lessons he has left for us who are still spared to further opportunity and trial. LIFE AND CHARACTER OF HENRY H. STARKWEATHER. 37 Address by Mr. Sargent, of California. Mr. President, Mr. STARKWEATHER entered the Fortieth Congress, and served continuously until his death. No better evidence could be given of the confidence of the people whom he immediately served. He possessed abil- ity and industry; and those who knew him intimately knew that he was generous, genial, and courteous in all his relations with his fellow-members. But he was so modest and retiring in his disposition that his excellent abilities were not always understood, and he was himself less known than many members of far less length of ser- vice and inferior capacity for usefulness. Varioiis circumstances during my service in the House of Representatives brought me in somewhat close associa- tion with Mr. STARKWEATHER, and therefrom I had oppor- tunity to better appreciate the sterling attributes of his character. From the knowledge of him thus gained I saw that he was able and retiring; that he was courageous in supporting his own convictions, while fair and generous in opposing the views of others; that his immediate con- stituents gained direct and exceptional benefits from his 38 ADDKESS BY MR. SARGENT ON THE industry, while his zeal for the public good did not end with their interests. The Congressional Globe and Record are not burdened with frequent essays from his pen; but on the rare occa- sions whereon he spoke it was obvious that his purpose was to influence the minds of his fellow-legislators, and he spoke with clearness, force, and precision. He was useful as a legislator, sincere and consistent in his political convictions, faithful to his constituents, an earnest lover of his country, and honest to all men. LIFE AND CHARACTER OF HENRY H. STARKWEATHER. 39 Address by Mr. "Eaton, of Connecticut. Mr. President, again, as a Senator from Connecticut, am I compelled to the performance of a sad and mournful duty. Another honored son of my State has been stricken down in his harness; death came upon him, so to speak, while in the performance of his congressional duties. HENRY H. STARKWEATHER, a Representative in Con- gress from the third congressional district of Connecticut, died in Washington on the 28th day of January of this year. Mr. STARKWEATHER was bora in Preston, county of New London, State of Connecticut, on .the 29th day of April, 1826. His parents were respectable but not wealthy people, and a life of hard manual labor seemed looming up before the youth, a life the lines of which were apparently not cast in pleasant places. The ordinary work of a hard New England farm during the summer and teaching a district or common school in the winter months occupied his time for several years, 4Q ADDRESS BY MR. EATON ON THE when the ambition for advancement, so common to the New England youth, assumed control of his mind. At the age of twenty-two years, he commenced the study of the law, and was admitted to the practice of that profession in the county of New London. Mr. STARKWEATHER did not possess a brilliant mind, nor had he the comprehensive, broad, and commanding intellect which forces immediate success in the profession which he had chosen. But, perhaps what was better, he was a devoted student, and possessed habits of untiring industry, which, before he arrived at middle age, enabled him to assume a fair position at the bar of his county, which numbered among its members some of the ablest men in the State. Mr. STARKWEATHER was but once a member of the Connecticut Legislature, and therefore, when elected to the Fortieth Congress, his legislative experience was small. He served through the Fortieth, Forty-first, Forty- second, and Forty-third Congresses, and, by the same untiring industry which had characterized his professional life, he became an eminently useful member of the House. As a working member he had no superior, and though in his speeches never rising to eloquence, he always had the ear and commanded the high respect of his fellow- members. Living in another part of the State, attached to another political organization, my relations with Mr. STARK- WEATHER were not of an intimate character, but always LIFE AND CHARACTER OF HENRY H. STARKWEATHER. 41 friendly. I had learned to regard him as one of the lead- ing minds in his own political party, and respected him accordingly. Of high personal character, I shall be fully warranted in saying that those who knew him best loved him most. Not fifty years of age when called from this sphere of action, in the full maturity of his physical and intellectual power, his friends, the people of his State, entertained high hopes of his future conduct on the great theater whereon they had placed him. But, sir, he has been called hence, and with sincere and truthful sorrow I mourn the loss of a valued colleague, and his State an eminent and trusted public servant. Mr. President, I beg leave to offer the following resolu- tion: Resolved, That as an additional mark of respect for the memory of Mr. STARKWEATHER, late a member of the House of Repre- sentatives, the Senate do now adjourn. The resolution was agreed to unanimously; and (at four o'clock and forty minutes p. m.) the Senate adjourned. 7 000337390 9