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HO^^n lUBWIL© FoW^TS(DSr. 
 
5IST Congress, •» HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. ( Mis. Doc. 
 
 2d. Session. j \ No. 133. 
 
 MEMORIAL ADDRESSES 
 
 LIFE AND CHARACTER 
 
 LEWIS F. WATSON, 
 
 A REPRESENTATIVE FROM PENNSYLVANIA, 
 
 DELIVERED IN THE 
 
 House of Representatives and in the Senate, 
 
 FIFTY-FIRST CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION. 
 
 PUBLISHED BY ORDER OF CONGRESS. 
 
 WASHINGTON: 
 
 GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 
 
 1S9I. 
 
 ,1 
 

 CONCURRENT RESOLUTION TO PRINT THE EULOGIES UPON LEWIS F. WATSON. 
 
 Resolved by the House of Representatives {tJie Senate eoneurr lug). That 
 there be printed t)f tlie eulogies delivered in Congress upon the late Lewis 
 F. Watson, a Representative in the Fifty-first Congress from tlie State 
 of Pennsylvania, twelve thousand copies ; of which three thousand copies 
 shall be for the use of the Senate and nine thousand shall be for the use 
 of the House of Representatives ; and the Secretarj- t)f the Treasury be, 
 and he is hereby, directed to have" printed a portrait of the said Lewis 
 F. Watson to accompany said eulogies. That of the quota of the House 
 of Representatives the Public Printer shall set apart fifty copies, which he 
 shall have bound in full morocco, with gilt edges, the same to be delivered, 
 when completed, to the family of the deceased. 
 
 In the House of Representatives, agreed to February 27, 1891. 
 
 In the Senate, agreed to February 38, 1891. 
 2 
 
 AUG 6 1908 
 
PROCEEDINGS IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
 
 ANNOUNCEMENT OF DEATH. 
 
 August 35, 1890. 
 
 Mr. O'Neill, of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I ask con- 
 sideration of tlie resolutions wliicli I send to the Clerk's desk. 
 As I entered the House a few minutes before its meeting to- 
 day I was told that my colleague, Mr. Lewis F. Watson, 
 had died suddenly at the Shoreham this morning at 11 
 o'clock. This to me, Mr. Speaker, came as a shock. The 
 death of an associate always comes to us as a shock, and in 
 this instance it has peculiar force, as Mr. Watson is the 
 third member of the Pennsylvania delegation who has died 
 during this session in the city of Washington. 
 
 Mr. Watson was a gentleman who was highly esteemed 
 in the portion of Pennsylvania in which he resided. He 
 was a man of great busin^ess capacity, a man who had the 
 confidence and esteem of the people among whom he lived 
 during the whole of his busy life. He was elected to the 
 Forty-fifth Congress, again to the Forty-seventh, and again 
 to this, the Fifty-first Congress. He had been renominated, 
 to be elected in November, to the Fifty-second Congress. 
 Mr. Speaker, my colleagues and I feel this, I can assure the 
 House, with deep sorrow and with great sadness. At a future 
 time we will ask that a day be fixed on which to pronounce 
 
 3 
 
4 Proceedings in the House of Representatives. 
 
 eulogies upon tlie life and character of our deceased friend 
 and colleague. 
 
 I move the adoption of the resolutions. 
 
 The Clerk read as follow : 
 
 Resolved, That the House has heard with profound regret the announce- 
 ment of the death of Hon. Lewis F. Watson, late a Representative from 
 the State of Pennsylvania. 
 
 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), Tliat 
 a select committee, consisting of seven members of tlie House and tliree 
 members of the Senate, be appointed to take order for superintending the 
 funeral, and that the necessary expenses attending the execution of this 
 order be paid out of the contingent fund of the House. 
 
 Resolved, Tliat tlie Sergeant-at-Arms of the House be authorized and 
 directed to take such steps as may be necessary for jiroperly carrying into 
 effect the provisions of these resolutions. 
 
 Resolved, That the Clerk communicate the foregoing resolutions to the 
 Senate ; and that, as a further mark of respect to the memory of the de- 
 ceased, the House do now adjourn. 
 
 Mr. O'Neill, of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, with great 
 delicacy I ask to be excused from serving upon the commit- 
 tee. 
 
 Tlie resolutions were unanimously adopted. 
 
 Mr. Culbertson of Pennsylvania, Mr. Mc Adoo, Mr. Craig, 
 Mr. Townsend of Pennsylvania, Mr. Maish, Mr. Wallace of 
 New York, and Mr. Kerr of Pennsylvania were appointed 
 as the committee to attend the funeral. 
 
 And then (at 12 o'clock and 55 minutes p. m.) the House 
 adjourned until 1 1 o'clock a. m. to-murrow. 
 
EULOGIES. 
 
 December 12, 1890. 
 Mr, O'ISTeill, of Pennsylvania, by nnaninioiis consent, 
 submitted the following resolution; wliicli was read, con- 
 sidered, and agreed to: 
 
 Remlved, That Saturday, January 31, 1891, at 3 o'clock afternoon, be 
 set asi<le for paying tributes to the memory of Hon. Lewis F. Watson, 
 late a member of the House of Representatives from the State of Penn- 
 sylvania. 
 
 January 31, 1891. 
 The Speaker. The hour of 3 o'clock having arrived, the 
 Clerk will report the special order. 
 The Clerk read as follows: 
 
 Resolved, Tha.t Saturday, January 81, 1891. at 3 o'clock afternoon, be 
 set aside for paying tributes to the memory of Hon. Lewis F. Watson, 
 late a member of the House of Representatives from the State of Penn- 
 sylvania. 
 
 5 
 
6 Address of Mr. O'Neill, of Pennsylvania, on the 
 
 Address of Mr. O'Neill, of Pennsylvania. 
 
 Mr. Speaker: On Monday, August 25, 1800, in sorrow I 
 announced to the House the death of my esteemed colleague 
 Lewis F. Watson, a Representative from the Twenty- 
 seventh Congressional district of the State of Pennsylvania, 
 of which State he was a native. He died suddenly in the 
 city of Washington, at about 11 o'clock in the morning of 
 that day, at the Shoreham, the liot(;l in which he and Mrs. 
 Watson were living. He had come safely downstairs, and 
 when about stepping into a carriage at the door he became 
 unconscious and fell. He breathed his last a few minutes 
 afterwards in a reception room of the hotel, to which he had 
 been carried, dying a painless death. He had not been in 
 robust health for some months, but was not detained from 
 the House by illness, excepting at intervals of a day or two 
 at a time, and upon the day of his death he thought he was 
 feeling stronger and insisted upon going to the House of 
 Representatives. His good wife, and oh how careful she 
 was of him, did not approve of his going out that morning, 
 but important public business called him, and death came 
 upon him as he was about to start to the performance of 
 
 duty. 
 
 He was devoted to duty, whether in the walks of private 
 life or in public official position. He liked occupation, and 
 was never happy withoutit. He did not deprive himself of 
 moderate social pleasure, and he took proper rest when he 
 felt that ho needed it. Thus he lived, a busy man, who 
 accomplished success, and amidst the anxieties of extensive 
 business operations he spared time to cultivate and t'lijoy 
 the happiness of home life; and he had a truly happy home— 
 
Life and Character of Leun's F. Watson. 7 
 
 a devoted husband, an affectionate father, a true-hearted 
 friend. He was held in high esteem by his fellow-citizens; 
 joined them in enterprises for the advancement of the pros- 
 perity of his neighborhood, willingly aided in works of char- 
 ity, and was noted for integrity in all his dealings. He was 
 a man of great wealth, and was not spoiled by it. He was 
 easy of approach, and never lost that gentleness and hearti- 
 ness of manner which so endeared him to those who had 
 started in life with him, but who had been less fortunate 
 than he. 
 
 To accumulate wealth in honorable pursuits is most com- 
 mendable, and communities esteem the citizen who by 
 energy, uprightness, and perseverance realizes fortune. 
 Mr. Watson stood preeminent among the wealthy men of 
 his State, because, in the enjoyment of his more than ample 
 competence, he was ever ready to help to success the steady, 
 industrious man of small means who was striving to better 
 his condition by patient, uncomplaining work. The poorer 
 members of a community do not envy the richer because of 
 their wealth; but when riches create only pride, self-conceit, 
 disdainful treatment, and want of sympathy in their pos- 
 sessor, then is the man of wealth looked upon as the enemy 
 of progress and of the prosperity of his neighbors. No such 
 feelings belittled Mr. Watson's nature. He was looked 
 upon as a useful man, a benefactor, and a friend in the 
 community in which he lived. 
 
 In this Congress death has taken from the Pennsylvania 
 delegation three of its members. We in the last session 
 eulogized William D. Kelley and Samuel J. Randall, and 
 to-day we are paying tribute to the memory of Lewis F. 
 Watson, a dear colleague, to whom we were all so greatly 
 attached. From the Thirty-eighth Congress, in which I had 
 my first service, until now, the Fifty-first, no Pennsylvania 
 
^ Address of Mr. O^ NcJIl^ of Pennsylvania^ on the 
 
 member's death occurred during the session excepting that 
 of Mr. Darwin A. Finney, who died "abroad" during a ses- 
 sion of the Fortieth Congress. The distinguished states- 
 man Thaddeus Stevens died in Washington after Congress 
 had adjourned, and the beloved William A. Duncan, of the 
 York, Adams, and Cumberland district, in the Forty-eighth 
 Congress, departed this life at his own home during the inter- 
 val between sessions. So death had for a long period spared 
 our Pennsylvania colleagues during the sessions of both the 
 Senate and House, saving us the grief of mourning here 
 over their sad departure until lie came with relentless power 
 into the present Congress, when three members, in the 
 midst of their greatness, prominence, and usefulness, yielded 
 up their lives. 
 
 Our days have indeed been saddened. Our pleasant com- 
 panionship with these colleagues has been severed, and as in 
 their lives we looked to them to aid us in legislating for our 
 country, we have missed them as Representatives of our dear 
 old Commonwealth; for in their very souls each of them was 
 true to the nation, true to Pennsylvania. Mr. Watson had 
 been honored by three elections to the House of Representa- 
 tives. His intelligence, liabits of business, and knowledge 
 of affairs gave him an enviable position among his fellow- 
 members. In the Forty-lifth Congress he was assigned ])y 
 its Speaker to the Committee on Agriculture, a committee 
 of tlie highest importance to the interests of so many millions 
 of the people. In the Forty-seventh Congress his merits 
 gained him places in the Committees on Naval Affairs and 
 on Public Lands. His services in these committees were 
 liighly appreciated by his fellow-members who were on tliem 
 and by the House. 
 
 Coming to the Fifty-first Congress, his reputation as an 
 attentive, influential member of former Congresses had pre- 
 
Life and Character of Lewis F. Watson. 9 
 
 ceded liim, and its Speaker realized the importance to tlie 
 country of placing him on the Committees on Naval Affairs 
 and on Public Lands, in which he had served with such use- 
 fulness and distinction. Our colleague, my fellow-members 
 from Pennsylvania, has left us an example we well may fol- 
 low. He was so earnest in all he undertook. He was so 
 ready to keep us at all times so well informed of his com- 
 mittee work. He was ever so anxious to have us come to 
 him to inft)rm him of what we desired him to do. He was 
 so gentle in his manners, so affable, so pleasant, so com- 
 municative, that we can not but miss him constantly. 
 
 He was indeed our friend. That friendship I will never 
 forget, and in speaking of him upon this occasion I am 
 bowed down with personal sorrow, and I grieve over the loss 
 of one who to me was ever the agreeable companion, the 
 constant friend. I can bring before me now his pleasant 
 smile, I can in imagination feel the warm clasp of his hand 
 when greeting him, while the softness of his voice seems to 
 come upon my ear as it had in life. As we stood around his 
 coffin, no manlier form, dead or living, had our eyes ever 
 beheld. 
 
 Address of Mr. Vaux, of Pennsylvania. 
 
 Mr. Speaker: Pennsylvania has had cause to mourn over 
 the death of some of her distinguished Representatives 
 during the period of the Fifty-first Congress. 
 
 The capital of our country is not exempt from the visits 
 of the Angel of Death. 
 
 So true is it, that "Pallida mors cEquo pulsat pede pau- 
 periim tabernas, regumque turres." 
 
 There is a lesson in these bereavements to those wlio 
 survive and mourn. When in the halls of our Federal 
 
10 Address of Mr. l^aux^ of Pennsylvania^ on tJic 
 
 Legislature the announcement is made of the death of one 
 of the people's Representatives it must occasion a pause in 
 our proceedings. Our departed colleagues, called to their 
 great account before the God of the whole earth and the 
 inhabitants thereof, awakens a sense of individual account- 
 ability. 
 
 The Representative has other accountabilities. He acts 
 and speaks for those who reposed in him their confidence. 
 How he performs this duty he must answer. 
 
 God judges on the moral accountability, and this infallible 
 judgment is unalterable and eternal. The judgment of 
 man is fallible. It is not permanent. It can be reversed. 
 The Representative has an appeal from a decision of his 
 constituents. It may be likened to a further hearing on an 
 interlocutory judgment. 
 
 The death of Mr. Lewis F. Watson, Representative from 
 the Twenty-seventh district of Pennsylvania, was announced 
 to the House on Augiist 35 last. 
 
 He was a native of that State, and was born in Crawford 
 County. 
 
 The most eloquent speech of the honorable and distin- 
 guished gentleman who was elected to fill the vacancy 
 occasioned by Mr. Watson's death, Governor Stone, is 
 replete with interesting details of the life of his predecessor. 
 It would on my part partake of supererogation to add if I 
 could t(^ his interesting sketch of Mr. Watson's life. Gov- 
 ernor Stone knew him well. He was associated with him in 
 many relations as a citizens and in the public duties of Mr. 
 Watson; so that he became familiar with his character as 
 a prominent man in the counties which compose' the Con- 
 gressional district. 
 
 This biographical outline shows tlu* prominent featui-es ol' 
 the character of our departed colleague. He was an earnest, 
 
Life and Character of Leivis F. JVatson. 11 
 
 persistent man in all his undertakings. He developed the 
 resources of his part of the State of Pennsylvania. The 
 opening up the country by railroad enterprise, the sub- 
 jugation of the forest to the demands of agricultural lalwr, 
 the support of the accepted means to secure the advantages 
 of civilization engaged Mr. Watson's earnest efforts. He 
 had the satisfaction to know that his services were appre- 
 ciated. 
 
 It may not be apart from this view of his services to 
 mention that the development of the means to secure the 
 petroleum production, so remarkable in Pennsylvania, was 
 encouraged and assisted by the active energy and labors of 
 Mr. Watson. 
 
 He seems to have felt there were other duties devolving 
 on him by reason of his prominent position as a citizen of 
 his section of the State, 
 
 The need of an institution organized to receive and care 
 for the savings of those who labor and save so much of their 
 earnings as can be saved from the daily expenses of their 
 families was soon apparent. The population taken into the 
 country to labor in its industries were most to be benefited 
 by such an opportunity to deposit their savings. 
 
 Mr. Watson aided in the establishment of the Savings 
 Bank of Warren, a chief center of population, in Warren 
 County. This, too, was a great success, so that Mr. Wat- 
 son earned the respect and confidence of the people of Cam- 
 eron, McKean, and Warren Counties, which composed the 
 Twenty-seventh Congressional district. 
 
 The fitting outcome of the effect of Mr. Watson's serv- 
 ices, and the just appreciation by the people of a self-made 
 man with a self-made character, was his election to the 
 Forty-fifth, Forty-seventh, and also to the Fifty-first Con- 
 gresses. 
 
12 Address of Mr. Vattx^ of Pennsylvania.^ on the 
 
 During the years lie served in Congress he gained the 
 cordial esteem of his colleagues. 
 
 He was not a learned man. He was not even a student. 
 His education was the practical training for the active 
 duties of an active life. 
 
 His tastes were simple. Not having leisure for the culti- 
 vation of literature, and most probably not attracted by 
 studies which needed mental training to acquire or master, 
 he was a positive, practical, useful, valuable citizen. 
 
 His Representative duties were performed to the satisfac- 
 tion of his people. He neglected no act, labor, or effort 
 which were demanded of him by those he represented in the 
 Federal Congress. His reelections prove this. 
 
 His health of latter time was somewhat impaired. He 
 was forced during the past few months to seek recreation 
 from his public duties. It was my fortune to meet him 
 frequently while enjoying the rest he so much desired. 
 
 Our intercourse in the familiarity of social association led 
 me to form an opinion of Mr. Watson's character that 
 made me respect and esteem him. 
 
 He was conservative in his political ojiinions. Frank, 
 courteous, and kind, he could not fail to make an impres- 
 sion on those who were favored with his friendship. 
 
 Dee])ly touched by the sudden death of my late colleague, 
 it was a duty, the discharge of which, though so sorrowful, 
 was so plain, that I venture to offer this tribute to the 
 character and memory of Lewis F. Watson. 
 
Life and Character of Lezuis F. Watson. 13 
 
 Address of Mr. Stone, of Pennsylvania. 
 
 Mr. Speaker: The admonitions of the nncertainty of life 
 and the certainty of death whicli have come to the members 
 of this House have been freqnent and impressive. 
 
 Eleven of the men elected to the Fifty-first Congress have 
 been removed by the hand of Death from participation in its 
 deliberations. Six did not live to take the seats to which 
 they were elected and five passed away during the first ses- 
 sion of this Congress. 
 
 Of these five, three (more than one-tenth of her entire del- 
 egation) were from the State of Pennsylvania. Randall, 
 Kelley, and Watson all died during a single session. Three 
 times within a few months the legislative business of this 
 House has been suspended to pay becoming tributes of re- 
 spect to the memory of Pennsylvania's dead Congressmen; 
 and whatever of solemnity this occasion may have for mem- 
 bers of other delegations, to the Representatives from Penn- 
 sylvania it cannot fail to be impressive and suggestive of 
 serious thought and reflection. 
 
 I knew Mr. Watson well. He was my neighbor for more 
 than a quarter of a century. Our lines of action in business 
 and in politics ran sometimes parallel and sometimes diver- 
 gent, but the contact of daily life, the amenities of social 
 intercourse, the intimacies of business relations, and the 
 means of knowledge drawn from professional employment, 
 sometimes in his service and often adverse, gave me a con- 
 ception and comprehension of his character 'and character- 
 istics which I can but imperfectly express or communicate 
 to others. 
 
14 Address of Mr. Stone .^ of Penfisylvania^ on the 
 
 Lewis Findlay Watson was born in northwestern Penn- 
 sylvania, in tlie county of Crawford, on tlie 14tli day of 
 April, 1819. 
 
 He was of sturdy Scotcli-lrisli lineage, and inherited and 
 develojied many of the characteristics of his ancestry. Hia 
 parents were from the State of Delaware, but had early set- 
 tled on the frontiers of western Pennsylvania. They gave 
 to their son the somewhat crude educational advantages of 
 tliat section, until, at the age of thirteen, the necessity of 
 earning his own living forced him to seek employment in a 
 store in the village of Titusville. Thus early he began the 
 single-handed battle of life, wliicli he fought out with un- 
 flinching courage and persistence to the end. He commenced 
 with the advantage of poverty, the spur of necessity. His 
 unremitting industry and unconquerable determination over- 
 came all (obstacles and ultimately crowned his efforts with 
 a full measure of success. 
 
 He continued to work in different stores until 1837, when 
 he became a clerk in the office of the prothonotary of War- 
 ren County. The following year he was enabled to enter 
 the old Warren Academy, then under the charge of Rasse- 
 las Brown, who afterwards, on the bench and at the bar, at- 
 tained honorable eminence, and still lives loved and revered 
 by a large circle of attached friends. I recently asked him 
 if he remembered Colonel Watson as a scholar. "Yes," 
 said he, " he was a quiet young man, ii good student, espe- 
 cially in bookkeeping and matliematics." 
 
 In a few months he had completed his school cducaiion, 
 and with a f;dr i)roparation fen* the sphere of labor wliicli lie 
 had selected ho entered actively and zealously into mercantile 
 |)ursuits, and the borough of Warren became his permanent 
 home. With different partners, and sometimes alone, he 
 continued extensively engaged in trade until 18G0, when he 
 
Life and Character of Leivis F. Watson. 15 
 
 transferred liis attention and energies to the manufacture 
 and sale of lumber. 
 
 During these years he was rather frail in appearance, with 
 a tendency to lung disease, which caused him for several 
 winters to seek the more genial climate of the South, but 
 produced little or no remission in his close attention to busi- 
 ness. As he reached middle life he became stouter in per- 
 son, and his active outdoor pursuits brought to him more 
 than average health and vigor, and these he retained till 
 the last year of his life. 
 
 From 1860 he gradually extended his business operations. 
 He acquired large tracts of land in Pennsylvania at low 
 prices, and these afterwards became valuable for timber, for 
 oil, and gas. 
 
 The rich wheat lands of Dakota attracted his attention, and 
 several thousand acres in the best part of that vigorous young 
 Commonwealth were added to his possessions. 
 
 A trip which he made in 1883 to the Pacific coast and along 
 the shores of Puget Sound and back into the primeval forests 
 of that wonderful region led him to considerable invest- 
 ments in the then Territory of Washington. The trained 
 judgment and keen eyes of the practical lumberman com- 
 prehended at once the vast future possibilities of that un- 
 rivaled timber region, and he sought to ally himself with 
 its progress and development. 
 
 To the end of his life he continued engaged in the lumber 
 business, and prided himself on his thorough and practical 
 knowledge of all its features and details. 
 
 This, however, was not his only occupation. As early as 
 1859, soon after Colonel Drake had drilled his pioneer oil 
 well near Titusville, Colonel Watson leased of his brother, 
 who owned land in that vicinity, a single acre, and, in com- 
 pany with Archibald Tanner, drilled what proved to be the 
 
16 Address of Mr. Stont\ of Peimsylvaiiia^ on tJie 
 
 first flowing oil well ever discovered, and for tliirty years 
 thereafter lie continued to derive more or less income from 
 tlie production of oil. 
 
 In the building of tlio railroad which was to connect his 
 home with Lake Erie on the north, and the stirring enter- 
 prising oil region on the soutli, he was a leading and active 
 spirit. 
 
 He helped to organize the First National Bank of Warren, 
 and later the Warren Savings Bank, and was for twenty 
 years president of this latter institution. To all these busi- 
 ness enterprises in which he was interested he gave more or 
 less of his personal attention. 
 
 He was clear in his calculations, strict in his requirements 
 of others, inquisitive and watchful of every movement about 
 him, careful in his attention to details, tireless in his pursuit 
 of any enterprise he had in hand. He thus year by year 
 extended his operations and increased his possessions until 
 he became one of the wealthiest men of his section. 
 
 Until about 1870 he had taken no active part and mani- 
 fested no special interest in politics. Soon after that date 
 he began to cherish some political ambitions, which took 
 practical form when two or three years later he sought but 
 failed to obtain the Republican nomination for State senator. 
 
 In is7-t he received the Congressional recommendation of 
 his county, but failed in the district convention. Two years 
 later he was nominated and elected by an overwhelming 
 majority over William L. Scott, who has since served with 
 distinction in this body, a-nd in due time he took his seat in 
 the Forty-fifth Congress. 
 
 He represented an oil district, and wlion the producers, wlio 
 ]iad long suffered from discriminations against them by the 
 carrying corporations from that section, determined to seek 
 a remedy by natiouul a-s well as State legislation, they 
 
Life and Oiaracier of Lcici's F. Watson. 17 
 
 prepared and placed in his hands what became afterwards 
 known as the "Watson antidiscrimination bill." This 
 measure he introduced, and he zealously labored to secure 
 its enactment into law. It passed the House, but failed to 
 receive action in the Senate. Its agitation, however, and 
 the attention attracted to the subject opened the way to the 
 future legislation which became embodied in .the interstate- 
 commerce law. 
 
 At the end of his term Colonel Watson failed to secure 
 a renomination, but was more fortunate in 1880, and served 
 as a member of the Forty-seventh Congress. Three times 
 successively thereafter he sought the nomination of his party 
 without success, but in 1888 he was nominated in the new 
 district then recently formed and triumphantly elected, and 
 prior to his death had been again renominated. 
 
 Early in last session he was afflicted with a sickness which 
 proved the forerunner of an incurable disease. He struggled 
 bravely against it, and while he wasted gradually away and 
 his friends saw the dark angel hovering over him, he stood 
 bravely at his post. The session was exciting, its require- 
 ments exacting, but his duty seemed to hold him here, and 
 here he remained, against the advice of his physician and 
 the protests of his friends. 
 
 On the 25th of last August he left his home at the Shore- 
 ham to come to the Capitol, but before he reached the street 
 he staggered, sank back into the arms of his secretary, and 
 in a few moments ceased to breathe: '' God's finger touched 
 him, and he slept." The stirring, busy life was ended; the 
 spirit had returned to God who gave it. 
 
 The loving hands of family and friends and sympathizing 
 
 associates from this House bore him back to his home in the 
 
 beautiful valley of the Alleghany; and in the quiet cemetery 
 
 on the mountain side, looking down on the home he had 
 
 H. Mis. 133 3 
 
18 Address of Mr. Stonc\ of Pennsylvania^ on the 
 
 built and beautified and on the stirring town in wliicli he 
 had spent more than half a century of his life, they left him, 
 dust returned to dust. 
 
 As a business man Colonel Watson was careful, prudent, 
 energetic, indefatigable, persevering, and -determined in 
 what he undertook, and hence he made a success of his 
 undertakings. He was industrious in habit, cool in judg- 
 ment, cautious in plan, thorough in investigation, and care- 
 ful, even tiresome, in attention to details. He had clear 
 and practical views, remarkable sagacity, and tremendous 
 energy. He was jDOSsessed of abundant means to gratify 
 every whim or wish, but he remained frugal in his tastes, 
 economical and close in his business transactions. He knew 
 the power of money and valued it accordingly. He used it 
 intelligently and at times liberally. He combined the quali- 
 ties which made financial success a certainty. 
 
 Into politics he carried his business methods. He decided 
 what he wanted and set resolutely at work to obtain it. He 
 concentrated his attention on the end to be gained with a 
 determination that admitted no question or cavil, and thus 
 sometimes lie failed to discriminate carefully as to the 
 means and agencies employed to reach that end; he was 
 occasionally beaten, but he never surrendered. 
 
 As a member of this body he was quiet, attentive, and 
 faithful; he made no speeches, took no })art in debate, nor 
 in the management or molding of legislation on this floor. 
 
 He had come into this body without special adaptation or 
 previous training, but he sought with patience and fair suc- 
 cess to supply these deficiencies and acquaint himself with 
 the proceedings in which he was taking part. He was reg- 
 ular in attendance when not disabled by sickness, and by 
 his votes voiced the sentiments of his constituents faithfully 
 and intelligently. 
 
Life and Character of Lc7cis F. IVaLwn. 19 
 
 He was dignified and gentlemanly in liis deportment, dis- 
 posed to be sociable and companionable with bis friends, 
 and to cultivate the acquaintance and good will of his fel- 
 low-members. 
 
 He was attentive to the wants of iiis constituents and ever 
 ready to answer their calls upon him. He employed compe- 
 tent assistants to look to what he could not personally do, 
 and at the Pension Office and various Departments, with the 
 thoroughness and persistency which characterized the con- 
 duct of his private affairs he sought to carry out the wishes 
 and promote the interests of those he represented. 
 
 Serving in no two Congresses successively, he labored at 
 all times more or less under the disadvantages and limita- 
 tions which always surround and hamper a new member; 
 but he had a fair measure of confidence in himself and as- 
 serted his position and rights with commendable zeal and 
 courage, and he enjoyed the confidence and respect of his 
 associates on this floor. 
 
 But, sir, his work is ended. The widowed wife and the 
 only child mingle their bitter burning tears over the new- 
 made grave ; business associates express their sorrow and 
 tender their sympathies ; the lawmakers of a great nation 
 pause in their work and offer their tributes of respect and 
 regard ; but the great world moves on. The ranks close up. 
 The tumultuous present crowds out the sad and saddening 
 past. The necessity for action cuts short the opportunity 
 for memory; and we turn again to the duties that con- 
 front us. 
 
 That the wound heals quickly does not indicate that it 
 was not deep, but only that the system is in a healthy con- 
 dition and the recuperative forces normal and strong. 
 
20 Address of Mr. Holmaii^ of Indiana^ on the 
 
 ADDRESS OF Mr. HOLMAN, OF INDIANA. 
 
 Mr. Speaker: I had only a brief acquaintance with Mr. 
 Watson, and yet the judgment I formed of his character 
 is admirably expressed in the eloquent addresses we have 
 just heard from the gentlemen from Pennsylvania [Mr. 
 O'Neill and Mr. Stone], who had known him so long and 
 well. I had the pleasure of forming an acquaintance with 
 Mr. Watson in the Forty-seventh Congress; and it was 
 witli sincere gratification that I met him as a member of 
 this House at the opening of its first session. During the 
 present Congress and up to the time of his death he was a 
 member of the Committee on Public Lands, of which I am 
 a member; and until failing health compelled him to 
 abstain from his active committee duty I had the pleasure 
 of meeting him from week to week in the current lousiness 
 of that committee. I formed a very liighj3pinion of liis ca- 
 pacity in business affairs and of his qualities as a gentleman. 
 He was a gentleman of fairness and candor, thoroughly 
 upright and honest, and anxious to fulfill with fidelity the 
 trust he had assumed as a Representative of the people. 
 
 Mr. Watson, as a Representative, felt an earnest inter- 
 est in everything that concerneci the prosperity of our coun- 
 try, and I felt sure that such a man as he was could not 
 live in any community without its being improved and bet- 
 tered by his life. He was a genth^man of unliable dispo- 
 sition around whom friends would gather. I have been 
 informed that he was a gentleman of ample fortune, the 
 result of his own honorable enteri)rise. Largo fortunes, 
 whether inherited or the result of i);itient industry, do not 
 generally inspire in the hearts of their possessors a kind 
 
Life and Character of Lezm's F. TVatson. '21 
 
 and benevolent spirit. Such fortunes suggest the endow- 
 ment of great institutions and acts of public munificence, 
 but their possessors seldom display the generous and heart- 
 enlarging charity that without ostentation feeds the hun- 
 gry, consoles the afflicted, and seeks to raise up the fallen. 
 
 I know nothing of the home life of Mr. Watson, but I 
 feel sure that he was a kind and charitable gentleman, will- 
 ing to aid the poor and unfortunate, and never turned from 
 his door any one seeking food, shelter, or relief. His face 
 was pleasant, kind, and benevolent. I was charmed with 
 his social qualities. He met his friends with a frank and 
 cordial greeting. His conversation was pleasant and in- 
 structive. 
 
 At the close of a long life, devoted to enterprises benefi- 
 cial to the community in which he lived and to his country, 
 I am sure Mr. Watson merited and received that highest 
 eulogy that can be expressed on a life well spent, the heart- 
 felt regret of those who knew him well that a good man 
 was dead. In the final vicissitudes of life the tears of neigh- 
 bors and friends are the highest tribute the living can pay 
 to the memory of the dead. 
 
 ADDRESS OF Mr. BOUTELLE, OF MAINE. 
 
 Mr. Speaker: The House of Representatives of the Fifty- 
 first Congress has been called upon to an unusual extent to 
 observe in tributes to the departed the remarkable visita- 
 tions of fatality which have followed the membership of this 
 House. And to-day it becomes our duty to pause amid the 
 busy work of legislation to pay a proper tribute of respect 
 and esteem to the memory of one of our departed companions 
 who, during a long and busy and honorable life, had filled 
 
22 Address of Mr. Boiittd/f, o/Maine^ on the 
 
 out the full rounded measure of public duty, and who has 
 now gone to his reward beyond the limitations of our present 
 mortal career. 
 
 My acquaintance with the deceased did not extend over a 
 long period of years, nor was it of so intimate a character as 
 that which I have had with some other members of tlu 
 present and previous Congresses. But as a member of the 
 committee of which I happen to be the chairman in this Con- 
 gress I was brought into daily contact with him during the 
 greater part of the last session, and had abundant oppor- 
 tunity to observe with interest and respect the admirable 
 traits of character which adorned him. I learned to honor 
 him as a man of earnest convictions, of great integrity, of 
 wise judgment, and amiable temperament. He was pecul- 
 iarly attentive, even in the minutest details, to any duty 
 which devolved upon him. He was painstaking in his de- 
 sire to discharge even the least of the obligations resting 
 upon him in his legislative capacity. 
 
 In his association with his colleagues he was a peculiarly 
 delightful comrade and companion; and I may safely say 
 that among the number of those who have gathered about 
 the board of the Naval Committee no member could have 
 been taken away around whose memory there would cling 
 a gentler and sweeter incense of friendship and comradeshi]). 
 
 I have deemed it incumbent upon me to say this much in 
 commemoration of an associate in the committee work of 
 this Congress — a fellow-member for whom I have entertaiiu^l 
 a very high degree of respect and esteem, and whose sudden 
 and almost tragic death came to me with all the effect of a 
 severe shock and personal loss. 
 
Life and Character of Lewis F. Watson. 23 
 
 Address of Mr, Brosius, of Pennsylvania, 
 
 Mr. Speaker: I do not hope to add anything to the truth 
 or beauty of the tributes with which love and esteem have 
 garlanded the memory of the distinguished dead ; but I crave 
 the indulgence of a moment to mingle my voice with the 
 swelling anthem of affectionate and eloquent eulogy, because 
 I respected and honored our departed friend while living, 
 and dead I feel a sincere and reverential regard for his 
 memory. 
 
 The duration of his life, the usefulness of his exertions, the 
 elevation of his sentiments, and the nobility of his character 
 united to form a career interesting, instructive, and admira- 
 ble in a high degree. Whatever success rewarded his efforts 
 was in no sense due to the conditions of his life. Neither 
 birth nor rank nor fortune aided his advancement. He 
 commenced with "parts and poverty," the characteristic 
 patrimony of American youth. His achievements were due 
 entirely to principles, qualities, and forces which summed 
 up a strong personality. 
 
 He possessed a firm will, a sound judgment, and the cour- 
 age of his convictions. He was a thoughtful man, quiet 
 and unobtrusive, without ostentation or egotism, simple in 
 his tastes, blameless in character, benevolent in feeling, and 
 was, I believe, from my observation of him, a signal example 
 of fidelity to conviction, devotion to duty, and loyalty to 
 conscience and country. If the qualities exhibited during 
 the brief period of our association as colleagues here were 
 in any degree an index to his character, it is safe to say that 
 no draft upon his duty, his honor, his patriotism, or his 
 benevolence ever went to protest. 
 
^4 Addj^css of Mi\ Broshts^ of Pennsylvania^ on the 
 
 Remembering liis pvompitude and liis unremitting atten- 
 tion to the calls made uj^on liim, if I were to select from the 
 cluster of his excellent qualities a single one to extol above 
 others, I would say tliat no attribute of tliis superior man 
 shone with a more supernal splendor than his conscientious 
 and tireless devotion to duty. This is the "golden text" in 
 the lesson of his life. He must have formed a part of his 
 religion from the shipmaster in the story, who prayed to 
 Neptune, ''Oh, god, Thou mayest save me if thou wilt, 
 or destroy me; but however it be, I will hold my rudder 
 true." 
 
 If Schiller's poetic soul had put to Colonel Watson tiie 
 question, " What shall I do to gain eternal life?" his kin- 
 dred spirit would have answered back in the poet's own 
 
 glowing words: 
 
 Thy duty ever. 
 Discliarge aright the simple duties with 
 Which each day is rife; yea, with thy might. 
 
 So this good man has been twice ennobled. Death and 
 duty ennoble all men. Such superb characters are the 
 richest and rarest fruit of earth, and the fine vintage of their 
 example should be garnered by their surviving countrymen 
 f (jr their instruction and refreshment. No man with limited 
 human vision can see enough of the arc to be able even m 
 imagination to picture the completed circle of noble influ- 
 ence exerted upon mankind by exhibitions of loyal devotion 
 to liigh ideas. My soul bows in reverence and love before 
 the human temple which enshrines the divinity of "duty." 
 
 Our brother reached the bounds of man's appointed years. 
 Tlie mysterious clock which the Angel of Life wound up to 
 run for tliree-score years and ten, and then lianded tlu^ key 
 to the Angel of the Resurrection, ran down at tlie appointed 
 time. Death came suddenly. We heard the rustle and saw 
 the shadow of his wings, and it was over. The record of a 
 
Life and Character of Lcivis F. JVa/son. 25 
 
 useful life was surrendered to the keeping of liis surviving 
 friends and the just judgment of history. 
 
 There is solace in the thought that his death was in sea- 
 son. He was gathered like the ripe sheaf into the garner. 
 Life's l)lessings had been enjoyed ; life's work was fairly 
 done, tliough the harness was still on, when nature, with 
 some rudeness in her touch, but with a soft and gentle pur- 
 pose, disengaged the vital cord, and he passed serenely to his 
 final rest on the other shore of that mysterious sea " that 
 never yet has l)orne on any wave the image of a homeward 
 sail." 
 
 And now, as we leave the contemplation of our departed 
 friend, those who loved him can carry with them the con- 
 solatory reflection "that, while green grass will cover his 
 grave, blue skies bend over it, sweet birds sing near it, and 
 the place will be hallowed ground ; yet, greener than the 
 grass, fairer than the skies, sweeter than the birds, more 
 hallowed than the grave itself, will be his fragrant mem- 
 ory, enshrined with supreme sacredness in their heart of 
 hearts. " 
 
 Address of Mr, Mutchler, of Pennsylvania. 
 
 We are called upon to-day, for the third time during the 
 j)resent term of Congress, to mourn the loss and pay tribute 
 to the memory of a member of the Pennsylvania delegation. 
 
 Thrice within a period of a little more than twelve months 
 has the unerring archer selected a victim from among our 
 number, and sent his fatal shaft to remove him from the 
 scenes that surround us. 
 
 The grass had scarcely begun to grow upon the grave of 
 Kelley before we were called upon to follow hence all that 
 
20 Address of Mr. MutcJiJcr^ of Pennsylvania, on the 
 
 was mortal of Randall, and while the eyes of friends and 
 relatives of those two distinguished statesmen were yet moist 
 with the tears of love and affection, and while the sound of 
 their funeral bells still lingered in our ears, the same fell 
 instrument of destruction winged its way into the heart of 
 the subject of this day's eulogies. 
 
 My acquaintance with Lewis F. Watson began with the 
 Forty-seventh Congress. Of his early life I have but little 
 knowledge. He and I were reared in remote parts of the 
 State; he on the western and I on the eastern border. It 
 was, liowever, not long after our first meeting before I dis- 
 covered that he possessed qualities of both head and heart 
 which can not fail to command the respect and confidence 
 due to a good man. He had large experience in business 
 matters and a clear and comprehensive knowledge of the 
 wants of the jjeople. In his intercourse with his fellow- 
 members he was always pleasant, kind, and aft'able, and 
 never seemed to entertain an unkind thought of any one. 
 
 As a man of business he was energetic, cautious, and suc- 
 cessful. To every enterprise upon which he embarked he 
 brought tlie vigor of a well-trained mind and the resolution 
 of a strong and unyielding will. He had no patience with 
 people who believe that happiness is to be found in leading 
 ail i<lh! and usek^ss life, but was firm in his convicticm tliat 
 it is ili(! solemn duty of every man to faithriilly and ear- 
 nestly employ the talents with whic-h nature has endowed 
 him ill honest effort to acquire the means which add to the 
 mali'iial and intellectual wealth of the world, and which 
 tend to make home more comfortable and life moru enjoy- 
 able. 
 
 It was the good fortune of Mr. Watson, possessing as he 
 did tliose qualities which are essential to success in all busi- 
 ness men, that lie was born and lived iu that part of his 
 
Life and Character of Leivis F. Watson. 27 
 
 State where up to the time of his early manhood some of 
 its richest resources were yet undeveloped. The existence 
 of vast forests of the choicest timber and the discovery of 
 immense basins of petroleum afforded a grand opportunity 
 for the exercise of his ability and energy as a man devoted 
 to business enterprises. In the operation and production of 
 these valuable articles of commerce he was actively engaged 
 for many years, and the ample fortune which he enjoyed in 
 the latter part of his life, and which he has left as a comfort 
 to those nearest and dearest to him while here, is the evi- 
 dence of his industry and ability. 
 
 That Mr. Watson enjoyed the respect and confidence of 
 men who knew him best is evidenced by the fact that he 
 was three times chosen to represent them on this floor, and 
 had he not been stricken down while at his pQst of duty he 
 doubtless would have been continued another term at least. 
 The good opinion which a community may have with 
 respect to the character of one of its number may not 
 always be the truest measure of merit, but wlien that opin- 
 ion is emphasized by the bestowal of repeated honors, as 
 was the case with my lamented colleague, it is the surest 
 test of a generous and winning disposition, a virtuous life, 
 and of noble and exalted worth. 
 
 The death of my colleague was sudden, peaceful, and to 
 all appearances painless. Almost in the twinkling of an 
 eye, and while apparently in good health, he was trans- 
 ported from earthly scenes "to others we know not of." 
 He was not cut down in the vigor of physical manhood, but 
 his days were prolonged beyond the period allotted to the 
 great majority of mankind. 
 
 Mr. Speaker, to the darkness, pain, and sorrow of death 
 all nature seems indifferent, harsh, and pitiless. We are 
 born into the world, live for a day, and then take our 
 
28 Address of Mr. Hall, of Min7iesota, on the 
 
 departure, wliitlier we know not. Yet faith and affection, 
 listening to the small voice that comes from the tomb, hear 
 the rustle of life and happiness beyond. 
 
 Address of MPx. Hall, of Minnesota. 
 
 Mr. Speaker: My acquaintance with Lewis F. Watson 
 began with the Fifty-first Congress. We were members of 
 the same committee — Public Lands. 
 
 I was one of those selected to accompany the remains to 
 their last resting place. We buried him in that beautiful 
 spot the cemetery at Warren, Pa., near the city in whicli 
 lie had led such a useful and honoraljle life, and where his 
 loss is so deeply felt. Mr. Watson and myself were drawn 
 together in some unaccountable way, as men often are, from 
 our first acquaintance. He was largely interested in pine 
 land and lumber. I had had much to do with lumbering in 
 early life. He owned and operated a large farm in Dakota. 
 I was a farmer and much interested in matters pertaining to 
 agriculture. Thus in some things our thoughts ran together, 
 and we became unusually good friends for the time we had 
 known each other. I found him remarkably well informed 
 upon all Txiatters of business, and the scope of his informa- 
 tion was not circumscribed ])y business alone. I learned to 
 admire him for his sterling qualities and true worth. 
 
 Lewis F. Watson was every inch a true man. His col- 
 leagues knew it; his associates knew it; his neighbors knew 
 it. He was a self-made man. In early life ho earned his 
 bread by the sweat of liis l)row. He adopted a code of rules; 
 he hewed to the line, and by honesty and fair dealing, 
 accom])anied with energy and force of character, he amassed 
 a fortune one might almost say with his strong right arm. 
 
Life and Character of Lczvis F. Watson. 29 
 
 What an example for the rising generation; what encour- 
 agement for the poor boy; what a tribute to honesty and 
 true manhood! It shows the possibilities in this free land 
 of ours. 
 
 Such men as Lewis F. Watson are milestones, as it were, 
 to guide the feet and nerve on the discouraged youth who 
 struggles with the realities of life and hardships attending 
 small beginnings. He sees what honesty and energy have 
 done; he goes forward to do likewise. 
 
 It has been said that "many a despicable wretch lies 
 beneath a marble monument decorated with a flattering 
 epitaph. " 
 
 How opposite to this is it with our late friend and brother. 
 Upon his tombstone may be recorded that priceless inherit- 
 ance, dearer to his posterity and friends than wealth or 
 station, the record of an honest man. Tlie world is better 
 for such as he having lived. He was an honest workman; 
 he was a good merchant; he was an honest banker; he was 
 a great, big, all-round man. He is gone; we miss him; his 
 neighbors miss him; all who knew him miss him, and his 
 brethren mourn. 
 
 With such striking examples as the life and successful 
 career of our dear friend who has gone may many others 
 come forward upon the stage of action to lead useful and 
 honorable lives, guided by the noble actions of such as 
 Lewis F. Watson. 
 
30 Address of Mr. (Jit in i/^ of Neiv York^ on the 
 
 Address of Mr, Quinn, of New York. 
 
 Mr. Speaker: On tins sad occasion I am jjrompted to speak 
 a few words of eulogy on the life and character of our late 
 distinguished colleague Lewis F. Watson. With what 
 feelings of sorrow and grief the members of this the Fifty- 
 first Congress have seen so many of their colleagues, so 
 many of the noble and the good, stricken down by their side. 
 Men strong in the hope of long and many years yet to come; 
 men whose hearts beat warmly and tenderly, and whose 
 greatest hope was that they might be spared to render 
 greater good, have been taken from among us, and on earth 
 are lost to us forever. 
 
 And Pennsylvania, that State so loyal and true to every 
 noble impulse, so jiatriotic in war and so affectionate and 
 gentle in peace, has had to bear the greatest share in this 
 irreparable loss. 
 
 Mourning as we did during the last session of Congress 
 over the bier of William D. Kelley — he who was known as 
 the Father of the House, he who had spent in the service of 
 his country without stain or blemish of any kind the greater 
 portion of a long and useful life — soon again we were called 
 upon to mourn the loss of another of Pennsylvania's sons, 
 the matchless Randall, he who in the darkest hour of our 
 country's history, whether on the field of ])attle or in the 
 Halls of Congress, was never known to flinch before an 
 opponent when he believed that the caus(^ which he was 
 defending was just; in battle fierce and terrible, yet gentle 
 and courteous to the most humble antagonist, and when the 
 battle was over, in dis])osition as swcc^t, genial, and bright 
 as the morning sun. The name of Sa-muel J. Randall will 
 
Life and Character of Lezvis F. Watson. ol 
 
 go down thi-ougli tlie ages to come to our cliildren as one 
 of the most brilliant and spotless in our country's history. 
 
 And to-day, Mr. Speaker, wo mourn the loss of Lewis 
 F. Watson, a man whose name may not have been as widely 
 known as those of our late colleagues of Pennsylvania 
 Avhose names I have just mentioned, Init whose charac- 
 ter was as pure and unsullied as that of any other man 
 who had ever gone before him through the dread portals of 
 death. As a member of the Committee on Public Lands 
 along with Mr. Watson I had an opportunity of studying 
 and of fully knowing the character of our lamented col- 
 league. Often have I watched and admired with what keen- 
 ness and intelligence he studied the various and important 
 matters coming before that committee, and never was he 
 known to give his sanction to any of its decisions until he 
 was fully convinced that those decisions were for the public 
 good. 
 
 Who is there that will not be compelled to admire the 
 wonderful career of this truly good man ? Born without any 
 of the advantages which wealth and power give, he, in his 
 life, was one of the truest exponents of the vast, the limit- 
 less possibilities of American manhood. In the seventy-one 
 years which he lived what a brilliant example he has left 
 not only to the people of this generation, but also to gen- 
 erations yet unborn. By the sheer force of indomitable will 
 he overcame every obstacle, becoming one of the wealthiest 
 and most important merchants of his native State. 
 
 Honesty, integrity, and courage were all the inheritance he 
 had with which to start life's battle, but worlds have been con- 
 quered by just such qualities and by just such individuals. 
 Possessed in an eminent degree of all these qualities, is 
 it any wonder that Mr. Watson rose in the esteem of his 
 fellow- men, rose in wealth and power such as rarely falls 
 
32 Address of Mr. Qiiinii, of N'cw York., on the 
 
 to the lot of maukiiitl. The distinguished gentlemen his 
 colleagues from Pennsylvania, who knew him well, have 
 told you that with all his wealth he never for a moment 
 forgot the x)Oor and the afflicted, acting only as the agent 
 in the distribution of his surplus means; for among the 
 many wealthy men of his State none were so ready to lend 
 a helping hand to tlie suffering and the needy as he, none 
 so proqipt to respond to the cry of sorrow and of suffering 
 as he, and no man more ready to relieve the poverty and 
 distress of those around him than was Lewis F. Watson. 
 
 No wonder that we \o\\\ our sorrow with the devoted com- 
 panion of liis life, the sharer of his earlier struggles and of 
 his greatest triumphs; no wonder that our hearts go out to 
 the faithful, the affectionak'i wife in her bereavement; no 
 wonder that Pennsylvania mourns the loss of one of its 
 brightest sons; no wonder that a nation, through its Repre- 
 sentatives on the floor of this House, mourns over his grave, 
 for a nation's loss is the loss of such a son. 
 
 Well might we say with our venerable poet, he who is now 
 
 himself hovering between life and death — General Albert 
 
 Pike: 
 
 Life is a count of losses 
 
 Every year; 
 For the weak are heavier crosses 
 
 Every year. 
 Lost spring with sobs repljMng 
 Unto weary autumn's sighing 
 While those we love are dying 
 
 Every year. 
 
 But tlie truer life draws nigher 
 
 Every year, 
 And the morning star climbs higher 
 
 Every year. 
 Earth's hold on us ])roves slighter 
 And its Iieavy l)ur(l('n ligliter 
 And the dawn immortal brighter 
 
 Every year. 
 
Life and Character of Lewis F. Watson. 33 
 
 What a consoling hope for weary mortals to feel, that after 
 all our cares and sorrows, all our disappointments, and 
 at times almost our despair, the truer life draws nigher, 
 that faith, our beacon of hope, lifts our souls higher and 
 higher, and as our hold on earth grows lighter we feel the 
 dawn of immortality already overshadowing us. Then may 
 we hear the sweet sounds of the angels mingling with the 
 voices of our dear ones, our loved ones, who have gone be- 
 fore, inviting us to come to them, to be with them, in the 
 mansions of eternal bliss, forever and forever. 
 
 ADDRESS OF Mr. MCADOO, OF NEW JERSEY, 
 
 Mr. SPEAKEk: As is well known to the members of this 
 House, the closest friendships and the best knowledge of the 
 individual members of this body are gained from personal 
 contact in the committees. When this Congress organized, 
 and the Naval Committee, of which I have been a member 
 during my service here, met for the first time last session, I 
 became acquainted with Mr. Watson, and in the close con- 
 tact brought about by the business of the committee I gained 
 a knowledge of his character and of his capacity which cre- 
 ated in my mind a profound respect and admiration for the 
 man. 
 
 He was thoroughly simple and yet dignified in his man- 
 ner—an earnest, truth-seeking, practical man in everything 
 that he did. He had reached more than the allotted years 
 of the average man, and had arrived at that period of life 
 at which, from the very laws of nature itself, he could not 
 but know that the journey for him had well-nigh ended. 
 He was, although vigorous in mind, somewhat feeble in 
 health, and I was" struck with the fact that during that long 
 H. Mis, 133 3 
 
34 Address of Mr. McAdoo^ of New Jersey^ on the 
 
 liot .summer, amid tlie turmoil and excitement of a memo- 
 rable session, and under circumstances, taking his age and 
 physical condition into consideration, when he might well 
 have been excused from close attendance on the commit- 
 tee, he was always present at its meetings, and that the 
 public duty of the office of Rej^resentative was to him an 
 earnest matter, of the highest interest and responsibility, to 
 be attended to with unwavering fidelity, not alone in the 
 presence of man but in the sight of God — an honest, sincere, 
 honorable, upright man, performing his duty without osten- 
 tation or affectation; broad and catholic in his patriotism, 
 intense in devotion to those homely virtues which mark the 
 rugged manhood of the Republic; strong, severe, unalter- 
 ing yet natural, like the western mountains of his great 
 State, and amiable, gentle, d(jmestic withal, ' 
 
 I think there was no man on that committee who was 
 more respected by his colleagues than was our deceased 
 friend. I can well conceive that in the community where 
 he lived, as has been said already to-day, he would be a man 
 of commanding influence, as an honest, capable, patient, 
 toiling man, of sincere convictions and absolute reliability 
 will always be. I was attracted to Mr. Watson by those 
 first impressions we are apt to form of men, and also felt an 
 interest in him from the fact that he represented in western 
 Pennsylvania many who were allied to me l)y close ties of 
 kinship, and who were among the early settlers of Venango 
 and the adjoining counties, a country of beautiful wattsr 
 ways, fertile valleys, rich in timber and ])etroloum and min- 
 eral deposits, but in the main mountainous and rugged, but 
 picturesque. Men might grow slowly in developing their 
 inner lives, but they grew naturally, surely, and strongly, 
 giving to Pennsylvania its strong individuality and splendid 
 position among the older and younger Commonwealths. 
 
Life and Character of Leivis F. Watson. 35 
 
 To-day, in the presence of the bier of the late Secretary of 
 the Treasury, and recalling the awful suddenness and shock- 
 ing swiftness of the summons to this statesman and execu- 
 tive officer of our common Government, as well as the swift 
 and unlooked-for passing away of our friend Mr. Watson, 
 the words of the divine Master as recorded are profoundly 
 impressive to every one of us: 
 
 But of that day and tliat hour knoweth no man; no, not the angels 
 which are in heaven, neither tlie Son, but the Father. 
 
 Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. 
 
 For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his 
 house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, 
 and commanded the porter to watch. 
 
 Watch ve, therefore; for ye know not when the master of the house 
 Cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morn- 
 ing; lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto 
 you I say unto all, Watch. 
 
 Our friend in tlie morning of a summer day, at his post, 
 despite his frailty and his years, on his way to the meeting 
 of this House, suddenly met the glorious apparition of the 
 Master, feasted his eyes upon the unspeakable splendors of 
 the kingdom of the faithfid, and was not found asleep, but 
 watching and working as commanded. 
 
 ADDRESS OF Mr, LACEY, OF lOWA, 
 
 Mr. Speaker: Again and again has this Chamber been 
 darkened by the passing wing of tlie Angel of Death. 
 
 On both sides of the aisle which divides this body into 
 two political parties has the fatal shaft repeatedly fallen 
 
 Death has made no distinction of age or political creed, 
 and the venerable Father of the House [Mr. Kelley], who 
 has so long done honor to Pennsylvania, and the gifted 
 
36 Address of Mr. Laccy^ oflozva^ on the 
 
 young member [Mr. Walker] Irom Missouri, alike liave paid 
 the debt of nature. 
 
 Peimsylvauia lias suffered great losses during tlie present 
 Congress, and in the roll of the dead, comprising the names 
 'of Beck, Burnes, Townshend, Gay, Laird, Cox, Wilber, 
 Walker, Nutting, Kelley, Randall, and Watson, the Key- 
 stone State has lost three out of the twelve. 
 
 I remember in my boyhood an old tree that stood upon 
 my father's farm. Its bare, gray, weather-beaten arms were 
 stretched upward as if in prayer. Wind, flood, and fire had 
 all smitten it and left their mark, but they all seemed to 
 strike in vain, for still it stood the giant and master of the 
 grove. On the mornings after many a tempest I had looked 
 to see it lying wrecked in the track of the storm, but it had 
 withstood them all. But on one bright summer afternoon, 
 when n(jt a breath of air was stirring and not a cloud was 
 in the sky, the old tree fell with a sudden and startling 
 crash. 
 
 And so fell our colleague whom we commemorate to-day. 
 
 In apparent health, crowned with years which had added 
 to the dignity of his appearance without hinting at serious 
 decay, he bore all the marks of a vigorous old age. 
 
 Suddenly the word came that he had fallen. 
 
 Man's enemy lurks unseen, and decay is the common lot 
 of all. 
 
 A worm is at the heart of j^outli, 
 And at the root of age. 
 
 Tlic woi-iii ?iia(l(! its secret pi-esence kin»\vii ai last, and the 
 end came. The end, did I say? No, it was but the begin- 
 ning. In a loftier life let us hope our friend has solved tliat 
 greatest of all questions, "If a man die, shall ho live again?'' 
 
 Mr. Speaker, the time is not lost when the members of 
 
Life and Character of Le7vis F. ]Vafson. 37 
 
 this House lay aside for a few liouvs the business of legisla- 
 tion to contemplate their mortality as men. 
 
 Our labors, as the first Congress in the second century of 
 the nation's constitutional life, are soon to end. It has been 
 a Congress full of political antagonisms, and one in which 
 party spirit has run high. But while we gather around the 
 Speaker's desk to hold in loving remembrance the name of 
 Lewis F. Watson, a name kindly cherished by all who 
 knew him on either side of the Chamber in the various Con- 
 gresses in which he served, we can well lay aside the rancor 
 ' of party spirit, and remember only that we are fellow-citizens 
 and colleagues in this great representative body. 
 
 It is upon the floor of the House that the scenes occur 
 which imlntter the association of the Representatives of the 
 people, and the antipathies arise which often last through 
 after years. Men are too apt to represent their parties alone 
 upon the floor. 
 
 But in the committee-room the inner selves of members 
 come to the surface, and there it is that friendships are 
 formed which are not bounded by States or party creeds. 
 There it is that the light of the man himself shines out. It 
 is there that we see at once the business, the political, 
 and the social sides of our colleagues, and find that the man 
 whom we have so often condemned upon the hustings is one 
 whom it is a pleasure to know. 
 
 It was in the Committee on Public Lands that I formed 
 the acquaintance of Mr. Watson. My elbow touched his 
 at the committee table, and there I learned speedily to know 
 and appreciate his qualities. 
 
 He was a watchful, observing, and working Representa- 
 tive, and although he was not active in debate, he always 
 kept informed upon the questions that were under consider- 
 ation. Heartily in line with his political associates, and 
 
38 Address of Mr. Laccy.^ of lozva.^ on the 
 
 fully imlnied with the helief that the principles of his party 
 were right, he never forgot the consideration that was due 
 to his associates with whom he disagreed. 
 
 Practical good sense and a genial, pleasant manner made 
 him alike a useful and agreeable companion. 
 
 The world had been kind to him and he was kind to all 
 the world. 
 
 He was a prosjjerous man, but he shared his riches with 
 his less-favored fellow-men. He recognized the fact that 
 with the possession of wealth came the responsibility of 
 administering the same as a trust for the good of those 
 around him. 
 
 Ripe in years, he had lived the full period usually allotted 
 to man. 
 
 It was said of a Greek mother that her death was the 
 happiest recorded in history, because she died at the moment 
 that she heard of the victory of her son at the Olympic 
 games. So our departed friend died at the summit of 
 earthly prosperity and success. 
 
 Fortunate and prudent in his life, he was happy in a 
 quick, unexpected, and painless death; a death the suddcMi- 
 ness of which did not find him unprepared. The prayer 
 for delivery from sudden death is for those who are unfit 
 to go. 
 
 Dying at the nation's capital, he was carried by tlie loving 
 hands of his colleagues to his home in the State he loved so 
 well, and there, followed by crowds of friends who had 
 known him through his long and useful life, he was laid at 
 rest amid familiar scenes. 
 
 Here again we have? the old lesson renewed once more. 
 Even while we sit liere to-day another great life has gone. 
 Another candle Inirning with a ste.-idy flame lias snddeidy 
 been blown out, and the strong voice of William Windoni 
 
Life and Charactcj^ of Lewis F. Watson. 39 
 
 had only sunk to silence, Ids lips had barely closed, when 
 
 they opened in that mysterious after life to which we are 
 
 all moving. 
 
 Montaigne says: 
 
 Why dost thou fear this last day ? It contributes no more to thy 
 destruction than every one of the rest. Every day travels towards death; 
 the last only arrives at it. 
 
 ADDRESS OF Mr, MANSUR, OF MISSOURI, 
 
 Lewis F. Watson, of Warren, was born in Crawford 
 County, Pennsylvania; received an academic education; en- 
 gaged in mercantile pursuits, and for the past twenty years 
 has been an extensive operator in lumber and in the produc- 
 tion of petroleum; in 1861 organized the Conewango Valley 
 Railroad Company, now known as the Dunkirk, Allegheny 
 Valley and Pittsburgh, and was elected its first president; 
 was elected president of the Warren Savings Bank at its 
 organization in 1870, a position which he still held at tlie 
 at the time of his death; was elected to the Forty-fifth 
 and Forty-seventh Congresses, and was elected to the Fifty- 
 first Congress as a Republican, receiving 13,582 votes, against 
 9,370 votes for William A. Rankin, Democrat, 1,670, votes 
 for Charles Miller prohibitionist, and 919 votes for J. 
 Whiteley. 
 
 Such is the biographical information given by the Con- 
 gressional Directory of last session relative to the life work 
 of our deceased friend and colleague. On this sad occasion 
 it is to be supplemented by his friends by further illus- 
 trations, drawn from his life record, of traits of character 
 illustrative of his career and of the great success attained 
 by this strong yet modest man. 
 
 His achievements were many and varied. Trader, specu- 
 
40 Address of Air. Alansitr^ of Alissonri^ on the 
 
 lator, luinbennan, banker, railroad promoter, builder, and 
 manager, thrice a member of Congress, legislator in the 
 great sanhedrim of his nation — all attest the varied resources 
 and caj)abilities of this strong man. Possessed of small 
 means in his young manhood, he exercised a close economy, 
 that laid sure foundations for a colossal fortune extending 
 into the millions, ranking him at the time of his death as 
 one of the wealthiest men in northwestern Pennsylvania. 
 
 At the start very close and economical in his haliits, yet 
 he had the sturdy sense, as wealth grew upon him. to liljer- 
 alize himself in its use. So while his personal halhts and 
 tastes remained ever simple, to achieve a point, to create a 
 home, to build up his town, to develop his region, to aid 
 worthy charitable and benevolent objects, he eventually be- 
 came fairly liberal. 
 
 His life achievement is one of which his friends, region, 
 country, kindred, and family can be proud. It is another 
 shining example of the possibilities open to our American 
 youth, under stimulating influences of climate, soil, love of 
 freedom, republican institutions, and democratic form of 
 government, all creating a spirited rivalry among the sons 
 of America, that in the end weed out the slothful, relegate 
 the incapable to the rear of active participants, and give the 
 crown of honor and success to those who so worthily win. 
 
 View the life of our deceased colleague as a well-rounded 
 orb; take it as a whole, estimate it as we do the sun that 
 gives warmth, beauty, vigor to the earth and fecundates it 
 with animal and vegetable life — how insignificant and how 
 contempti])Ie the criticism tliat would magnify the spots 
 thereon, or decry its glory in comparison with its products; 
 so, in like manner, how small and puny any efii'ort that would 
 depreciate the liigli status and glorious standing among his 
 fellow-men won b\' oui- di'ceased brother? 
 
Life and Character of Lezvis F. Wafson. 41 
 
 Death is at all times sorrowful to contemplate by loving 
 kindred and family, yet when a beloved person has attained 
 three-score and ten, the tendons and mnscles stiffen and work 
 with difficulty, heart throbs slow, irregnlar, pnlsating- fee- 
 bly, nerves, palate, and eyesight each failing, a conscious- 
 ness growing day by day that life's work approximates its 
 end, yet sustained by an inner satisfaction that all obliga- 
 tions have been met with a stout heart and performed with 
 an eye single to duty to man, to country, and to God, then 
 to such person, as also to friends and kindred, death is rob- 
 bed of its fears, and when it comes, all can join in the lan- 
 guage of inspiration and exclaim: 
 
 O Death, wliere is thy sting ? 
 O Grave, where is thy victory? 
 
 In this light, the death of our friend was one to be courted, 
 not shunned. Admonished from time to time, as he was, 
 that dissolution was drawing nigh, to fall at the post of 
 duty as he fell, to suffer the great change, and in a twink- 
 ling to go from the terrestrial to the celestial, marks our 
 friend as fortunate in his decease as he was favored in his 
 life. 
 
 Mr. Speaker, appointed as a member of the committee of 
 this House to do honor to and attend the burial of our 
 departed friend, I shall not soon forget the great attend- 
 ance, the sad hearts and funereal countenances, the uni- 
 versal desolation of woe shown in the myriad black and 
 somber hangings everywhere exhibited that greeted our 
 arrival and solemn procession with our dead through the 
 streets of Warren to his residence, where consolations that 
 religion only can bestow and grant were extended by a pious 
 pastor to the widow, family, friends, and neighbors present 
 in sympathizing sorrow and honor, and when again the pro- 
 
42 Address of Mr. Mansitr, of Missouri^ on the 
 
 cession was formed and ^yound its slow length adown the 
 
 town, and, as 
 
 The bell doth toU 
 For some but now 
 Departing soul, 
 
 across the long length of a bridge over the phenomenally 
 beautiful Allegheny, we began the winding ascent of a bold 
 and beautiful promontory, where high up lay "a silent city 
 of the dead.*' Reaching the open grave, it seemed the most 
 beautiful spot upon the earth for a man to go to his long 
 and eternal sleep. The setting sun illuminated the west 
 and shed a halo of glory over forest and stream. A sum- 
 mer shower glistened in globules of light on every bending 
 twig and blade of grass and leaf of tree. 
 
 The grave overlooked long reaches of the river below, 
 placid as a summer's dream; in front, all around, eternal 
 hills robed in green foliage shut in the view; below us and 
 at our feet were divers bridges spanning the river; along it 
 busy marts of industry, now hushed in silence; the whole 
 town of Warren looking as if but a stone's throw away; 
 beautiful homes everywhere, among them his own at his 
 feet. Such are the surroundings and outlook from the spot 
 where we laid him amid a silence only broken by the twitter 
 of the birds above, the low sobs of his family and friends, 
 and the falling of the clods that covered lum from view. 
 
 ( )f liim and of his life I can say in the language of Bishop 
 Hall: 
 
 Man is no sooner matle than he is sot to work. Neither greatness nor 
 perfection can privilege a folded hand. How much more cheerfully we 
 go about our Imsincss, so inucti nearer we come to our paradise. 
 
Life and Character of Lezuis F. Watson. 43 
 
 Address of Mr, Ray, of Pennsylvania. 
 
 Mr. Speaker: I shall occupy tlie time of the House but 
 briefly in paying my humble tribute of respect to the memory 
 of my deceased colleague from Pennsylvania, Hon. Lewis 
 F. Watson. 
 
 My personal acquaintance with Mr. Watson was of com- 
 paratively short duration, covering a period of something 
 less than nine months. It began with the beginning of the 
 present Congress and terminated with the close of his honored 
 and useful life on the 25th day of August, 1890. During 
 that interval, although both coming from the same State 
 and occupying sea+s on the same side of the House, we were 
 only occasionally thrown together, and never, save once, 
 excei:)t upon this tloor. 
 
 My knowledge, therefore, of the deceased, gained from 
 personal contact and intercourse with him, is very slight, 
 and will not justify me in attempting any analysis of his 
 character, nor in passing any extended eulogy upon his 
 manifold private and domestic virtues. That task has de- 
 volved upon those who knew him longer and better than 
 myself, and were better able, ''by apt words fitly spoken," 
 to do him justice. 
 
 Only a few days before his death— some two or three— in 
 the course of quite a lengthy conversation he recounted to 
 me the physical sufferings he had undergone during the past 
 few months. He spoke of his abstemious habits in his 
 struggle with disease, and expressed the hope, if not the 
 belief, that he was then on the highway to full and com- 
 plete recovery. Although burdened with three-score years 
 and ten, their weight seemed to rest lightly upon him. He 
 
44 Address of Mr. Ray^ of Pcnnsylva)iia, on tlic 
 
 was looking forward, cheerfully and expectantly, to still 
 coming years of labor, of usefulness, and of honor. His 
 star of hope, if not in the zenith, was far above the horizon, 
 and shining brightly. 
 
 Alas! how frail and uncertain the tenure of human life. 
 Even as we talked together he was standing, all unconscious 
 and unsuspecting, upon the verge of " the valley of the 
 shadow of death." Our conversation ended we sepcirated, 
 and I saw him no more. The next mention I heard of. his 
 name was the announcement made to the House of Repre- 
 sentatives that the dread messenger, to whose summons all 
 men must make answer, had called him from his public 
 station, and tliat his life, with all its hopes and aspirations, 
 its pleasures and sorrows, its duties and responsibilities, had 
 suddenly and unexpectedly ended. That announcement, 
 with the recollection of his recent words still fresh in my 
 mind, could not prove otherwise than painful, and impressed 
 upon me anew the thought that ''in the midst of life we 
 are in death." 
 
 How he met the last great ordeal I do not know. I can 
 well imagine, however, and believe that he met it as he had 
 met all the stern and stubborn realities of life — bravely, man- 
 fully, courageously; and that with unfaltering steps and 
 nerved heart he passed into the mysterious, and I trust 
 happier and better, hereafter. 
 
 In niy limited intercourse with him he impressed me as a 
 man of plain and simple habits, of pleasant and unostenta- 
 tious manners, of kindly sjanjjathies, and a genial, generous 
 nature. He was uniforndy courteous in his l)earing, unob- 
 trusive, and unassuming. 
 
 Although not college bred he was well educated, and, 
 what was l>(;ttei- still, was largely endowed with the genius 
 <jf common sense. To that rare endowment, added to his 
 
Life and Character of Leivis F. JI 'atson. 45 
 
 untiring energy and great capacity for work, he owed much 
 of the success that he achieved both in private and in pub- 
 lic life. As a business man he was keen, shrewd, practical, 
 and methodical. Method, in fact, was x>art of the man. 
 Throughout almost his entire business career he was not only 
 eminently but uniformly successful — as farmer, merchant, 
 banker, and railroad president. It seemed that whatever 
 he touched as with magic power was changed to gold, and 
 when he died he was the owner of a princely fortune. 
 
 The public life of Lewis F. Watson began with his elec- 
 tion to the Forty-fifth Congress. Subsequently he was 
 elected to the Forty-seventh and Fifty-first Congresses, and 
 was at tJie time of his death the nominee of his party for a 
 seat in the Fifty-second. To the performance of his official 
 duties he brought sound, discriminating judgment, tireless 
 energy, and the wisdom "born of things achieved " in busi- 
 ness life. From the beginning to the end of his public 
 career he shirked no duty, evaded no responsibility, and had 
 at all times the sublime courage of his convictions. Edu- 
 c.ited and trained in tlie school of practical affairs, and be- 
 lieving the Government to be a business as well as a political 
 institution, he advocated the application to its conduct of 
 the same methods that had proved valuable to him in his 
 private enterprises. 
 
 To the gifts and graces of oratory he made no pretensions, 
 and his voice was seldom heard in the debates upon the floor. 
 In the committee-room, however, where the real work of 
 Congress is done, and Vv-here legislation is shaped and 
 practically determined, his calm, clear, penetrating judg- 
 ment frequently determined the fate of a measure. 
 
 In his attendance upon the sittings of the House and at 
 the meetings of the committees of which he was a member 
 he was always prompt and punctual. Nothing but sickness 
 
46 Address of Mr. Maish; of Pennsylvania.^ on iJic 
 
 or other unavoidable circumstance was ever permitted to 
 interfere with his performance of the duties committed to 
 his care. He served his constituents faithfully and well, 
 and that they duly appreciated his worth and work is 
 attested by the number of times they elected him to a seat 
 in the highest legislative body of the Republic. 
 
 His public life was as pure as it vv^as plain, earnest, and 
 practical. No suspicion of corruption or evil-doing was ever, 
 even in the slightest degree, associated with his name. He 
 has made for himself a record that has upon its fair page n<_) 
 blot or stain— the record of a true, noble, manly, courageous 
 life, of fidelity to home and family, of high regard for his 
 fellow-man, and sincere devotion to his country. 
 
 ADDRESS OF MR, MAISH, OF PENNSYLVANIA. 
 
 Mr. Speaker: Mr. Watson possessed many commend- 
 al)le virtues. One of these, it seems to me, was the guiding 
 star of his eminently successful life. Duty was to him an 
 imperative command. Whatever he had to do, that path he 
 would rigidly follow. It dominated his conduct in all the 
 relations of life. It was, I believe, the secret of his success. 
 A distiiiguislied German author defined duty to be "tlie 
 moral power of the individual." This was owx brother's 
 conception of it. Governed by it, he was rigidly just, thor- 
 oughly honest. 
 
 When it became apparent to his anxious friends that his 
 strength was failing, they cautiously admonished liini to I'c- 
 pair to some health resort. To these suggesti(jns he woidd 
 firmly reply, " It is my duty to reniain here." He said to his 
 now sorrowing widow, ou the day of his death, who, seeing 
 
Life and Character of Lewis F. Watson. 47 
 
 witli the keen eye of affection the portentous ravages of dis- 
 ease, urged him to go away, " I would rather die at my post." 
 
 Our brother was a man of unobtrusive manners. When, 
 however, his opinions were sought he woukl give them 
 decisively and firmly, as a man who knew what he was 
 talking about. 
 
 He gave to every prominent public question a careful con- 
 sideration, and he possessed a direct and trencliant way of 
 giving the reasons for the faith within him. This was no 
 doubt the result of his business training. As is well known, 
 he was an eminently successful business man, and by su- 
 perior skill and judgment amassed a large fortune. Begin- 
 ning as he did at the lowest round of the ladder, he rose 
 to the very top by dint of great industry and extraordinary 
 capacity. Chance played no part in it. 
 
 This, in my judgment, is among the highest types of in- 
 tellectual power. The ability to forecast the complex and 
 varied forces of human energy is the gift of comj^aratively 
 few, and yet this gift is requisite to the successful man of busi- 
 ness. It is well that men of this character are often elected 
 to fill seats in Congress. Here great problems of finance and 
 trade are constantly considered, and what class of men are 
 better qualified to grajjple with these subjects? Few I am 
 sure ever occupied seats in this Hall who were better fitted 
 by large and successful business experience for the perform- 
 ance of the duties of legislation, and the advantage this gave 
 him was plainly manifest whenever he came to the consid- 
 eration of financial questions. 
 
 His domestic qualities were of the gentlest and sweetest 
 kind. I first met him in the Forty-fifth Congress, to which 
 we were both elected. His kindly nature soon attracted me 
 to him and we became friends. After an interim of eight 
 years we again met here as members of this House. The 
 
48 Address of Mr. Maish^ of Pennsylvania^ on the 
 
 friendship we first formed was speedily renewed. It was, 
 I am sure, warm and sincere, and I could not omit to i^ay 
 my tribute to his memory. 
 
 Death is always terrible, come as it may. Sudden death, 
 however, strikes us with a peculiar horror. But why should 
 it when it conies as it did to our brother? He fell as falls 
 the Avarrior on the field of battle. He was in the midst of 
 the struggle when the summons came. 
 
 There is a tinge of heroism in such a death. The anguish 
 of the heart is relieved by the contemplation of a spectacle 
 so brave and manly. How startling was the tragic death 
 of AVindom! Sympatliy and sorrow fill every l)reast. Yet 
 if the hour had arrived for the spirit's flight, it could not 
 have come more oj^tportunely. The mind, the spiritual part, 
 liad just finished its temporal task when the dread messenger 
 knocked at the door. His work liore was over, and straight- 
 way he joined the "invisible choir of the dead." 
 
 How beautifully did our own poet, Fitz-Greeno Halleck, 
 
 convey the thought in the inimitable poem of his on Marco 
 
 Bozzaris: 
 
 Come to the bridal chamber, Death! 
 
 Come to the mother's, when slie feels, 
 For th(^ first time, her first-born's l)reath; 
 
 Come wiien the blessed seals 
 That close the pestilence are broke, 
 And crowded cities wail its stroke: 
 Come in consumption's ghastly form. 
 The earthquake shock, the ocean storm; 
 Come when the heart beats high and warm, 
 
 With banquet song, and dance, and wine, 
 And thou art terrible — the tear. 
 The groan, the knell, tlie ])all, the bier, 
 And all we know, or dream, or fear 
 
 Of agony are tliine. 
 But to the hercj, when liis sword 
 
 Has won the battle for the free, 
 Thy voice sounds like a prophet's word; 
 And in its liollow tones are heard 
 
 The thanks of millions yet to be. 
 
Life and Character of Lezvis F. Watson. 49 
 
 Come when his task of fame is wrought, 
 Come with her laurel leaf, blood-bought, 
 
 Come in her crowning hour, and then 
 Thy sunken eyes' unearthly light 
 To him is welcome as the sight 
 
 Of sky and stars to prisoned men. 
 Thy grasp is welcome as the hand 
 Of brother in a foreign land; 
 Thy summons welcome as the cry 
 That told the Indian isles were nigh 
 
 To the world-seeking Genoese; 
 When the land winds from woods of palm 
 And orange groves and fields of balm 
 
 Blew o'er the Haytian seas. 
 
 Let us not, therefore, lament that our brother was so sud- 
 denly torn away from us. He died with his armor on, and 
 we have the consolation of knowing that he left behind him 
 a rare example (jf patriotic devotion to duty which it would 
 be well for tlie country if all persons charged with a public 
 trust would imitate and practice. 
 
 Mr. Stone, of Pennsylvania. As a further mark of respect 
 to the memory of the deceased, I move that the House do 
 now adjourn. 
 
 Mr. Maish. If my colleague will yield for a moment. I 
 understand, Mr. Speaker, that a number of persons desire to 
 prepare addresses on the death of our deceased brother, and 
 I therefore ask unanimous consent that they may have per- 
 mission to print such remarks in the Record when prepared. 
 
 The Speaker pro tempore (Mr. Grosvenor). In the ab- 
 sence of objection that order will be made. 
 
 There was no objection. 
 
 Mr. Stone, of Pennsylvania. I now renew the motion to 
 adjourn. 
 
 The motion was agreed to. 
 H. Mis. 133 4 
 
PROCEEDINGS IN THE SENATE. 
 
 ANNOUNCEMENT OF DEATH. 
 
 August 25, 1890. 
 death of representative lewis f. watson. 
 
 A message from the House of Representatives, by Mr. 
 Martin, its Chief Clerk, conveyed to the Senate the intelli- 
 gence of the death of Hon. Lewis F. Watson, late a mem- 
 ber of the House of Representatives from the State of Penn- 
 sylvania, and transmitted the resolutions of the House 
 
 thereon. 
 
 The President ijro temioore. The Chair lays before the 
 Senate resolutions from the House of Representatives, which 
 will be read. 
 
 The Chief Clerk read the resolutions of the House of Rep- 
 resentatives, as follows: 
 
 In the House of Representatives, August 25, 1890. 
 
 Resolved, That the House has heard with profound regret the announce- 
 ment of the death of Hon. Lewis F. Watson, late a Representative from 
 the State of Pennsylvania. 
 
 Resolved, That the Clerk communicate the foregoing resolution to the 
 Senate, and that, as a further mark of respect to the memory of the de- 
 ceased, the House do now adjourn. 
 
 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That 
 a select committee, consisting of seven members of tlie House and three 
 members of the Senate, be appointed to take order for superintending the 
 
 51 
 
52 Proceedings in the Senate. 
 
 funeral, and that the necessary expenses attending the execution of this 
 order he paid out of the contingent fund of the House. 
 
 Resolved, That the Sergeant-at-Arms of the House be authorized and 
 directed to take such steps as may be necessary for properly carrying into 
 effect the provisions of this resolution. 
 
 In accordance with the above the Speaker announced the following com- 
 mittee: 
 
 William C. Culbertson of Pennsylvania, William McAdoo of New Jer- 
 sey, Samuel A. Craig of Pennsylvania. Charles C. Townsend of Penn- 
 sylvania, Levi Maish of Pennsylvania, William C. Wallace of New York, 
 and James Kerr of Pennsylvania. 
 
 Mr. Quay. Mr. President, I offer the resolutions which I 
 send to the desk, and move their adojDtion. 
 
 The President ^jto tempore. The resohitions submitted 
 by the Senator from Pennsylvania will be read. 
 
 The Chief Clerk read the resolutions, as follows: 
 
 Resolved, That the Senate has heard with deep sensibility the announce- 
 ment of the death of Hon. Lewis F. Watson, late a member of the House 
 of Representatives from the State of Pennsylvania. 
 
 Resolved, That the Senate concur in the resolution of the House of Rep- 
 resentatives providing for the appointment of a select committee to take 
 order for superintending the funeral of the deceased; and that the mem- 
 bers of the committee on the part of the Senate be appointed by the Presi- 
 dent jj/'O tempore. 
 
 Mr. Quay. I ask for the adoption of the resolutions. 
 
 The resolutions were agreed to unanimously. 
 
 The President pro tempore. The Chair announces as the 
 members of the committee on the X)art of the Senate, Mr. 
 Cameron, Mr. Cullom, and Mr. Faulkner. 
 
 Mr. Quay. I offer an additional resolution. 
 
 The President j>/-o tempore. The l^'solution will be read. 
 
 The Chief Clerk read as follows: 
 
 Resolved, That as an addi(i«)nal mark of respect to the memory of the 
 deceased the Senate do now adjourn. 
 
 The resolution was agreed to unanimously ; and (at 5 o'clock 
 and 27 minutes p. m.) the Senate adjourned until to-morrow, 
 Tuesday, August 26, 1890, at 10 o'clock a. m. 
 
EULOGIES. 
 
 February 24, 1891. 
 Mr. Cameron. Mr. President, the hour of 5 o'clock having 
 arrived; I call up the resolutions of the House of Representa- 
 tives relative to my deceased colleague in the House of Rep- 
 resentatives, the late Hon, Lewis F. Watson. 
 • The Vice President. The resolutions of the House of 
 Representatives will be read. 
 
 The Secretary read the resolutions of the House of Repre- 
 sentatives, as follows: 
 
 In the House of Representatives. August 25, 1890. 
 
 Resolved, That the House has heard with profound regret theaunounee- 
 meut of the death of Hon. Lewis F. Watson, late a Representative from 
 the State of Pennsylvania. 
 
 Resolved, That the Clerk communicate the foregoing resolution to the 
 Senate, and that, as a further mark of respect to the memory of the de- 
 ceased, the House do now adjourn. 
 
 Mr. Cameron. Mr. President, I offer the resolutions which 
 I send to the desk. 
 
 The YiCE President. The resolutions submitted by the 
 Senator from Pennsylvania will be read. 
 
 The Secretary read the resolutions, as follows: 
 
 Resolved, That the Senate has heard with profound sorrow of the deatli 
 of Hon. Lewis F. Watson, late a member of the House of Representa- 
 tives from the State of Pennsylvania. 
 
 Resolved, That the business of the Senate be now suspended, in order 
 that fitting tribute may be paid to his memory. 
 
 Resolved, That as an additional mark of respect the Senate shall, at the 
 conclusion of these ceremonies, adjourn. 
 
 53 
 
54 Address of Mr. Cameron, of Pennsylvania, on the 
 
 Address of Mr. Cameron, of Pennsylvania. 
 
 Mr. President: Death has entered the Chambers of these 
 two Houses of Congress twelve times during the Fifty-first 
 Congress. Every one of seven States of this Union has lost 
 an able and faithful Representative, but it was the misfor- 
 tune of New York and Pennsylvania each to lose three of 
 their Representatives, some of whom had performed long 
 and the others a shorter period of efficient service. The 
 death rate in this Congress has been exceedingly great, and, 
 as I am informed, unprecedented, and now near the close of 
 the Fifty-first Congress its roll discloses the absence of the 
 following members: Edward J. Gay, of Louisiana; James 
 Laird, of Nebraska; Richard W. Townshend, of Illinois; 
 Samuel S. Cox, of New York; Newton W. Nutting, of New 
 York; William D. Kelley, of Pennsylvania; David Wilber, 
 of New York; Samuel J. Randall, of Pennsylvania; James 
 P.Walker, of Missouri; James B. Beck, of Kentucky; Lewis 
 F. Watson, of Pennsylvania, and James Phelan, of Ten- 
 nessee. 
 
 On Monday, August 25, 1890, Lewis Findlay Watson, 
 late Representative from the Twenty-seventh district of 
 Pennsylvania, died suddenly at the Shoreham, in the city 
 of Washington, about 1 1 o'clock in the morning, as he was 
 leaving that hotel to attend the session of the House. The 
 shock was very great to his many friends, by whom he was 
 highly esteemed, and many of whom could hardly realize 
 that death had robbed them of his presence. The disease 
 whicli struck Mr. Watson down was similar to that which 
 deprived us of our late departed colleague from Kentucky, 
 Senator Beck, and the late Secretary of the Treasury, Mr. 
 Windom. 
 
Life and Character of Leivis F. Watson. 55 
 
 Mr. Watson was born in Crawford County, Pennsylvania, 
 April 14, 1819. His father and mother, John Watson and 
 Rebecca Bradley, came from Delaware, and were descended 
 from a Scotch-Irish ancestry. The educational advantages 
 during the boyhood of Mr. Watson were such as were 
 afforded in his and surrounding counties, and were neces- 
 sarily at that period of a rather meager character. Leaving 
 school at the age of thirteen, he obtained employment as 
 clerk in a store in Titusville, Crawford County, and served 
 in similar positions in Franklin and Warren Counties until 
 1837. In that year he secured employment in the office of 
 the prothonotary of Warren County, and held this place 
 until 1838. Young Watson, knowing his limited education, 
 commenced a course of study at the Warren Academy, where 
 he was a close student of bookkeeping and mathematics, a 
 branch of his education which in after years became an 
 important factor in his business life. 
 
 Leaving the academy, Mr. Watson entered upon mer- 
 cantile pursuits in the borough of Warren, in partnership 
 with Archibald Tanner and S. T. Nelson, under the style of 
 Nelson, Watson & Co. At the termination of this copartner- 
 ship in 1811, he continued his mercantile pursuits, sometimes 
 on his own account and sometimes with others, until 18 GO, 
 when, closing this business, he turned his attention more 
 directly to the manufacture and marketing of lumber. In 
 the autumn of 1859, in company with his brother John and 
 Archibald Tanner, he engaged in the development of the 
 petroleum business by drilling wells on his brother's farm 
 at Titusville. In the spring of 1860 the firm opened what 
 was known as the Fountain Oil Well, the first flowing well 
 in the district, probably the first in the country. 
 
 Since that time Mr. Watson had at different periods 
 engaged in the production of petroleum, but he at the same 
 
56 Addrrss of Mr. Caiitcron, of Pennsylvania, on the 
 
 time continued his large operations in pine-timber lands, of 
 which he owned thousands of acres, and in the manufacture 
 and sale of lumber, and in other financial enterprises up to 
 the time of his death. 
 
 In these enterprises he was guided hj sound business prin- 
 ciples, combined with hard work, indomitable industry, 
 shrewdness, and foresight; in fact, he had all the character- 
 istics which bring success, and he consequently achieved 
 great prominence in his section of the State as a business 
 man. He was excelled by none and equaled by few in his 
 energy, good j ndgment, and untiring zeal. No wonder, then, 
 that he amassed a large and lucrative fortune, wliich was 
 built up by his own honest efforts. 
 
 In 18G1 Mr. Watson organized the Conewango Valley 
 Railroad Company, now known as the Dunkirk, Allegheny 
 Valley and Pittsburgh Railroad Company. The construc- 
 tion of this railroad was due more to his efforts than to those 
 of anyone else, and he became its first president. In 1864 
 he was one of the original stockholders of the First National 
 Bank of Warren, and for a number of years was its vice 
 l^resident. In 1870 he organized the Warren Savings Bank, 
 of which he was the first president, which position he held 
 until the 22d of November, 1889, but he continued his interest 
 in it as a stockholder. In 1877 he purchased a tract of 
 2,000 acres of land in Cass County, Dakota, and put it under 
 cultivation. He took especial interest in this investment, 
 and spoke with great enthusiasm of the great future of that 
 remarkal)le country. 
 
 I have given these details to show Mr. Watson's great 
 business (lualifications, and his line executive capacity, to 
 cope with so many and varied enterprises. Although he 
 was not widely known as a ])ubli(' man, he was well and 
 favorably known throughout uoitJiwestern Pennsylvania, 
 
Lije and Character of Leivis F. Watson. 57 
 
 that portion of the State in which he lived. He was a man 
 of sound wisdom and large experience, and made his impress 
 upon business and political circles. 
 
 Mr. Watson had been a member of the Republican party 
 since its organization, and at all times earnestly and actively 
 supported the great principles of that party. His devotion 
 to its success and his fine business achievements being well 
 known, in 1874 Mr. Watson received the unanimous recom- 
 mendation of his party in Warren County to the district 
 convention as a candidate for Representative in Congress, 
 but during the convention his name was withdrawn, at his 
 own request, which brought about the unanimous renomi- 
 nation of Hon. C. B. Curtis, the then Representative from 
 the Twenty-seventh Congressional district. Mr. Curtis, 
 however, was defeated by a small majority at the polls by 
 his Democratic opponent. 
 
 In 1S7G Mr. Watson was nominated by his party to 
 represent the district in the Forty-fifth Congress, and he 
 was elected by a majority of 3,547. 
 
 The district then was composed of the counties of Erie, 
 Venango, and Warren. He received 15,040 votes, against 
 12,093 votes for William L. Scott, Democrat; 327 votes for 
 Samuel Axtell, Prohibitionist, and 249 votes for C. C. Camp, 
 Greenbacker. 
 
 The House of Representatives during the Forty-fifth 
 Congress was under the control of the Democratic party, 
 Hon. Samuel J. Randall, of Pennsylvania, being Speaker. 
 Mr. Watson was assigned to the Committees on Agriculture 
 and Expenditures in the Post-Office Department, and per- 
 formed his duties faithfully and efficiently. 
 
 Mr. Watson, however, failed to receive — although he 
 sought it — the nomination for the succeeding term, but in 
 1880 he received the nomination to represent his party and 
 
58 Address of Mr. Cameron.^ of Pnmsylvania^ on the 
 
 district in the Forty-seventh Congress, and at the election he 
 received 15,740 votes, against 14,438 votes for Alfred Short, 
 a Democrat and Greenbacker. 
 
 The House of Representatives was then Republican, Hon. 
 J. W. Keifer, of Ohio, being Speaker. Mr. Watson was 
 assigned to two of the most important committees of the 
 House, the Committee on Naval Affairs and the Committee 
 on Public Lands, and his colleagues on those committees 
 know how diligently he worked while serving there. 
 
 Mr. Watson was not successful in obtaining the nomina- 
 tions for the three succeeding terms. In 1888, however, he 
 was nominated and elected to the Fifty-first Congress from 
 the new district which had been formed, comprising the 
 counties of McKean, Warren, Venango, and Cameron, by a 
 majority of 4,212 over three competitors, receiving 13,582 
 votes, against 9,370 for William A. Rankin, Democrat, 1,G70 
 votes for Charles Miller, Prohibitionist, and 919 votes for J. 
 Whitely, Greenbacker. The House was Republican, Hon. 
 Thomas B. Reed, of Maine, being Speaker. Mr. Watson 
 was again assigned to duty on the Committees on Naval 
 Affairs and Public Lands. He was again nominated last 
 year to the Fifty-second Congress, but died before the fall 
 election took place. 
 
 Such is in brief the history of Mr. Watson's public career. 
 While Mr. Watson never took a prominent part in the de- 
 bates in the House, yet he was a very useful member, and a 
 modest, retiring, and careful legislator. He served his con- 
 stituents by his votes on the floor of the House and by his 
 diligent work in the committee-rooms, seldom failing to be 
 present at any of the meetings of the committees of which 
 he was a member. He made the rounds of the Departments 
 almost daily, in rain or sunshine, in behalf of the interest of 
 some constituent, and a day seldom passed without his ac- 
 
Life and Chm-ader of Lewis R JFatson. 59 
 
 complisliing some good act. He was a kind-hearted man, 
 and was always glad to assist and did assist many young 
 men in whom he had confidence. 
 
 Mr. President, I knew Mr. Watson intimately. My ac- 
 quaintance with him began many years ago, and I can truth- 
 fully say that I always found him to be a straightforward, 
 frank, and unselfish gentleman, a man who had the interest 
 of his State at heart, and whose sole purpose was to labor 
 for the interest of the great Commonwealth of which he was 
 an honored citizen. 
 
 Address of Mr. Vest, of Missouri. 
 
 Mr. President : We pause again in the rush and roar of 
 our busy life to pay a tribute to the dead. Every human 
 life is full of imperfection and frailty ; and the question to 
 be asked as we stand at the open grave is whether the aggre- 
 gate of the life ended has made the world better and hap- 
 pier. But little real sorrow can be felt for the departure of 
 one who has murdered the sunshine and who has not made 
 any other human being the better for having come in con- 
 tact with him. The retrospect most terrible, as we come to 
 the close of the last great account, must be that we have sac- 
 rificed the opportunity of bringing happiness to those about 
 us in order to gratify passion and appetite. Real happiness 
 comes alone from devotion to duty. The highest duty possi- 
 ble to our existence is giving happiness to others. 
 
 Him of whom I speak to-day devoted his life to duty. He 
 was eminently successful in the sphere where Providence 
 had placed him. He commanded the confidence and respect 
 of his State, and accumulated honestly and by legitimate 
 methods a large fortune. His leading characteristic, so gen- 
 
60 Address of Mr. J 'est, of Missouri, etc. 
 
 erally accorded to him, so universally acknowledged tliat it 
 went with his name wherever that name was mentioned, 
 was amial)ility, kindness, a loving tenderness beyond the 
 ordinary nature of men. In every relation of life he brought 
 to those around him comfort, kindly feeling, and happiness. 
 No epitaph can lie etpial to this. Nothing that I could say 
 would add to this simple fact. 
 
 My acquaintance with Mr. Watson was limited to our 
 official intercourse as members of the respective Houses of 
 Congress. He was a plain, direct man, without ostentation, 
 without affectation; in everything that he did and said fol- 
 lowing the instincts of a just and generous nature. 
 
 Mr. President, I shall not enter into the details of his life. 
 for my acquaintance with him would not justify it, \\m is it 
 necessary. I have stated what those who knew him far better 
 than myself attest as the truth, and powerless as we are in 
 the face of the great enemy that has taken him from his 
 people, his family, and his State, we can only follow him to 
 the hereafter with the prayer that he has a blessed immor- 
 tality. 
 
 Mr. Cameron. Mr. President, I ask for the adoption of 
 the resolutions. 
 
 The resolutions were agreed to unanimously; and the Sen- 
 ate (at 5 o'clock and 15 minutes ]). m.) adjounicd until to- 
 morrow, Wednesday, February v*5, 1S91, at 11 o'clock a. m. 
 
 LBAp'15 
 

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