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MEMORIAL ADDRESSES 
 
 LIFE AND CHARACTER 
 
 SAMUEL SULLIVAN COX, 
 
 (A REPRESENTATIVE FROM NEW VORK). 
 
 DELIVERED IN THE 
 
 House of Representatives and in the Senate, 
 
 FIFTY-FIRST CONGRESS. FIRST SESSION. 
 
 PL'HLISHKD HV ORDER OK CONGRESS. 
 
 WASHINGTON: 
 
 GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 
 
 I S90. 
 
 
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 % 
 
 !^SONir.f. '•■" y 
 
 Tl 
 
Resolved by the Senate and House of Represenlatires of the United States 
 of America in Congress asse/nb/ed, That there be printed of the eulogies 
 delivered in Congress upon the late Samuel Sullivan Cox, a Repre- 
 sentative in the Fifty-first Congress from the State of Ne«- York, twenty- 
 five thousand copies, of which six thousand cuijics shall be for the use of 
 the Senate and nineteen thousand copies shall be for the use of the House 
 of Representatives; and the Secretary of the Treasury be, and he is 
 hereby, directed to have printed a portrait of the said Samukl Sullivan 
 Cox, to accompany said eulogies, and for the purpose of engraving and 
 ]>rinting said portrait the sum of one thousand dollars, or so much thereof 
 as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated out of any moneys in the 
 Treasury not otherwise appropriated. That of the quota to 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 deliv- 
 ered when completed to the wiilow of the deceased. 
 
 Approved, July i6, 1890. 
 
PROCEEDINGS IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. 
 
 December i8, 1889. 
 
 Mr. CuMMiNGS, of New York. Mr. Speaker, it is with sin- 
 cere sorrow that I announce the death of my late colleague, the 
 Hon. S.^MUEL Sullivan Cox, a Representative from Ohio in 
 the Thirty-fifth,Thirty-sixth, Thirty-seventh, and Thirty-eighth 
 Congresses; also a Representative from New York in the Forty- 
 first, Forty-second, Forty-third, Forty-fourth, Forty-fifth, Forty- 
 si.xth. Forty-seventh, Forty-eighth, Forty-ninth, and Fiftieth 
 Congresses; also a Representative-elect from the State of New 
 York in the Fifty-first Congress. Later in the session I shall 
 ask the House to take appropriate action in regard to the death 
 of my late colleague. I send the following resolutions to the 
 desk, and ask for their adoption: 
 
 The Clerk read as follows: 
 
 Jicsc/vai, That the House has heard with deep regret and profound 
 sorrow of the death of Hon. Samuel Sullivan Cox, late a Representative 
 from the State of New York. 
 
 Resolved, That the Clerk be directed to communicate a copy of these 
 resolutions to the Senate. 
 
 Resolved, That as a further mark of respect the House do now adjourn. 
 
 April 19, 1890. 
 The Speaker. The hour of i o'clock having arrived, the 
 Clerk will read the special order. 
 
 3 
 
4 Address of Mr. Cummvigs, of New York, on the 
 
 The Clerk read as follows: 
 
 Rc-solvai, That Saturday, April .9, .890, beginning at . o'clock, be set 
 apart for paying tribute to the memory of Hon. Samuel btu uvan t ox 
 bte a n,ember of the House ol Representatives from the Ninth district 
 of the State of New ^ork. ■ 
 
 Mr. CiMMiNGS subrailled resolutions; which were read, as 
 follows: 
 
 R,so/ve.i, That the business of the House be now suspended, tiiat 
 opportunity may be given for tributes to the memory o. Hon. S..MUEL 
 SuL. .VAN Cox, late a Representative from the State of New \ork. 
 
 K,soh.-</, That as a particular mark of respect to the memory of the 
 deceased, and in recognition of his eminent abilities as a d.stmgu.shed 
 public se;vant, the House, at the conclusion of these memorial proceed- 
 ings, shall stand adjourned. 
 
 Resohr./, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions to the Senate. 
 Resolved, That the Clerk be instructed to communicate a copy of these 
 resolutions to the family of the deceased. 
 
 The question beiug taken on the resolutions, the>- were 
 adopted unanimously. 
 
 ADDRESS OF MR. CUMMINGS, OF NEW YORK. 
 Mr SiM-XKKR. I stand at a desk haloed bv .nc-mories of a 
 true tribune of the people. To the ttation he was bont here 
 It was here that his ^a-nerous, ^^"^11. and inanlv spirit had 
 full plav. Here he displayed the patriotic fervor, the exquisite 
 eloquence, the iridescent iiua^^ery, the peerless diction, the pene- 
 traliuK logic, the sparkling humor, and the delightful disposi- 
 tion that endeared him I., the nation. He had friends everv- 
 ^vllere and enemies nowhere. His active and busy iiiuid and 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 5 
 
 his ever-ready and eloquent tongue are at rest. The marvelous 
 intellect glows in another world. The whole-souled and unob- 
 trusive friend of the masses has passed away. Only his memory 
 remains. That memory perfumes every home in the land. 
 
 A Democratic statesman himself, he came from a race of 
 Democratic statesmen. His father, Hon. Ezekiel Taylor Cox, 
 was not only a distingui-shed editor, but a member of the Ohio 
 State Senate. His mother was a daughter of Hon. Samuel 
 Sullivan, State treasurer of Ohio, and a man of exalted char- 
 acter. His paternal grandfather. General James Cox, of Mon- 
 mouth County, New Jersey, was not only a distinguished officer 
 of the Revolution, but a warm personal friend of Thomas 
 Jefferson. He was ever a welcome guest at Monticello. He 
 was at one time speaker of the New Jersey legislature, and died 
 while a member of the Tenth Congress. The portrait of another 
 relative adorns the Speaker's lobby. It is that of John W. 
 Taylor, Speaker of this House during the second session of 
 the Sixteenth Congress. Mr. Taylor was the only Speaker 
 ever chosen from the great State of New York. He was a 
 cousin of Mr. Cox's father. 
 
 Samuel Sullivan Cox was born in Zanesville, Ohio, on 
 September 30, 1824. He had twelve brothers and sisters. Eight 
 grew to manhood and womanhood. Mr. Cox's father was the 
 editor of the Muskingum Messenger. He established the first 
 paper-mill west of the Alleghanies. For fourteen years he was 
 clerk of the court of Muskingum County. Samuel S. Cox 
 was preternaturally bright as a boy. He learned to read and 
 write before he was five years old and early displayed a taste for 
 literature. At the age of eleven he was a valuable assistant to 
 his father in the county clerk's office at Zanesville. There are 
 men living who saw the boy swear jurors and witnesses, issue 
 
6 Address of Mr. Cummings, of New York, on the 
 
 writs aud make up journals. He performed all the duties of an 
 expert clerk before he was thirteen years old. He attended the 
 universitN- at Athens, Ohio, and reached the sophomore >ear, 
 but did not complete his course there. One of his classmates 
 at Athens was General Albert B. Jenkins, a well-known Con- 
 federate cavalr\- leader, killed in 1864. 
 
 While a clerk in his father's office young Cox applied him- 
 self to the study of the law. His memory- was marvelous. It 
 is .said that he knew the old twenty-ninth volume of the Ohio 
 Laws by heart, and that later on he could draw up any pleading 
 without consulting Chitty. 
 
 After leaving Athens he entered Brown University. This 
 was in 1844. His father's means were limited. Young Sam- 
 uel had hard work to pay his way. He did it by the use of the 
 pen. Eli Thayer was a schoolmate at the university. Mr. Cox 
 carried off the prizes in history-, in poetic criticism, aud in po- 
 litical economy. In the last department his theme was the 
 repeal of the corn laws. His treatment of it indicated his 
 cour.se in after vears as an advocate of free trade. He was a 
 free-trader when a majorit>- of his countrymen thought it more 
 than a defect. He graduated with high honors in 1846. Ii 
 was at Brown University that he developed that readiness in 
 debate and repartee which afterward made him so conspicuous 
 
 on this floor. 
 
 Upon reluming to Ohio he resumed the study ol the law, 
 first with Judge Converse. Ex-Cxovernor Hoadley was a stu- 
 dent in the same office. Not long afterwards both these young 
 men went to Cincinnati. Mr. Cox soon formed a law partner- 
 ship with George L. Pngh, afterward a distinguished Senator 
 from his native State. He practiced law for two years aud be- 
 came prominent in his profession. The thoroughness of his 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 7 
 
 knowledge and his readiness as a speaker gave him great 
 strength before juries. 
 
 The practice of law, however, became distasteful to him. 
 His literary tastes were eternally in conflict with it. His ap- 
 preciative fondness for historical works and general literature 
 gave him an ardent desire to visit the Old World. The visit 
 was made soon after his marriage. Mr. Cox married Miss Julia 
 A. Buckingham, of Zanesville, Ohio, on October ir, 1849. Of 
 all the good things he ever did, this was the best for himself 
 Mrs. Cox proved a true and devoted wife. She was the pole- 
 star of his existence. Rarely was she separated from him. 
 She was his companion upon the burning sands of the African 
 deserts and in the bleak cegions of the midnight sun. She was 
 with him upon the isles of the sea of Marmora and in the vast 
 forests bordering Puget Sound. Beneath the blue Italian skies, 
 climbing Mount Calvary, resting amid the ruins of Karnak, en- 
 joying the grandeur of the Yosemite, admiring the wonders of 
 Yellowstone Park, she was ever at her husband's side. In the 
 stormy scenes of life she was always his sheet-anchor. 
 
 They remained abroad for more than a year. Upon their re- 
 turn Mr. Cox published an account of their rambling under the 
 title of A Buckeye Abroad. The success of this book turned 
 his attention to journalism. By the advice of friends he bought 
 a controlling interest in the Columbus Statesman. It was the 
 Democratic organ at the capital. Mr. Cox developed sterling 
 qualities as an editorial writer. He displayed great aptitude in 
 treating existing issues and as an originator of strong ideas. 
 He never forgot the admonition of his grandfather, Samuel Sul- 
 livan. Mr. Sullivan, in his last will, charged his own and his 
 children's children to remember. that "their inheritance was the 
 result of democratic institutions, and said that he expected his 
 
8 Address of Mr. Cummiug's^ of Neic York\ on the 
 
 namesake and executor, Samuel Sullivan Cox, to sustain 
 those institutions in their democratic form and tenor with ballot 
 and with bullet." 
 
 It was while he was editor of the Columbus Statesman that 
 Mr. Cox wrote the article which gave him the appellation of 
 "Sim.set." That article was published on May 19, 1853. ^^ '^ 
 peculiarly indicative of Mr. Cox's tastes and character. I quote 
 it: 
 
 A GRE.4T OLD SUNSET. 
 
 What a stormful sunset was that of last night I How glorious the storm 
 and liow splendid the setting of the sun I We do not remember ever to 
 have seen the like on our round globe. The scene opened in the west, 
 with a whole horizon full of goltlcn nnpenetrating luster, which colored 
 the foliage and brightened every object in its own rich dyes. The colors 
 grew deeper and richer, until the golden luster was transformed into a 
 storm-cloud, full of finest lightning, which leaped in dazzling zigzags all 
 round and over the city. The wind arose with fury, the slender shrubs 
 and giant trees made obeisance to its majesty. Some even snajiped be- 
 fore its force. The strawberry beds and grass plols "turned up their 
 whites " to see Zephyrus march by. As the rain came, and the pools 
 formed, and the gutters hurried away, thunder roared grandly, and the 
 fire-bells caught the excitement and rung with hearty chorus. The south 
 and east received the copious showers, and the west all at once bright- 
 ened up in a long, polished belt of azure, worthy of a Sicilian sky. 
 Presently a cloud appeared in the azure belt, in the form of a castellated 
 city. It became more vivid, revealing strange forms of peerless fanes 
 and alabaster temples, and glories rare and grand in this mundane sphere. 
 It reminds us of Wordsworth's splendid verse in his K.xcursion: 
 
 The appearance inslaiiLineously disclosed 
 Was of a migluy cily, InjUily .Miy 
 A wiUk-iiics> iif liuildings, sinking far 
 And selfwillidrawn into n wondrous depth. 
 Far sinking inio splendor wilhoiii end! 
 
 Hut the city vanished only to give place to another isle, where the most 
 beautiful forms of fi)liage a|)i)eared, nnaging a paradise in the distant and 
 ])urificd air. The sun. wearied of the elemental commotion, sank behind 
 
Life and Cliaracter of Samuel S. Cox. 9 
 
 the green plains of the vest. The "great eye in heaven," however, went 
 not down without a dark brow hanging over its departing light. The 
 rich flush of the unearthly light had passed and the rain had ceased; 
 when the solemn church bells pealed; the laughter of children, out in the air 
 and joyous after the storm, is heard with the carol of birds ; while the forked 
 and purple weapon of the skies still darted illumination around the Star- 
 ling College, trying to rival its angles and leap into its dark windows. 
 Candles are lighted. The piano strikes up. We feel that it is good to 
 have a home — good to be on the earth where such revelations of beauty 
 and power may be made. And as we can not refrain from reminding 
 our readers of everything wonderful in our city, we have begun and ended 
 our feeble etching of a sunset which conies so rarely, that its glory should 
 be committed to immortal type. 
 
 As the editor of a leading Democratic paper IMr. Cox entered 
 the field of politics. It was one for which lie was particularly 
 adapted. Washington McL,ean, the owner and editor of the 
 Cincinnati Enquirer, was among his earliest friends. Mr. Mc- 
 Lean was chainnan of the Democratic State central commit- 
 tee in 1853. Anxious to be relieved of its responsibilities, he 
 resigned upon condition that Mr. Cox accept the place and 
 conduct the canvass. In that )-ear William Medill was the 
 Democratic candidate for governor. His opponents were Mr. 
 Barrere, a Whig, and Mr. Lewis, a Free-Soiler. ;\Ir. Cox tlirew 
 himself into the campaign with all his heart and soul. Never 
 were the industry and versatility of the man better displa3ed. 
 He not only did the executive work of the committee, but he 
 appeared upon the stump and wrote many a fiery editorial. 
 The eff"ectiveness of his work was shown by the result. Medill 
 was elected governor with a majority of 11,497 over all and a 
 plurality of 61,843 o'^'^'' ^lie Whig candidate. 
 
 From that time forward Mr. Cox became an acti\e politician. 
 Young, quick-witted, ready, energetic, ardent, earnest, talented, 
 graceful, and accomplished, no man was more fitted to win the 
 
10 Address of Mr. Ctinimings, of New York, on tlic 
 
 plaudits of the people. He was the rising young statesman of 
 the Buckeye State. Hi.s fame spread to Washington. He 
 visited this city for the first time in 1S55. In that year he tells 
 us that President Pierce offered him the post of secretary of 
 legation to England. That honor was declined, Mr. Cox 
 preferring the secretaryship of legation to Peru. He proceeded 
 as far south as A.spinwall, when ill-health compelled him to 
 return to the United States. In August he resigned. 
 
 One year later he accepted the Democratic nomination to 
 Congress from the Twelfth Ohio district. The campaign was 
 a bitter one. Samuel Gallowa\' was the Republican and Mr. 
 Stanberr>- the American candidate. Mr. Cox was elected by a 
 plurality' of 355 votes. He succeeded in Congress Edson B. 
 Olds, who was afterward a prisoner in Fort Lafayette. 
 
 S.\.Mi'EL S. Cox entered Congress on December 7, 1857. This 
 was thirty-two years ago last December. He came into this 
 House one year before Judge Kelley and two years before the 
 lamented Randall and our friend the venerable Charles O'Neill, 
 of Pennsylvania, by whom I am requested to sa\' how deeply 
 he regrets that he is unable to be here to-day to pay tribute to 
 his old personal friend. Mr. Cox was hardly seated in the old 
 historic Hall that had resounded with the eloquence of Webster, 
 Clay, and Calhoun, before the House of Representatives took 
 po.ssession of this Chamber. Mr. Cox made the first speech 
 ever heard in this Hall. It was his maiden speech in Congress. 
 Listen to him as he describes the scene. I read from his work, 
 Three Decades of Federal Legislation : 
 
 The 16th of December, 1857, is memorable in the annals of the United 
 States. Looking back to that day, the writer can see the members of the 
 House of Rci)rescntatives take up tl)c line of marcli out of the old 
 shadowy and murmurous C'hamber iiuo the new Hall, with its ornate and 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 11 
 
 gilded interior. The scene is intense in a rare dramatic quality. Around 
 sit tiie members upon richly carved oaken chairs. Already arrayed upon 
 either side are the sections in mutual animosity. The Republicans take 
 the left of the Speaker, the Democrats the right. James L. Orr, of Soutli 
 Carolina, a full, roseate-faced gentleman, of large build and ringing me- 
 tallic voice, is in the chair. - James C. Allen, of Illinois, sits below him 
 in the Clerk's seat. The Rev. Mr. Carothers offers an appropriate and 
 inspiring prayer. A solemn hush succeeds the invocation. After some 
 legislative routine the members retire to the open space in the rear to 
 await the drawing of seats. A page with bandaged eyes makes the award, 
 and one by one the members are seated. Then by the courtesy of the 
 chairman of the Printing Committee (Mr. Smith, of Tennessee), a young 
 member from Ohio is allowed to take the floor. He addresses the 
 Speaker with timidity and modesty amid many interruptions by Humph- 
 rey Marshall, Thomas .S. Bocock, Judge Hughes, George W. Jones, and 
 General Quitman, each of whom bristles with points of order against the 
 points of the speaker. But that young member is soon observed by a 
 quiet House. Many listen to him, perhaps to judge of the acoustic 
 qualities of the Hall, some because of the nature of the debate. And 
 then after a ittw minutes all become excited. Again and again the shrill 
 tones of Mr. Speaker Orr are heard above the uproar. He e.vclaims ; 
 "This is a motion to print extra copies of the President's message. De- 
 bate on the subject is therefore in order, upon which the gentleman from 
 Ohio has the floor." 
 
 That gentleman is now the writer. His theme was the Lecompton 
 constitution. As the questions discussed involved the great issues lead- 
 ing to war or peace, his interest in the mise en schic became less. But 
 his maiden speech— the maiden speech in the new Chamber — began 
 under circumstances anything but composing. 
 
 While Mr. Cox was thtts astottiiding the House with his elo- 
 quence, his old law-partner, George E. Pugh, was awakening 
 the United States Senate to the gravity of the situation. The 
 pillars of the Repttblic were being shaken. There was an om- 
 inous rumbling that foreboded the great national convulsion 
 that followed. 
 
 Mr. Cox was thirty-two years old when he made this speech. 
 
12 Address of Mr. Ciiinmings, of New York, on the 
 
 He began his career by antagonizing his party's administration. 
 He promptly took sides in the great fight between Stephen A. 
 Douglas and President Buchanan. Throughout that contest, 
 so disastrous to his country and to his party, Mr. Cox was an 
 able lieutenant of Judge Douglas. It was a terrific conflict. 
 Stephen A. Douglas swung his trenchant blade in the Senate. 
 He received able support in the House. There William A. 
 Richardson used the broadsword, but Cox was fully as effective 
 with his rapier. He .says that his speech was the first delivered 
 against Lecompton in the lower branch of Congress. It was 
 taken to Judge Douglas on the Sunda\' niglit preceding its 
 delivery to read to him parts of it in manu.script. This speech 
 drew the line clearly. Mr. Cox lost caste with the administra- 
 tion. But the independence of the man a.sserted it.self in another 
 direction. Differing with President Buchanan, he afterwards 
 differed with Judge Douglas on the English compromise. This 
 subjected him to bitter criticism from friends of the judge. It 
 was, however, an honest difference. The magnanimous Doug- 
 las recognized this, for in the campaign of i860, at an immense 
 mass-meeting in Columbus, he advocated the re-election of Mr. 
 Cox. 
 
 Mr. Cox laid the basis of liis fame in the Tliirty-fifth Con- 
 gress. He displayed those channing qualities in debate which 
 ever afterward made him a fa\orite upon the floor. No one 
 ever doubted the intensity of his convictions. His arguments 
 were adorned with eloquence and enlivened with wit and humor. 
 Born within the life-time oi Jefferson, Jeffersonian principles 
 became a part of his growth. He was a sincere Democrat, be- 
 cause in his mind there was no other philosophy that ctmld 
 .serve his country so well. 
 
 He was re-elected to the Tliirt\ -sixtii Congress by 647 ma- 
 
Life and Character of Sainiici S. Cox. 13 
 
 jority over Mr. Case, the Republican candidate. That Con- 
 gress met on December 6, 1859. '^^'^^ great reputation won by 
 him in preceding sessions was of service to him at the opening 
 of the new Congress. General Joseph Lane, then a Delegate 
 from Oregon, drew the seat at which I now stand. Mr. Cox 
 had occupied it during the preceding session. When his name 
 was called, late in the day, General Lane escorted him, amid 
 the cheers of the House, to this desk, saying: 
 
 You fancy this seat, sir. I have no need of it. I am a Delegate and 
 you are a Member. You will survive me in the work which is here to 
 be done. I go to another sphere. As soon as the vote on the admission 
 of Oregon is taken I shall be its Senator. 
 
 Throughout the war and the long period of reconstruction 
 Mr. Cox occupied this seat. He changed it for a similar seat 
 on the first aisle to the right about seven years ago. It was 
 where my esteemed friend from Georgia, Judge Crisp, now 
 sits. 
 
 Mr. Cox became a leader in the Thirty-sixth Congress. It 
 was in this Congress that the collision between Messrs. Keitt 
 and Grow occurred. It led to a free fight upon the floor of the 
 House. Mr. Cox says that it took place near his desk, after 
 midnight. He describes the scene thus: 
 
 After nearly three decades I see, trooping down the aisles of memory, 
 as then there came trooping down the aisles of the House, the belliger- 
 (tnts, with Washburn, of Illinois, and Potter, of Wisconsin, leading one 
 extreme, and Barksdale and Lamar, of Mississippi, the other. Then 
 came the mch'L\ the struggle; the pale face of the Speaker calling for 
 order ; the Sergeant-at-Arms rushing into the area before the Speaker's 
 desk with the mace as his symbol of authoritv. Its silver eagle moves 
 up and down on the wave of passion and conflict. Then there is a dead 
 hush of the hot heart and the glare of defiance across the Hall. As this 
 scene is revivified, looking at it through the red storm of the war, there 
 is epitomized all that has made that war bloody and desperate. 
 
14 Address of Mr. Cummiiigs, of Nezc Vor^, o/i the 
 
 While in the Thirty-sixth Congress Mr. Cox voted for the 
 homestead bill, which was vetoed by President Buchanan. 
 
 In i860 he was once more a candidate for re-election from the 
 Columbus district. Samuel Cialloway was again his opponent. 
 Cox was elected by 883 majority. 
 
 The capture of Fort Sumter and ensuing hostilities made an 
 extra session necessary'. The Thirty-seventh Congress met on 
 July 4, 1861. Mr. Cox says that he went to that session with a 
 fear and trembling beyond all other public e.Kperieuces. All 
 his energies, however, were bent upon sustaining the consti- 
 tuted authorities. .A.t the ne.xt Congress he was nominated for 
 Speaker by his party against Mr. Colfax. Stephen .\. Douglas 
 died in May preceding the opening of the .session of the Thirty- 
 seventh Congress. Mr. Cox delivered his eulogy in the House. 
 The tribute was affectingly eloquent — so eloquent that it brought 
 tears to the eyes of those who heard it. 
 
 While a member of this Congress he tells us that he nomi- 
 nated William Tecumseh Sherman to President Lincoln as the 
 first choice of Ohio for a brigadier-general. In commenting 
 upon it afterwards ^Ir. Lincoln happily said that Mr. Cox's 
 choice "manifested intuitive perception and moral greatness." 
 
 In that Congress Mr. Cox strenuously opposed the declara- 
 tion of martial law in the North. The Government asserted 
 that it was a necessity for the successful pro.secution of the war. 
 C<J.\ excoriated Secretary Stanton for his order of .\ugust 8, 
 1862. Not only was the right of liahoas corpus suspended in 
 every Northern Stale, but trial h>' jur\' wa.s abolished by ths 
 edict of an .\merican Cabinet minister. Mr. Cox's scathing de- 
 nunciation of Stanton in the House is a master-piece of .sarcasm. 
 
 About this time Col. Michael Corcoran and two other PVd- 
 eral officers of equal rank, captured at Hull Run, were lield as 
 
Life and Character of SaniKcl S. Cox. 15 
 
 hostages to be hanged in case Confederate seamen were exe- 
 cuted as pirates. Through the influence of Mr. Cox a resoht- 
 tiou providing for an exchange of prisoners was passed. Presi- 
 dent Lincoln, however, had previously exchanged the so-called 
 pirates as prisoners of war. It was done at Mr. Cox's solici- 
 tation. 
 
 I\Ir. Cox was among the foremost in the effort to abolish pri- 
 vateering under the declaration of Paris. His efforts were 
 checked by the action of Great Britain, who refused to give her 
 assent after the beginning of hostilities in 1861. 
 
 Meantime the Columbus district had been gerrymandered. 
 In the new district Samuel Shellabarger entered the lists against 
 the sturdy young Democrat, but Mr. Cox carried it as a war 
 Democrat by 272 majority. 
 
 In the following year Clement L. Vallandigham was arrested 
 by General Burnside and sent without the lines. Cox was a 
 warm personal friend of Mr. Vallandigham, who was arrested 
 on account of words which it was alleged he used in a speech. 
 But the words were spoken by Mr. Cox, and not by Mr. Val- 
 landigham. Mr. Cox testified so on oath, and Mr. Vallan- 
 digham fortified his statement. 
 
 The Thirty-eighth Congress met on December 5, 1863. It 
 was the Congress that submitted the Thirteenth Amendment to 
 the States. This amendment ahplished slavery. Singular as 
 it may seem, Mr. Cox, while favoring it, did not vote for it. 
 He feared that its passage at that juncture would interfere with 
 attempts at peace negotiations. His statement is singularly in- 
 teresting. On the day succeeding the action of the House Mr. 
 Lincoln, Vice-President Alexander H. Stephens, of the Con- 
 federacy, and others met at Hampton Roads. The negotiations 
 were the direct result of ]\Ir. Cox's efforts. He was at that 
 
16 Address of Mr. Cmnmings, of Xczc York^ on lite 
 
 time a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs. John T. 
 Stuart, of Springfield, 111., was also a member of that commit- 
 tee. Mr. Stuart was a close friend and liad been a law partner 
 of President Lincoln. He was a Democrat and a conservative 
 Unionist. It occurred to Mr. Cox, during the holidays of 1S64, 
 when tlie coil was being tightened around the Confederacy, 
 that the olive branch might be tendered to the South under 
 honorable conditions, with a prospect of acceptance. In Sep- 
 tember previous peace re.solutions had been introduced into the 
 senate of Virginia, and similar resolutions were offered in the 
 legislatures of Georgia and North Carolina. Mr. Cox sug- 
 gested to Mr. Stuart that they should call upon the President 
 and urge him to receive or make some tender to the Confederate 
 authorities. The President listened courteously to their repre- 
 sentations. He frankly admitted that he was anxious to secure 
 Democratic votes and aid to amend tlie Constitution so as to 
 abolish slavery. Mr. Co.x promi.sed his help provided a sincere 
 effort was made for peace within the l^nion. If that failed he 
 would not only help the amendment but assist in prosecuting 
 the war with renewed vigor. 
 
 Tlic new \ear had hardly opened before Francis P. Blair, sr., 
 went to Richmond on a peace mi.ssion. ( )u the day before his 
 arrival there rumors of his mission reached Congress. It led 
 to a fierce debate upon this floor. James Brooks, of New York, 
 f;i\ored an armistice and Tluuldeus Stevens attacked the Presi- 
 dent's course of action. Cox stood, like Washington at Prince- 
 ton, between two fires. He carried himself magnificently and 
 won the da>'. Blair's mission led to the Hampton Roads con- 
 ference, and that conference was held on the da\- after the pas- 
 sage by iIk- House of the constitutional amendment abolishing 
 slavery. 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 17 
 
 Four days afterward Mr. Cox offered a resolution in this 
 Chamber reciting the gratitude of the nation to the President 
 for endeavoring, with a view to negotiations for peace and the 
 restoration of the Union, to ascertain the disposition of the in- 
 surgents. It was carried — 105 to 31. 
 
 The results of the conference thus suggested by Mr. Cox 
 were vital. Its failure gave fresh impulse to the passage of the 
 bill raising $600,000,000 for the prosecution of the war. Within 
 six weeks General Lee surrendered at Appomattox. Another 
 result running to extremes was a measure which Mr. Cox 
 defeated, confiscating the fee-simple of real property owned by 
 Confederates beyond the natural lives of the owners. This bill 
 was defeated by only i majority. 
 
 Long before this Mr. Cox had won the friendship of Secre- 
 tary Seward. In 1861, as a member of the Committee on For- 
 eign Affairs, he aided Mr. Seward in his efforts to settle the 
 Trent imbroglio and the surrender of Mason and Slidell. In 
 the discussion that ensued in the House Mr. Cox proved him- 
 self a true American. He said: 
 
 We are, sir, in this country, too sensitive to foreign opinion. Mr. Sew- 
 ard said well when he told Mr. Dayton, our minister to France, that it 
 was no business of our ambassadors to overhear what a foreign press said 
 about us. Our duty was to maintain our Union in its integrity and our 
 position as a leading power among the nations of mankind, regardless of 
 the derision and hostility of kings and aristocrats abroad. 
 
 Mr. Cox called Thaddeus Stevens the dictator of the Thirty- 
 eighth Congress. Stevens maintained the right to hold the 
 insurgent States as conquered territory and to give homesteads 
 from them to the emancipated slaves. Mr. Cox strenuously 
 protested. Stevens insisted that the right to govern the insur- 
 gent States as Territories was necessary. Mr. Cox fought him 
 H. Mis. 243 2 
 
18 Address of Mr. Cinnniiiigs^ of Xczc Y'ork^ on the 
 
 at every point. Tlie fight lasted three months. .\t the end of 
 that time Mr. Co.\\s term expired. Tlie measure for the crea- 
 tion of the Freedman's Bureau \va.s passed on the day before the 
 expiration of his term. In commenting upon these events 
 afterward Mr. Cox tersely said that Stevens had Pluto's iron 
 countenance, but he could unbend and be kindly. 
 
 The elections for the Thirty-ninth Congress occurred in the 
 fall of 1864. Samuel Shellabarger again entered the field. 
 This time he was successful. He carried the district by the 
 aid of the arm\- vote. His majorit\- was 3,169. Discouraged, 
 but not disheartened, Mr. Cox removed to New York, where 
 he devoted himself to the practice of his profession. He was 
 not a member of the memorable Thirty-ninth and Fortieth 
 Congresses. In the interval he wrote his book, Eight Years in 
 Congress. 
 
 The era of reconstruction came on. During his absence the 
 fourteenth and fifteenth amendments were pa.ssed : the extraor- 
 dinary scenes attending the impeachment of President John- 
 son occurred. Although absent from the House, Mr. Cox was 
 not inacti\e. He was instrumental in saving the President. 
 While in New York he says he received a telegram asking him 
 to come to Washington. Tlie \ote of (ieneral Joiin B. Hen- 
 derson, then a Re])ublican .Senator from Missouri, was neces- 
 sary to save the President from being removed. In his account, 
 Mr. Co.v sa\s that he found Senator Henderson's .sense of jus- 
 tice afTronted l)y the instructions of a mass-meeting held in 
 .St. Louis to vote "guilt\." The Senator requested Mr. 
 Cox to pen a telegram to be sent to the president and oflicers 
 of that meeting. The telegram read substantialh : "I am a 
 judge in the imjieachmenl case. You have no right to instruct 
 me in such alfairs. As I am an honest man I will obev niv 
 
Life ami Cliaractcr of Saiiiiicl S. Cox. 19 
 
 couscience, aud not your will. I will vote ' not guilty. ' ' ' 
 And he did so vote. Mr. Cox says that he took a copy of that 
 telegram to the White House at midnight. He found tlie 
 President gloomy. His fate depended upon one vote — nay, 
 upon this one Missouri vote. The telegram was read to him. 
 To use the words of Mr. Cox, "A festivity was improvised on 
 the good news. The morning dawned with a roseate hue for 
 all interested in the righteousness of the President's acquittal." 
 
 Mr. Cox was returned to Congress from the Sixth district of 
 New York in 1868. His opponent was George Starr, an ex- 
 tremely popular Republican. Cox's majority was 2,680. The 
 first session of that Congress began on March 4, 1869, aud ad- 
 journed on April 23 following. 
 
 An amnesty bill was among the first that Mr. Cox introduced. 
 He said that his object was to mitigate, in so far as it could be 
 done, the proscriptive tendency which kept our people sepa- 
 rated by a great chasm. "Agree with thine enemy quickly" 
 was his motto. His bill came within two votes of passing the 
 House of Representatives, although it required a two-thirds 
 vote under the fourteenth amendment. It was after this that 
 General Benjamin F. Butler introduced his amnesty bill. Cox 
 characterized it from this seat as a bill for pains and penalties, 
 with a meager element of mercy. He termed it punitory par- 
 don. He pleaded for mercy on the old and fraternal plan aud 
 against eternizing proscription. He opposed Butler's bill 
 fiercely. In this Congress and succeeding Congresses he sought 
 the passage of a general amnesty bill. It was in advocating 
 this measure that he crossed swords with James G. Blaine in 
 debate. Mr. Cox asserts that Mr. Blaine, while Speaker, au- 
 thorized the Committee on Rules, of which Mr. Cox was a 
 member, to report a bill of general amnesty. He adds that 
 
20 Address of Mr. Ctumnings., of New York, on the 
 
 IMr. Blaine afterwards precipitately retreated from the high 
 ground which he then occupied. However this may be, it is 
 certain that whatever good in the way of amnest\- has been ac- 
 complished is largely due to the untiring efforts of Mr. Cox. 
 
 In 1870 Mr. Cox was re-elected to Congress from the Sixth 
 New York district. His antagonist was Horace Greeley. Cox's 
 majority was 1,025. Two years afterward Mr. Greeley was a 
 candidate for the Presidenc>- and Mr. Cox gave him a generous 
 sujiport. 
 
 The Forty-second Congress met on March 4, 1S71. It was in 
 this Congress that the first colored Senator appeared in the per- 
 son of Mr. Revels, of Mississippi. In this session the bill was 
 passed enforcing the fourteenth amendment. Mr. Cox at this 
 time began his fight against the test-oath system. He after- 
 ward introduced a bill to abolish the whole test .system, not 
 only in its application to jurors, but to all oflSces, including 
 that of Congressman. It gave place to a partial measure, 
 which he describes as intended lo melt down somewhat the 
 iron-clad oath. The modification extended only to the matter 
 of qualifying for office. It did not apply to the jury test. The 
 modified oath is the oath taken by members of Congress to-dav 
 when sworn in. Mr. Cox'.s efforts to secure the repeal of the 
 iron-clad oath and the jury-test oath were successful nearly two 
 decades after the war was over. It was done by the passage of 
 a general bill, modified b\- the Senate. It was signed by Presi- 
 ideut Arthur on May 13, 1SS4. 
 
 The members of the Forly-lliird Congress were elected in 
 New York under a new apportionment. It was the year in 
 which Horace Greeley ran for President. Mr. Cc).\ was candi- 
 date for Congressman at large upon the Stale ticket. He was 
 difcatril 1)\ Lyman 'Priiuaiu \\\ 57, ^mu majority. Not long 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 21 
 
 afterwards James Brooks, who represented the new Sixth dis- 
 trict of New York, died. Mr. Cox was elected to fill the 
 vacancy. His opponent was Julius Wadsworth. Cox's plurality 
 was 6,932. During this Congress an additional civil rights bill 
 was passed. Mr. Cox took an active part in all the debates. 
 
 He was elected to fhe Forty-fourth Congress from the Sixth 
 district by 10, 334 majority. This Congress met in December, 
 1875. It was a Congress of luminous intellects. Among its 
 members were Samuel J. Randall, Nathaniel P. Banks, Joseph 
 C. S. Blackburn, James G. Blaine, Joseph G. Cannon, James 
 H. Blount, William P. Frye, James A. Garfield, Abrani S. 
 Hewitt, George F. Hoar, William S. Holman, Benjamin Hill, 
 Frank Hurd, John A. Kasson, William D. Kelley, Proctor 
 Knott, L. O. C. Lamar, George W. McCrary, Roger O. Mills, 
 William R. Morrison, Thomas C. Piatt, John H. Reagan, 
 James W. Throckmorton, Jeremiah M. Rusk, William M. 
 Springer, J. Randolph Tucker, Henry Watterson, William A. 
 Wheeler, James F. Wilson, and Fernando Wood. Samuel S. 
 Cox shone in this galaxy like a star of the first magnitude. 
 
 Michael C. Kerr was elected Speaker. Mr. Kerr died in 
 August following, while Mr. Cox was officiating as Speaker 
 pro tempore. Political necessities called him to the Democratic 
 national convention at St. Ivouis. He went unwillingly, and 
 appeared in the ranks of those opposed to the nomination of Mr. 
 Tilden. He always felt that he lost the Speakership by .so 
 doing. 
 
 His eulogy upon Mr. Douglas was matched by his eulogy 
 upon Speaker Kerr. After its delivery Mr. Cox tells us that 
 Alexander H. Stephens sent for him. Mr. Stephens was lying 
 ill at his room in the National Hotel, expecting to die. As Mr. 
 Cox entered the room he said: "I have heard read your eulogy 
 
22 Address of Afr. Ciimtnings^ of New York, on tlic 
 
 upon Speaker Kerr, and have sent for you to make a request — a 
 last request. Will you promise to deliver my eulogy when I am 
 gone ? ' ' 
 
 Mr. Cox promptly replied: " I would like you to promise to 
 make my eulogy. You will be the sur\ivor. " 
 
 The grand old Georgian got well, but lie passed into tlu- land 
 of shadows long before his genial friend. 
 
 In the stormy sessions attending the birth and life of the 
 Electoral Commission, Mr. Cox bore a conspicuous part. He 
 was ever in the thickest of the fight. At one time he > ielded 
 ten minutes to Col. Henry Watterson. In his Three Decades 
 Mr. Cox sa)s that the gallant Kentuckian was known to be an 
 intimate friend of Mr. Tilden. In melancholy accents he 
 chanted with \aticinal periods those sad days and the coming 
 of the day of reckoning: 
 
 " Dies ine, dies ilia." 
 
 It was at this time that Mr. Cox uttered his famous sentence: 
 *' Peril gives the lessons of years in a day." It was the core of 
 an argument rarely matched for logic and eloquence. 
 
 But the.se were not the only great measures in which his 
 influence was fell. He advocated the rcsuuiption of specie 
 pavments, the regulation of the paper currency, and llu- modi- 
 fication of the tariff and internal-rexenue laws. 
 
 Mr. Co.x was almost unanimously re-elected to the Forty- 
 fifth Congress. There were only 41 votes against him. These 
 voles were cast for Col. A. J. II. Duganne, a well-known poet. 
 It was in this Cougrcss that the silver dollar was restored to its 
 legal character. The bill providing for the Tenth Census was 
 alst) pa.ssed. 
 
 He took front rank in the elVorl to relieve the strain upon the 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 23 
 
 elective franchise by the bayonet power in the Sonth and Fed- 
 eral snpervisors in the North. He went so far in the contest 
 as to aid in cutting off the supplies of the Army, thus necessi- 
 tating an extra session. He began this work in 1877. It was 
 finished six years afterward. 
 
 He was re-elected to the Forty-sixth Congress by 4,581 
 plurality. His plurality in the Forty-seventh Congress was 
 increased to 9,863. In these Congresses, besides his work on 
 the census, he devoted himself to the Life-Saving Service, and 
 appeared upon the skirmish line in the fight for tariff reform. 
 
 James A. Garfield was elected President in 1880. Soon 
 after his inauguration in 1881 Mr. Cox made another voyage 
 to Europe. He says that he was near Tarsus, where Paul was 
 born, when he heard of the death of President Garfield. It was 
 in the Forty-seventh Congress that Mr. Cox gave his aid to the 
 civil-service reform bill. He says that the assassination of 
 General Garfield gave impulse to the bill and secured its pas- 
 sage. 
 
 Mr. Cox's plurality in the election for members of the Forty- 
 eighth Congress was 11,317. It was in this Congress that he 
 gave his support to the foreign contract labor bill. 
 
 Meantime the New York districts were again re-apportioned. 
 He was elected to the Forty-ninth Congress from the Eighth 
 district by 6,511 plurality. He resigned his seat soon after 
 President Cleveland's inauguration and accepted the mission 
 to Turkey. After remaining there for a year or more he came 
 back to New York, and was elected to fill the vacancy left in 
 the Ninth district by the resignation of Hon. Joseph Pulitzer, 
 editor of the World. 
 
 So far as I have been able to ascertain, Mr. Cox is the only 
 man who has ever been twice elected to the same Congress and 
 
24 Address of Mr. Cummhigs, of Neiu York., on the 
 
 who has been first defeated and then successful in an effort to 
 secure a seat in one and the same Congress. 
 
 The later work of Mr. Co.x in the House is still fresh in the 
 public mind. The Tenth Census is a monument to his perse- 
 verance and industry. The Life-Saving Service is a monument 
 to his sympathy and humanity. His bill for the relief of the 
 letter-carriers is a monument to his sense of justice to the toil- 
 ing employes of the Government. 
 
 He has but just left us. We almost e.xpect him back. 
 
 Mr. .Speaker, overcome by his feelings on a similar occasion, 
 Burke exclaimed, in melancholy accents, "What shadows we 
 are and what shadows we pursue." He could not have meant 
 by this to fly in the face of the enchanting theme of existence 
 which in his braver moments he illustrated with consummate 
 grandeur. Looking at the past and concentrating all the ener- 
 gies of my soul, I would with deference supplant this sa\ing 
 of the great orator with these words: " How real is life and in 
 what realities it may eventuate." 
 
 Human achievements that essentiall\' affect mankind often 
 develop with full force after the life that accomplished them. 
 The living Moses gave laws to tribes that were still wandering. 
 When dead this wandering shadow, as Burke might have called 
 him, this waif from the Nile whose death no eye witnessed and 
 who.se burial-place is unknown, fashioned laws for fixed and 
 mighty empires. The essential agent in this manifest influence 
 is divine speech. It is more potent than tables of stone. 
 -Vmong the busy tongues of this world are some that do not 
 babble. Tlic mysterious graphophone of the dead, of more 
 than mortal construction, rejects what is idle; but the words 
 of the wise and the eloquent endure. Like solar rays, they 
 expand and enlighten as they travel. 
 
Life and Charac/o of Saiiiucl S. Cox. 25 
 
 When Cicero thundered against the conspirators it was in a 
 narrow forum and to a restricted audience. • Now his forum is 
 the world and mankind listen to him. 
 
 The daggers of the assassins put a tongue in every wound 
 of Csesar. The battle of Senlac comes down to us like a clar- 
 ion call for England's unity. Our civil war, like a thundering 
 trumpet, proclaims the all-conquering tenacit)- of our own. 
 
 Men, things, and events make up this wonderful continuity 
 of confluent action and occurrence; yet each speaks for itself. 
 There is no confusion of tongues. 
 
 When Bunker Hill monument was complete, Webster was 
 orator for the day. But an orator remained, towering, silent, 
 impressive. It grows strenuous as it imperceptibly crumbles. 
 When it falls it will add its own vicissitudes to its tremendous 
 discourse. So did the temple at Ephesus; so does the obelisk 
 transplanted to our shores. 
 
 The retreat of the Ten Thousand and the revolution in Bra- 
 zil are both before us. The world knows most of that which it 
 has studied longest. 
 
 Events that fly by us with baffling rapidity seem to pause and 
 come back for inspection. Students are still delving in the 
 debris of the French upheaval of a century ago. The tragic 
 coming of Jeptha's daughter and the riotous feast of Belshaz- 
 zar are yet vivid. 
 
 These various tissues in the retrospect accumulate and assort 
 in amazing volume and with wonderful distinctness. 
 
 "Alas! It came with a la.ss and it will go with a lass," ex- 
 claimed Scotland's monarch when told that Mary Stuart was 
 born. His scepter passed to the incomparable queen. Though 
 of one blood and in one station, the great drama when she 
 appeared was intensified by her divergent acting. We con- 
 
26 Address of Mr. Cummings, of Nezc York, on the 
 
 template the past in epochs, its actors in groups, yet each in 
 his part. 
 
 So among his mighty compeers, depHng with mighty events, 
 do we and shall future generations contemplate Cox in his 
 chosen r61e. Difficult and arduous indeed were its require- 
 ments, but he met them with an undaunted courage and an 
 unflagging zeal. 
 
 He aided in reconciling the sections, he shielded the Israelite 
 from political demarkation, he shortened the tramp of the 
 weary postman, he made the angry waves jubilant with the 
 song of rescue. He was a star in our political galaxy from 
 which men take ob.servations. Whatever weakness he had 
 came not from the poverty, but from the plenitude of his 
 power. 
 
 His name appears upon almost every page of our legislative 
 annals for more than a quarter of a century. His handiwork 
 is seen in ne:ul\- every apartment of our civil structure. This 
 House was his workshop. The Constitution was his guide. 
 
 He asked for no furlough, he accepted no leave of ab.sence. 
 In the most blinding times he stood for his whole country with 
 cheerful spirit and unshaken constancy. When occasion de- 
 manded he buried his political animosities in his patriotism. 
 He believed in universal liberty, free labor, free trade, free com- 
 pelitiou, free opportunity, and no favors. Rattling for this 
 universal emancipation he died. He lives; he lives in his 
 work. He will return and speak to us again and again and 
 again, whenever humaiiity wants a friend or liberty needs a 
 defender. 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 27 
 
 ADDRESS OF Mr. HOLMAN, OF INDIANA. 
 
 Mr. Speaker: The plaintive cry of the Hebrew king when 
 the chiefs of his people were stricken down, "How are the 
 mighty fallen!" expresses the sadness of this hour. "How are 
 the mighty fallen!" Nine distinguished citizens, chosen by 
 the people to represent them in this Congress, have finished 
 their course and passed into the other world; three of them, 
 Samuel S. Cox, William D. Kelley, and Samuel J. Randall 
 (the last of whom but a few hours ago we bore awa}- with heavy 
 hearts to the place of his final rest), the foremost members of 
 this House by reason of their long membership in Congress, 
 their commanding abilities, and the valuable services they had 
 rendered to their country. 
 
 All these, as it were but yesterday, were in this Hall, in the 
 full tide of its great interests, engaged in the noble rivalry of 
 who should best promote the happiness of our people. Now, 
 their work completed, they sleep in the sacred silence of death. 
 
 I can hardly realize that the House of Representatives of the 
 American Congress is at this hour paying its last tribute of 
 honor to the memory of Samuel S. Cox, closing the record of 
 a career so illustrious. 
 
 It is sad to think that a life so good and beneficent, so bright 
 and cheerful, diffusing in its pathway the rays of perennial sun- 
 shine, the very spirit of kindly sympathy and gladness, should 
 ever close. 
 
 There is so much of the "true, the beautiful, and the good" 
 in the life of Samuel S. Cox, his record in public affairs so 
 great, his attainments in scholarship and his literary labors so 
 conspicuous, so charming the personal qualities that adorned 
 
28 Address of Mr. Ho/man, oj Indiana, on (he 
 
 his life, that only the patient historian can do justice to his 
 nienion- and express the value of his services to his countr\'. 
 
 Mr. Cox first entered this Hall as a Representative in Con- 
 gress on the 7th day of December, 1857. ^^ entered Congress 
 an accomplished scholar, well informed in public affairs, in the 
 vigor of early manhood. Slavery was the living i.ssue. The 
 admission of Kan.sas into the Union under the Lecompton con- 
 stitution, a pro-slavery instrument, was the is.sue of the hour. 
 At the opening of that Congress the polic\' of the Administra- 
 tion to bring Kansas into the Union under that constitution 
 was announced. The instrument had not been submitted to 
 the people for approval, but it was well known that the greater 
 number were intensely hostile to admission into the Union 
 under that instrument. 
 
 The message of the President had been read in both Houses 
 of Congress, and on the i6th of December, 1857, nine days after 
 Mr. Cox had taken his seat in the House, he obtained the floor 
 on a motion to print extra copies of the message. Points of 
 order were raised, and a fierce parliamentary struggle to prevent 
 the debate arose, but Mr. Orr, of South Carolina, Speaker of 
 the House, firmly held that the young gentleman from Ohio 
 was entitled to discuss the admission of Kansas under the Le- 
 compton constitution, as it was involved in the President's mes- 
 sage. Mr. Cox denounced in words of burning eloquence the 
 Lecompton constitution as not expressing the will of the people. 
 As an earnest disciple of Jefferson, as a Democrat from his youth 
 up, hi- demanded for the people of Kansas and all other people 
 the absolute right to form and control their local government. 
 
 From that hour Mr. Cox became well known to the Ameri- 
 can people. It was one of the ablest and, under all the circum- 
 stances, the most courageous speech ever delivered in Congress. 
 
Life and Character- of Samuel S. Cox. 29 
 
 He knew very well that the speech would place him in an- 
 tagonism to the Administration and many of his political 
 friends, but he did not hesitate; the Administration was tem- 
 porary, the right of the people to self-government was eternal. 
 This speech opened up one of the greatest debates that ever oc- 
 curred in Congress. 
 
 The result is well known. The constitution was referred, in 
 an indirect form, to the people of Kansas, was promptly re- 
 jected by them, and Mr. Cox had the pleasure at a later day to 
 vote for the admission of that Territory into the Union under a 
 free-State constitution adopted by the people. 
 
 To Mr. Cox, in the House, and his great associate and friend, 
 Stephen A. Douglas, in the Senate, belongs in a large degree 
 the honor of saving the party of which Thomas Jefferson was 
 the founder from the unspeakable dishonor of bringing into this 
 great Union of States a people under a constitution to which 
 they were unalterably opposed. 
 
 It is an interesting incident that while the first efforts of Mr. 
 Cox in Congress were in behalf of the rights of the people of a 
 Territory to enter the Union under a constitution ratified by 
 themselves, his last labors in Congress were in behalf of the ad- 
 mission into the Union of the Territories of the extreme North- 
 west, and the cordial greetings he received from multitudes of 
 people as he passed during the last summer through those great 
 political communities — Washington, Montana, and the two Da- 
 kotas — on the very eve of their admission into the Union, attest 
 their high appreciation of his services. 
 
 I first met Mr. Cox when the Thirty-sixth Congress met. I 
 was in cordial sympathy with him in the war he waged on the 
 Lecompton constitution, and came into Congress on that 
 issue. 
 
30 Address of Mr. Holman^ of Indiana, on the 
 
 We became friends at once. It seemed to me that I had 
 always known him. For a long time onr seats were close to- 
 gether; later on we were farther apart, especially when, in re- 
 cent years, the House, in consideration of his long and distin- 
 guished services, by unanimous consent permitted him to select 
 his own seat, while I stood the chances of fortune. And it is 
 now and must always remain a precious memory- to me that for 
 many years and up to the close of the last Congress, when Con- 
 gress was in session, if I had not called at his seat when the 
 session began he would come over to mine with a cordial greet- 
 ing. He always came as a golden beam of sunlight, with some 
 charming word, some glad expression of playful fancy, that 
 made the labor of the day more cheerful. 
 
 When the Thirty-sixth Congress adjourned, on the 4th da\- of 
 March, 1861, Mr. Cox and I started homeward. We were de- 
 tained a day at Wheeling, \"a. We spent the day together, 
 talking over the impending conflict. We both knew, as all 
 men did, that war was inevitable. What position we should 
 take as Democrats in Congress in relation to the coming war, 
 when it came, was considered from every stand-point. There 
 was no hesitation on the part of either of us. The Union must 
 be maintained at every hazard. No vicissitude of fortune in 
 the conflict of anus should justify ever the consideration of the 
 question of the dissolution of the Union. The administration 
 of President Lincoln in every measure deemed necessary or 
 proper to uphold the Federal authoril\- in all tlic States of the 
 Union should be cordially sustained. The records of Congress 
 during the war attest how faithfully Mr. Cox adhered to that 
 determination. 
 
 The great question which underlay the fierce conflict between 
 the North and South — slavery — was of absorbing interest in 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. .'il 
 
 the minds of members of the Senate and House from the begin- 
 ning of the war. Mr. Cox was opposed to all forms of slavery, 
 but, as a disciple of Washington and Jefferson, he stood by the 
 Constitution of the United States with unfaltering fidelit}-; he 
 could not tolerate the thought that any State of the Union or 
 combination of States should interfere with the domestic affairs 
 of any other State. In common with his political friends he 
 would not admit that tlie war had broken this Union, Ijut 
 claimed that it had only for the time suspended the relation of 
 the States in rebellion to the Union, and that any great change 
 in the Federal Constitution, adopted when, by reason of war, 
 ten States were unrepresented in Congress, might be fatal to 
 the future stability of the Government. 
 
 But he abhorred every form of human oppression. In his 
 early manhood, soon after his marriage with the accomplished 
 lady who became his constant companion through life, he vis- 
 ited Europe, and soon afterwards published one of the most 
 charming books of travel ever written. He and his vouno- 
 wife were fascinated with Rome. In that book of travel, 
 bearing the expressive title, A Buckeye Abroad, Mr. Cox relates 
 the visit of himself and wife to St. Peter's when the then 
 reigning PontiflP appeared on the scene. After describing the 
 grandeur of this famous temple of religion and the great audi- 
 ence present, he said: 
 
 Soon there arises in this chamber of theatrical glitter a plain, unques- 
 tioned African, and he utters the sermon in facile latinity with graceful 
 manner. His dark hands gestured harmoniously with the rounded pe- 
 riods, and his swart visage beamed with a high order of intelligence. He 
 was an Abyssinian. What a commentary was here upon our American 
 prejudices. The head of the great CathoHc Church, surrounded by the 
 ripest scholars of the age, listening to the eloquence of the despised negro, 
 and tliereby illustrating to the world the common bond of brotherhood 
 which binds tlie human race. 
 
32 Address of Mr. Holtnaii, of Indiana., on the 
 
 The inauly sentiment thus expressed in the early life of Mr. 
 Cox was the key to his real sentiment on the question of slavery 
 and the equality and brotherhood of men. It was to him an in- 
 born sentiment. This passage was time and time again thrown 
 at him with sharj) criticisms of consistency during the fierce 
 encounters iu this Hall which preceded the abolition of slaver)', 
 which he always parried with consummate skill, for Mr. Cox 
 never permitted an adversarj' to boast of a victory. Yet in 
 fact that passage expressed the real sentiment of S.\muel S. 
 Cox through life. No matter how sharply, in the heat of 
 debate, he resented the taunt of entertaining the sentiments of 
 abolitionism in his early life, I always felt that Mr. Cox would 
 not under any conditions have modified the sentiment he then 
 expressed. 
 
 Mr. Cox engaged in the discussion of every great question 
 that has arisen in Congress during tlie last tliirty-three years 
 (except during tlie short intervals of his absence from the 
 House), but he ha.s been in a remarkable degree the champion 
 of the humane and beneficent measures which have from time 
 to time commanded the attention of Congress. 
 
 During the late war, antagonizing his friend Mr. Stanton, 
 Secretar)' of War, he urged with such detennination and ear- 
 nestness that the law of civilized nations should be recognized 
 in the conflict between the Union and Confederate forces, that 
 a cartel for the exchange of prisoners should be agreed upon, so 
 tlial the thousands of men in the North and the South held as 
 prisoners of war might be relieved from their wretched and 
 death-dooming confinement, as to secure at least partially that 
 humane result. He .stirred up by his appeal in Congress the 
 heart of .\merica, as well as of all enlightened nations, against 
 tlie barbarism of a Knropean power towards the Hebrews. He 
 
Lift- a)id Character of Samuel S. Cox. 33 
 
 almost forced Congress to recognize the duty of this Republic 
 to protect the remnants of the Indian tribes against the ungodly 
 cupidity of the white race in defiance of national honor. 
 
 The life-saving system, in its present efficient form, owes its 
 existence to his labors. The present admirable state of the law 
 in relation to letter-carriers in our cities is the result of his 
 earnest efforts. He was the champion of the humane provis- 
 ions that limit the hours of labor in Government employment. 
 
 In this field of legislation, that takes into account the duties 
 of Government to succor and protect the oppressed, to restrain 
 the avarice of the powerful, to raise up the downtrodden, and 
 to give to labor encouragement and hope, Mr. Cox has been 
 without a peer in Congress in this generation or perhaps any 
 other in our history. 
 
 In literature he achieved more than any other American 
 statesman has ever done. His first volume of travels published 
 thirty-eight years ago, and his last published but recently, with 
 works of great merit intervening, all bright and sparkling rep- " 
 resentations of life, will be always prized in every country 
 where the English language is spoken. 
 
 In the House of Representatives Mr. Cox was always a re- 
 markable character. No man in our period has equaled him in 
 readiness for any question that might arise. He was a man of 
 the most precise method and order. His desk in the Hou.se 
 was so methodically arranged that even in the heat of an unex- 
 pected debate he could lay his hand at once on any paper which 
 had been carefully laid aside for an emergency. Swift as a 
 dash of lightning the clipping from a newspaper, or a public 
 document, or a carefully preserved letter would come forth to 
 confound the incautious adversary. He was the most ready 
 and brilliant speaker I have ever heard. He liad at his com- 
 H. Mis. 243 3 
 
34 Address of Mr. Holmau, of Indiana, ou the 
 
 mand the learning and current history of all countries. The 
 driest subject glowed and sparkled under the magic of his elo- 
 quence. He never rose in the House to speak without arresting 
 at once the attention of every member and retaining it to the 
 last. There was a genial, kindly tone and spirit in his speeches 
 that disarmed resentment and commanded admiration. 
 
 Certainly not in our period, and I doubt whether in any other, 
 unless it was when Henry Clay in the old Hall used to electrify 
 Congress, has an intellect so bright and highly cultivated par- 
 ticipated in the affairs of this House. In those sudden emergen- 
 cies which so often have arisen in this Hall, especially in times 
 of public disorder in former years, when his party was fiercely 
 assailed by the powerful majority, the eyes of his political a.sso- 
 ciates always turned to Mr. Cox as the one of all their numbers 
 best prepared to repel the assault. 
 
 My sympathies were of course always with him, >et I venture 
 to assert that in all the intellectual conflicts in which he was 
 .engaged in his long service here no opponent ever claimed a 
 clear victory and his political friends never hesitated to claim 
 the untjualified advantage of the champion of their cause. Mr. 
 Cox was intensely sensitive as to any matter that touched liis 
 personal honor in the least degree or questioned his fairness. 
 Generally so forbearing and courteous in debate, if any unkind 
 personal allusion was made to himself his fiery nature for the 
 moment obtained the master\-, and llie retort came prompt, 
 keen, and incisive. .Vnd \el he was a man of the most kindly 
 and forgiving temper, .\fler such an encounter Mr. Cox's 
 feelings were in a state of tumult. He could not bear estrange- 
 ment from his associates, lie could not harbor resentment, and 
 in a few days after such a contest it was a yis to his friends to 
 see pleasant relations restored. I ha\e more than once recalled 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 35 
 
 to memory, when this kindly and forgiving spirit was displayed 
 in this Hall, the fragment of a prose poem I read in my boyhood; 
 I do not know who was its anthor: 
 
 How beautifully falls from human lips 
 
 The blessed word, Forgive. Forgiveness ! 
 
 'Tis an attribute of God himself, the sound that openeth heaven, 
 
 Restdres once more fair Eden's faded bloom, 
 
 And flings Hope's golden halo o'er the waste of life. 
 
 Thrice blessed he whose heart has been so schooled 
 
 In the sweet lessons of humility that he 
 
 Can give it utterance. It imparts 
 
 Celestial grandeur to the human soul. 
 
 And maketh man an angel. 
 
 ]\Ir. Cox was an inexhaustible reader. Like Garfield, he 
 literally devoured a book and made its treasures his own. 
 
 The books he most highly prized were those which sympa- 
 thized with the human race in all its struggles for a higher and 
 a better life. 
 
 The writers whom I have most frequently heard him mention 
 or quote are Plato and Tacitus, Fenelon, St. Pierre, and Victor 
 Hugo, the Spaniard Cervantes, Jeremy Bentham, Sir Thomas 
 More, and George Bancroft, the great historian of our country. 
 
 He had traveled with his devoted wife, the companion of his 
 studies and literary pursuits, into almost ever}' quarter of the 
 globe, from the Polar Seas to the golden sands of the Orient. 
 He made almost unknown islands famous by the graphic touch 
 of his pen. 
 
 It is said, in one of those grand old legends of the Hebrews 
 which the Talmud has brought down to the present age, that 
 at the moment of the death of a good man there gather around 
 him his deeds of charity and kindness transformed into minis- 
 tering angels and the spirits of those departed who have been 
 benefited and comforted by his life, and they bear aloft, on 
 
36 Address of Air. Ilolman, of Indiana, on llic 
 
 Imninoiis wings, the freed spirit upward to the very portals of 
 the cit\' immortal. It is to me a consoling thought that, when 
 the e)es of my friend were closing on this world and those of 
 his enfranchised spirit were catching the first gleam of the light 
 of the infinite, the deeds of a good and compassionate life trans- 
 formed into ministering angels and spirits of the great multitude 
 whose sorrows and sufferings he had sought to soothe and alle- 
 viate — prisoners of war, for whom he obtained humane treat- 
 ment and honorable cartels of exchange and liberty ; the swarthy 
 Indian, in whose behalf his voice had been so often raised in 
 this Hall against the rapacity of the white race; the Hebrew 
 sorely oppressed on the Danube, in whose behalf his eloquence 
 had awakened the conscience of the world; the ever-loyal sons 
 of Ireland, for whose right to self-government he had uttered 
 words of impassioned eloquence as lofty and inspiring as those 
 of the great orators of the race; those who with weary feet tread 
 the streets and by-ways of cities, carrying ever\where news of 
 the current hour and to every home missives of duty and affec- 
 tion, for whom he obtained just recognition of law; the mari- 
 ners and vo\agers on the pathless billows of the great deep, 
 rescued from the jaws of death through the humane laws he 
 inspired — a shadowy multitude, a cloud of witnesses of a good 
 life, bore up his enfranchised spirit and filled the pathway 
 of light with the music of the sweetest anthem ever uttered. 
 "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mere)." 
 
 There ha\'e been uk-u who have said tint, while material 
 nature moves on in countless forms through all cternit\-, the 
 human soul — that has appropriated to itself the learning of all 
 the ages, that can count and weigh the stars and follow them 
 tlirough almost illimitable space, that has even caught a ray of 
 light from the realm of the infinite and immortal — like a meteor 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 87 
 
 blazes for a moment in space and sinks into darkness. I can 
 not and will not believe in such a view of the human soul, so 
 dreary and unnatural. Our blessed religion gives assurance of 
 eternal life. Nature in her ever-recurring and never-ending 
 miracles confirms the divine assurance. The apostrophe of the 
 good Addison to the half-divine disciple of the immortal Greek 
 utters the truth : 
 
 It must be so; Plato, thou reasonest well! 
 
 * * * -X- TT 
 
 'Tis heaven itself that points out an hereafter, 
 And intimates eternity to man. 
 
 Oh, it must be ! The just and good heirs of the universe will 
 flourish in immortal youth! 
 
 Samuel S. Cox, gentle and kind of heart, forgiving and 
 merciful, who never heard, unmoved, a cry of distress, with 
 that great multitude who, with pure hearts and lives devoted 
 to the happiness of mankind, the alleviation of human misery, 
 ascend from our globe to the realm of the immortals, will rejoice 
 in the imperishable love and affection which began in this lower 
 world and will find supreme happiness in learning, with every 
 cycle of the countless ages, more and more, something of the 
 nature of the infinite universe and of the attributes of the mer- 
 ciful and ever-living Father of us all. 
 
 ADDRESS OF MR, BANKS, OF MASSACHUSETTS. 
 
 Mr. Speaker: Citizens who surrendered any considerable 
 portion of their lives to the political service of a State or nation 
 deserve the sympathy and respect of every race and caste of the 
 family of- man. 
 
 Possibly it may be a little less fatal as a pursuit than war, 
 but its labors are no less incessant, complicate, and crushing, 
 
38 Address of Mr. Banks, of Massachusetts, on the 
 
 with scarcely a suggestion or thought of adequate recognition 
 or reward. 
 
 A proper appreciation or estimate of its weight or woe is im- 
 possible until death has silenced its aspirations and settled its 
 claims to consideration and honor. 
 
 What is honor? A word. What is in iliat word honor? what is that 
 honor? Air. .^ trim reckoning I ^\■hohathit? He that died o' Wednes- 
 day. Doth he feel it ? No. Is it insensible, then ? Yea, to the dead. 
 But will it not live with the living ? No. Why ? Detraction will not 
 suffer it. 
 
 The distinguished and honorable members of this House so 
 latch' deceased had without doubt realized the truth of this 
 anahsis of honor from the pen of the great master of human 
 nafure. 
 
 The limitless void between what is accomplished and what is 
 desired often terminates in the annihilation of hope and heart. 
 
 The labor of love and the demands of duty are often insuf- 
 ficient in weight and strength to counterbalance its anguish of 
 disappointment and defeat. The honored and beloved col- 
 league to whose memory our thoughts are turned at this mo- 
 meiil, Samvei. Sulliv.vx Cox, has left to us an illustrious and 
 memorable example. He gave his life to the imblic ser\'ice. 
 From his youth his aspirations appear to have been directed to 
 the amelioration, inipro\einent, and elevation of his country 
 and countrymen. 
 
 He has left us no other tangible motive for the continuous, 
 incessant, and crushing labors of his life. It appears in his 
 earliest efforts to excite and elevate the common thought and 
 action and is signally exhibited in his latest labors for the ad- 
 mis.sic)n of the Slates recently organized lo the galaxy of the 
 Aujerican Republic. 
 
Life and CJiaracter of Sanmcl S. Cox. 39 
 
 He was a distinguished member of Congress from the Thirty- 
 iifth to the Fifty-first Congress, with one or two exceptions, 
 either for a full term or part of a term; this division occurred 
 only as the successor of James Brooks, Horace Greeley, and 
 Mr. Pulitzer, all eminent citizens of his own profession. 
 
 In his capacity as a member of different committees of the 
 House of Representatives he was diligent, critical, and patriotic. 
 He introduced and secured the adoption of a plan for the ap- 
 portionment of Representatives; voted men and money for the 
 civil war, although opposed to some administrative measures of 
 the time. 
 
 He was supported several times for the office of Speaker and 
 was often made Speaker pro tempore. He created with much 
 labor the census law of 1880; obtained increased pay of letter- 
 carriers, and an annual vacation without rediiction of salary. 
 
 He was for many years a Regent of the Smithsonian Institu- 
 tion, ser\^ed on the Committees on Revolutionary Claims, Bank- 
 ing, the Centennial Celebration, Rules, and Foreign Affairs. 
 
 He participated largely in debate with fluent and classic 
 speech, apt and sturdy reasoning, rich in illustration and argu- 
 ment. He engaged with unshrinking constancy and courage 
 in some of the most important investigations of his time, such as 
 the "Black Friday," Federal elections in cities, the New York 
 post-office, and the ku-klux-klan troubles, and was the author 
 and champion of the Life-Saving Service. His last important 
 legislative work was in securing the union of many varied and 
 conflicting local jurisdictions of New York in one united Fed- 
 eral jurisdiction, for which he received the thanks of the New 
 York Chamber of Commerce. 
 
 During the last Administration he was offered an appoint- 
 ment as consul at Peru, which he declined, and in 1886 was 
 
40 Address of Mr. Banks, ojMassachiisciis., on ihc 
 
 appointed United States consul and, later, minister to Turkey 
 by President Cleveland. In this position he was vigilant in his 
 attention to the interests of his country, its commerce, and peo- 
 ple. He secured just and prompt attention to the rights of his 
 own country and countrymen, and enjo>ed at all times the 
 higliest respect of the Turkish Government, its officers, and 
 people. 
 
 As minister Mr. Co.x wisely imitated the e.\ample of the cele- 
 brated Venetian traveler and savant of the thirteenth century, 
 who gave to Europeans their earliest and only accurate knowl- 
 edge of the extent, wealth, and civilization of the great Eastern 
 empires. 
 
 His works of travel and history, written during his residence 
 abroad as minister and his travels as a citizen, not altogether 
 well represented b)- their somewhat fanciful titles, ha\e the 
 double merit of benefiting the people he represented by making 
 known to them the true character, interests, and resources of 
 the empire to which he was accredited, as the hitherto com- 
 paratively unknown races of the Chinese Empire, by the genius, 
 generosity, manly integrity, and Spartan \alor of Anson Bur- 
 lingame, American minister to the Cliine.se Empire, were made 
 the enduring friends of the American Republic! 
 
 I recall an interesting incident in our national histor\- which 
 ought not to be forgotten. I think I can not be mistaken in 
 saying that I received it from llie lips of the late eminent states- 
 man, William H. Seward, Secretary of State in the administra- 
 tion of Mr. Lincoln. Wlien the rebellion had been substantially 
 suppressed by the Union .Vrmy it became necessary to ol)tain a 
 recognition of tlie abolition of slavery by constitutional amend- 
 ment as well as by the force of the national arms. Tliis was a 
 work of delav and dilTicuitv. Citizens wlio were satisfied tliat 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 41 
 
 no form of doubt should exist of the utter abolitiou of slaverj' 
 were disinclined to procure that result by their own act. 
 
 It was yet a question of comparative uncertainty how or 
 when the grand results should be consummated by constitu- 
 tional provision as by the chance of war. For a long time that 
 triumph was deferred. At length in the enthusiasm of social 
 festivities, then invested with great power iu the administra- 
 tion and settlement of the problems of state, Mr. Seward was 
 informed that when his supporters wanted but one vote to com- 
 plete the triumph of absolute national freedom to which the 
 great Secretary had given his life — it was announced to him as 
 tentative to the ultimate triumph or defeat of constitutional 
 freedom that when he wanted but one vote to secure his tri- 
 umph, a life-long Democrat stood pledged to support it! 
 
 It was easy for the great Secretary to get the requisite num- 
 ber, the last being assured, but difficult to obtain early conces- 
 sions when the final and last concession was in the vocative. 
 If he would disclose the name of the last convert of the Demo- 
 cratic school, the work should be completed. That man was 
 Samuel Sullivan Cox, whose death we this day deplore, and 
 whose name we hold for this great act, as for many others, in 
 perpetual national honor! 
 
 ADDRESS OF Mr. Mills, of Texas. 
 
 Mr. Speaker: The journey of life lies along the dark val- 
 ley of the shadow of death. There is no spot on its pilgrimage 
 where his presence is unknown. There is no family over whose 
 hearthstone his somber shadow does not fall. There is always 
 somewhere some eye that is weeping, some heart that is bleed- 
 
■12 Address of Mr. Mills, of Texas, on the 
 
 ing, some home whose light is extinguished and whose altars 
 are draped in the testimonials of sorrow. Death is no respecter 
 of persons. He visits alike the great and the small, the illus- 
 trious statesman and the obscure citizen. 
 
 When he crosses the threshold of the hovel and calls the hum- 
 ble tenant whose days have been passed in the lowliest walks 
 of life, unknown to the world, the busy throng moves on 
 unconscious of the visitation and leaves the little circle of 
 kindred hearts to the companionship of their grief But when 
 he calls for him around whose person the affections of a great 
 people have been gathered and held for years, upon whose 
 abilit\-, integrity, and devotion to the public weal they have 
 leaned for more than a generation with unbroken repose, and 
 to whose name and character the love of a nation isindissolubly 
 linked, then the circle of sorrow is widened, and millions of 
 forms bend in the presence of the divine messenger, feel the 
 affliction, and join in the universal grief 
 
 The inspired writer has told us that the heart of the wise is 
 in the house of mourning. It is there that we bow around the 
 altar of chastening. It is williin that sanctuary that our eyes 
 turn inward and the heart is uncovered to the inspection of the 
 conscience. It is in the house of mourning that we find the 
 secluded retreat where we make our confessions to our con- 
 sciences as to a mediator. The world stands without its portals 
 and without the circle of its benefactions while the spirit within 
 is purified and refined by self-examination, self-conviction, self- 
 accusation, and self-correction. How large is that house of 
 mourning to-day, and how many stricken hearts are feeling its 
 cluLstening presence ! 
 
 Ct)X, Kelley, and Randall, after liaving served their country 
 each for more than a quarter of a centur\ , are taken from us 
 
Life ami Cliaractcr of Samuel S. Cox. 43 
 
 during the same Congress, and within a few months of each 
 other. Twelve months ago they were three of the most dis- 
 tinguished of living American statesmen. Each was so firmly 
 fixed in the affections of his constituents that no hand but that 
 of death could disunite them. Scarcely have we returned from 
 the grave of the first till we are called to follow the hearse of 
 the second, and now while we are pa\'ing a loving tribute to his 
 memory the third and last bids us adieu and joins his colleagues 
 on the other shore. As we stand over the three newly made 
 graves we may truly say that three great men have fallen. 
 
 Mr. Cox was the first to enter this House, and the first to 
 cross the river that divides us from the land of our fathers. Mr. 
 Kelley, in order of time, came next in service here, and followed 
 second in his departure. Mr. Randall came third and went 
 third, and we may say of them all, as David said in his lament 
 over Saul and Jonathan, " they were lovely and pleasant in 
 their lives, and in their death the}- were not divided." 
 
 The friends and constituents of Mr. Cox, among whom he 
 lived so long and whom he represented for so man}' years, have 
 paid to his memory all the honors that the living can pay to the 
 dead. To-day we are assembled to add our tribute to his 
 memory, to express our admiration for his ability, his high char- 
 acter, and his long and efficient public service, and to place 
 on the records of the House of Representatives the testimonials 
 of a nation's sorrow at his death. 
 
 Mr. Cox was a man of extraordinary gifts and extraordinary 
 attainments. He was endowed with a mind that caught its 
 ideas on the wing. He did not plod and dig and sap and mine 
 to hunt them out of their deep concealment. He did not lay 
 in ambush and wait their coming in order to seize them. Like 
 fire-flies about a burning lamp, they constantly flitted and 
 
44 Address of Mr. J/i7/s, of Tcxas^ on the 
 
 played about his comiscatinjj intellect. They were always on 
 hand, and when he wanted them they were subject to his will, 
 and he shot them like electric sparks from a charged battery. 
 
 There was no friction and no confusion in his mental ma- 
 chinery. His brain never sulked nor balked; it never got mud- 
 dled. It was always fresh, vigorous, equipped, and ready for 
 duty. No sophistry, however adroitly veiled, could deceive it. 
 In debate he would as quickly touch and unmask it as did 
 Ithuriel with his heaven-tempered spear the father of sophistries 
 in the garden of Eden. His mind had been thoroughly trained 
 in youth, when the only thorough training is to be had. It 
 had been subjected to the severest discipline, and through dis- 
 cipline brought to its mars'clous power. 
 
 I recall with distinctness the first time I ever heard his name 
 mentioned. It was in 1858, in a debate in the House, during 
 his first tenn. He was attacked b\- a colleague from the same 
 State, who belonged to the opposition. His opponent essayed 
 to bring the young fledgling down and teach him a salutary 
 lesson for his future improvement. But when the contest was 
 over the critic found that he had played the role of pupil in- 
 stead of instructor. That debate gave Mr. Cox a national repu- 
 tation, and his colleague doubtless thought then, as many 
 others have thought since, that in the intellectual arena he was 
 a good man to let alone. 
 
 He had an inexhaustible store-house of knowledge, which he 
 had gathered up in a life-time of labor, and he was adding to it 
 every day of his life. He studied books and traveled over land 
 and sea to study man and nature. He climbed the sides of the 
 tallest monntains in Europe. He penetrated the de.serts of 
 Asia and .\frica to the boundaries of the savage tribes. He went 
 out into the Arctic Ocean to see the sun for twcnl\-fuur lionrs 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 45 
 
 where the earth upon which he stood did not intervene between 
 liini and the orb of day. He saw nature in all its aspects and 
 humanity in all its i^hases. He was an accomplished scholar 
 and well up in all the sciences. 
 
 In the memorial services of Professor Henry I remember 
 how he surprised the savans in his address; how he played with 
 science and the scientists, and how familiar he was with the 
 lives of the great scholars. In politics he was a Democrat of the 
 straightest sect of that faith. He loved liberty, personal, politi- 
 cal, civil, and religious. He believed with all his heart that 
 man would attain his highest usefulness and highest happiness 
 on earth whenever he had the largest liberty. 
 
 He opposed paternalism in government in all its forms and in 
 all its deceitful disguises. He believed that man was capable 
 of self-government and would govern himself better than he 
 would be governed by others; that the people who were gov- 
 erned the least were governed the best; that the government 
 that was furthest from the people was the most dangerous gov- 
 ernment, the most difficult to restrain, and the most ambitious 
 to encroach upon the rights of the governed, and ought to be 
 intrusted with the exercise of the least power; that the largest 
 mass of powers should be granted to the local government, 
 which was nearest to the people and more completely under 
 their control; and that all governments, national, state, and 
 local, should keep their hands off the citizen as long as he kept 
 his hands off his fellow. 
 
 In short, he believed that the proper function of government 
 was to secure the person in the full enjoyment of all his natural 
 rights, and to take none of them from him. He was raised in 
 the creed of Thomas Jefferson and lived in it all his life, and 
 labored earnestly to propagate it until the messenger called him 
 
46 Address of Mr. Mills, of Texas, on the 
 
 to join the Great Founder of free government on the other side 
 of the river of life. In Congress or on the hustings he was a 
 quick and hard hitter, and in a partisan fight I have never 
 known his equal. He would see every joint in his adversary's 
 harness, and mercilessh' pierce it when he lifted his lance in 
 the lists. He could not only make a strong logical analysis of 
 a proposition, but he could marshal his facts around it with 
 great power. He was full of wit and it poured out of his brain 
 like an artesian stream. As a humorist I doubt if this country 
 has ever produced his equal. 
 
 The .shafts of some men leave wounds like poisoned arrows, 
 wounds that rankle and heal slowly and sometimes never heal 
 at all. He did not deal in that kind unless he felt that he had 
 been savagely provoked. I never knew him to dip his arrow 
 but once, and then he felt that he had been wantonly attacked 
 and challenged to tr\- results with his adversary. In that in- 
 stance he came to the contest with his quiver full, and they 
 were radiant with smiles and their barbs dripping with Marah's 
 waters, in which they had been dipped for the battle. 
 
 I have served with him here for sixteen years, and always on 
 terms of the most intimate friendship. In economic science he 
 always claimed me as one of his j)upils. It was reading his 
 early .speeches that set me to studying the effects of tariff legis- 
 lation on the material interests of the country. Few men have 
 written or spoken with greater clearness and force than lie 
 has. To me he was one of the most charming of speakers and 
 writers. He always sent me copies of his books as they came 
 from the press, and I have read them with unflagging interest. 
 His books of travel give vivid accounts of the countries and the 
 peoples of whicli he writes, and in his pen-pictures the humorous 
 side of human nature is ne\er forgotten. 
 
L2fe and Cliaractcr of Samuel S. Cox. 47 
 
 Whenever it came under the flash of his eye it came under tlie 
 point of his pen, and in presenting it to his reader he had the 
 happy faculty of holding the mirror up to nature. A man of 
 such rare genius and of such varied accomplishments the world 
 has rarely seen. With all these great qualities he was so genial 
 and kind that he seemed to be encircled with sunshine wherever 
 he moved. The sky above him seemed never overcast with 
 clouds. There was no night beneath his feet, no storms above 
 his head. It was all sunshine. He lived and abided in the 
 light. 
 
 In thought, speech, and act he stood in the meridian splendor 
 of a cloudless day. His character was white, and stood out like 
 a monumental pile of snow filtered and sifted by the fierce blast 
 of an arctic winter. He was an able and distinguished member 
 of Congress when corruption stalked like a harlot through these 
 halls, but, thoroughly grounded in moral principle and guided 
 always by a conscientious conviction of duty to himself, his 
 family, and his country, he moved along impervious to its touch. 
 When the ink of suspicion was blackening the names and rep- 
 utations of many around him, he stood like a statue of white 
 marble that was proof against defilement. 
 
 Mr. Cox has left to his wife, his countr}-, and his party much 
 of which to be proud. They will often recur to his valuable 
 and interesting works, to his splendid compositions, his eloquent 
 and sparkling speeches, and the measures of legislation which 
 he inaugurated and accomplished. He is dead, but he still 
 lives in the hearts of the people, and he will live on the pages 
 of our history as long as our history shall endure and as long 
 as our posterity shall cherish true manhood and a loving and 
 tender heart. 
 
 He is dead, but we are assured that the dead shall live again, 
 
48 Address of Mr. Mills, of Texas, on the 
 
 that the grave shall give forth its dust, that the corruptible shall 
 put on incorrnption aud the mortal ininiortality. That we shall 
 all rise again is a faith that conies to me by inheritance, and I 
 abide in it da>- and night. That we shall meet our friends who 
 have gone before us and those who shall follow after us, in 
 another and a higher and better state of being, I believe with 
 my whole heart, but how, where, or when is beyond the realms 
 of finite knowledge. Life is a mystery, and death is a mystery, 
 and all beyond it is an unknown land. To all our inquiries 
 the still, small voice replies, "Do your duty to God, yourself, 
 and your fellow-man, and leave the rest to Him who doeth all 
 things well." 
 
 Mr. Cox's last moments were tranquil and serene. The 
 philosophy that guided him through his life did not forsake 
 him in the hour of death. Tlie same cheerfulness that liad 
 accompanied him through the day-time of life remained with 
 him when the night was drawing its curtains around him for 
 his long and quiet sleep. When nearing the place of parting, 
 in the way where the mortal and the immortal must separate, 
 he said he had no regrets save one. He regretted the separation 
 from his wife. 
 
 From earh' life the twain had been one. She had been his 
 constant companion at home and abroad, on land and on sea. 
 Wherever he went she followed his steps with the faithfulness 
 of his shadow. Now he felt he was to leave her alone and for 
 the first time to enter on the jounrey without her companion- 
 ship. 
 
 He is gone from among us, and it will be many long years 
 before the world will produce another like him. A grateful 
 peo])le mourn his loss and honor his memory. A nation tenders 
 its heartfelt .sympathy to her whose sorrow is deepest 
 
Life and CliaracUr of Sa)nucl S. Cox. 49 
 
 We gently fold the drapery of his couch about him and la> liiui 
 down to sleep where immortelles and sweet forget-me-nots will 
 bloom over his grave. We bow with resignation to the sum- 
 mons that called him away, and we leave him with the angels 
 who will stand at his tomb and keep watch over his slumbers, 
 and we invoke Him who is above all angels, principalities, and 
 powers to care for her whom His dispensation has left widowed 
 and alone in the world. 
 
 ADDRESS OF Mr. BUTTERWORTH, OF OHIO. 
 
 Mr. Spe.A-KER: Within a very brief period three men, con- 
 .spicnous alike for their ability and patriotism and also for their 
 prominence in the affairs of the nation, have been taken from 
 our midst by death. Samuel S. Cox was summoned first, 
 Judge Kelley died soon after, and on last Sabbath morning 
 Samuel J. Randall joined the others on the farther shore. 
 
 These men were widely different in their characteristics. 
 Each had a host of admirers and devoted friends. Doubtless, 
 of the three, Samuel S. Cox was the more versatile, had the 
 wider range of information, was the more eloquent and per- 
 suasive. Mr. Randall was a leader of men. Judge Kelley won 
 fame as a champion of a protective tariff Mr. Cox had been 
 longest in public life. He was a Representative from Ohio be- 
 fore the war. 
 
 In his public career he rode no iiobby. He was a well 
 equipped, "all around" fighter, and was equally available in a 
 combat which involved finance, the tariff, internal improve- 
 ments, foreign policy, or the advancement of the arts and 
 H. Mis. 243 4 
 
50 Address of Mr. Iiiiltc)~a'orth^ of Ohio, on t lie 
 
 sciences. His wide range of information, liis studious habits 
 and careful training, fitted him equally well and thoroughly for 
 tlie discussion of every question that was brought before the 
 legislative body of which he was a member. He differed from 
 Randall in this, that he was a teacher, not an aggressive leader 
 of men. His place was in the council, not in the fray, lint it 
 was not m\- purpose to suggest a comparison between these 
 three men; they were all strong; they were all gifted, each in 
 his way; each .served the nation nobly and deser\ed well of his 
 countr\'. 
 
 M\- honorable Iriend from Xew York [Mr. Cuuiniings] has, 
 in a manner at once just and felicitous, given a history of the 
 career of our late friend, but I beg to add a word or two. 
 S.^MTKi. S. Cox was the son of a pioneer. He was born in 
 ( )hio. There was not a railroad beyond the AUeghanies dur- 
 ing his boyhood; of course the telegraph did not exist even in 
 the mind of the dreamer. To use a phrase each woodman will 
 understand, lie took life "from the stump." In his early days 
 there were about him but the rude appliances of pioneer life. 
 In a home near the frontier, in the midst of such opportunities 
 as a new .State afforded, he began the battle of life. He was a 
 natural student and literally fought his wa>' to a collegiate edu- 
 cation. 
 
 Ohio at that time was a land of cabins and clearings, and 
 though Mr. Cox'.s home was in the town, he attended the "log- 
 rollings," tin.- '■ barn-raisings," and the "corn-huskings," all im- 
 portant institutions of that da\' and generation. The\ were not 
 occasions for jollity; they meant hard work, though mirth was 
 at the fore; the\- were rendered necessary by the condition and 
 hard lines of the pioneers. It was these conditions and sur- 
 roundings that taught men to be self-helpful and also to loan 
 
Life and Cliaracter of Samuel S. Cox. 51 
 
 upon one another. It developed in the settler that kindh- sym- 
 pathy and love of neighbor which made the life of the then West 
 as happy as it was free and independent. 
 
 Mr. Cox was popular from liis earliest boyhood; he was a 
 natural orator, possessed of an eloquent, persuasixe manner that 
 never failed to captivate the audience he addressed. He was 
 singled out in his school-bo}' days to be the orator on each oc- 
 casion that required a speech; he had stumped Ohio from lake 
 to river before he had fairly passed his majority. He had a 
 ready wit, and while it sometimes cut like a knife it was not 
 his desire that it should wound. His wit and humor was like 
 the aroma of rich wine. Like Lincoln and Corwin, he saw the 
 ludicrous phase of things, and like those sterling patriots he 
 saw and felt as well, in full measure, the solemn and serious 
 aspect of portending events. He was a natural-born politician; 
 no one knew the weakness of man better than he. He could, 
 unknown to them, guide men in the way he would have them 
 go. ■ He could convince them against their will, but with such 
 adroitness and in such happ)- humor that they would find them- 
 selves agreeing with him while the\- deemed themselves to be 
 in antagonism. 
 
 His earl\- surroundings serv-ed him a useful purpose in after 
 life. There he learned what it required to overcome the ob- 
 stacles that confronted the settler, whose main equipment was 
 a. stout heart and willing hand. It awakened, or rather de- 
 veloped, in him large and generous sympathy that never failed 
 to find expression on fit occasions. He was a student of books, 
 and not less a student of men and of nature. He traveled a 
 great deal; pondered upon old battle-fields where empires fought 
 for supremacy; he delighted to trace the source and rise of war- 
 ring powers; he felt a rich joy when .standing on the Alps watch- 
 
'Yl Address of Mr. linttcrworlh^ of Ohio^ on the 
 
 inj; the wild fnr\' of tlu- ileim-iit^ alinnt him in the conflict of 
 the storm. 
 
 He foundla lesson in all he saw, and gleaned from all he heard, 
 and retained for use all that was worth remembering. His 
 word-paintings of what he .saw in his travels were a well-spring 
 of enjoyment to others. It might be .said of him as it was said 
 of Byron, he "stood on the Alps, stood on the Appenines, and 
 with the thunder talked, as friend with friend." Those here 
 who have heard him describe the scenes midst which he stood, 
 whether upon some tempest-tossed ocean, or of a war of the ele- 
 ments about the mountain-top whence he gazed, or of .some 
 battle between armies fighting for empire, can never forget the 
 graphic pictures he drew. It is not eas\- to measure the influ- 
 ence of such a character upon his fellow-men. He will live 
 longer in the hearts of his countrymen, his influence for good 
 will be felt after all recollection and trace of others who have 
 occupied for the moment a larger i)lacc in the world's affairs have 
 been forgotten. Man\ will be remembered for having been 
 identified with some single act which gave them con.spicuous 
 prominence b>- association with other actors or with some single 
 event. 
 
 The life of Mr. Cox from his childhood down to the day of 
 his decea.se was marked by one uninterrupted series of kindlx 
 acts and exi)re.ssions, by earnest labor and devoted work in be- 
 half of his fellow-men. These have left their impre.ss upon the 
 people amidst whom he moved. Ves, and its influence went 
 forth in an ever-widening circle. 
 
 1 know something of the kindly remembrance in which he 
 was held in his native State. When he returned to it, whicli 
 he did freiiuenlh-, gray-liaired men with little strength leU un- 
 der their weight of years would insist upon going out to liear 
 
Life and CJiaractcf of Saiiiitcl S. Co.v. o3 
 
 the man to whom thev had listened in his boyhood da>s. They 
 never failed to be instructed and improved by the speech the\- 
 heard. Upon such occasions Mr. Cox was most happy in por- 
 traying the scenes of his youth and the honorable part his aged 
 hearers had taken in building up the State. 
 
 The trying ordeals through which the old pioneers had passed 
 to attain the splendid results that remained to bless them were 
 pictured in. the happiest vein of the speaker. He never failed 
 to pax a fitting and deserved tribute to the fathers and the 
 mothers whose patient toil and untiring industry had wrought 
 the change in that fair land which their children enjoy to-day. 
 He was not only a speaker of exceptionally good abilit\-, but 
 he wrote with equal facility. He could make an adversar}- 
 writhe under his pen or tongue when he saw fit to e.xercise his 
 power. But it seldom occurred that his kindliness did not 
 prompt him to forbear, even when his adversary deserved the 
 punishment. 
 
 It is but just to say that in his life's labors he was assisted by 
 a devoted and brilliant wife, and it is said that to her gentle- 
 ness and kindly nature many of Mr. Cox's political adversaries 
 are indebted for the suppression of asperities which but for her 
 would have foimd expression in his lines. Like a true woman, 
 her kindh' sympathy suggested that her husband might be se- 
 vere and just and yet be kind even to gentleness. His life was 
 a pleasant one. Mr. Cox had the faith of a Christian; that faith 
 lie showed by his works. I remember lolling with him in the 
 lobby of the House one day, when we got to talking about 
 Christian faith, and I said to him : ' ' Cox, what is your religious 
 faith, or do you have any?' ' He replied, ' ' Yes, I have. I believe 
 in the religion which was taught and exemplified in the life of 
 the Nazarene, and I never fail to bear testimonv to the ennobling 
 
y4 AtMrcss of Mr. />'////(77iW'///, of O/iio, on //if 
 
 and purifying influence of the Christian religion." And we, 
 who have heard him, will remember that he was alwa\s a wit- 
 ness for Christian precepts and in charity and kindness enforced 
 those precepts b\- worthy example. 
 
 It is not m\- purpose to suggest that Mr. Cox was a saint or 
 that he was what the world would adjudge to be a thoroughly 
 exemplary Christian; but here, bidding him adieu on this dav, 
 paying this last tribute of respect to his memory, it is a duty 
 and a pleasure to sa\' of him that the world was better that he 
 lived, and that those with whom he came in contact were made 
 better by that a.ssociation. I tliink the influences of his pre- 
 cepts and examples of his life were to elevate men. 
 
 He was a natural democrat; he believed in evolution, and 
 thought the human race wo ild work out its own salvation 
 witliout much bruising or breaking to mend perverse spirits. 
 He found some good in ever\' man, although in some cases it 
 required a careful .search. 
 
 We shall miss him here. There have been many occasions 
 during this session when I have found myself looking up to 
 catch the face of the brilliant man from New York, to be in- 
 structed by his knowledge, to be convinced by his logic, to en- 
 joy his wit, or possibly to wince under his sarcasm. 
 
 He has gone from our midst. The death of Judge Kellex' was 
 not unexpected; the death of Mr. Cox was sudden and not 
 anticipated. We parted from him in health in the spring; we 
 expected to .serve with liim lu-n.- in the fall and winter. Ran- 
 dall was strong and vigorous. His death seemed untimely and 
 unnatural." The death of these, our friends and late associates, 
 reminds us that we are hastening to the grave, and the work 
 wliich is given us to do must be done wliile it is yet day. We 
 part company willi lliese choice spirits with regret, but 1 am 
 
fjfc and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 55 
 
 persuaded that we have parted witli no one whom we will hold 
 in more affectionate remembrance for personal worth, for gen- 
 erous and noble bearing, than Samuel S. Cox. 
 
 Address of Mr. Breckinridge, of Kentucky, 
 
 Mr. Speaker: Among works of ^rt there are pictures called 
 mosaics; and these eulogies upon our dead colleagues form the 
 mosaic portraits drawn by various hands, each drawing that jjar- 
 ticular feature which he best recalls, making a compact and, as 
 a rule, a just and faithful portraiture of ever>- beloved lineament 
 and e\-ery well-remembered feature. The portraiture of Mr. 
 Cox requires more of this separate treatment than that of almost 
 any of the colleagues with whom I have served in my brief 
 public career. He was, more than almost any man I ever met, 
 many-sided. 
 
 There is reluctance in the human mind in admitting that a 
 man possesses more than one great quality. If he be eloquent 
 it is hard to realize that he may be extremely cautious and able 
 and strong; if he be witty, we are apt not to think him wise, 
 conservative, and politic; if he be gallant and chivalric, we are 
 inclined to think that he is not po.ssessed of cool and cautious 
 judgment; when the fact is that great qualities frequently go 
 together. The)' are but different aspects of a majestic nature; 
 they are revelations of a unique and imperial soul exhibiting 
 itself in different relations. And Mr. Cox had many appa- 
 rently diverse qualities that had the same common root. 
 
 In tropical countries we find on the same tree at the same 
 time the green leaf, the embryonic blossom, the full flower, the 
 green fruit, the yellow and ripened orange, so that one can 
 
5G Addnss nf Mr. Ihcckinridgc, of Kentucky, on the 
 
 "gather from its branches the sweetest fragrant flowers as a bridal 
 wreatli, while another plncks the ripened fruit for his feast. .So 
 onr friend at times weaved a bridal wreath of fragrant flowers, 
 while at other times he fnrnislied to this House the richest 
 feast from those marvelous attainments and equally varied gifts 
 which he possessed. 
 
 It was this many-sidedness of his character that struck me 
 when I first came into contact with him. He possessed more of 
 these qualities than almost any man I ever knew; a clearness 
 of statement that was scarcely surpassed (if I may be allowed a 
 personal allusion) b\- him who was the Speaker of the last 
 House; a quickness and nimbleness of debate on the spur of 
 the nionient that was near]\- ecpial to that of the Republican 
 leader in the late House, now promoted to its Speakership; a 
 gentleness and tenderness not surpassed by anybody; a pla\ful- 
 ness that attracted; and under that ])layfulness the quick stroke 
 of the rapier, for graceful is the hand that uses the Damascus 
 steel; and with it all a wealth of learning, a breadth of attain- 
 ment, a hai)])iness of illustration that never descended into 
 lri\'ialit\', that alwa\s illustrated as well as adorned; and then 
 with these the peculiar quality that we .sometimes call cat-like, 
 so that whenever his adversary thought he had thrown liim he 
 found that he had lit upon his feet, ready to conduct the con- 
 test on absolutely equal terms. His ver\ defeat .seemed to be 
 the means of reconquest in the continued and iminterrupted 
 process of debate So that under all circumstances and in every 
 emergencx he exhibited adaptabilitv to that particular occasion 
 and that ])eenliar enxironment. 
 
 Now, Mr. .Speaker, these are remarkable qualities, each some- 
 what rare in itself, in combination extremely rare, and \et it is 
 one ol the curious fads of our peculiar and duplex nature, fear- 
 
Life and Charaticr o/Sniinn/ S. Cox. 57 
 
 full)- and wonderfulh- made, that they are rarely found in com- 
 bination in those men who are called to do some act supremely 
 great. Thev belong to that class of men who are leaders of 
 men, who are leaders of thought, who are necessary to the con- 
 test, who adorn the annals of the era in which they live, who 
 make honorable and noble work and give inspiration to others. 
 And vet they seem to have so many cjualities that in no one are 
 they supremely great for a great occasion. Therefore it is not 
 ' unnatural that Mr. Cox, who was always a conspicuous mem- 
 ber of this House, alwa)s an able and influential member of 
 this House, never became the leader of his party. 
 
 There is something needed that has more in it of iron than 
 was in his composition; something that has in it less of consid- 
 eration for the reputation and for the feelings of his followers 
 and of his enemies than he had; something more of willfulness, 
 something larger of the capacity to risk all, to dare all, and to 
 wound and, if necessary, to trample on all who stand between 
 him and the accomplishment of the purpose which he feels 
 called upon to accompli.sh, than he possessed. And it is proba- 
 bly, therefore, a greater tribute to his memory and to his loving 
 nature, as well as to the tenderness and gentleness of his life 
 and the attractiveness in all that he did, that he did not possess 
 these sterner qualities of leadership. 
 
 Thirty-two years have passed away, nearly, since Mr. Cox 
 came into the House of Representatives. The other day, when 
 we were passing just eulogies to the memory of Judge Kelley, 
 the thought that was uppermost in my mind was that he repre- 
 sented, during the thirty )ears of his life and service, a victo- 
 rious party. Now, when we come to pay our eulogies to this 
 colleague, the corresponding contrasting thought is that for the 
 larger part of his life he represented a falling and defeated 
 
58 Add/T.is of Mr. Biicl: in ridge, of Kentucky, on the 
 
 party or a party struggling from opposition towards majority. 
 He entered public life at the time when the Democratic party 
 was separating itself, not by the attacks of its enemies, but by- 
 its own hand compassing its division and destroying its power. 
 He signalized his entrance intt) tliis House b\' a bright, able, 
 stirring speech, which marked the dissensions between, not his 
 part\' and his enemies, but between him and many party friends. 
 
 The \er\' earliest of his public services in the House was to 
 defend the leader of a part of that party against its nominal and 
 official head. He saw that party divided amidst the throes and 
 the bloodshed of the most terrific war between the States that 
 history has ever chronicled or the world has ever seen. He re- 
 turned to public life from the great and imperial metropolis, 
 which sits crowned upon the shores of the Atlantic, with a 
 handful of colleagues who felt and thought as he did. He- 
 stemmed the great tide of Republican victories, the fair results 
 from the successful conduct of the war, from the emancipation 
 and enfranchisement of four and a half millions of human 
 beings, and from meeting with intrepid purpose the jierplexing 
 problems of an enormous public debt. 
 
 He stood witli that miuoritx amitl the sad and terrible days 
 of reconstruction, and lived to see it grow constantly stronger 
 and stronger, but never obtaining possession of the departments 
 of the Government in such a wav that it could crystallize upon 
 the statute-books its opinions of public policy and its judgments 
 of great econouiii.' ([uestions. .\u(l lie died, after lhirl\-tw(i 
 years of brilliant and conspicuous serxice, in the ranks of a 
 defeated part\-. 
 
 His colle.igue was borne to tlie grave as one of the leaders of 
 that i)arty which had control of the statute-books of the nation 
 for a ])criod of thirty years; this colleague we bore as tja- npre- 
 
Life a ltd Character of Samuel S. Cox. 59 
 
 • 
 
 seiitative of a party who during all of that time was in opposi- 
 tion. Who can say which is he that the country owes most to, 
 he who helped to form its policy or he who b\- voice and ear- 
 nestness checked further encroachments? 
 
 Who can tell, in the action and reaction of counteracting in- 
 fluences, which is the better, that which is powerful for positive 
 legislation or that which is potent as the check on legislation ? 
 And as we leave this Hall on this day, which is typical of his 
 life, this faultless spring day, with its cloudless sky and its 
 genial and bright sun, with the vernal blossoms just bursting 
 into bloom, and the melody of the birds which is heard in the 
 trees, who can tell to-morrow and in the days that are to come, 
 as the younger men take the places of the older, to whom shall 
 most honor be given ? Or rather can we not well sa^• that, on the 
 graves of both of them and on the newer grave of the more 
 stalwart and willful and aggressive leader whom we have just 
 buried, a nation, forgetting their differences for the moment, ob- 
 literating animosities, can say of each, "He did as he thought 
 best for a country he loved with all his heart, under a sense of 
 duty to a God who led him in the pathway he pursued? " 
 
 ADDRESS OF Mr. Bland, of Missouri, 
 
 Mr. vSpeaker : When I first came to Congress, in December, 
 1873, I found Mr. Cox a member of the House. He had served 
 man>- terms prior to that. I had never met Mr. Cox before. 
 His reputation at that time as an orator was world-wide; con- 
 sequently I was anxious to meet him and to hear him speak. 
 M}- admiration for the man grew upon me as I became more 
 familiar with him. 
 
GO .{fMnss (>/.]/>: Inland, of Missouri, on tlic 
 
 Tlie Forty-third Conjjress, to which I have alluded, yave 
 manv occasions for the display of his oratory, wit, and luunor.j 
 It was a notable Congfress in onr history. Mr. Blaine was 
 Speaker, r.eneral Hutler, of Massachusetts, was then the ac- 
 knowledged leader on the Republican side. 
 
 General Butler, with all his great abilit\- and pertinacity, 
 jjresscd what were then known as the force bill and the civil- 
 rights bill. He succeeded in passing the civil-rights bill, but 
 through the dilatory tactics of the Democratic ])arly, led by Mr. 
 Randall, of Pennsylvania (whose death but a week ago we are 
 also called to mourn), with Mr. Cox as our great champion in 
 debate, the force bill was defeated. Justice requires me to say| 
 in passing that the strict impartiality shown by Mr. Blaine, the 
 Speaker, during this memorable contest extorted the highest 
 warmth of admiration from his political opponents. In tliat 
 fight there were two great men and great characters brought 
 more prominently than before into public notice. These were 
 Samuel J. Randall and S.^.mtel Sulliv.w Cox. 
 
 These two late lyiberal leaders in American politics have 
 their counterparts across the waters. Mr. Cox was truly our 
 Barnell, wliile Mr. Randall in man\ characteristics was to us a 
 tiladstone. 
 
 My service here with .Mr. Cox began in the Forty-third Con- 
 gress, and was continuous, e.xceptlin the Forty-ninth Congress, 
 while lie was minister to Turkey. I was fortunate to have a 
 .seat by him for two years. In this way I learned to know him 
 as a friend. From overwork and cares incident to public life I 
 was in failing health. Mr. Cox took great interest in \\\\ ca.se. 
 He gave me the benefit of his ad\ice and experience, for he 
 was never robust him.self. His amiable disposition and jocular 
 good hinnor threw a halo of sunsliine arountl liis conjpanions. 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 61 
 
 As my health gradually recovered I used to tell him that it was 
 all dueito his cheerful company and buoyant temperament. 
 
 Mr. Speaker, in our journe\ings we encounter plains, table- 
 lands, hills, and mountains, and mountain peaks that look 
 grand in the distance, their summits peering above the clouds 
 in their dazzling, misty heights; the plains and hills covered 
 with forests of shrubbery and young trees struggling to higher 
 proportions. Here and there we find clumps of huge foresters, 
 with the growth of ages, shooting their foliage high above 
 their surroundings as if to catch the first rays of the sun and to 
 drain from the clouds the first drops of water, the winds whist- 
 ling and sighing amid their boughs like an .IJolian harp. Far 
 above the tallest forest trees and amid the crags of the loftiest 
 mountain peaks soars the eagle, now basking in the burning 
 radiance of a summer's sun and now riding upon the storm, de- 
 fying the thunder's roar and the lightning's glare. So tow- 
 ered in grandeur and majestic flights the enchanting eloquence 
 and withering satire of S. S. Cox. As an intellectual man he 
 was a giant; as a genius he was a prodigy. 
 
 Mr. Speaker, how often have we witnessed his powers here. 
 The ablest who crossed swords with him in the repartee of run- 
 ning debate did so with all the misgivings of foregone defeat. 
 I can now recall many occasions when the mad passion of party 
 swayed the House as a cyclone would twist a forest, when 
 it seemed inevitable that blows must follow words. At this 
 juncture Mr. Cox would take the floor and by the impassioned 
 eloquence of a Clay calm tumult to tears and by the wit of a 
 Curran set the House in roaring laughter and good humor. 
 
 Mr. Cox was a man of the kindliest and most humane im- 
 pulses. He was of noble spirit, a patriot and philanthropist. 
 He loved his whole country; but his love of libert\-, of the 
 
62 Address of Mr. Bland, of Missouri, on the 
 
 Jeffersonian idea of home rule or local self-government, was 
 world-wide. Ireland had no greater friend or abler advocate in 
 her struggles for freedom than Mr. Cox. The tears of Ireland 
 and the tears of America will mingle in love and sympathy for 
 his memorv so long a.s manhood is honored and liberty held 
 .sacred. 
 
 Mr. Co.x loved our Union for the Union's sake. His voice 
 and his vote were potential in aid of the war for the Union. 
 When resistance to the Union ceased his cause of war ceased. 
 He had no resentments. His voice was raised for peace and 
 aninest)-. He labored to restore the Union by constitutional 
 methods. 
 
 The unhappy people of the South, in their struggles for 
 restored liberty under our Constitution, had no truer or abler 
 champion than he. The idea of State government taught b\- 
 Jefferson, that we now call home rule, was a cardinal principle 
 with him. Xo man living or dead did more in these Halls 
 than he to cement our people in the sublime principles of union 
 and justice. 
 
 Mark .Vntony played the necromancer over the dead body of 
 Caisar. He moved the Roman populace to tears and roused in 
 them all the passions of terrible revenge. Yet Caesar's fame 
 was baptized in a Rubict)n of human blood; his sword had cut 
 from their moorings the liberties of the people, that he might 
 lloat upon a sea of imperial power. 
 
 The great man whose death we mourn to-day, the utterances 
 of whose tongue had so often moved liis conntr\ men to wild 
 applause and rajiturous admiration, was loved by the people for 
 his great genius as a statesman and orator, for his magnanimous 
 s|)iril and humane s\ nii>athies. His great victories were achieve- 
 ments of inlellecl, the trophies of valor won in the arena of tie- 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 63 
 
 bate. His walks were the walks of peace; his ambition was 
 tempered by justice and mercy. His bounding heart took in 
 loving embrace the oppressed everywhere. His joyous smile 
 was the delight of his companions. In him was the well-spring 
 of perpetual youth. Verging on to near the allotted three-score 
 and ten, yet had Mr. Cox lived a century he would have died 
 young. Neither age nor physical infirmities could wrinkle his 
 sunny face, quench the fire of his eye, nor blight the evergreen 
 in his soul. 
 
 Our ideas associate the better world beyond with peace and 
 joy, mirth and song. If this be true, death for him was only 
 the lifting of the thin veil separating time from eternity. As 
 he left this, so he stepped upon the other shore. There was no 
 change. 
 
 As Prentice said of the immortal Cla\-: 
 
 But lie is i;<)ue, the free, the buM. 
 
 The champion of his country's right; 
 His burning eye is dim and cold, 
 
 And mute his voice of conscious might. 
 Oh, no! not mute; his stirring call 
 
 Can startle tyrants on their thrones. 
 And on the hearts of nations fall 
 
 More awful than his livin" tones. 
 
 ADDRESS OF MR. BUCKALEW, OF PENNSYLVANIA. 
 
 Mr. Speaker: I shall speak to a few points in the character 
 and career of Mr. Cox, leaving to others to draw a more com- 
 plete picture of the man and of the achievements by which he 
 is best known to this generation and will be remembered in 
 future times. 
 
 Mr. Cox went abroad in earlv manhood and again in mature 
 
(54 Address of Mr. Bucka/c'a\ of Pennsylvania, on the 
 
 age, and gained varied stores of knowledge from observation of 
 the natural features, the men. and the institutions of other 
 lands, first as a private citizen and again as a representative of 
 the Government of the United States. He was always obser\'- 
 ant, discriminating; enjoying the romantic and historic associa- 
 tions of all the places and scenes visited, constantly gathering 
 materials for reflection and conversation, for literary labor and 
 for public discourse. Europe gave to him vivid impressions of 
 her forms of civilization, the organizations of her governments, 
 the peculiarities of her people, and of the e\ils which attend 
 upon dense populations in crowded cities. 
 
 But he also found there a development in scientific pursuits, 
 in literature, and in art to which the Xew World has not at- 
 tained, and al.so ecclesiastical organizations antedating Colum- 
 bus and Newton, which yet in great measure dominate the 
 religious beliefs of the world. 
 
 And in the far East, upon the coasts of Africa and Asia, he 
 wandered like another \'olne\- among the ruins of empires, in- 
 dulging in reflection upon the mutability of human affairs, 
 gazing with astonishment upon the monuments of past grandeur 
 and contrasting them with present degeneracy and decay. The 
 .sacred land of the Jew.s, the capital of the Turk by the Mar- 
 morean Sea, and llial land of wonders, tlie \'alley of Egvpt, 
 brought back to memory the classic books of college davs: 
 Herodotus and Homer, the Mo.saicand Xew Testament writings, 
 tile polished pages of Xenoj)hon and (iiljbon. Perhaps he re- 
 called also with humorous enjo\ nicut tlu less pretentions nar- 
 rative of the I'uited States expedition under Lynch to explore 
 the tortuous courses of the Jordan and the salt waters of the 
 Dead .Sea. 
 
 In his last sojourn abroad lie --aw .nnl studied "the unspeak- 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 65 
 
 able Turk" in his home, his quick eye detecting elements of 
 the ludicrous, the incongruous, the romantic, and the pictur- 
 esque all arotiud him. There were the Mosque of Omar, once 
 a Christian church ; the seraglio of the Sultan, and all the 
 splendors of the Golden Horn; and in the bazars and streets 
 of the great city were to be seen men of various nationalities 
 and of varied costumes: the Bedouin of the desert, the pasha 
 with retinue from Damascus, the Maronite from Lebanon, Bul- 
 garians of the Danube, merchants from Macedonia, and the 
 pious pilgrim just preparing to join the annual caravan to holy 
 Mecca, to the tomb of the Prophet, far south toward the coffee 
 lands of Araby the Blest. No more varied and motley assem- 
 blage than can be seen at Constantinople was collected at Jeru- 
 .salem on the day of Pentecost, told of in the second chapter of 
 the Acts, when "Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the 
 dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judea, and Cappadocia, in 
 Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in 
 the parts of Lybia about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews 
 and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians," did each hear in his own 
 tongue of the wonderful works of God. 
 
 But whether at Constantinople or Cairo, at Rome or at Paris, 
 in Berlin or in London, Mr. Cox was ever the American, always 
 and everywhere "A Buckeye Abroad." If not a "stranger in 
 a strange land," if scenes grew familiar from nearness of view 
 and from recollections of their former glory, still, outside his 
 own country there was for him "no abiding city," no place to 
 be chosen for permanent abode. He would have languished 
 even as a member of the American colony at Paris. He did 
 tire of his surroundings and of inaction at Constantinople. He 
 longed to come back to our great city by the sea, to revisit his 
 native valley of the West, and above all and beyond all to stand 
 H. Mis. 243 5 
 
6<; .ld<iress of Mr. Biickalew, of Pcnusylvauia, on the 
 acrain in this House, a loved and honored representative of 
 American institutions and American men. 
 
 This desire was jrratified by the city of New York, which 
 again assigned to him a seat on this floor, and he appeared 
 among us at the opening of the Fiftieth Congress. 
 
 In that Congress Mr. Cox chose the position of chairman of 
 the Census Committee, and he reported the bill under which 
 the population and industrial statistics of the country are to be 
 taken the present year. The increase of the States and Terri- 
 tories in wealth and numbers was to him a subject of deep in- 
 terest and of patriotic pride. He rejoiced in all signs of public 
 prosperity and indulged hopeful anticipations of the future. 
 
 In the .same Congress he was conspicuous in support of irri- 
 gation surveys and works of water supply in the far \\'est. He 
 conceived such works in the Territories to be legitimate and 
 important objects of national policy, and his imagination bodied 
 forth a bright picture of prosperity for settler and citizen upon 
 our waste and arid lands when those lands should by such 
 works Ije reclaimed for human use. Canon, vallc>-. and ravine, 
 gorge and basin, were to be utilized; scientific skill was to bar 
 their outlets, and thousandsof made channels convey the stored- 
 up waters to town, garden, and farm, to fruit-tree, meadow, and 
 pasture land, in all those sections that skirt the mountains of 
 the vSouthwest. Under human control and directed to human 
 use. the great mountains that milk the clouds were to send 
 down to the thirstv plains their fructifying and life-giving 
 
 waters. 
 
 In supporting this policy he recurred to his observations in 
 Syria and A.sia Minor, where, by the destruction of mountain 
 forests and neglect of irrigation works thai once existed, water 
 supplies have been lost and sterility established uixni what were 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 67 
 
 once fertile lauds sustaining great populations and prosperous 
 states. 
 
 The admission of four new States into the Union was another 
 subject upon which Mr. Cox felt great interest at the last session, 
 and he exerted himself to the utmost in favor of the admission 
 bill in the House. He looked upon the rise of free Common- 
 wealths in the Northwest with genuine pride and with high 
 hopes of their future. That stalwart men by Puget Somid, in 
 the recesses of the Rocky Mountains, and along the Red River 
 of the North should have their desires fulfilled and a heart\- 
 ' ' God speed ' ' given them in their onward march to the posi- 
 tion of great States, gratified his sympathies and excited him to 
 zealous and determined effort. When in some one of those new 
 States a great capitol building shall be erected with a statue of 
 Samuel S. Cox placed at the entrance, a fitting tribute will 
 have been paid to his memory by the men he served. 
 
 It will be seen that the labors of Mr. Cox in the last Con- 
 gress were largely directed to the census enumeration of 1890, 
 with its elaborate industrial statistics for the whole country; to 
 the reclamation of arid and waste lands in the far West, and to 
 the admission of new States. Time would fail to sketch even 
 in outline the immense number and variety of subjects which 
 engaged his attention during his prior long service in this House. 
 He was here before the war of the rebellion, during the prog- 
 ress of that struggle and afterwards; always prominent in 
 debate and always prominent before the country. How well he 
 bore himself in all that time, what displays he made of fertility 
 in resources, aptness and quickness of movement, steady con- 
 sistency, discretion, and dauntless courage, is best known to 
 those who saw him most and judged him closely. It was, how- 
 ever, his quickness of perception and keen wit that specially 
 
68 Address of Mr. liiickaleic, of Pennsylvania, on the 
 
 distinguished him in Uk- House. Tliese enlivened discussion, 
 gave point or illustration to argument, and enabled him to 
 carry off the honors in many a contest. 
 
 His perceptive and receptive faculties were of a high order, 
 enabling him to take impressions and knowledge from all 
 sources — from nature, from books, and from men ; and what he 
 obtained he held in a retentive memory, and drew upon it at 
 pleasure. Thus he was mentally a full and a ready man, pre- 
 pared upon most subjects for discourse or exposition and to 
 comprehend and appreciate their treatment by others. Sensi- 
 tive at all times to the influence of his immediate surroundings 
 in communicaliou with an audience, a social circle, or a com- 
 panion, he received impressions as readily as he gave them; 
 hence, all his relations in human intercourse were relations of 
 mutual appreciation, and commonly those of sympathy also. 
 
 When he chose to amuse an audience the enjoyment of the 
 audience was liis own also, veiled by a discreet self-restraint in 
 its manifestation, and the .sympatlieiic bond which united 
 speaker and audience always remained unbroken. In efforts of 
 a discursive character, when fancy was let loose to depict re- 
 semblances or draw contrasts between things near and remote, 
 or those known and imagined, his audience went willingly with 
 liim ui>t)ii his excursion, and realized his picture in all its de- 
 tails, tiieir minds led captive by an art which with the speaker 
 was unfailing and instinctive. 
 
 In intellectual collision, in occasional conih.U, Mr. Cox ex- 
 celled. He was fitly armed for the fray and not loath to engage 
 his antagonist. In encounter his weapon was not the battle-ax 
 ol Richard, but the keen ciinetcr of .Sakulin, and that weapon 
 he wielded with an ability which intimidated foes and excited 
 theenlhusiaslic api)lause of friends and .supporters. Those who 
 
Life and Character of Savmel S. Cox. ()9 
 
 looked on admired the skill of the champion and enjoyed liis 
 triumph. Sympathy went with him alike in sportive foray 
 and in regular combat; for he was as chivalric as enterprising, 
 and struck only to disarm his antagonist, not to mutilate or 
 degrade him. Spitefulness and malice had no lodgment in his 
 soul; his anger when most provoked was curbed by magna- 
 nimity and self-respect, and he did not permit the sun to go 
 down upon his wrath. 
 
 He reasoned soundly, and often strong!)-, in debate; but to 
 the multitude it was his occasional strokes of witty allusion to 
 men and events, his pictures of the romantic or the ludicrous, 
 and his appeals to sympatliy and generous emotion that gave 
 zest to his discourse and elicited admiration. 
 
 That Mr. Cox loved admiration more than most men and 
 labored and toiled for it witli zeal and diligence is perfectly 
 true. To attain to a firm place in the hearts of his country- 
 men, and especially of his associates in public service — this was 
 the ardent desire of his soul, which in.spired effort, defied 
 fatigue, and was, briefly stated, a great motive-power of his 
 public life. But this love of approbation was of a very manly 
 sort, and was associated with moral and intellectual convictions 
 which gave steadiness to his character and withheld him from 
 the arts of the demagogue and from base subjection to the evil 
 influences of his time. 
 
 I think I may justly claim that he was not merely an honest 
 man in the common acceptation of that term, but that his in- 
 tegrity was of a high order and was constant and sure. When, 
 pending a late election in Ohio, his name, with those of others, 
 was forged to a pretended ballot-box contract, no effect to his 
 disparagement was produced in his native State. There and 
 everywhere else throughout the country, to all intelligent per- 
 
7i» Address of Mr. IiHckahu\ of Pennsylvania^ on t/ie 
 
 sons, it appeared incredible that Mr. Cox should turn speculator 
 in the legislation of Congress, and the charge was rejected be- 
 fore it was disproved. It was, in fact, as impossible that Mr. 
 Cox .should have engaged in the alleged enterprise as that the 
 eloquent member of this House from Kentucky [Mr. Breckin- 
 ridge] or the popular leader of this Hou.se [Mr. McKinley] 
 should have fallen into evil ways, or that the great Senator 
 from Ohio [Mr. Sherman] should ha\-c lost liis mental j)oise 
 and his superb caution in prospect of pett>' and illegitimate 
 gains. 
 
 Three men, each of long service in this House, ha\c taken 
 rank in public opinion and will take rank in our annals as men 
 of genuine wit: Randolph of Roanoke, Stephens of Pennsyl- 
 vania, and S.XMi'Ei, S. Cox. They were not jokers nor pun- 
 sters, nor were they .sentence-makers, like our American Junius 
 of the Senate; but in different wa\s, each with individual pecul- 
 iarities, they reached a like position and distinction as men of 
 pleasing and pungent speech. 
 
 It is by contrast that we can best \iew these former strong 
 men of the House. Randolph was eccentric and insubordinate; 
 in a majority willful and restless; in opposition lawless and un- 
 restrained. But from his speeches, in the imperfectly reported 
 debates of his time, may be .selected many a sparkling gem in 
 which thought and diction assumed almost perfect forms — 
 passages which channed the age in wliich they were uttered, 
 and now, after the lapse of three-fourths of a centnrv . linger 
 lonj; in the recollection of all who read them. 
 
 Thaddeus Stevens was a master of quick-witted speech. ( »n 
 nianv' an occasion his strokes of humor di.sarmed enmit\ and 
 eslnrted admiration. His humor was sometimes grim, some- 
 times i)layful, sometimes caustic, but it was aKva> s of genu- 
 
Life and Character of Sai)iiiel S. Cox. 71 
 
 ine stamp and was exacth" suited to his iimnediate purpose. 
 Twenty-two years ago, upon fit occasion in another place, I 
 sketched the character and career of that remarkable man, not 
 with words of fulsome praise, but, I think, with discrimination 
 and justice. 
 
 When we compare Mr. Cox with his ^predecessors many more 
 points of difference than of similarity appear. He was unlike 
 them in form, in manner, in modes of thought, in habits of life. 
 He had not the bony finger, often extended, of the one, nor the 
 . impassive countenance and demeanor of the other. To those 
 who will seek for them there are .somber lines of coloring in 
 any complete picture of Randolph or Stevens, but in the por- 
 trait of Cox the lines are all light and cheerful. No bodily 
 imperfection, as in the case of Byron, gave to him embittered 
 reflection or caused embittered speech. 
 
 He enjoyed life and imparted enjoyment to others. He was 
 in sympathy with his surroundings, and obstacles in his way 
 did not discourage him. He was a diligent worker and loved 
 his work, for thereby he wrought out results, secured self-ap- 
 probation and the approval of others. He was distinguished 
 by versatility in labor and employment. His time was not 
 wasted. Independent of Congressional service, he read much 
 and he wrote much — correspondence, books, essays, speeches, 
 lectures, newspaper articles. 
 
 He spoke often to great audiences and to select ones. His 
 active life, full of incident and achievement, was beyond ques- 
 tion a happy life also. Randolph was admired and feared ; Cox 
 was admired and loved. Many warm friends stood bj' him 
 from youth upward, and many new ones gathered around him 
 in mature age. Their sympathy encouraged and sustained him 
 in all his life-work and attended him to its close. 
 
72 Address of .\fr. MiMillin^ of Tciincssei\ on the 
 
 He- was also fortunate in liis home — a home wliere his affec- 
 tions could liave safe and steady anchorage — and in a compan- 
 ion who merited all his esteem and held his whole heart as her 
 priceless and unchallenged possession. To that companion, 
 now sitting bereaved in the great city by the Hudson, goes out, 
 and will continue to go out, the sincere and profound sympathy 
 of tiiis House. 
 
 ADDRESS OF MR. McMlLLlN, OF TENNESSEE. 
 
 Mr. Speaker: Death has again invaded our ranks. What 
 .sad reflections crowd upon us when contemplating the fall 
 of this learned patriot! "The silver cord has been loosed, 
 * * * the golden bowl broken." The three men oldest in 
 .service in the House all taken from us in less than two hundred 
 days ! Mr. Cox, whose loss we mourn lo-day, was elected to 
 this House fourteen times. Mr. Randall, whom we sadly fol- 
 lowed to the tomb this week, was elected fourteen times. 
 Judge Kelley, wlio died after the holidays, was elected fifteen 
 times. Thc\- were all unostentatious in manner, patient in 
 labor, patriotic in purpose. Do we realize the loss when cm 
 experienced statesman dies ? Ivearning may be gathered here 
 again, and intellect may be obtained, but their experience, 
 gone forexer, car. not be supplied. 
 
 S.\MUEi. S. Cii.x was born m Ohio, September 30, 1S24. .\ 
 college graduate with distinguished honors at the age of 22; 
 secretary to the legation to Peru at 31; a member of Congress 
 at ^},. He repre.'enled the capital district of Ohio for eight 
 years. He came from tiiat great State at the time when Thur- 
 inaii and \'allandighani, distinguished Democrats, were meeting 
 
Life and Cliaracter of Samuel S. Cox. 73 
 
 in tlie intellectual arena Sherman, Josluia R. Giddings, and 
 other strong men of their party. He concluded to change his 
 residence, but followed not the usual course of emigration in 
 this countr}' southward or westward. He looked east and be- 
 held a great city stretching out on the Hudson and the Sound, 
 spread around which, not confined to one State, were other 
 grand cities, making a center of popidation the wonder and ad- 
 miration of the age and the glory of the continent. Metropol- 
 itan in its proportions, it had in its midst business men from 
 every quarter of the globe and every nationality of the woidd. 
 
 To this city, which was too big for jealousies, too grand for 
 rivalries, and too great for prejudices— to New York — he wended 
 his way. Quick to perceive merit and ready to reward it, Mr. 
 Cox was received in the city of his adoption with open arms. 
 He was learned in the lore of every land. He could talk intel- 
 ligently to every nationality of the things peculiar to itself 
 All lands and tongues were tributary to his knowledge. When 
 he narrated his travels, by his genius a more enchanting witch- 
 ery danced upon the waters across which he had been wafted 
 and a brighter halo hovered around the hills over which he 
 clambered. 
 
 When he arrived in New York his welcome was not confined 
 to mere words. Ten times he was elected to this House from 
 New York City, sometimes by the district in which he lived, at 
 other times by districts of which he was not a resident. Every 
 member of this House can bear truthful testimony to the un- 
 tiring vigilance with which he watched its interests and the 
 great ability with which he defended them. 
 
 Married in early life, he was blessed with a companion who 
 went with him in all his trials and rejoiced in all his triumphs. 
 Both intellectual and learned, she was in full sympathy with 
 
74 Address of Ml . AfcMi//in, of Tentiesscc^ on the 
 
 all his intellectual exertions. A sympathetic nation joins in 
 her sorrow for her illustrious dead. 
 
 Mr. Cox was one of my first acquaintances when 1 came to 
 the extra session of the Forty-sixth Congress. I remember 
 with pleasure now the warm welcome he gave me. I knew 
 him well. His intellect was of a high order and his learning 
 very great. He had, too, that kind of intellect which makes 
 all feel and appreciate it. He combined with a high sense of 
 the ludicrous a quick perception and a strong understanding. 
 He was also a great student. When Atticus asked Cicero to 
 recount the means Ijy which he had achieved his marvelous 
 success, the orator replied that he studied three years for the 
 forum and practiced two years, during which he met Hortensius; 
 that he was not satisfied with his own style, and that he traveled 
 two years in the East to study and reform it; that during this 
 entire seven years he hardly let a da>- escape him that he did 
 not write something, memorize something, and compose some- 
 thing. Mr. Cox, like the eloquent Tully, was an untiring 
 worker. I knew no man who could work more rapidh- or did 
 work more constantly. He was gifted with rare ability to con- 
 ceive beautiful and forcible thoughts and extraordinary eloquence 
 to promulgate them. 
 
 He loved his country with the fervor which should charac- 
 terize a patriot whose ancestors had fought in the Revolution. 
 His great-grandfather had drawn the sword of a captain in that 
 glorious struggle and had sheathed the sword of a general. 
 After the close of the conflict, realizing that — 
 
 liencith the rule of men entirely urent, 
 'I'he pen is nii^liticr than the sword, 
 
 he participated in his country's councils as .i iiienil)ei of Con- 
 gress. 
 
Li/c and C/iarac/cr of Samuel S. Cox. 75 
 
 Ezekiel Cox, father of Sajii'KL S. Cox, was also a member 
 of the legislature of his State, where he won distinction. What 
 his fathers fonght for and established he maintained. His 
 tongue and pen were both dedicated to the institutions of his 
 countr\'. The perpetuation of constitutional government was 
 the aspiration of his youth, the aim of his most vigorous man- 
 hood, and the solicitude of his declining vears. The mad pas- 
 sions of sectional hate never burned in his bosom; 'the unmanly 
 utterance of sectional prejudice never polluted his tongue. 
 
 Our flag was emblematic to him of one country and one people. 
 The brightness of each star and the whitene.ss of each stripe 
 told him of a great Government, where ever\- State had a right 
 to administer its domestic concerns in its own way, yet where 
 all the States were cemented together in the bonds of constitu- 
 tional union for the general welfare and the common good. 
 
 He ever contended for the observance of the Constitution. 
 He was always found in the ranks, or rather in the lead, of those 
 who struggled to maintain the rights of man. He took high 
 rank in whatever field of intellectual labor he entered. Whether 
 we view him as student or journalist, as historian or statesman, 
 he was the same — strong in intellect, eloquent in speech, warm 
 in his friendships. He was gentle as the breeze to his friends, 
 but dreadful as the storm to his antagonists. 
 
 Mr. Speaker, when another century shall have passed away; 
 when the State of his birth shall have attained 10,000,000 popu- 
 latioti and the city of his adoption shall have become the me- 
 tropolis of the world, as it is now the metropolis of the continent; 
 when this glorious Republic shall have a quarter of a billion of 
 people and the student of histor\- looks back to the first century of 
 our national existence, wherever his mind lingers to revel in the 
 delights of literature or wanders to the far-off land of Leonidas 
 
76 Address of Mr. GrosiTiior, of Ohio, on /lie 
 
 and Lycurgus, with the faithful diplomat, or studies statecraft in 
 most eloquent appeals for free government, there will be found 
 the foot-prints in histor>- of .Samuki. Sn.i.ivAN Cox. 
 
 ADDRESS OF MR. GROSVENOR, OF OHIO. 
 
 Mr. Speaker: I come as a Representative from the State of 
 Ohio to lay upon this bier the tribute of a personal friend and 
 admirer of the late .Samuei. S. Cox. He was born and raised 
 in Ohio. He was educated, in part, in the Ohio University, in 
 the town of Athens, where I live, and he grew to mature man- 
 hood in his native State. He was editor of a leading Demo- 
 cratic paoer published at Columbus, and as such won his first 
 literary fame. At that early day he was a graceful and eloquent 
 writer. 
 
 Returning from his post as secretary- of legation at Peru, he 
 was elected to the Thirty-fifth, Thirty-sixth, Thirty-seventh, 
 and Thirty-eighth Congresses from the State of Ohio, and held 
 high position in the Democratic part\' as their representative in 
 national conventions from that State. So it is proper that Ohio 
 should claim a great interest in his fame and character. 
 
 His father was a prominent merchant, residing in the Mus- 
 kingum Valley, and introduced into the Ohio legislature the 
 first bill looking to the improvement by the State of that 
 splendid water-way. The only speech, it is said, that wa.s ever 
 made by the elder Cox, although long connected with politics, 
 was made from llie vantage-ground of a dr\-goods box, on a 
 street corner, in the light of a bonfire that had been kindled by 
 the enthusiastic people in celebration of the passage of the hill 
 to improve the Muskingum River. In the last Congress in 
 
Life and Character of Saniucl S. Cox. 11 
 
 which the son served he aided, advised, and assisted to secure 
 the complete establishment of a successful and valuable im- 
 provement of the same river by the ITnited States Congress. 
 
 He never lost his interest in Ohio and Ohio affairs. Con- 
 nected by blood and marriage with several prominent families 
 in the State, he kept up his friendly interest in all the aifairs of 
 Ohio, and one of the remarkable phases of his mind was that 
 he carried into all the ramifications of fifty years his memory of 
 the families and people with whom he had associated in his 
 boyhood. 
 
 I shall not attempt, Mr. Speaker, to dwell at length upon the 
 high qualities exhibited by our lamented friend in his long 
 service in the House of Representatives. There are others 
 here who knew him better, because they served longer with 
 him. Coming here as I did in the very zenith of his power and 
 influence in the House, I looked upon him as one of the most 
 brilliant and capable men whom I had ever known. I never 
 knew a man with such varied ability in debate. He was pos- 
 sessed of a fine education, which he had kept alive by persistent 
 application, constantly familiarizing himself with the literature 
 of the country and the world. He preserved in all its brilliancy 
 and freshness the splendid education he received in the schools, 
 and on the floor of the House, in the heated debates, he utilized 
 his knowledge with wonderful adaptation and marvelous ra- 
 pidity- of thought and action. 
 
 When upon the floor of the House, in the full tide of debate, 
 with all the sails of his wit, knowledge, and eloquence set, he 
 was the most dangerous antagonist ever encountered by an 
 opponent, in my estimation. The flashes of his wit flew like 
 lightning, and always struck the object aimed at. He never 
 failed to respond with a promptness that astounded his adver- 
 
78 .iddi-css 1)/ Mr. I'rrosvctwr, of O/iio, on the 
 
 sary. It was at times like this that the marvelous resources of 
 the mau mauifested themselves. He dwelt upon histor)-, poetry, 
 wit, sentiment, pathos, and eloquence, and all these varied re- 
 sources came to his support, and falling into the martial array 
 of liis splendid abilities, he directed them all with the unerring 
 hand of genius against his foe. 
 
 He was seldom bitter, but always ready. He was seldom 
 cruel to his adversar>', but always incisive and prompt. He 
 exhibited one of the great characteristics of his nature in the 
 discharge of his duties in Congress. He was a man conspicu- 
 ous for his kindliness of spirit. He was ready to help the 
 weaker. No man ever appealed to him for kindly sympath)- in 
 vain. The younger or inexperienced member of Congress 
 never applied to him for advice in regard to parliamentary pro- 
 cedure that he did not patiently and willingly give it to him. 
 No man ever asked him a favor as a personal accommodation, 
 in the business of the House, if it were within the bounds of 
 possibility, that he did not grant it. His battle for the letter- 
 carriers, his strong advocacy of the interests of the life-saving 
 stations, were the outgrowth of his kindly sympathy. He 
 helped the weakest. His s\inpathies went out to the poor. 
 
 He aided tho.se who needed help, and not those v»'ho could 
 help themselves. His mind was broad and comprehensive and 
 respousi\e to the just and intelligent observation of the affairs 
 of the whole coiintr> . It was often a mar\el to me that, lead- 
 ing tlie hurrying, pushing life that he ilitl licre, when question 
 after question aro.se, varied 'n theii scoj)e, widely different in 
 operation, affecting the remote .sections of the nation with in- 
 terests widely differing, he should be found ready armed and 
 equi])ped for every emergency. 
 
 .\s a writer lie earlv achieved fame, as I have alreadv said, 
 
Life and C/iarac/cr of Samuel S. Cox. 79 
 
 and it was in those lines of literature involving beautiful descrip- 
 tions, pathetic illustration, and appealing to human nature tliat 
 he distinguished himself. 
 
 As the presiding officer of this House he brought to the dis- 
 charge of his duty the same readiness of action, promptness of 
 judgment, and consistency of conduct that he displayed uj^on 
 the floor and in every other place. It was his ambition to 
 be Speaker of the House. If he ever bewailed misfortune in 
 politics, it was because he never attained that high position. 
 If it had been his lot to be selected by his party associates as 
 Speaker, it is my judgment that he would have made a career 
 conspicuous among the conspicuous men who have occupied 
 that exalted position. 
 
 His mind was of the very type that makes it possible for a 
 Speaker to be able to rule and yet be poptilar. He would have 
 shown no partiality in his position to men or measures. He 
 would not have availed himself of the power and patronage of 
 his exalted position to punish his enemies, retard the growth of 
 his rivals, or foster his personal ambitions. He would not 
 have left the Speaker's chair with the unpleasant consciousness 
 that he had gotten even with his enemies by leveling himself 
 down to their level. He was a generous man. He was always 
 ready to recognize ability where he saw it, and he saw it with au 
 eye trained in the accuracy of discernment. 
 
 He was tenacious of his political opinions. Once adopting 
 as true a theory of politic 1 action and propriety, he never fal- 
 tered in his advocacy of it. For many years he occupied a posi- 
 tion far in advance of the recognized leaders of his party upon 
 the great question of the tarifi", and he never hesitated to boldly 
 proclaim his opinions. 
 
 No matter that his party might deal in glittering generalities 
 
80 Address oj Mr. Grosreitor^ of Ohio, on the 
 
 in their platforms, he struck out straight from the shoulder. 
 His flag was always flying; his opinions always put to the front. 
 Xo man can say that he dodged an issue like that. It did not 
 affect him unfavorably to call him a free-trader, for on more 
 than one occasion he proclaimed that he gloried in the name. 
 
 It was his honest belief in the wisdom and propriety of his 
 I)osition that made him bold to announce it ; and as with all 
 men of original ideas and original thought, when they have 
 by a process of thinking adopted a policy they believe in it 
 and are bold to proclaim il and defend it, so it was with 
 Co.x. 
 
 Possibly there was nothing in his career that was more an- 
 noying to him than the public estimation that had grown up 
 that he was a sort of a professional humorist, and with what 
 opportunity I had I tried to study the man in this regard and to 
 ascertain whether the wit, repartee, and humor that came bub- 
 bling up from the inexhaustible resources of his mind were 
 studied eflforts or otherwise. Complaining that he was charac- 
 terized as a humorist, was he studying the art nevertheless? 
 It took but a very brief analysis of his character to serve the 
 purpose. 
 
 The bright things which he said and which have passed into 
 permanent record were spontaneous and not prearranged. His 
 wit was born at the moment. His repartee came rushing forth, 
 suggested by his opponent. The verv challenge produced the 
 answer. The thought came as a flash of lightning. 1 1 was in- 
 spiration. It was naturalh' original with him, more naturally 
 spontaneous with him than an\- other man of my actiuaiulance. 
 Often and over again have 1 witnes.sed the sharp-wilted re- 
 spon.se to the challenge of some one, and the whole House was 
 in a roar before the genllfUKiii from New York .seemed in the 
 
Life and CJiaraclcr of Samuel S. Cox. 81 
 
 least to appreciate that he had said anything out of the common 
 run of discourse. 
 
 He was a man without malice. He fought hard and dealt 
 heavy blows in a contest, but when the battle ceased there was 
 no bitterness behind. He had statesmanship as well as poli- 
 tics. He saw with unerring knowledge and judgment that the 
 great Northwest was rapidly assuming vast political impor- 
 tance ; that the demand for statehood of those splendid Territories 
 could not be delayed or balked longer by political "jugglery;" 
 that the star of empire had taken its way to the West, and that 
 the result was to be new States. 
 
 No party consideration could limit and destroy his accuracy 
 of vision or the patriotism of his action. Following as a true 
 party man the leadership of his party to a certain point, he 
 boldly gave notice that while the bill was in the House he 
 would follow the caucus demand, but if the Senate took a 
 broader view, a more patriotic view, a view more in accordance 
 with his judgment, he should insist that his party yield to that 
 suggestion, and failing or refusing that he would follow his 
 party no further. His action in that behalf was recognized by 
 the people of those Territories, and when he went to visit them 
 they received him with open anns and accorded to him assur- 
 ances of a generous recognition of the part he had taken in 
 their behalf I would that it might have been ordained that he 
 should live to see with his own eyes, on the 4th of July next, 
 the flag of his beloved country unfurled in her official places 
 with her added stars, for the creation of which he so faithfully 
 struggled. 
 
 In his appreciation of the growth of the West and his pride 
 in the manifest destiny of that great section of the country was 
 developed a prominent trait in his character. Born and edu- 
 H. Mis. 243 r. 
 
S2 Address of Mr. Grosvenor.^ of Ohio ^ on the 
 
 cated in Ohio, then a younger and newer State, he grew to an 
 appreciation of the wants of a growing, thriving, prosperous, 
 agricultural free country. Had he remained in the West he 
 would have been, in my judgment, a greater man. I do not 
 believe that the city constituency that he so long represented 
 after he left Ohio was calculated to bring him into so close 
 relations to the thought of the people as would have been con- 
 tact with the Western constituency, anil it was remarkable to 
 observe how in the career wf this man his early inspirations, his 
 early ambitions, his early judgment of men and things, adhered 
 to him in after life. Circumscribed by the city constituency, 
 not one-tenth part of whom he knew, he yet became the repre- 
 sentative in all things of the great people with whom he had 
 grown up. It is not a disparagement to his later constituency 
 that it was an environment rather than an inspiration to the gal- 
 lant young .-Vmerican whom they selected as their represent- 
 ative. 
 
 Now, Mr. Speaker, the long column of the dead pass in re- 
 view before us of the Fifty-first Congress — Cox, Nutting, and 
 Wilber, Laird', Gay, and Kellcy, Randall, Humes, and Town- 
 shend — nine have gone forth, and we are here to finish as well as 
 we can the work that is set before us. 
 
 I have no taste or talent for philo.sophy on an occasion like 
 this. When a man liki Mr. Co.x, in llic \ery zenith of his in- 
 tellectual power and in the very heyday of his usefulness, passes 
 away, we can. not, as we consider his character and the myslerv 
 into which he has gone, hesitate to believe that somewhere, in 
 some other condition of existence, we shall meet again. 1 do 
 not believe that the creation of man is such a failure as we 
 would be compelled to believe if we tlionglu these nine com- 
 rades of onrs liad been so suddcuK and untiMieK transferred 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 83 
 
 from this sphere of existence, to be heard of, to live, no more 
 forever. 
 
 I shall cherish the virtues of those men. I shall, so far as 
 ray ability goes, emulate the example of those men; and I shall 
 trust that in a better world, at a future time, I shall know the 
 mystery, solve the problem, and understand that it is the devel- 
 opment of a wise provision of the Creator that this should be 
 but the training school and death the open door through which 
 we shall pass to a better world beyond. 
 
 Address of Mr, Outhwaite, of Ohio. 
 
 Mr. Speaker: It seems peculiarly appropriate that I should 
 participate in these ceremonies to commemorate the virtues of 
 Samuel Sullivan Cox, coming here as a Representative from 
 the city whence he first came as such and from the district 
 which first honored him and itself by recognizing his abilities 
 and requiring his .services in Congress. In a large portion of 
 this district his name is almost a household word, his fame is 
 treasured with affectionate pride, and his loss mourned as a per- 
 sonal bereavement. In all that I may say to extol him there 
 will be no more than the utterance of the sentiments of his 
 constituents. 
 
 My youth was spent in the town where he was born, and my 
 earliest recollection of a political meeting is of the one at which 
 he spoke in his native city just after his first nomination for 
 Congress. I shall not now attempt to portray the impressions of 
 that delightful hour, but must .say that from that time on the 
 course and career of the speaker has held my admiring atten- 
 
84 Address o/ Mr. Oitttra'aite., of Ohio., on the 
 
 lion. I most deepl\- regret that I am not able to properly review 
 his life and character, his achievements and excellences. 
 
 Samuel Sullivan Cox was born in Zauesville, Ohio, on the 
 30th of September, 1824; he died on the loth of September, 
 1889, in the \ery fnllness of his perfect manhood and before his 
 years, through any waning of strength or deca>-, had become 
 "but labor and sorrow." His life had been complete and rich. 
 Honors and places had been his to accept or refuse, and we can 
 not doubt that other honors and other places awaited him. 
 
 In preparing even for a slight review of such a life, in regard- 
 ing the stead\' march of events from childhood to youth, from 
 youth to manhood, and the development of inherent character 
 which kept pace with or e\en outstripped waiting circumstances, 
 one sees how the man did but fulfill the promise of the boy. 
 
 If, then, we are to attain to an\- real understanding of this 
 character, its forming causes and inherited tendencies; if we 
 are to come to any appreciative knowledge of this life, so preg- 
 nant of early promise, so rich in mature fruition; if youths are 
 to be benefited by the example of this brilliant boyhood or 
 genealogy to be advanced towards a science, the earl\- life of 
 vSa.miel .SiLLiVAX Cox must not be passed over in silence, nor 
 can reference to his ancestry be omitted. 
 
 He was a many-sided man, broad, bra\e, and good; his aspi- 
 rations were of the loftiest; he was indefatigable in the pursuit 
 of knowledge; his overflowing sense of humor never led him to 
 an\' toleration of the ignoble or l)ase; his whole nature turned 
 towards the noble, the pure, the true. Investigation siiows 
 lliat liis ancestrx' po.sse.ssed all the (pialities that were found com- 
 p;icl in Jiis broad and fertile brain. To say this does not detract 
 from his originalitv' or from his acquirements by patient stud\ 
 and deep rese;irch, hm onl\- gives llie world a striking proof of 
 
Life a>id Character of Sa»iucl S. Cox. 85 
 
 what study and training can accomplish in the development of 
 such qualities of mind, heart, and soul. 
 
 That "the child is father to the man" is nowhere more 
 charmingly and conclusively illustrated than by the reminis- 
 cences of those who knew and loved vS. S. Cox in his early 
 childhood and youth. Then, as in mature life, he was bright, 
 sunny, genial, fond of fun, sparkling with wit, always truthful, 
 fearless, and generous, never hesitating to confess a fault of his 
 own and ever'ready to defend the weak and oppressed. 
 
 He was always a bright scholar, always ready to help any 
 who lagged behind him in the race for learning. Indeed, a 
 cousin relates how he was taught his letters by this boy, who, 
 having reached the mature age of six, desired to put his play- 
 mate, six months vounger, on a level with his own advance- 
 ment. 
 
 Much of his time in early childhood was spent in reading 
 books of travel, and very early he told his mother that he was 
 going to visit the Holy Land; that he should go to Russia; 
 that he should see the Sultan and the minarets of Constanti- 
 nople, and that he was going to the North Pole, or near enough 
 to it to see the sun go round without setting. All these dreams 
 of his youth were fulfilled, and his graphic descriptions of 
 these very trips are familiar in the books he has written. 
 
 One of his earliest teachers was Rev. George Sedgwick, of 
 Zanesville. Among the scholars in this school were three 
 whose character even then gave promise of future greatness, a 
 promise abundantly fulfilled. The three were afterwards known 
 to the world as Rev. Dr. Aschmore, for many years a faithful 
 and eminent Baptist missionary in China; the late Justice 
 Woods, of the United States Supreme Court, and Samuel 
 Sullivan Cox. 
 
86 Address of Mr. Outhivaite, of Ohio, on the 
 
 He was prepared for the Ohio University, at Athens, under 
 Professor Howe, a well known and somewhat distinguished 
 educator in those early days. The old academy which he at- 
 tended in Zanesv'ille was situated on Market street, on the 
 present site of Duvall's machine shops. Professor Howe was 
 a man of learning and cultivation. 
 
 S.^MUEL was always full of his boyish pranks, even venturing 
 sometimes to play tricks on his dignified father, for which it is 
 said that his eldest brother, Thomas, used not infrequently to 
 receive the reproof and punislfment rather than betray the real 
 culprit, to whom his self-sacrifice would be all unknown. 
 
 But he was a diligent and enthusiastic student, who won 
 and kept a high j^lace among his cla.ssmates. Before he had 
 passed out of boyhood he was appointed deputy to his father, 
 who was then serving as clerk of the supreme court and of the 
 court of common pleas. Even at this early age he was so thor- 
 oughly conversant with all the business of the office that a great 
 pari of it was safely intrusted to him. 
 
 .S. S. Cox made a brilliant beginning in his university course 
 at .Vlhens, and would doubtless have been graduated there but 
 for a rebellion among the students, caused by what they consid- 
 ered an arbitrary ruling on the part of President McGuff\ in re- 
 gard to one of their number, which resulted in the withdrawal 
 from tlie college of the senior class in a body. 
 
 During his time at Athens a lawsuit between the college and 
 the town was decided in fa\or of the' latter, niucli to the dis- 
 pleasure of the students. Party spirit ran high, and the divis- 
 ion lines were as marked as in fights between " townsmen and 
 gownsmen " in an English university town. A celebration 
 most distasteful to the college was decided on; a bonfire was to 
 be built, speeches made, and a cannon fired. The bonfire 
 
Life and Cliaractcr of Samuel S. Cox. 87 
 
 blazed, the speeches were made, but the boom of the cannon 
 was not heard, the " great- gun " of the town, a 6-pounder, 
 having been prudently spiked the night before by a daring col- 
 lege boy. It was not known till long after that the vouth who 
 so effectually silenced the voice of the cannon for that and for 
 many succeeding nights was S. S. Cox. 
 
 At Brown University, which he entered after leaving Athens, 
 and where he studied under Dr. Wayland, he carried off the 
 highest prizes in history, literary criticism, and the classics, 
 and in what was perhaps even then his favorite study, political 
 economy, the not inconsiderate prizes which he received for 
 these achievements materially assisting in his support while he 
 pursued his college course. 
 
 His study of the law was zealous, thorough, and comprehen- 
 sive, and he came to the bar well equipped to take a high place 
 in this profession. He chose the capital city of Ohio as his 
 field of practice; but not long after making his home there he 
 became editor of the Ohio Statesman, then, in fact, the journal 
 of his party in the State. Soon his marked abilit}- as a jour- 
 nalist and as a political writer gave him a national reputation, 
 and in 1855 he was appointed by President Pierce secretary of 
 the legation in Pern. Having returned home in 1856, he was 
 elected as a Representative in Congress from the Columbus 
 district. 
 
 He was then continued in Congress four consecutive terms, 
 and was here participating in the momentous legislation imme- 
 diately preceding the civil war and during three eventful years 
 of it. Early in his career he took a high place in the councils 
 of his party. Three times he was sent as a delegate to the 
 national Democratic convention and assisted materially in 
 framing the declaration of its policy upon two occasions. He 
 
88 Address of Mr. Oiil/ra-aitc, of Ohio, on the 
 
 left Ohio to live in New York City in 1866, and was soon again 
 sent to Congress, and was retnrned for four consecutive terms. 
 In 1872 lie was defeated as candidate at large for the vState of 
 New York, but was subsequently elected to the same Congress 
 to fill the vacanc\- caused by the death of James Brooks. From 
 that time he was almost continuously a Representative in Con- 
 gress from the great city. 
 
 Appointed minister to Turkey in 1885, he remained at that 
 honorable post but little over a year, and returning to the me- 
 tropolis he was at once elected to fill a vacancy, and was returned 
 as the member from the Ninth district of New York to the Fifty- 
 first Congress. .A.s such he died, and we are here to-day to 
 honor his memor>'. A busy life closed at the ver\- zenith of its 
 usefulness. For nearly a third of a century, with brief inter- 
 missions, he has been a familiar figure here. He has left the 
 impress of his heart and mind upon the legislation of his coun- 
 try to an extent equaled by few of his contemporaries. He was 
 always earnest, full of courage, and true to his convictions of 
 dut)-. Having determined for himself what course was right, 
 he firmly adhered to it, leaving the consequences to take care 
 of themselves or to be wisely controlled thereafter. 
 
 In his dedication to his constituents in Ohio of his book en- 
 titled Eight Years in Congress, published in 1S65, he says: 
 
 1 voted to avert tlie impending war by every measure of adjustment; 
 and wlien war came, by my votes for money and men, I aided tlic .Admin- 
 istration in maintaining the Federal authority over the insurgent Slates. 
 Sustained by you, I su])i)orted every measure which was constitutional 
 and expedient to cru.sh a rebelhon. .\t the same time. I liave freel\' chal- 
 lenged the conduct of tlie .Xdministration in the use of the means com- 
 mitted to it by a devoted people, lielieving that a ))roper use of such 
 means wouhl bring pea<eand union, and believing in no ])eace as perma- 
 nent unless It were wedded to the L^nion in love and contentmcni. I ha\'e 
 omitted no opimriuniiy to forward ilicse objects. 
 
Life and Cliaraclcr of Sam ml S. Cox. S9 
 
 There is the chart by which he was guided in those tempest- 
 uous times. No truer patriot ever trod the floor of this Chamber. 
 Anotlier marked characteristic of the man was his sympathy 
 for those in danger, difficulty, or distress. His efforts in behalf 
 of the Life-Saving .Service were of immeasurable value, both 
 for those whose lives were imperiled upon the deep along our 
 ocean coasts and those whose rescuers have been stationed there 
 largely through his efforts to render needful aid. 
 
 The struggles of labor always moved his heart. Where leg- 
 islation could ameliorate them he became a ready champion, 
 and more than one large body of the Government's emplov^s 
 gratefully recall his services for their welfare. 
 
 I will not undertake to comment upon his many other valua- 
 ble services, they are so numerous. He was ever a zealous 
 advocate of such measures as he thought would extend and in- 
 crease the glory of his countr)-. The enthusiasm of this senti- 
 ment caused him to champion with fervor the admission of all 
 the Territories seeking statehood in the Fiftieth Congress. The 
 two Dakotas, Washington, and Montana should ever honor his 
 name. They owe him more than a passing tribute of praise. 
 While he was always full of work, either upon literary matters 
 or affairs of state, Mr. Cox was ever ready to give time and 
 attention to any who called on him for advice or assistance. 
 Almost daily other members came to him for information, 
 counsel, or assistance, which he gave with pleasure. 
 
 He often became so much interested in matters for younger 
 or less experienced members as to immediately take upon him- 
 self the duty of chief advocate or defender of the cause. His 
 varied and unfailing store of information, his long experience 
 as a parliamentarian, and his tact and quickness as a debater 
 made him a valuable ally. Even during the last Congress, 
 
90 Address of Mr. Oii//i2caih\ of Ohio, ou the 
 
 twent)-five years since he had been a citizen of Ohio, he received 
 
 letters from his old constituents there requesting his help, and 
 
 the>- were attended to. He will long be cherished among them 
 
 for— 
 
 Thai best portion of a good man's life. 
 His litlle, nameless, unremembered acts 
 Of kindness anil of love. 
 
 Turning again to the grave characteristics of the man, we 
 must say of Mr. Cox that he was a scholar for the love of learn- 
 ing, who never abated the zeal of his study until he had mas- 
 tered the subject under investigation. He was a citizen whose 
 wide travel in foreign lands only strengthened his affection for 
 his own country and intensified his faith in tlie wisdom and 
 beneficence of her institutions. Although a partisan from pro- 
 found convictions, he was ever ready to yield to the apparently 
 superior demands of progress or of patriotism, and "always 
 strove to make his party conservative of his country." 
 
 A statesman largely gifted with practical legislative power, 
 free from the l)igotr\ of sectionalism, abounding in general 
 knowledge of the wants, interests, and aspirations of the people 
 of every part of this land, and of all .sorts and conditions of 
 men, and perfectly familiar with the fundamental principles of 
 this Oovernnient, he was the active promoter of all good causes 
 before Congress, a constant, \igilant, and determined defender 
 of the harmony of the constitutional relation between the Fed- 
 eral Union and the States, and the watchful and resolute 
 antagonist of all attempts at encroachments upon the reserved 
 rights of the jjeople. 
 
 While Mr. Cox was one of the foremost political economists 
 of ihf counlr\-, a statesman familiar with public affairs and 
 gra\e international (jucstions, and a stutlenl of social problems, 
 he has found time to ornament .\merican literature with manv 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 91 
 
 bright pages, and produce some delightful books of travel, and 
 has contributed handsomely to the political history of recent 
 times. His speeches in the House and upon the stump have 
 always given pleasure as well as afforded instruction. "Wit, 
 eloquence, and poesy" were ready at his command. No debate 
 in which he participated ever languished into dull mediocrit>-. 
 Rarely gifted by nature, he had strengthened his powers and 
 enlarged their scope by the discipline and culture which educa- 
 tion gives. He was a tireless worker, and never depended upon 
 his stored force when there was an opportunity to acquire more 
 by special preparation. He once gave this explanation of his 
 ability to accomplish so much : 
 
 I began my life in a county clerk's office, and I there learned good 
 business habits. My college days were spent at Brown University under 
 Dr. Wayland, the man who wrote the Political Economy. Dr. Wayland 
 was a great advocate of exhaustive-thought analysis, and he made his 
 students analyze everything they took up. Under him I learned analytic 
 thinking, and this I found of great advantage to myself in after years. 
 When I began a debate on the floor of this House I saw the end of my 
 speech before I said the first word; everything fitted itself to its proper 
 place, and I did not repeat, as is often done. When I studied Black- 
 stone, after leaving college, by the aid of my training in analysis I found 
 that I could repeat almost the whole of it in my own language, and since 
 then, throughout the whole of my life, I have found analysis of the great- 
 est advantage. 
 
 His friend and eulogist, the Hon. Proctor Knott, among many 
 other good things, said of him: 
 
 He realized that labor was the only talisman of success. He ate no 
 idle bread. He flung away no priceless moment. In his boyhood, as in 
 his mature age, he was a prodigy of intellectual activity, a miracle of 
 mental energy. 
 
 Therein is one of the secrets of his great success. Another 
 was his genial temperameirt and lovable disposition. He won 
 
92 Address of Mr. Oiif/ncai/e, of Ohio, on the 
 
 the hearts of men, whether in the fields of his first constituency 
 or the rush and bustle of the jjreat metropolis. Even casual 
 acquaintances felt drawn to him by a sense of companionship. 
 
 His friendships were numberless and imrestrictcd b>' social 
 standing or party ties. With inibounded faith in the integrity 
 and good sense of the people, he won their confidence and ne\er 
 betrayed the trust. Passing through the years of trying ordeals 
 and great temptations to public men, no breath of suspicion 
 ever whispered a charge against his private character and "not 
 a stain or speck ever stuck to his official gannents. " 
 
 Ex-President Cleveland, at the memorial exercises at Cooper 
 Union, on October lo, said to his constituents: 
 
 I shall not, however, forbear mentioning the fact that your late Repre- 
 sentative, in all his public career and in all his relations to legislation, was 
 never actuated by a corrupt or selfish interest. His zeal was born of pub- 
 lic spirit and the motive of his labor was the public good. 
 
 The life of one of whom such things may so truthfully be 
 said is a rich heritage for his countr\ . Let American youths 
 treasure the example. 
 
 My attention has been called to an article published in tlie 
 Independent some time ago, which 1 shall embod>- in my re- 
 marks. It is entitled — 
 
 FROM r,.\V TO r.RAVK — I 111. HO.\. S. S. COX's K.VRLV Ktl.lGIOUS EXPERl- 
 ENCKS, REL.\TEI) BV Hl.MSEI.F. 
 
 The Culbertsons, Hoges, Zanes, Mclntires, ^■oungs, d alii, who, before 
 this century began, blazed their wa)- over the hills of Ohio, while with 
 ritic and compass tlit-y made their roads tlirough the State — by Federal 
 grants of land and propagandist energy — were not merely Presbyterian 
 and Methodist household words, hut household companions of my grand- 
 parents and parents. 
 
 Father David Young, who married the widow of John Mclniire, one 
 of the founders oi Z;uK"sville, wxs to mv > ^^,■\^\^^ ..i" in,,ti,,.i vx..!],) ai„| of 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 93 
 
 antique mold and manner. His Druid-like beard and aspect, his quaint 
 ways and exclusive manners, and his natural humor and eloquence made 
 him seem the ideal of a presiding pioneer elder. In my boyhood, how- 
 ever, he preached but seldom, taking turns, in the absence of the stated 
 minister, with an uncle, Samuel J. Cox, in the old frame church at the in- 
 tersection of Second and Main streets. 
 
 There was not a little poignancy in my heart when I saw the old 
 church where I had so often worshiped, or rather attended, razed to the 
 ground. Was it not there I attended my first Sunday school ? There it 
 was that I learned my Bible verses and received my red and blue tickets 
 for proficiency. There it was that I accomplished the memorable task 
 of reciting all of St. Paul to the Romans, under the gentle guidance of 
 the Rev. William P. Strickland, then a clerk in my uncle's post-otfice, and 
 since a shining light and ready writer in the church. 
 
 It was there I used to hear Joseph Trimble, when he brought his first- 
 fruits of oratory to the altar. It was there in that old southwest corner, 
 where the " aniens " were most pronounced, that I realized in my child- 
 ish fashion that I was unregenerate and sinful. It was from thence that 
 I went to my home convicted, and entered the closet to cast off my little 
 burden of sins and woes with an infantile orison ; alas, only to be discov- 
 ered by a vigilant mother, who had all too frequently missed her plum 
 preserves and lump sugar, to be sent to bed with all my imperfections on 
 my head unhealed, sore, and not a little revengeful. 
 
 But this old frame haunt of Methodist piety had its time to fall. 
 Along with it went the old coal-scuttle bonnets of the elderly Quakerly 
 women and many plain and beautiful customs of the early church. 
 
 A brick " meeting-house " of larger dimensions and more pretension was 
 to be erected. My grandfather was on the building committee, and, in 
 absence of a better workman, it was my awkward hand which marked 
 out upon the stone the awkward glyphics which designate the sect and 
 date the time of erection. 
 
 Happy Arcadian days ! Eheu ! How they have glided into the abyss and 
 rearward of time. I only recur to them to show the pious readers of the 
 Independent how a Democrat " experienced" religion, and what a fall, 
 in their opinion, he has had by reason of his unregenerate politics. 
 
 Those early memories were cut m durable stone. Tarnished by world 
 liness, dusted with the activities of life, they have pursued me through 
 the various vicissitudes of studious professional, literary, and political life. 
 The)' became the nucleus of studies in college : they were coats of mail in 
 
94 Address of Mr. Oiitlncaiti\ of Ohio, on llic 
 
 the struggles against selfishness and skepticism ; in fine, they prefigured 
 and preordained my choice of spiritual belief as against the delusive 
 sophistries of new philosophers and mere material science. They have 
 enabled me, in following and studying the physical advancement of the 
 past quarter of a century, to perceive in all the atoms, forms, and forces 
 of nature and the phenomena of mind, the truth and benignity of the 
 great scheme of human redemption, which is founded on the veracity of 
 Christ, and becomes, with lapsing years, more beautiful with the white 
 radiance of an ennobling spirituality. 
 
 In this intellectual stability, upon the rock of truth, is there not some 
 compensation for the shortcomings of our daily conduct ? Is this denied 
 by the purist ? Will he abide no deflection from the mixed right line of 
 known duty * .Ah ! it is much to know the line, even if one can not 
 always walk to it lineally and uprightly. 
 
 Mr. Cox, of tile National Museiun, has placed in my liaiid.s 
 the following interesting statement of incidents in tlie lives of 
 the American ancestry of the Hon. S.\MV"Ei. Sui,i.iv.\n Cox: 
 
 Thomas Cox, the great-great-great-grandfather of Sa.muel Sullivan 
 Cox, was one of the twenty-four original proprietors of the ])rovince of 
 East New Jersey. He, with Elizabeth, his wife, came from the north of 
 England and settled in Upjier Freehold Township in 1670. 
 
 James Cox, the son of Thomas and Elizabetli, was born in Monmouth 
 County in 1672, and died in 1750, at the age of seventy-eight. He was 
 a large land-holder, and highly respected in the community in which he 
 lived. His estate, which comprised some of the most valuable lands in 
 the colony, was called, on account of its fertility, " Cream Ridge," a 
 name which still survives in the neighborhood post-office. 
 
 .\nne, liie wile of James Cox, was born m 1670 and died in 1747, at 
 the age of seventy-seven. They were buried in the family burial-ground 
 upon the estate. 
 
 Joseph Cox, the son of James and .\nne. was bom in 1713. and li\e<.i 
 to be eighty-eiglu years old, dying in 1801. 
 
 Mary, his wife, daughter ol Thomas Mount, of Shrewsbury, was born 
 in 1715, and died in the year 1800, at the age of eighty-five. 
 
 Joseph Cox was a farmer in easy circumstances, and a man of strong 
 mind and unblcnushed character. It is said of hun that lie always con- 
 tended for the equal rights of man ; that he was opposed to all oppres- 
 
Life and Cliaractcr of Samuel S. Cox. 95 
 
 sion and injustice; that he honored no man because he was rich, despised 
 no man because he was poor, that he was never ashamed of honest 
 labor, and readily put his hand to any work to be done on his farm. 
 
 Mary, his wife, was remarkable even in her old age for her "fine form 
 and countenance. " In their latter years this venerable couple lived in 
 one end of their large, old house in Upper Freehold, while James Cox, 
 their ninth child, with his numerous family, occupied the other part. A 
 son of James Cox, when an old man, used to speak of the pleasant hours 
 he spent in the rooms of his grandparents in the old home, and made 
 special mention of the hours the venerable man used to spend reading the 
 Bible aloud to his aged wife. 
 
 James Cox, who occupied the old homestead in Freehold with liis 
 parents, was the grandfather of Samuel Sullivan Cox. As a young man 
 he was remarkable for both mental and physical vigor and activity. 
 
 He married .Vnn Potts, of Burlington, N. J., in February, 1776. To 
 his country's call for soldiers James Cox did not say, like the man bidden 
 to the Gospel feast, "I have married a wife, and therefore I can not 
 come." He promptly joined a volunteer company, of which he was 
 made first lieutenant, and which he generally commanded. He was in 
 several engagements, notably at Germantown and Monmouth, which lat- 
 ter battle was fought within a few miles of his home. 
 
 Even in the stirring days of the Revolution James Cox was distin- 
 guished as an earnest patriot, so earnest, indeed, as to rouse an enmity,, 
 which even the return of peace did not remove, in a neighboring family 
 who had espoused the British cause. After the close of the war, when at 
 work one day in a field near the house of this family, he discovered it to 
 be on fire. He at once hastened to the spot, accompanied by the man 
 who was at work with him, and by great exertion, and at the risk of his 
 life, extinguished the flames. This action excited lively expressions of 
 gratitude, and a confession that this same family had often attempted to 
 have his house burned during the war. But in spite of this brave and 
 generous act no permanent reconciliation took place. James Cox still 
 looked upon this family as tlie enemies of his country and they regarded 
 him as a rebel against their king. 
 
 After the Revolution, James Cox was made a major of militia, and was 
 later elected brigadier-general of the Monmouth brigade by the legisla- 
 ture. He was early called to various offices of trust in his township, such 
 as assessor, clerk, etc. 
 
 In 1800 he was prevailed upon to become a candidate for the State 
 
i)() Address of Mr. Oittlnvaite^ of Ohio, on tlw 
 
 legiMiiuic. He was elected in 1801, and held his seat in the General 
 Assembly for several years. He was elected speaker in his third year, 
 and continued in this office as long as he was in the assembly. He was 
 elected to Congress in 1808; died suddenly of apoplexy in 1810. when 
 only fifty-seven years old. 
 
 James Cox was known as an earnest Christian; he was exceedingly 
 generous and hospitable, so much so, indeed, as to prevent any great ac- 
 cumulation of property; his conversation is spoken of as having been ex- 
 tremely instructive, abounding in striking anecdotes, with a rich spice of 
 wit and humor. He was very popular among his neighbors, by whom it 
 was related that he never asked any person to vote for him, and that 
 from the time of his nomination till after election he scarcely ever left his 
 own farm. In appearance and manners he was dignified and command 
 ing, and he was a geneial favorite with both political parties. 
 
 Anne, the wife of General James Cox, and hence the grandmother of 
 Samuel Sulliva.n Cox, was the daughter ol Amy, the youngest child of 
 Joseph Borden, the founder of Bordentown, N. J. 
 
 She came of pioneer stock on both sides, being the great-granddaughter 
 of Thomas Potts, who, with his wife and children, came to this country 
 in 1678, in the Shield, the first ship that ever dropped anchor before 
 Burlington, N. J., the dropping anchor being accomplished this time 
 by mooring the ship to a tree with a rope, while the passengers went 
 ashore the next morning on the icc, so hard and suddenly had the river 
 frozen. 
 
 Smitli, in his History of New Jersey, relates how on the voyage up the 
 river the 5///(7(/ went so near the bold shore at Coaquanock, the Indian 
 name of the place where Philadelphia now stands, that part of her rigging 
 struck the trees, soine one on board remarking at the time that that was 
 a tine site for a town. 
 
 .\nnc Potts Cox is remembered as a devoted Christian anil an excellent 
 mother to her thirteen children. She is spoken of by one who knew her 
 well as "an almost peerless woman." Going on a visit to one of her 
 children, when fifty-eight years old, she was ilrowned in the Delaware by 
 the overturning of the packet-boat in which she was passenger. The 
 simple inscription on her tombstone, which says, '• Few lived more be- 
 loved, or died more lamented, " gives a correct epitome of her character. 
 
 l-'./.ekiel Taylor Cox, the father of Sa.muei. Sullivan, was one of thir- 
 teen iliildrcn; he was born in 1795, and "loved from New Jersey to 
 Zane>.\ille. Ohio, early in the century. His wife was the daughter of 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 97 
 
 Judge Samuel Sullivan, of Zanesville. From this union there sprang 
 thirteen children, Samuel Sullivan Cox being the second son. 
 
 Ezekiel Cox became the publisher and editor of the Muskingum Mes- 
 senger in i8i8, and afterwards had two of his brothers associated with 
 him in this enterprise. Later, he and his son Alexander became editors 
 and proprietors of the Zanesville Gazette. He was for ten years recorder 
 for the county, and at the time of the birth of his son, Samuel Sullivan, 
 was clerk of the supreme court, which position he held for eight years. He 
 was afterwards State senator. As a public officer he was ever accounted 
 prompt, accurate, and trustworthy. 
 
 At the time of his death a leading paper of Zanesville spoke of him 
 as a pioneer citizen and an early and constant friend of that place, where 
 his name will long be remembered with honor, whether he be considered 
 as an adventurous printer and editor, combating with untried difficulties 
 in the wilderness of Ohio; as a clear, technical, and accurate writer; or 
 as a faithful, well informed, and attentive clerk of the court, courteous 
 alike to judges, jurors, witnesses, suitors, and lawyers; or as a Christian 
 man of just views and upright conduct. 
 
 Judge Samuel Sullivan, grandfather on his mother's side of Samuel 
 Sullivan Cox, was a native of Delaware and one of the pioneer settlers 
 of the " Northwest Territory," to which he went with his family in 1804, 
 by wagon, over the difficult roads across the AUeghanies. He had early 
 foretold the making of a great State out of the Northwest Territory, and 
 he lived to aid in the fulfillment of his vision. 
 
 Judge Sullivan never sought office, but many positions of trust and 
 confidence were conferred upon him. He was State senator, and in 1821, 
 a time when the affairs of the treasury were in utter confusion, he was 
 elected .State treasurer. The amount of bond for this office was fixed by 
 the governor at $140,000, then considered an exorbitant sum, one totally 
 unprecedented in the affairs of the State, making an application to com- 
 parative strangers for the purpose of securing bondsmen a matter of great 
 delicacy. 
 
 Understanding the embarrassment under which Judge Sullivan labored. 
 General Harrison, who was then also a member of the State senate, 
 although he had voted for Judge Trimble, the opposing candidate, came 
 forward with characteristic magnanimity and offered to head the list, 
 with the remark that, " as he was rated at $200,000, he supposed the 
 governor would not object to him as one." Judge Sullivan, however, 
 dechned this generous offer, unless the bond should be previously signed 
 H. Mis. 243 7 
 
98 Atidress of. Mr. Oitt/rwai/r, of Ohio, on the 
 
 by his old acquaintances in Muskingum. When lie returned to Columbus 
 from Zanesville the long list of responsible sureties obtained in a few 
 hours induced the pleasant remark from General Harrison that " there 
 must have been a town meeting to have furnished so many names in so 
 short a time." 
 
 Judge Sullivan's business habits were prompt, exact, and methodical; 
 his manners reserved and dignified, but his familiar friends knew him as 
 generous, gentle, and tender, a man with the most delicate perception of 
 the beautiful, and a constant longing in the midst of business cares for a 
 closer intimacy with nature. He looked upon the kindred pursuits of 
 agriculture and horticulture as not only the most honorable, but the most 
 interesting occu])ation to which a man of leisure and means could give 
 his time. As an illustration of this feeling, after becoming what might be 
 called an old man, he planted three orchards, and one of them mostly 
 with his own hands after he had reached his seventy-fifth year, saying, 
 almost in the words of Cicero's dihgens agricoh, '■ I do not plant for my- 
 self, l)ut somebody will reap the benefit of my work." 
 
 The mother of Sa.mikl Suluvan Cox was born in Philadelphia in 
 1 80 1, and consequently was but little more than an infant when the family 
 emigrated across the mountains to the wilds of the West. When her 
 Hither finally settled in Zanesville in 180S tlie town was almost in the 
 wilderness, and Mrs. Co.\ in lier old age used frequently to speak of play- 
 ing with the Indian children thereabouts, the woods and the rocks, fes- 
 tooned with wild grape vines where the rivers meet, near what is now the 
 west end of .Main street, being a favorite resort. Such were some of the 
 memories of this one of the pioneer mothers of the great Northwest. 
 
 Mrs. Co.\ lived to be over eighty-four years old. Siie saw children, 
 grandchildren, and great-grandchildren gathered about her, and among 
 the group none gave her more dutiful and loving care than her illustrious 
 son, Samuki. SuixiVA.N. When told almost in her last days that he had 
 been appointed minister to the Turkish Empire, in words of motherly 
 self-forgetfulness she said, " If the otVice pleases him, it pleases me to have 
 him go." 
 
 We all know how this son, before starting on his mission, was calleii to 
 stand beside the death-bed of this reverend and beloved mother, which 
 lie reached, to use his own tender wonls. •• in time 10 receive her con- 
 scious blessing." 
 
 In this coiuicctiun 1 will read a letter from the new minister 
 to Turkey to an old friend in Haltimore, Mr. John T. I'ord: 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 99 
 
 Zanesville, Ohio, April <^, 1885. 
 My Dear Friend: Your letter was handed to me, with others on 
 congratulation, just as I was leaving Washington on the saddest journey 
 of my life. 
 
 I reached here in time to receive the conscious blessing of my mother 
 on her dying bed. "God unloosed her weary star " so peacefully that 
 it seemed like the unrippled calm of a lake reflecting a serene and cloud- 
 less heaven. I could not have gone on my mission abroad with such a 
 dear one in life at home. In one sense I may now go without " drag- 
 ging at each remove a lengthening chain of filial fear." 
 
 This loss of my mother is the greatest aftiiction I ever knew. I can 
 speak freely to you, my friend of friends, about it. It is thirty years since 
 we met in Colonel Medary's old Statesman building at Columbus, when 
 I was a young editor, and how much have we seen in the " three decades " 
 since. That reminds me of the volume I am writing and publishing. It 
 is baptized "The Three Decades of Federal Legislation; or Union, Dis- 
 union, and Reunion." What these terms imply, you, my friend, have had 
 reason to know in some personal ways, as to which you had my sympa- 
 thy. I have endeavored in this volume to show the rise of the Republi- 
 can party in 1855 and its downfall in 1885. It ends with the inaugura- 
 tion of a President who will endeavor to avoid the excesses which gave 
 our country so much unrest, so much sanguinary experience, so much to 
 make man distrust the capacity of human nature for self-government. 
 
 Thank God, we have lived to see, in measureless content, the old party 
 of our love in the ascendant. My work teaches the philosophy of the 
 greatest conflict and strings upon principles which are enduring the facts 
 in logical, if not chronological relation, which illustrate the principles of 
 of the good old cause. But it is hard to write of these things when so 
 great a calamity hangs over my spirit. My mother was more to me than 
 words can tell She is one of the bonds that bind me to Maryland. 
 "How?" you ask. Thus: My grandfather, my mother's father, was 
 Judge Samuel Sullivan. He came to Ohio in 1804 from New Castle, 
 Del. His grandfather came over with Lord Baltimore. 
 
 I have heard my grandfather say that he remembered his grandmother 
 counting her beads. These Quaker-Methodists of northern Delaware 
 and early Ohio, when they emigrated to Ohio, were three generations 
 before devout Catholics. But the change of faith never swerved the an- 
 cestral integrity. My mother's father, Judge Sullivan — whose name I 
 
100 .hMrcss of Mr. Outliwaite^ of Ohio, on the 
 
 bear — was selected as the trustworthy senator for the oftke of State treas- 
 urer in 1818, when the treasury had been despoiled, and on his bond was 
 every member of the legislature. This is one of the incidents I love to 
 recall, and as I laid my blessed mother away to-day I feel an honest 
 pride in her honest ancestry which compensates for many poignancies. 
 But why recall all this to you, except that by sharing our thoughts and 
 sorrows our old-time friendship may have newer and brighter links for 
 the future vicissitudes of life? 
 
 You and others wonder why I leave a prominent place in Congress for a 
 mission to Turkey. Well, first, many things tended to make me feel that 
 I lagged somewhat superfluous on that stage. My faculties and qualities, 
 such as they are, never were in better condition ; and the equipment of a 
 quarter of a century for the work of debate, of committee, and legislation 
 was as nearly rounded on every theme as a sturdy and stern sense of 
 duty coukl make it. 
 
 But the advent of new men, as is natural, has pushed me to the rear, 
 so that while abreast if not ahead of my party on most themes, I was 
 not able even to command my old and favorite foreign committeeship, or 
 my former Smithsonian regentship, always accorded to me even by Re- 
 publicans, besides so much work in Congress and no result — the rolling, 
 rolling, rolling up of the stones which rolled down " with a resulting 
 bound," the foohsh modes and rules, which few in control cared little to 
 correct — all this and more made me think it was high time to seek the 
 land of sleep and rest on the banks of the Bosporus. Besides, without 
 the intervention of any one, save a kind word from a Missouri and Ten- 
 nessee member, this oriental comjjliment came to me directly, gracefully, 
 and spontaneously from the President alone. The Senate gave me a con- 
 firmation <]uite complimentary without referring it ; and these facts, to- 
 gether with my pleasant reminiscences of the happy days spent in the 
 olden capital of the Greek Empire (upon two visits to the Orient^, were 
 ])redominating reasons why I propose to have a respite in the land of the 
 Ottoman. 
 
 Hut will it be a respite ? Is not the old capital of ea^iem c-mpnc still, 
 as ever, the nucleus of intrigue, diplomacy, anil contention? Are not the 
 eagles gathered over the hills of the Bosporus? Is not Afghanistan found 
 via Constaininoi)le? Is not the Sultan the Caliph ? and is not the head 
 of the ninety millions of Moslems in Europe, .\sia, and .\frica concerned 
 about the jehad and its avatar. El Mahdi? What scenes may not be 
 ivilnesseil— safely — under our (lag frcnn the heights .■!)'■■>•• 'li'- Clden 
 
Life and Cliaractcr of Samuel S. Cox. 101 
 
 Horn within the next four years! Besides, I have a great fancy for the 
 Orient and for the Sultan ; he bears himself nobly. 
 
 I once wrote of him in my Orient Sunbeams, which you may read at 
 length, as a monarch for whom I had an enthusiasm — "a king every 
 inch," without any dramatic ostentations. You will understand that 
 better than most men. I express my admiration for his individuality and 
 ability, his self-reliance and inborn dignity. This preconception andpre- 
 expression ought to give me grace in his sight, after oriental methods, and 
 enable me to be useful to our country and its commerce in case great 
 emergencies eventuate out of the oriental imbroglio. I suppose I must 
 prepare for new scenes ; I already bid them at a distance hail. But go 
 where I may, I bear with me your kind, good will, and that makes ab- 
 sence tolerable. 
 Sincerely, 
 
 S. S. Cox. 
 
 I will print, also, the record prepared by Mr. W. V. Cox, his 
 nephew, of the American ancestry of Samuel Sullivan Cox : 
 
 Thomas and Elizabeth Blashford Cox settled in Upper Freehold Town- 
 ship, Monmouth County, New Jersey, in 1670. Thomas Cox was one 
 of the twenty-four original proprietors of the province of East New Jer- 
 sey. 
 
 James Cox (born August 18, 1672, died April 17, 1750); a large land- 
 holder and a man highly respected in the community. Married Anne 
 (born January 16, 1672, died November 25, 1747). 
 
 Judge Joseph Cox (born August 18, i7i3,died April 17, 1801); known 
 as a man of strong mind and unblemished character. Married Mary, 
 daughter of Thomas Mount, of Shrewsbury, N. J. (born May 31, 1715, 
 died November 24, 1800). 
 
 General James Cox (born October 16, 1753, died September 12, iSio); 
 officer in the Revolution; speaker of the New Jersey assembly; member 
 of Congress at the time of his death. Married Anne, daughter of 
 William Potts, of Burhngton, N. J. (born February 13, 1757, died March 
 21, 1815). 
 
 Hon. Ezekiel Taylor Cox (born May 25, 1795, died May 18, 1873); 
 moved from New Jersey to Zanesville, Ohio, early in the century ; State 
 senator, clerk of supreme court of Ohio, United States marshal, etc. 
 Married Maria Matilda, daughter of Judge Samuel Sullivan, of Ohio 
 (born March 16, rSoi, died April 3, 1885). 
 
J 02 Address of Mr. Lawler, o/ Illinois, on the 
 
 Hon. Samuel Slllivan Cox (born September 30. 1824, died Septem- 
 ber 10, 1889); second son, editor, author, member of Congress, minister 
 to Turke)', etc. Died while member of Congress. Married Julia Ann, 
 daughter of Alvah Buckingham, of Ohio. 
 
 He struggled in the world's rough race, 
 And won at last a lofty place ; 
 And then he died ; behold before ye 
 Humanity's brief sum and story — 
 Life, death, and all there is of glory. 
 
 ADDRESS OF MR. LAWLER, OF ILLINOIS. 
 
 Mr. Spe.^ker: Although my pensonal acquaintance with the 
 late Mr. Cox dates back only some six years, I had previously 
 known him by reputation for over a quarter of a century. To 
 say that his public career commanded my respect but feebly 
 expresses the admiration with which I regard his many public 
 achievements, especially tliose whicli have indissolubly con- 
 nected his name with the highest attributes of philanthropy. 
 That public man whose career in the councils of the nation has 
 been specially distinguished for humanity, charity, and sym- 
 pathy for his fellow-man deser\'es to win and wear a crown of 
 immortality. 
 
 It does not befit this solemn occasion to speak of Samiki, 
 Sl'LMVAN Cox as a parti.san. While his affiliations with and 
 services to the Democratic part\' had been life-long and cmi- 
 nciU, without tlie slightest break in the political circuit, yet, 
 nevertheless, he was far above the low plane of party in all the 
 qualities and elements so necessary to true statesmanshij). He 
 was a repre.senlative American, proud of his country, proud of 
 the .Vmerican peoi)le, and devoted to the ennoblement of the 
 American Republic. His sympathies were broad and acute. 
 
Life and Cliaracter of Samuel S. Cox. 103 
 
 They welled out to all humanity wherever there was suffering 
 and affliction among the people. 
 
 These were the peculiarities and leading traits of his public 
 career that first attracted my attention. It was.m\- privilege to 
 read and applaud his eloquent appeals for the establishment and 
 maintenance of the Life-Saving Service, because I lived in a 
 city near by the great inland seas, over which frequent storms 
 swept their fury and where the lives of those who "go down to 
 the sea in ships " were in constant jeopardy. 
 
 I well remember that when the tidings of the Russian perse- 
 cution of the Jews reached us, Mr. Cox lost no time in offering 
 and securing the adoption b)- the House of a resolution protest- 
 ing against these inhumanities and requesting the President to 
 employ his best offices in behalf of the sufferers. I also recall 
 the fact that Mr. Cox was always pressing in his efforts to secure 
 the gold and silver medals authorized by law to be issued for 
 those brave longshoremen who had rescued lives at the immi- 
 nent peril of their own. Surely the endeavors of Mr. Cox to 
 secure pensions for the widows of those gallant Life-Saving 
 Service men who perished on our sea-board while following 
 their dangerous calling should not be in vain, although he was 
 not spared to see that measure successfully carried out. 
 
 While it is not my purpose to review his life, there are cer- 
 tain salient points to which I feel it my duty to allude. The 
 present law apportioning Representatives under the Tenth 
 Census was his work, and his speech on the centenary or 
 Eleventh Census bill was undoubtedly the ablest and most ex- 
 haustive ever made in Congress on that subject. He seemed to 
 possess a wonderful faculty for calculations, and loved such 
 work, notwithstanding his public and private efforts had always 
 been in an apparently contrary direction. 
 
104 Address of Mr. Lazuler., of Illinois., on the 
 
 I remember that Mr. Cox estimated that the present census 
 would show a population of 64,000,000, and this opinion is now 
 borne out by the recent estimate of the Census Office, which ap- 
 proximates the population at 64,443,000. I am informed that 
 both General Walker, of Massachusetts, the Superintendent of 
 the Ninth and Tenth Censuses, and Mr. Robert P. Porter, Su- 
 perintendent of the K^leventh Census, regarded Mr. Cox as the 
 ablest statistician and the most thorough scholar of the present 
 day on this important question. 
 
 There is, however, one subject which I feel in duty bound to 
 mention specially. My colleagues will all bear witness to the 
 unremitting labors of Mr. Cox on behalf of the letter-carriers, 
 clerks in post-offices, and the railway postal clerks, a class of 
 hard-worked and deserving employes of the Government whose 
 a.ssiduity and high order of integrity are admitted on all sides. 
 To Mr. Cox more than any other single member of Congress is 
 due the credit of securing the passage of the letter-carriers' 
 eight-hour law, and he was the special champion of the measure 
 to increase the pay of the post-office and railway-mail clerks, 
 who are to-day the hardest worked and poorest compensated of 
 all the Government employes. 
 
 It is possible, Mr. Speaker, that I speak with some feeling on 
 this question, for I followed the humble but no less honorable 
 occupation of a letter-carrier for several years, and doubtless 
 bore both joy and mi.sery to many hearts when in my daily 
 rounds I faithfully delivered the missives into tlie hands of 
 those entitled to receive them. Mr. Cox was pleased to fre- 
 quently talk over and consult with me concerning the letter- 
 carrier and postal-clerk business, gleaning the varied and pecul- 
 iar experiences attending the career of a letter-carrier in a large 
 city. He probed deeply into this subject and w.inted all de- 
 
Life a)id Character of Samuel S. Cox. 105 
 
 tails, and I found that, while he sought to learn facts to govern 
 his public action, he nevertheless desired to look into the many 
 mysteries and incongruities of life with which letter-carriers 
 have frequently to meet and deal. 
 
 I hazard nothing in expressing the conviction that Samuel 
 Sullivan Cox will be missed more and more as time passes. 
 There were but few such men and such minds in this or any 
 other country. But miss him as we ma\' from out the councils 
 of the nation, who shall miss and deplore his loss like unto his 
 amiable, loving wife, whose life was bound up in that of her 
 husband; who was his faithful adjunct and never-.separated 
 companion from the hour they joined hands in wedlock at the 
 .holy altar? Her loss, it is true, is very great, but the nation 
 claims its share; and not the American nation alone, but all 
 nations who honor the memory of great and noble deeds. 
 
 ADDRESS OF Mr. Bunnell, of Minnesota. 
 
 Mr. Speaker: The earthly life of Samuel Sullivan Cox, 
 which we this day rightly honor b)- words of merited eulogy, 
 began at Zanesville, Ohio, September 30, 1824, ^'^^ ended in 
 the city of New York September 10, 1889. 
 
 Other members of the House who shall take part in a com- 
 memoration of his life and character will set out in fitting lan- 
 guage his early life, the period of his training in the schools, 
 his attainments in literature, his wit, his humor, his patriotism, 
 his integrity in private and public life, the steadfastness of his 
 friendships, his unswerving devotion to principle, his conceded 
 statesmanship, his travels abroad, his large acquisition of knowl- 
 edge, his love for the beautiful in nature and art, his generous 
 
106 Address oj Mr. Diiiiitell, of Minnesota, on the 
 
 culture, his reverence of God, and the amenities and kindnesses 
 which were born of a large and generous soul. 
 
 We mourn to-day the loss of a member who was in great 
 honor among us, who indeed was loved. F'ew men ever served 
 in this House of Congress who came so near his fellows as did 
 our friend. There were in him elements of character that had 
 this grand fruitage. He loved his fellows. He loved the good, 
 the brave, and the oppressed. 
 
 It will be my wish to speak of him as the large-hearted friend. 
 Others may speak of his rare intellect, his correct and exhaustive 
 studv and analysis of American history and institutions, his 
 clear conception of the end and limitations of human govern- 
 ment; but I shall find more pleasure in an attempt to show in 
 what directions his generous, kindly nature took him. And 
 that I may do this more fully, I shall give a place to .some of 
 his own words, used in the advocac\- of measures which brought 
 this kindly nature into exercise. 
 
 On June 4, 1878, Mr. Cox made a memorable speech in this 
 House in support of the Lifc-vSaving Service. It was a speech 
 of great power as well as beauty. This service he profoundly 
 loved. His very soul reveled in thoughts of life, its exceeding 
 value, the superlative glory of saving it. His words mirrored 
 a spirit which must sureh' bring to its po.sses.sor and hold by 
 unseen cords, in devout reverence and aiTection, any soul which 
 yields to the beauty of human kindness. In this speech he said: 
 
 1 have said, Mr. Speaker, that \vc have one beautirul statute whit 1» 
 lias a sacred lialo around it. It makes a sunshine in the shadow of our 
 selfish, sectional, and patriotic codes and laws. It is that which |)re- 
 scrves human life. It is not merely a sentimental humanity, but a real 
 benefaction. Like the oranye tree, it bears truit ami (lowers at the same 
 time. • • • 
 
 It is no exaggeration to say, in view of its object, tliat it gives us a 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 107 
 
 glimpse, though dim, of the golden age. The world's heart clings to it 
 as if it were a memory of a past paradise or the hope of a paradise re- 
 gained. The sea itself plays its mighty minstrelsy in its honor. * * * 
 Life is precious because its loss can not be repaired. Jeremy Taylor has 
 told us that while our senses are double there is but one death, but once 
 only to be acted, and that in an instant, and upon that instant all eternity 
 depends. Other losses may be recompensed by gains, but loss by death 
 never. No one is so lordly or powerful as to stay this irreparable loss. 
 Every day puts us in peril ; while we think we die. What care and es- 
 teem can equal the eternal weight of human life? Can any legislation 
 be too ample or adequate for its protection ? 
 
 It was ill the great speech from which the above sentences 
 were taken that he pictured in the most graphic periods the 
 vessel freighted with human souls wrecked upon the rocks, the 
 double darkness, the seething sea, the ingulfing waves, the 
 horror, the unutterable helplessness of crew and passengers, 
 and then in words of exultant hope lights up the darkness by 
 the cry of "The life-boat ! the life-boat !" 
 
 It was on this occasion that he gave a thrilling account of the 
 wreck of the French steamer Auieriquc, January ii, 1877, and 
 brought out in such matchless vividness the work of the life- 
 saving stations of the New Jersey coast. The appeals in that 
 speech, its unanswerable arguments, brought great honor to 
 Mr. Cox at home and abroad. The then pending bill passed, 
 and from that day we have had a fixed and efficient Life-Saving 
 Service, doing honor to the country and our Christian civiliza- 
 tion. 
 
 Near the close of this defense of the life-saving system he 
 said: 
 
 Mr. Speaker, 1 have spent the best part of my lite in this public service. 
 Most of it has been like writing in water. * * * But what little I have 
 accomplished in connection with this Life-Saving Service is compensation 
 sweeter than the honey in the honey-comb. It is its own exceeding 
 
108 Ac/dress of Mr. Diiidu/I, of Minnesota., on (he 
 
 great reward. It speaks to me in the voices of the rescued; ay, in tears 
 of speechless feeling; speaks of resurrection from death, 
 
 In spite of wreck and lempest's rt>ar, 
 In spite of false lights on the shore; 
 
 speaks of a faith triumphant over all fears in the better eieinents oi our 
 human nature. It sounds like the undulations of the Sabbath bell ring- 
 ing in peace and felicity. It comes to me in the words of Him who, 
 regardless of His own life, gave it freely that other lives might be saved. 
 
 I liave already said that Mr. Cox loved the brave, the daring 
 in hiinian conduct. Gentlemen who have ser\-ed upon the 
 Committee on Commerce in this House when he had a seat here 
 will recall how quickly he came to the rescue when any bill or 
 resolution went to that committee which looked towards any 
 abridgement of any of the privileges of the pilots in New York 
 Harbor. He resisted every such bill with promptness and un- 
 flagging zeal. 
 
 I remember a scene in the room of that committee in the 
 Forty-fourth or Forty-fifth Congress. 
 
 A ver)' strong opposition to the compulsory pilotage system 
 was found to exist in the committee and in the House. Mr. 
 Cox appeared- before the committee and demanded a full hear- 
 ing, and at which the pilots should be present and be heard. 
 
 His request was granted, and at the next meeting of the com- 
 mittee he had the room filled with the pilots then in service in 
 the harbor. They were men of noble bearing. They pleaded 
 in touching language for their vocation, for their wives, and 
 their children. Mr. Cox moved among them. His presence 
 was their support. In the fitce of every pilot could be seen how 
 much they honored and loved their great friend. His protect- 
 ing kindness filled them with the profoundest gratitude. Their 
 movctnents, their words evinced the great hold his gracious 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 109 
 
 efforts for them had given him. He was their Representative, 
 but he was their attorney and their friend. 
 
 When the jnarble shaft shall rise above the resting-place of 
 our'frieud there could fittingly be carved upon it, in full relief, 
 the life-boat mounting swollen waves on its way from the shore 
 to the discovered wreck; and on another side, pilots standing 
 with ready oars, watching the approaching vessel. These two 
 classes of men had his sympathy, his admiration, and his ready 
 service. To save human life was, with Mr. Cox, the grandest 
 service of man. 
 
 The drying up a single tear has more 
 
 Of honest fame than shedding seas of gore. 
 
 Mr. Cox hated oppression. His ver\- nature abhorred it. 
 Against it he everywhere raised his voice. He loved fairness. 
 Men and classes of men wath whom he could not agree had in him 
 a defender when they were wronged or oppressed. He would 
 forgive their errors and labor to raise them, free them. The 
 spirit of forgiveness moved him, and thus his life was full of 
 generous deeds. 
 
 While he was a firm believer in the Christ of the New Testa- 
 ment, yet the spirit of him who said "Father, forgive them " 
 taught him to repel oppression done to the Jews of his own and 
 other lands. They had in him a grand defender. These people 
 came to honor him, and when he died their best orators vied 
 with each other in words of higli, merited eulogy. One of 
 them used the following words: 
 
 Among the many friends who have contributed to our welfare at home 
 and abroad, as a people and a race, no one ever so endeared himself as 
 the late Samuel Sullivan Cox. A statesman, a patriot, a legislator, a 
 diplomatc, an author, a wit, a lecturer, he was, notwithstanding all these 
 attributes which caused him to be devoted day and night to the many 
 
110 Address of Mr. DuniuiK of Miiiiwso/a, on tlie 
 
 duties of his calling, a devoted friend, a strong and wise defender of the 
 oppressed of all climes and of all faiths, a counselor humane, gentle as a 
 woman, genial, exuberant, and bubbling over with the well-springs of a 
 humanity that had its fount in the heart, and that had its elevation in the 
 loftiest attributes of a refined and cultured brain. 
 
 On the 4th of July, 1S89, Mr. Cox stood in the midst of as- 
 sembled thousands of his fellow-citizens at Huron, in the then 
 Territon' of Dakota. No more imposing or grander ovation 
 was ever given to an American citizen than was given him on 
 that occasion. The prairies, the towns, and the villages for 
 miles around were deserted, for their inhabitants would look 
 upon their great deliverer. These people would hear the voice 
 of the eminent statesman who, in the House of Representa- 
 tives, had rai.sed his voice for fair play. They were not drawn 
 to the place so much to hear the great orator as to look upon 
 the man whose great heart had borne him beyond the line 
 which his party had .set for him. They were not simply grate- 
 ful, llic\- were in love with liini. He was their hero. They 
 pressed ui)on him, for they deemed him something nobler than 
 a mere orator or statesman. They felt him to be a fellow-citi- 
 zen, kind, generous, and full of good will. 
 
 These people were not mistaken. Tlie\ had rightly judged 
 the man in their unspoken thoughts. They gave him as just 
 and true a eulogy as we, who have known liiin long and well, 
 can give him here to-day. 
 
 In a further mention of the character of Mr. Cox I can not 
 omit a reference to his strong per.sonal attachments, to the warm 
 friendships he cherished. He did not forget his friends. His 
 reminders were frequent. Sometimes thev were from scenes 
 and places sacred to the most liallowed memories. 
 
 In 1.S81 he wa.s in the Holy Land. The flowers of spring, 
 taken from the .Mount of Olives and Hmniaus, gathered into 
 
Life and Cliaractcr of Samuel S. Cox. 1 1 1 
 
 small bouquets, he sent to his friends at home. Wliile with 
 reverence he was passing over roads trodden by the Nazarene, 
 while he was recalling the Crusaders and the might}' efforts to 
 capture the Holy Sepulcher, the delicate flower by the wayside 
 he would pluck and send to friends far awa)-, as though he 
 would thus transmit to them the tender emotions then moving 
 his own reverent spirit. He would transmit to them the deli- 
 cate emblem of a pure friendship. 
 
 My acquaintance with Mr. Cox began with the opening of 
 the Forty-second Congress. There were elected to the House 
 of Representatives of this Congress but nine of the two hundred 
 and forty-three members composing the House of that Congress. 
 Of these nine, three have fallen since this Congress came into 
 existence. But six remain, Mr. Banks, Mr. Holman, Mr. 
 Whitthorne, Mr. Ketcham, Mr. Harnier, and myself. I could 
 not refrain froiy an allusion to the changes in the membership 
 of the House in this period of nineteen years. While we are 
 commemorating the life and character of Mr. Cox, we are una- 
 ble to forget the more recent death of Mr. Kelley and Mr. 
 Randall. 
 
 How well these three men wrought in this House! How 
 great they were! How rich in learning they became! How 
 mighty in influence, how useful, how patriotic, how upright! 
 For nearly thirty years, here they sought the nation's good. 
 They honored this branch of the National Legislature. They 
 honored the States they represented. They honored the entire 
 nation, and it to-day profoundly mourns their death. 
 
 We have wisely set apart these hours to name the virtues and 
 the work of Samuel S. Cox. His life was eminently honora- 
 ble and useful. It were easy further to speak of his rare mental 
 culture, his varied learning, his many and valuable contribu- 
 
1 12 Address of Mr. Afc.idoo, of New Jersey, on the 
 
 tious to literature, liis participations and triumphs iu debates 
 in this House, his advocacy of humane legislation, his patriot- 
 ism, his strong love for American institutions, his thoroughly 
 American habits and tastes, whether the representative of his 
 people at home or of the Government in a foreign court, and the 
 quiet and unostentatious life he lived, yet a life of vast activity. 
 
 Our friend was a great man. His attainments, his labors, the 
 character of his work, the spirit with which he wrought, place 
 him among the foremost men in American history. His great- 
 ness was resplendent in his generous and ever active love for 
 his fellow-men. He hated ever\- form of wrong done to man. 
 He was the defender of the injured. His tender and generous 
 heart went out in love for the entire family of man. 
 
 In this light I have sought to place him. His fame is fixed. 
 No words of mine can extend it. 
 
 Nothing can cover his high fame but Heaveiii 
 No pyramids set off his memories 
 15ut the eternal substance of his greatness, 
 To which 1 leave him. 
 
 ADDRESS OF MR. MCADOO, OF NEW JERSEY. 
 Mr. Speaker: It requires an effort to realize that within these 
 historic halls the familiar face and form of our dead friend can 
 no longer be seen. It seems but yesterday that he stood in 
 yonder aisle a living and inten.se personality, radiating intelli- 
 gence, humor, and hopefulness lo all around him. In tlie 
 mental vision which photographs the past into life and light 1 
 see him now, standing in his favorite attitude, with deft and 
 graceful gestures, illuminating the question to which he ad- 
 dres.sed himself with electric fla.shcs of reason, learning, and 
 wit from a .seemingly inexhaustible store-hou.se. 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 113 
 
 A copious but chaste vocabulary waited upon a rich, nimble, 
 and picturesque imagination which had been stimulated by 
 long voj^ages on the seas of universal literature, a long and 
 constant experience with all kinds and conditions of men in 
 nearly all lands. In command of such arsenals of the mind, 
 and with that ripe experience that gave skill and accuracy to 
 the handling of every weapon, beloved, admired, followed, ap- 
 plauded, in the very zenith of a useful life the world ended for 
 Samuel Sullivan Cox, and our friend and associate has van- 
 ished into the heart of the great mystery, and in the common 
 phrase we say he is dead. Ever since the world began, before 
 such graves as this philosophy and science have vied with faith 
 in an endeavor to console the liviug and justify the wisdom of 
 the universal law. The poet, too, has defended our common 
 mother by insisting that — 
 
 \¥hen tlie poet dies 
 
 Mother Nature mourns her worshiper. 
 
 Alas! were this but true; for, sad to see and know, nature 
 seems callous and indifferent to the woes of man. The sun 
 .shines, the flowers bloom, the streams run singing to the sea, 
 and the heart of nature breaks forth in song, oblivious of 
 widows' tears and orphans' sobs and new-made graves, and the 
 hardships, crosses, and burdens of our mortal life. 
 
 The birds sing joyousl)' beside the death chamber where love 
 with breaking heart in agonized accents appeals in vain for re- 
 laxation of the inexorable laws of nature. The lost sailor wails 
 piteous prajers to the cruel sodden skies of the Arctic Circle 
 that nature would still her fierce forces. 
 
 The traveler beseeches in vain tlie burning sun to moderate 
 his rays on the gray sands of the parched and arid regions of 
 the tropics. Nature seems deaf and heartless, with no equities 
 H. Mis. 243 8 
 
Ill . If/i/ress of Mr. McAdoo^ of Xew Jersey, on the 
 
 in lier undeviating and nniversal laws; and had not faith cast 
 licavenly light on the maxims of philosophy and discovered in 
 the nnknown forces of science omniscience, mercy, and love, 
 the fate of man in this onr world wonld be sadder than that of 
 the patient ox that this spring-day turns the furrow in yonder 
 field and to-morrow is the victim of the shambles. 
 
 It is not m\- purpose to recount the details of the bus\- and 
 illustrious life of Mr. Cox. The stor\- of his busy career has 
 l)een well and graphically told here and elsewhere. Neither is 
 tills the time and place to accuratelv analyze the character of 
 this distinguished man. The Ohio boy, picturing in the col- 
 umns of the country newspaper with free, artistic hand the 
 glories of nature; the statesman, lo\ing his country and his 
 kind, and enchaining the human heart with the magic of his 
 voice as he pleaded for fraternity and the rights of man; the life 
 hallowed by the holiest of loves and blessed with the utmost do- 
 mestic felicity — these are but bare outlines of his eventful 
 career. 
 
 Gifted, versatile, cosmopolitan, the range of his mental vis- 
 ion sped from land to land and ranged the orbits of other worlds 
 in star-gemmed .space. Intensely American in the best and 
 highest sense, he was neighbor and brother to all mankind. He 
 lived in close communion with nature, loving the beautiful and 
 the good, and his pulses timed their beat with the throbs of the 
 great heart of humanit\ . \o narrow geographical limitations 
 marred his ])atriotisin, no undue and rigid nationalism clouded 
 his judgment or numbed liis sympathies for men and women 
 in other lands. 
 
 Tlie whole of our comparatively little world, swinging here in 
 univers;d space, was not too large to enter the conceptions of 
 liis reflective mind, and hnmanitv was but a family in which 
 
Life and Cliarnctcr of Sauiitcl S. Cox. 115 
 
 all were to him akin. Intensely active and varied was this life 
 of onr illustrious countryman, characteristic of so much in our 
 country and its ways. In his intense mental activity he had in 
 less than the ordinary life of man swept from center to horizon 
 on every topic as it arose. His grand themes, to which, how- 
 ever, all subjects were subordinated, were liberty in man and 
 the freedom of local rule. His very heart-strings vibrated to 
 the sublime anthem of universal libert}-. 
 
 He was democratic in a sense so high, broad, and deep that 
 it knew no confines. He loved his part>- for its principles and 
 his principles he subordinated to no expediency. The secret, 
 in part, of his great success was, in my opinion, due to high 
 and noble motives, persistency, and independence in pursuing 
 the object in view, and the intense concentration of a brilliant 
 and fully equipped mind and magnetic and pleasing personality 
 in the one thing to be done at the particular moment. 
 
 No man was so well adapted as he to represent the great 
 metropolis of New York. He was in touch with the heart of 
 that great cosmopolitan world's city. The mingling of races, 
 the confusion of tongues, the catholicity of its sympathies, its 
 world-pervading commerce, the rush and Americanism of its 
 splendid progress, charmed a mind universal in its tendencies. 
 He was the favorite child of the great cit)-. In the whirl and 
 storms of its business and its politics, by general acclamation 
 he was reserved to pursue his great career in these halls. 
 
 It was the highest tribute to him that in the very whirlwind 
 of conflicting passions and ambitions his seat in this Chamber 
 was set aside as sacred to the higher and better phases of 
 national politics. He had so enthroned himself in the hearts 
 of the masses that no selfish, malicious, or corrupt cabal, class, 
 or clique dared raise their hands to do him harm. He had ever 
 
116 Address of Mr. McAdoo, of A^ew Jersey, on the 
 
 the friendship of the active men in the politicsof his party, bnt 
 his first thought was to represent the best interests of the rank 
 and file of its voters. Never did man weld together in mutual 
 friendship and confidence in himself so many divergent ele- 
 ments as did Mr. Cox. 
 
 The friend of labor, he was so honest, just, and clear in his 
 statements of its cause that capital could not gainsay his reasons 
 or question his motives. The advocate of progress and the 
 highest civilization, he did not offend wise conservatism or 
 ideutif>- liimself with radicalism in any form. The lover of 
 liberty and mankind, liis voice was raised for the proscribed 
 and outraged Hebrew in Russia or the condemned patriot lan- 
 guishing in prison or facing the gibbet for love of Ireland, and 
 yet the principles which marked his advocacy of men strug- 
 gling for freedom were so lofty and disinterested that bigot nor 
 despot dared to question his motives or make light of his elo- 
 quent and forceful protests. 
 
 There survives him at this moment at least one American citi- 
 zen whom by timely action here he saved from a felon's doom 
 for alleged treason to a foreign government. It was touching 
 and dramatic that at the memorial meeting held b\ his con- 
 stituents in Now York over this friend of man a Roman Cath- 
 olic priest should make the opening invocation and a Jewish 
 rabbi deliver the closing prayer. Mr. Cox had a thorough ap- 
 preciation of that great stream of humanity from other lands 
 which forms on our shores and swells the grand army of Ameri- 
 can citizens, and represented in this House many thousands of 
 these naturalized citizens from many lands. He had their ad- 
 miration and confidence in great degree, ami among none did he 
 stiind higher than with Irish-Americans. His genial wit and 
 humor, his (piick Celtic temperament, his terse epigrammatic 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 117 
 
 sayings, his eloquent diction, his intense love of freedom, all 
 appealed powerfully to them. 
 
 Aside from his many services in their cause, that he should 
 possess their love and confidence is not strange, for often in 
 conversation, with evident pride, Mr. Cox has assured me that 
 his best powers and most marked characteristics of sprightly 
 mentality, in whatever degree his modesty would allow his mak- 
 ing claim to these gifts, came to him from his Celtic ancestr}', 
 evidenced by his middle name of Sullivan. And among the 
 man}' pleasant reminders of my friendly intercourse with him 
 are some letters in his usual delightful style, written by him to 
 me during his sojourn in Turkey, and in which he refers to the 
 rich imagery of the Oriental mind as being similar to that of 
 the race to which he was of kin. While all the elements that 
 make up our citizenship revere the memory of Mr. Cox, in the 
 warm hearts of this race it shall ever remain like the perpetual 
 verdure of Innisfail. 
 
 Mr. Cox was blessed above measure in the sweet and tender 
 companionship of the best of wives. Constant companions, 
 faithful lovers, kindred spirits, they saw together many lands and 
 strange peoples, journeyed in the fields of literature, traversed 
 together the rich meadows of thought and imagination, and 
 gazed at the world's painfnl but glorious progress from the high- 
 est altitudes of historic research. From the armory of thought 
 and study, the well equipped and pleasant workshop in which 
 he furbished up his weapons and donned his armor, she for many 
 years saw him go forth to unbroken victories in the highest 
 arenas of mental contest, prouder than Spartan mother who 
 watched her son go forth to battle. To the noble and stricken 
 wife he is not dead, for his freed spirit still communes with her 
 in a thousand tender recollections, and she lives amid the ricli 
 
118 Address of Mi . McAdoo, of New Jersey, on /he 
 
 harvestings reaped by his genius and breathes an atmosphere 
 weighted with the gratitude and admiration of his countrymen. 
 
 The great dead need no monuments to perpetuate their mem- 
 ory. Moses and Da\-id, Socrates and Cassar, Paul and Shakes- 
 peare, the host of might)- dead, their fame has outlived the 
 ravages of time, the upliea\als of nature, the violences of revo- 
 lution, and the vandalism of man, and they live and speak to 
 us without the aid of art or the gilding of rhetoric. 
 
 The great dead wrote their names while they li\ed as it were 
 in the firmament, and planted their memories b\' the never- 
 ceasing rivers of thought, and the memory of the good dead is 
 embalmed forever in the richest affections of the human heart. 
 They speak to us by llie nobility of their actions and the wis- 
 dom of their recorded sayings. They testify to us with such 
 potency that the patriarch Abraham from the celestial heights 
 refused the appeal of the suffering Dives to send the glorified 
 Lazarus to his wayward brethren, saying: "If they hear not 
 Moses and the prophets, neither will the>' be persuaded though 
 one rose from the dead." 
 
 S.^MUEL Sl'LLIV.\n Cox has written his name on the pages 
 of our history which record the great struggles, prevailing 
 glories, and astounding progress of the Republic. He dwells 
 forever in the grateful hearts of a humanity that he loved and 
 served, and will continue to speak to us and to posteril\- for 
 justice, freedom, and truth. 
 
 He sits in high communion with the masters ol tlie niinii, 
 with the lovers of freedom and of man, with the immortals of 
 of our land, with llie dear companions and brave comrades in 
 many a contest in this historic forum. Rest well, our brother; 
 rest well, for thou hast done a true man's work in tin all too 
 l)rief day for a still struggling and suffering world. 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 119 
 
 Address of Mr, Chipman, of Michigan. 
 
 Mr. Speaker: It was my good fortune to know Mr. Cox 
 durino; my early nranhood and to be honored with his regard 
 up to the time when I saw him last, at the adjournment of the 
 Fiftieth Congress. To say that his death shocked me would 
 be mere commonplace. Men who attain three scores of years 
 are never shocked by death. It has hovered around their career, 
 dogging their steps with ever-increasing speed, until it is a 
 familiar presence, and they know not whether their partings 
 are good-night or good-by. And so when one of us falls from 
 the ranks, never to catch the step of life again, we must march 
 on to our appointed time wondering when it will be, and won- 
 dering, too, whether it is well with those who have gone before. 
 
 To a strong man there is pity in this wonder; pity for him- 
 self, pity for others; for he knows, however strong he may be, 
 that living has not always been triumph, nay, not happiness 
 even; and that, if life is a bubble to break, no matter in what 
 golden hues, on the air, or the cunning of a complex machine 
 to lose all power when its cerements fall from it, it is not worth 
 living. He sees that immortality alone gives emphasis to hu- 
 man joys and griefs, to the relation of man to man. Hence we 
 whisper over the dead and step with muffled feet. The ques- 
 tion "What is there beyond?" crowds out all baser thoughts. 
 The old, old mystery is an eternal sphinx to the generations of 
 man. 
 
 We doubt, we hope, we believe, we fear; yet we know that 
 the wind bloweth not where it listeth; that alike when it bears 
 terror and destruction on its wing, or when its breath is sweet 
 
120 .{ddrcss of Mr. Chipman., of Michigan^ on llu 
 
 with summer blooms, it goes to its appointed task. We know, 
 too, that the heart and brain of man have their labor of love 
 and benefaction, their seed-time and harvest of endeavor and 
 power. Do they, like the wind, die out in ocean solitudes? 
 Or do they quaff immortality in better worlds and hew to nobler 
 ends in eternal opportunity? 
 
 I know full well the vanity which, even when we act our 
 parts meanly, throws its glamor around us. We strut our brief 
 hour. We make great outcry for fame. We mistake noise for 
 action. We have innumerable reasons for despising, honoring, 
 pitying, condemning ourselves. Still, when we lie before each 
 other chiseled by the cunning art of death into marble helpless- 
 ness, we say, "Here is a shrine for pity's tears; here a mystery 
 which makes this clay a thing of awe; here may be an angel's 
 cast-off robe; here an abode of immortality, which will itself 
 rise to immortality." 
 
 Wlien the one we mourn has li\ed nobly we must say this. 
 When he has been powerful as well as good, btit above all pow- 
 erful, we feel that he can not be extinct. 
 
 Happy are we in that faith to-da\-. The memory we honor 
 "smells sweet and blossoms in the dust." The life we recall, 
 the virtue we pay tribute to, the genius which still scintillates 
 in this Chamber, were all noble, all worthy of these high obse- 
 quies. We can imagine for them a higher life than mortals 
 have, a ripening rich and large, glowing with a greater wisdom 
 and free from every earthly blight. 
 
 It is difficult to speak on an occasion of this kind with the 
 .sober propriety wliicli is respectful to the dead and to ourselves. 
 Eulogy is often but a tribute to ourselves. To love virtue is 
 near akin l) being virtuous. To comprehend great actions is 
 an approach to greatness. So we place our wreaths upon a 
 
Life and CJuiJ-actcr of Sa))iitcl S. Cox. 121 
 
 tomb and think them more beautiful because they are ours. 
 Yet, on this solemn occasion, in this great house of the people, 
 I believe there is here to-day mourning and reverence for the 
 worth and genius which only yesterda)' were our delight and 
 pride. 
 
 The career which has closed was not all sunshine. In many 
 years of political strife there were storms as well as calms. 
 Feeling often ran riot, and there were those who could not con- 
 ceive that they would be mourners here to-day. For, sir, this 
 man who has left us was an earnest, brave man. He clung to 
 his faith in defeat as well as in victory. He lived his early 
 years in the tempest of the Republic's history. He acted with 
 strong men, bold men, great men, and struggled with the giants. 
 He smote and was smitten; but in the fierce contest his courage 
 was serene and high, his patriotism incorruptible, and his abil- 
 ities up to the standard of the exigencies of his times. This is 
 saying a great deal of any man, but it is only saying that he 
 bore himself nobl)- in a goodh' conrpany of the honored sons of 
 his couutr\-. No doubt some of his contemporaries in those 
 troublous days were impatient with him. We are all prone to 
 be impatient with those we can neither bend nor break. That 
 is human meanness, and fortunate is the man who discovers 
 that it is meanness and rises to higher planes of judgment. 
 
 We all saw that this man had the weaknesses and faults of a 
 hieh, o;enerous nature, but now that he is gone we see that he 
 was our brother after all, and that he was wise and gifted be- 
 yond all of us. We see this clearly now, for it is the blessed 
 power of death to give a better vision to the living and lend to 
 their gaze all the tenderness of the heart, all the greatness of 
 the soul. 
 
 I hope, then, that I may be permitted by the members of this 
 
1 22 Address of Mr. Oiipinan, of Michigan, on the 
 
 body lo credit him with his sincerity as a Democrat. He never 
 faltered in that. He never counted the cost in that. It was his 
 fortune to be opposed to a strong majority during a national 
 convulsion ; not ojjposed to the prosecution of the war for the 
 Union, but to constructions of the Constitution which he re- 
 garded as dangerous to liberty and to a use of victory which he 
 felt to be unpatriotic. 
 
 His sentiments were not always popular, but he did not 
 shrink. He faced storms few men would dare to face, and he 
 and the great Pennsj-lvanian whose sunset lingers in the tender 
 glow of a people's love and the glor\- of his great achievements, 
 asserted the principles of the Constitution and advocated a wise 
 statesmanship. 
 
 I repeat it, he did not count the cost. Other men fled their 
 party and sought refuge under the shadow of power. He knew 
 whither thrift led. The path to position and fortune was well 
 beaten; but when the rebellion ended he thought good feeling 
 should prevail, that the Union should be relaid in constitutional 
 freedom and in the affection of restored brotherhood. For this 
 I honor him. It was the highest loyalty. He was right. Xo 
 doctrine of internecine hate can elevate the power or swell the 
 prosperity' of the nation. We are one family. North, South, East, 
 West, children of one mother. All our great policies jirove that- 
 Even our tariff" differences cluster around the necessity to seek 
 each other's good. 
 
 In his love for the Union and his hatred of rebellion 1 .sym- 
 pathize with him. In his immovable faith that the passions of 
 war ought not to be terror-striking ghosts, haunting the bless- 
 ings of peace, I reverence him. 
 
 Hut, sir, liis career in this Mouse was not all stt>rm. Here 
 was liis true home, here liis most contreuial field of action. 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 123 
 
 Here his wit and wisdom delighted and instructed his country- 
 men. He was a great commoner, a true representative of the 
 people. Many of you knew him well. His voice lingers in 
 your ears and provokes your wonder and applause. He was 
 undoubtedly a man of wit, and I think regretted that he was 
 such a man; but he was wise also. He was laborious; he was 
 well informed. He honored this body too much to indulge in 
 superficial preparation. I have observed that there is knowl- 
 edge here of ever}' subject discussed, and that the man who 
 would be heard respectfully must understand his theme. He 
 never abused the patience of the House ; he never dared to be 
 ignorant nor presumed to be superficial. 
 
 When we remember what a field he explored this is high 
 praise. He did not pose for grand occasions, but when they 
 arose he stood well to the front. The hard work of the Census 
 Committee, the claims of the railway mail clerks, the necessity 
 for shorter liours of labor, the efficiency of the life-saving 
 stations, the admission of new States, the administration of our 
 land system, the irrigation of the arid regions — all these en- 
 gaged his best abilities. Who of you who were here in the 
 Fiftieth Congress can forget his appeal in behalf of the benefi- 
 cent scheme of the Director of the Geological Survey to reclaim 
 the arid lands ? It was a poem as well as an argument, and you 
 saw water quickening the dead earth and making the desert 
 bloom as a rose. 
 
 Besides his labors here, he was a scholar and an author; but 
 I do not care to follow him beyond the portal of the abode of 
 his highest fame. 
 
 And now it seems strange, wondrous strange, to speak of him 
 as gone forever ! But yesterday he was so buoyant, so alert, so 
 indomitable. The idea of mental force was as an atmosphere 
 
124 Address of Mr. Covert^ of New York, on the 
 
 around him. Where is that force now? Is it quenched in im- 
 measurable space ? Is it no more forever ? Our eyes question 
 the everlasting depths, our hearts yearn for a voice from the 
 eternal silence; but we know that a noble spirit has departed 
 and that America mourns for a well-beloved son. 
 
 ADDRESS OF Mr. Covert, of New York. 
 
 Mr. Spe.\kek: He is not absent who is not forgotten. In this 
 sense the distinguished Representative, the genial gentleman, 
 and tlic faitliful friend in whose memory we are met to-day is 
 with us now — in the place which next to his home he loved 
 best on earth — the Hall of the House of Representatives. 
 
 We are met to-day to place upon the records of this House 
 our appreciation of the great loss his district, his State, and the 
 nation have alike sustained in the passing away of one who 
 was an able, courageous, and most conscientious Representative 
 in Congress. 
 
 We who served wi ill him here may be permitted to voice a 
 nearer and a deeper grief at the more personal loss sustained by 
 us in the severance of the ties whicii bound us to one who.se 
 abilities commanded our respect and whose warm and genial 
 nature had won our lo\e. 
 
 We are to-da\' honoring ourselves in honoring the memory 
 of our late associate, in sorrowing that his labors for the public 
 good are over, "and sorrowing most of all that we shall see his 
 face no more." 
 
 My esteemed frienil and colleague [Mr. CummingsJ lias given 
 us in his own, clear and earnest way a full and i)erfect record of 
 the life and public .serx'ices of his illustrious predecessor. We 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 125 
 
 have heard from him of his student days, of his admission to 
 the bar, of his editorial experiences nearly forty years ago, and 
 of his subsequent political progress; his four terms in Congress 
 from his native State of Ohio and his ten terms in this House 
 from ni}' own State of New York. This long service in Con- 
 gress, in connection with his representation of this country 
 abroad, presents a most extraordinary record and bears the most 
 conclusive testimony as to the warm regard in which he was 
 held by his fellow-citizens. 
 
 The gentleman from Indiana [Mr. Holman] has spoken of 
 the work of our late colleague in special directions: the tariff, 
 the Life-Saving Service, the Federal census, postal matters, and 
 foreign affairs. During his long experience in this House he 
 had served on almost every important committee, and it would 
 be difficult indeed to name a solitary branch of the public serv- 
 ice on which he has not left the impress of his work. 
 
 Those who served with him here will remember always his ap- 
 pearance in this House; the lithe, alert figure, springing up at 
 any moment to cross swords with the most adroit debaters of 
 this body; the sometimes impassioned, sometimes playful utter- 
 ance and the characteristic gesticulation of head and hand as 
 he attacked or defended the proposition under discussion. 
 
 In debate he was eloquent and vigorous, and, more than this, 
 clear and direct. I doubt if Samuel vS. Cox, on this floor or 
 in public discussion anywhere, ever made an obscure statement 
 of an}- proposition in his life-time. 
 
 ]\I>- friend from Texas FMr. Mills] has referred to Mr. Cox'.s 
 powers of wit and humor. These were qualities he could not 
 repress. It was as natural for him to be epigrammatic — to 
 make a humorous allusion- — as for the flower to bloom under a 
 summer sky or for the bird to carol forth its greeting to the 
 
126 Address of Mr. Corerl, of Xctv YorA\ on the 
 
 morning. His complex and yet s\inmetrical character would 
 not have been complete without these traits, and thev were 
 qualities which tended to spread the sunshine of life among his 
 fellow-men. 
 
 There were, seemingly, born to our late associate, and his bv 
 right of natural possession, in large degree the qualities hoped 
 for in the ideal god of the future: 
 
 Can rules or tutors educate 
 The coming god whom we await? 
 He must be musical, impressional. 
 Awake to all sweet influence 
 
 Of landscape and sky, 
 And tender to the spirit touch 
 
 Of man's and maiden's eye. 
 
 Though his was a nature eminently manly and every trace of 
 effeminancy was foreign to it, he was in his mental and moral 
 make-up as finely fibered as a woman. 
 
 The possessor of a clear judgment and strong will, he was 
 yet impressional)le. All the sweet and niystic influences of 
 nature reached and moved him; and like an instrument of 
 nnisic he was responsive to the slightest touch of feeling or of 
 fancy. His Congressional labors alone would have seemed to 
 call for all the time and thought that any man, pos.sessed of 
 even extraordinary abilitv, could command. Rut our late a.sso- 
 ciate had unlimited powers of application. The arduous work 
 so well performed in committees and on this floor constituted a 
 part onl\ of his labors. He worked for the accomjilishment of 
 large results, and he worked as well in lighter fields, perhaps 
 for les.ser objects; and these lighter labors were liis means of 
 recreation. I know of no one who in liimself .so well illustrated 
 the power and compa.ss of the cultured mind of this age. 
 
Life ami Character of Samuel S. Cox. 127 
 
 With a restless energy he seemed to have absorbed, analyzed, 
 and classified almost every subject of human thought. History, 
 science, political economy, philosoi^hy, romance, poetry — all 
 these fields were explored, and from them he garnered into the 
 store-house of his acti\e mind the richest treasures of the har- 
 vest. Nothing seemed too remote for him to reject or too insig- 
 nificant for him to investigate. 
 
 He gave instruction as teadily as he labored to attain it. Did 
 he examine into any special subject as a part of his public work; 
 did his reading lead his thought in any one direction; or did 
 duty or even illness carry him abroad, his books, his letters, 
 and his lectures gave the benefit of his experiences and study to 
 the world. 
 
 Let me take this occasion to express the hope that some lov- 
 ing hand may in the near future cull from the vast collection of 
 literary material he has left behind him what he would have 
 most desired to be thus preserved. The compiler would find in 
 this labor of love an embarrassment of riches, and the work 
 would stand as the best monument that could possibly be erected 
 to the memory of the lamented scholar and statesman. 
 
 In my own small collection of literary treasures are copies of 
 some of his books, prized most highly for their own merit and 
 as gifts from my dead friend. In this collection is his Search 
 for Winter Sunbeams; and I know of nothing which better 
 illustrates his technical knowledge and habit of thorough re- 
 search than the opening chapter of this book, in which he treats 
 of "The functions of light." 
 
 "Sunset" Cox loved the sunlight; loved it in its literal and 
 in its figurative sense. He believed in letting in the sunshine 
 upon every obscure point in science and philosophy, upon every 
 dark spot in governmental policy vvhene\-er and where\-ei it 
 
12^i Address of Air. Covert^ o/Xew York, on the 
 
 existed, just as he believed iu flooding with golden sunlight the 
 dark and dreary dwellings of the poor. His thoughts were 
 bright and cheerful as the day; his mind had the vigor and 
 healthfulness of the plant grown and nurtured under the sum- 
 mer sun. 
 
 As he loved all things bright and beautiful, so he loved and 
 gloried in the material sunshine and in the sunlight of thought 
 that illumined and made all things clear. To use one of his 
 own utterances: 
 
 The very acme of all joys, the joys of heaven, is expressed in the words: 
 " And there shall be no night there." 
 
 And death came when it seemed with him but little after 
 noon. There was no darkness in his death, no sudden coming 
 on of the night-fall. There was light to disclose the saddened 
 faces of friends to whom in life he had been leal and loyal and 
 who to the end were loyal and leal to him. 
 
 There was light to reflect the last hand-clasp with her who 
 had been the truest and closest companion of his manhood, 
 and a holier light clear enough to reveal the heart-clasp so ten- 
 der and \et so strong as almost seemingly to hold the speeding 
 soul back from the brink of the great beyond. 
 
 And so, loving and loved, he passed from the semi-dark- 
 ne.ss of this life into the eternal light and glory of the life 
 hereafter. 
 
 To the past go mure ilcati faces 
 
 livery year, 
 As tile loved leave vacant places 
 
 Every year. 
 Everywhere their sad eyes meet us; 
 In the evening's dusk iheypreel us, 
 .\nd to conu' to them entreat us 
 
 ICverv vear. 
 
Life aiid Character of Samuel S. Cox. 129 
 
 You are growing old, they tell lis, 
 
 Every year; 
 You are more alone, they tell us. 
 
 Every year. 
 You can win no new aftection ; 
 You have only recollection, 
 Deeper sorrow and dejection 
 
 Every year. 
 
 But the truer life draws nigher 
 
 Every year, 
 And its morning star climbs higher 
 
 Every year. 
 Earth's hold on us grows slighter. 
 And its heavy burden lighter, 
 And the dawn immortal brighter 
 
 Every year. 
 
 It is difficult to realize that this busy, tireless worker who 
 has woven his name and his fame into his conntrv's history; 
 this wise statesman and devoted scholar whom we all esteemed; 
 this genial gentleman and faithful friend whom we all loved, 
 has turned his dead face to the past and has left a vacant place 
 among us. 
 
 Time will do justice to his great abilities. History will re- 
 count his public services. Warm hearts and loving lips will 
 hand down his memory to those who follow. 
 
 If they are not absent who are not forgotten Samuel S. Cox 
 still lives and will live among men, while, loving the light as 
 he loved it, his spirit dwells in the golden glory of the never- 
 dying dawn ! 
 
 H. Mis. 243 9 
 
1 30 Address of Air. Stone, of Missouri, on the 
 
 ADDRESS OF MR. STONE, OF MISSOURI, 
 
 Mr. Speaker: There is a great difference in men. They 
 differ as the stars — those lighted torches held up by the hands of 
 angels, glimmering in the night — differ one from another in 
 glory. Sometimes a light goes out which we do not miss. Its 
 absence is not observed by men, unless in the convulsive agony 
 of extinguishment it sweeps the sky with meteoric trail and we 
 behold it for a moment, wondering, as it sinks into the shadow 
 and fades away. ( )ther lights there are shining in the azure 
 fields which, if they should be extinguished, would disturb the 
 harmony of the spheres and startle if not appall mankind. 
 
 So some men, journeying now through blossoming clover- 
 fields and now over toilsome hills, come to the end and lay 
 down this thing we call life, and the great world goes on with- 
 out a moment's pause. That is the fate of most men; a few 
 fleeting years of effort and then the pitiless c\cles of oblivion! 
 ( )lhcr men there are, better poised, better equipped, more reso- 
 lute, who.se lordly spirits rise on tireless wings to greater 
 heights, and who shine among their fellows as the planets, those 
 stately sovereigns of celestial empire, shine among the vestal 
 fires burning chaste and pure on the mounting-steps of heaven. 
 They are men of high purpose and great achievement, who not 
 only make historv, but are history. When such a man falls 
 the human race .stops and stands awhile in wonder. It is like 
 the end and the beginning of an epoch. We can not go on until 
 we pause and look back at the vast void occasioned by his ab- 
 sence, and thenceforth we carr,v with us a memory of him and 
 of his deeds. 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 131 
 
 In this mold of great men that noble gentleman whose 
 memory we embalm to-day was cast. When Samuel S. Cox 
 passed out from among men into the endless shadow of that 
 mystery we call death, it was as if the evening star had slipped 
 from tired hands and fallen to shine no more. 
 
 What shall we say of him now that he is gone? What dis- 
 tinguished him, what marked him as an exceptional man? Not 
 simply that he achieved great things and made for himself a 
 historic name, for that others have done. True, the scope and 
 character of his achievements differ from those of most men we 
 term great. Nearly all great men have accomplished greatness 
 by persistent effort along some special line of thought or en- 
 deav^or. He was remarkable rather for the versatilit>- of his 
 thought and the diversity of his endeavor. 
 
 He was a scholar of extensive research and splendid erudition; 
 and yet in this respect he will not rank with that scholastic 
 prince of the forge who spoke almost all the tongues of men, 
 nor with those savants who solve the occult mysteries of nature. 
 He had traveled much, had seen the wonders of many lands 
 and the civilizations of many peoples; and yet in this respect 
 he will not rank with that stalwart wanderer who, having ex- 
 plored the continents of the world, sang as he rode the laugh- 
 ing wave: 
 
 The Sea is a jovial comrade; 
 
 He laughs wherever he goes; 
 His merriment shines in those dimpling lines 
 
 That wrinkle his hale repose; 
 He lays himself down at the feet of the Sun 
 
 And shakes all over with glee. 
 And the broad-backed billows fall faint on the shore 
 
 In the mirth of the mighty Sea. 
 
 He was an author whose books enchant with bewitching de- 
 scriptions and sparkle with noble gems of thought; and yet in 
 
132 Address of Mr. Stone, of Missouri, on the 
 
 literature he will not rank with those immortals, rare and dis- 
 tant, who, by the arduous toil of a life-time, wrung the jewel of 
 fame from unwilling hands. He was a statesman of unsullied 
 patriotism and comprehensive grasp; and yet in this respect he 
 will not rank with the incomparable sage of Monticello, whose 
 magic pen wrote the Declaration of Independence. He was an 
 orator whose cimeter flashed at the front of fierce debate and 
 whose impassioned eloquence swayed multitudes as storm-winds 
 sway primal forests; and yet in this respect he will not rank 
 with that impetuous child of the Revolution whose eloquent 
 defiance was liberty's inspiration, nor with that stately Grecian 
 who learned his first lessons from the thundering sea. He was 
 an ambassador whose culture, grace, and gentle breeding made 
 liini a favorite and whose skill in diplomacy won him respect 
 while it dignified the Republic; and yet in this regard he will 
 not rank with Talleyrand, that wizard of the court, who, false 
 it may be, yet played with kings as I might pla>- with car\-ed 
 images upon a chessboard. 
 
 Along all these paths he trod, in all these fields he wrought. 
 He was great in all, without being exceptionally g^eat in any. 
 He was not exceptionally great, because he was not and could 
 not have been a specialist. He drank not at one fountain alone, 
 but at many. His foot-prints are left on more than one 
 mountain peak. He was versatile, diverse, eclectic. But what- 
 ever work he did was well done and whate\er station he filled 
 was adorned. We remember his splendid gifts — his learning, 
 his writings, his eloquence, his statesman.ship — and take pride 
 in them as something not apart from ourselves. Rut those arc 
 not the things we love best to recall to-day, for those are the 
 things whicli have made him known of all men and gi\tii him 
 place in histor)'. 
 
Life and Character of Saiiiuel S. Cox. 133 
 
 The dearest memory to us who knew him, who have felt the 
 pressure of his hand and seen the sunlight on his face, is the 
 man himself When he laid down for awhile the heavy burden 
 of his thought; when he left his books, those mute solitudes 
 in which wise men lose themselves; turned aside from the in- 
 tricate and unsolved problems of empire, to seek the com- 
 panionship of friends, the man himself was seen as he came 
 from the plastic hand of God, just as the flower imprisoned in 
 folded calyx is seen when it uncovers its blushing beautv to 
 the wooing sun. Then he "wore his heart upon his sleeve. " 
 How genial and companionable he was! How full of life, of 
 the glad, rollicking joy of life, he sometimes seemed to be! — a 
 very boy except in years, scattering laughter and sunshine 
 along the wa}' — 
 
 Turning to mirth all things of earth 
 As only boyhood can. 
 
 And then, again, how gentle he was when sorrow folded her 
 pallid wings and brooded about the homes or the hearts of those 
 he loved! In his presence sadness seemed less sad and a softer 
 light crept in among the shadows, for in whatever he said and 
 did there was something so like the melting music of woman's 
 speech and the delicate touch of woman's hand. 
 
 He loved the beautiful and the good. The tints of flowers, 
 the exquisite shading of a bush, the golden glory of an autumn 
 sunset, the swelling symphony of the sea, the glee and merry 
 prattle of childhood — such things as these touched his poetic 
 soul as with the magic wand of sweet enchantment. 
 
 vSuch was the man we loved; and we loved him all the more 
 because we felt and knew that behind this native gentleness, 
 back of this charming companionableness, was the strong, mas- 
 
134 Address of Mr. C Donnell, of Michigan, on the 
 
 culine man, familiar with the philosophies of books and trained 
 to the responsibilities of great affairs, who, when occasion re- 
 quired, could be stern, rugged, obstinate, almost vengeful. 
 
 Such was the man we loved, such the man we lament. He 
 lived a pure and blameless life, noble, unselfish, useful, and he 
 goes away into the mystic summer-land leaving a great name 
 behind him and taking with him the blessing of his race. He 
 lo\cd this beautiful world, and he had perfect faith in the here- 
 after. Those who say there is no hereafter deny that they 
 do not know, without asserting aught they do know. Ho 
 went away without thought of fear, bearing a sweet message 
 from the world to those who .should greet him in the great 
 beyond. 
 
 I pa^• this poor tribute to his exalted worth and then go on 
 wearing the memory of him near my heart as an inspiration to 
 higher thought and better things. 
 
 He was a man, take him for all in all, 
 I shall not look upon his like again. 
 
 ADDRESS OF MR. O'DONNELL, OF MICHIGAN. 
 
 Mr. Spk.^kek: The Fifty-first Congress has been called upon 
 to mourn the loss of nine of its members. Some of these had 
 served here man\- years— all with fidelity, to their own credit, 
 and advantage to the nation. Death has reaped a ricli harvest 
 in this House. Their passing away is but the immutable law 
 of nature. To-day we pay a tribute to the memory of one of 
 that number, S.\.MfHi. Sii.i.iv.an Cox. He .served in this body 
 nearlv twenty-seven vcars. He entered these halls in 1S57. 
 Since then more than one-half of lho.se who made up the life of 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 135 
 
 that day have gone to the eternal rest. He held a foremost 
 place in the list of strong men who influenced public opinion 
 and shaped the destinies of mankind during those eventful 
 years. 
 
 As a politician, a scholar of large attainments, author, jour- 
 nalist, Representative in Congress, dijDlomate, he left the im- 
 press of his individuality on all undertakings. His native en- 
 dowments and acquired abilities were of service to his country. 
 A man devoted to the political party with which he affiliated 
 all his life, of strong convictions, he was considerately tolerant 
 of the opinions of others. He was generous and charitable in 
 all things. 
 
 No member here thought at the close of the Fiftieth Con- 
 gress that Mr. Cox was approaching that age in life when 
 shadows foretell the nearness of evening. He carried his sixty- 
 five years as lightly as many men in the noon of life. If any 
 friend coupled death and the statesman, this was almost put 
 awa}' by the feeling that the genial man could turn back the 
 somber Atropos with her fatal shears from his home. 
 
 He departed from these familiar scenes to enter upon added 
 duties. Although heavily burdened, as is every member of this 
 body, he assumed greater tasks, overtaxing the resources of 
 nature; the hand was staid, the voice was stilled, and the out- 
 come was the peaceful and eternal silence of death. 
 
 Mr. Cox came to public life well equipped to meet every re- 
 quirement of the position to which he was chosen. At college 
 he graduated with the award of prizes in classics, historj^, liter- 
 ary criticism, and political economy. He began life as the ed- 
 itor of the leading newspaper in his section in Ohio, and his 
 ability and application were soon the means of calling him to 
 higher fields of usefulness and honorable position. As a mem- 
 
136 Address of Mr. C Dotinell, of Michigan, on the 
 
 ber of this House he soon advanced in rank; it was not long be- 
 fore he attained an eminent place in the parliament of the 
 people. 
 
 In this land, with its abundant opportunities, he won great- 
 ness by doing his best, and the Representative who, when he 
 commenced his duties in this Hall, was little if any known 
 outside of his district, shortly challenged attention by his readi- 
 ness, acumen, and native ability. He entered Congress in 
 1857, ser\'ing eight years, receiving the approval of his con- 
 stituents at four successive elections. During this period a 
 new chapter was opened in the political chronicles of the 
 nation. The mighty contest for liberty rolled its crimson tide 
 over the land. Mr. Cox was a firm supporter of the Govern- 
 ment during that eventful epoch, while not hesitating to criti- 
 cise, sometimes harshly and may be bitterly, the agents of the 
 nation and their methods. 
 
 He was a member of the war Congresses and was a deeph- 
 interested spectator and participant in the creative period, 
 when new systems took the place of the old, when one of the 
 great movements of the world gathered and spent its mighty 
 force. He saw the avenging genius of the couutr}- smite th'ose 
 who would destroy ; he obser\'ed the period of happy transition 
 from the old to the new, and rejoiced that it was followed by 
 the unification of the American people. He hoped and wrought 
 for an end of the work of blood; he wished for peace to come 
 again to the distracted land ; he, like Abraham, longed for the 
 happy day. " He saw it and was glad." 
 
 The nation laid deep and broad its future secunt\ . He real- 
 ized that civilization sujiplicd the momentum which swung 
 the wheel past the dead-point in progress; that the restored 
 Union and its results were the nnniiments of our ci\il libertv. 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. ]:37 
 
 His history in those dark years was closely interwoven in the 
 struggle for the national life. 
 
 In those days party feeling ran acrimoniously high ; the blister 
 of public opinion fell upon the political organization with which 
 he was identified, and he retired from these halls, soon to reap- 
 pear indorsed by another constituenc)'. Fifteen times in all he 
 was commissioned by the people as a Representative in Con- 
 gress, and here he remained to serve the nation. His star shone 
 serenely above the gulf where there had been so man)- shii^- 
 wrecks. 
 
 During all his long years of public service he was never be- 
 smirched b}' any of the foul contaminations which unhappily 
 sometimes envelop modern politics. As secretary of legation, 
 Representative in Congress, or minister to a foreign court, he 
 demeaned himself to his own honor and the glory of the Re- 
 public. He was conscientious, industrious, and faithful; his 
 sagacity, discrimination, courage, and adherence to his concep- 
 tion of duty were of that nature which adds to the power of the 
 statesman. 
 
 In this Chamber he achieved a marked standing as an effective 
 speaker and was recognized as one of the readiest debaters in 
 this body. His utterances abounded in common sense; he was 
 philosophical, searching, going to the nerve of ever}' subject, 
 while his unfailing and inexhaustible fund of wit, humor, satire, 
 and repartee made him an opponent in the arena of debate not 
 to be sought after. His oratorical magnetism, brilliancy in the 
 corruscations of fancy, drollery, and merry rejoinder often 
 pricked the bubble of illusion, re-enforced by fact, epigram, and 
 pleasantry. His forensic armor}* proved an arsenal of defense 
 and attack, and he was ever ready to employ the great resources 
 nature had given him. 
 
138 Address of Mr. O' Donncll, of Michigan, on the 
 
 Witli his brilliant attainments was the genial, gentle, kindh' 
 heart, where the lightness of exquisite merriment welled up 
 from an organization whose basis was laughter, which distin- 
 guished him for bright and amusing savings. His cheerfulness 
 was sunny and invincible. \\'hy We Laugh, one of his books, 
 was exemplified in the author in his drollery, kindliness, and 
 humor, coupled with the joyousness of his life. To him was 
 given the rare faculty of holding the close attention of his audi- 
 tors when in debate. Withal he was a statesman who labored 
 to secure the general prosperity- of the nation and advance the 
 well-being of the people. His long continuance in this House 
 attests the appreciation of his fidelity and capacity. 
 
 The annals of Congress exhibit his energy' and wonderful in- 
 dustn-, and his genius is stamped in useful laws in the statutes 
 of the nation. He was of service to his country'; his character 
 and ability adorned the place he occupied with short interreg- 
 nums during three decades of Federal legislation. 
 
 Mr. Cox came from a family of warriors and statesmen. His 
 grandfather. General James Co.x, sat in Congress, and, like the 
 grandson, died while a member of this House. He never wearied 
 in advancing the cause of the unhappy land beyond the sea, 
 being true to the Celtic blood which wanned his heart. 
 
 As a parliamentarian Mr. Cox ranked among those best 
 versed in that intricate law and science. By acquirements, 
 knowledge, and natural aptness he was wonderfnll>- equipped 
 for the position of Speaker, the great office of representative 
 government, a place to crown his legislative career. In June, 
 1876, death hovered over the occupant of the Speaker's chair; 
 the incumbent was too feeble to discharge the duties of the 
 Speakership; it was feared the then Speaker would never re- 
 cover, anil il was oiih a short time l>efore the fading life of the 
 
Life and Character of Saniiicl S. Cox. 139 
 
 first officer of the House would expire. ]\Ir. Cox was elected 
 Speaker /ro tempore^ and was in the line of promotion. Polit- 
 ical exigency and devotion to his ideas of right took the prize 
 from him just as he was about to attain the eminence. 
 
 The party to which he belonged in the State of New York 
 decided to present its great leader as a candidate for the Chief 
 Magistracy. Mr. Cox was hosj;ile to the nomination and de- 
 termined to oppose the proposition. The alternative was pre- 
 sented of losing the Speakership or joining the ranks of the 
 dominant faction. It did not require long deliberation. Mr. 
 Cox said, "I believe, with Mr. Burke, 'that the representative 
 should represent,' and, as my constituents are opposed to IVIr. 
 Tilden and believe his election impossible, I must stand by 
 them. ' ' He resigned the place of Speaker /ro tempore] hastened 
 to the national convention, fought a losing contest, and returned 
 to the floor of the House, putting away forever the great ambi- 
 tion of his life. 
 
 Of the domestic life of the departed statesman I delight to 
 speak. No small amount of his success was contributed by the 
 wise counsels of the wife who mourns his departure. The hus- 
 band believed with Lord Bolingbroke when he said, "If I were 
 making up a plan of consequence I should like first to consult 
 with a sensible woman." To the statesman she was the em- 
 bodiment of all that was admirable, helpful, and holy in woman- 
 hood. Many hearts ached for the desolate wife when the mighty 
 hand of sorrow and affliction was so heavily laid upon her. 
 Those two walked the journey of life in paths of happiness, 
 ' ' each for the other, both for God. ' ' 
 
 Mr. Cox gave half his life to his country — yea, all. The 
 nation was benefited by his years of devotion to the upbuilding 
 of our institutions. His lona: continuance in this House was 
 
140 Address of Mr. G' Donnelly of Michigan, on the 
 
 owing to his loyal t\' to duty, sincere and able. Had he toiled 
 less his life would have been prolonged. "The zeal of thine 
 house hath consumed me," might be said of him, "for he 
 labored for his country, as the Hebrew prophet served his God, 
 with an ardor whose flame was clouded by no baseness." 
 
 As an author our dead friend added to tlie literary possessions 
 of the nation. The ten volume^ from his brain and pen entitle 
 him to a bright place in the republic of letters. 
 
 All his books are interesting and instructive; his writings 
 are entertaining, giving strength and knowledge. His indus- 
 try, information, and discrimination are apparent upon every 
 page, and the clear, compact, and intelligent treatment of all 
 questions is obser\'ed in each chapter. He had the happy fac- 
 ulty of saying things in a striking way, and most of his publi- 
 cations are the product of conscientious study and research. 
 The reader can not l)ul note the admirable treatment of his 
 themes, distinguished b>' a classic simplicity and lucidity, clear 
 and graceful, denoting the intellect of the author, strong and 
 full of creative force. 
 
 His historical works illustrate the experience and learning 
 that embellish every page; the events narrated are excellently 
 concentrated and condensed, and the author establi.shed him- 
 self as a clear and vigorous writer and thinker, delighting all 
 with his extensive culture, discernment, and superior taste. 
 His latest volumes exhibit the same polish, breadth, and thor- 
 oughness of preparation; the advancing years of the autliur 
 show no deterioration in ha])p\- expression, terseness, anil reli- 
 able .statement. He exemplifies the saying of Milton, ".V good 
 book is the precious life-blood of a master spirit embalmed and 
 treasured up to a life beyond life." In several of his works 
 there is a glowing style and generous admixture of hiinidr 
 
Life and Character of Sanmcl S. Cox. 141 
 
 coupled with profound truths senii-huniorously expressed. His 
 name will have an honorable place in American literature. 
 
 Death had no terrors for our friend. Even as the silver cord 
 that moors us to time had been slackened and as he was drifting 
 away to the still, strange land, just as he was about to vanish 
 into the unknown, the genial spirit turned back and with a 
 sunny smile renewed the joyousness of his being, exemplifying 
 what was written three centuries agone by the great bard, "How 
 oft when men are at the point of death have they been merry ! " 
 
 The four new States in this Union — the new jewels in the 
 crown of statehood — -owe much to Mr. Cox for their places in 
 the galaxy of Commonwealths of the Republic. We remem- 
 ber how persistently and with what ability he labored for their 
 rights and won the long contest in their behalf Just before 
 the close of his eventful life he visited the four communities 
 brought into the family of States by his efforts and was wel- 
 comed with all the honor he had so grandly merited. Just at 
 the hour of his passing away he was to have spoken at his 
 home about the New West, which he termed "Wonderland." 
 It was another wonderland that dawned upon his vision. The 
 veil which hides the future was rent asunder and the radiant 
 soul passed to immortality. 
 
 The man of genius who, by gentle and skillful adaptation of 
 circumstances, often created so many pleasantries for his hearers; 
 whose amusing sayings have brought joyousness in place of 
 somberness, have lifted the mists of shadows and opened the 
 flood of kindness, placing all beneath the rainbow arch of de- 
 light, has he gone to a land of no laughter? Is this the end of 
 all? Has he gone down to the " tougueless silence of the 
 dreamless dust?" No, no! He has entered into rest. Our re- 
 ligion teaches us the inspired and comforting assurance that 
 
142 Ac/drrss of Mr. CT Donnelly of Michigan, on the 
 
 "though he were dead, yet shall he live." Now he sleeps in 
 the calm serenity of death; the grave's impenetrable shadows 
 will be lifted and dispelled, for it is written, ''He shall never 
 die." 
 
 Mr. Speaker, the proverb "Say naught of the dead unless 
 good" is a priceless tribute to our humanity and civilization. 
 I am glad of this opportunity to speak of the menion*' of one 
 now dead whom I esteemed so well in life — he so endowed with 
 justice and generous magnanimity. As I have said, he was a 
 statesman, a scholar, a diplomate. In these fields he attained 
 deser\'ed renown. Greater than all to me, he was a safe coun- 
 selor and my friend. I lay a stone upon the cairn his country- 
 men upbuild to his memorj'. His many acts of considerate 
 kindness extended to me are treasured in grateful remembrance. 
 Before coming here I had heard and read of this man of great 
 gifts; when seen and known I could say of him, as Hasdrubel 
 had said of Scipio, that he was even more admirable when seen 
 face to face than he had seemed when one onh heard of his 
 achievements. 
 
 Such lives are beacons in the upward path of all who struggle. 
 To my mind such a life enriches the age. As he stood upon 
 llic- threshold of the world to come he — 
 
 Calmly looked on cither life, and here 
 Saw nothini; to regret, nor there to fear 
 
 Now, a last farewell. He has gone. We leave him with the 
 words of Wordswortli : 
 
 For the weight 
 
 Of the whole world's good wishes with him go. 
 
Life and Cliaracter of Sannicl S. Cox. 143 
 
 Address of Mr, Caruth, of Kentucky. 
 
 Mr. Speaker: Just before the death of the Forty-ninth Con- 
 gress I visited Washington and first saw Samuel Sullivan 
 Cox. To ine his name had always been associated with the de- 
 liberations of the American Congress. I had in my school-boy 
 days learned to declaim extracts from speeches he had here 
 made. I had been captivated, charmed, and delighted by his 
 eloquence, his pathos, and his wit. Therefore, when I gazed 
 at the small, active form and looked in the smiling, vouthful- 
 appearing face of "Sunset Cox" and felt the hearty grasp of 
 his friendly hand, I was glad that I had been afforded the 
 pleasure of being personally presented to him and to know the 
 man as he was. From that first acquaintance there dated a 
 friendship which strengthened imtil severed by death, for he 
 was of too cheerful a disposition, of too open a heart, to hold 
 himself aloof from the companionship of younger men who 
 were just entering on the way over which he had so long trav- 
 eled. On the contrary, he was among the first to meet them 
 on their arrival, to grasp their hands and lead them onward. 
 
 His voice was first to be raised in warning if danger beset 
 them, and in encouragement if, heart-sick and foot-sore, they 
 wearied on the way. No older member became so readily ac- 
 quainted with those new to the floor, and surely none was on 
 as confidential and friendly terms with them as Mr. Cox. To 
 him the new member would freely go for advice, and all were 
 kindly heard and usefully advised. None need be embarrassed 
 by his manners, for they were so easy and friendly. One could 
 ask him anything without fear of being misconstrued or ridi- 
 
144 Address of Air. Cariitli^ of Kentucky.^ on the 
 
 culed. The new members found that his was not the tongue of 
 detraction to sneer at their efforts or belittle their importance, 
 but rather that of praise to laud their endeavors and magnify 
 their achievements. Such, in the two sessions of Congress I 
 had the honor to serve with him, I ever found him. Is it won- 
 derful that he was popular? What a master of oratory he was! 
 
 I have seen the House almost as tumultuous as the sea in 
 storm stilled to silence by the rising of his form from the midst 
 of the tumult, the lifting of his hand with his familiar gesture, 
 and the utterance of his "Mr. Speaker." I have seen the busy 
 men of the House drop their pens and leave their de.sks to 
 gather about him that they might hear what he had to say. I 
 have seen the lobbies deserted, the cloak-rooms emptied, even 
 the seductive restaurant ignored, the seats of the Chamber filled, 
 becau.se "Sunset Cox" held the floor. I have seen faces which 
 were almost distorted with partisan passion, in the fierce hours 
 of political conflict, smoothed to pleasant humor by the potency 
 of his speech. 
 
 Some men wear out or tire out as the months fly and the 
 years pass. Some men stand still or drop behind in the race of 
 life and let youth and vigor press to the fore; but he was ever 
 already with the times. Some statesmen grow dull as they 
 grow older, and prosy and tiresome of speech, but he — never! 
 
 Age couhl not wiiiicr luin. nor cusloin si.ilc 
 His inlinite v.iriety. 
 
 He was born for legislation and adornetl this House by his 
 presence. He had seen this body grow until it was forced from 
 the old Hall — now the repository of the marble forms of departed 
 greatness — into this larger and more commodious Chamber, and 
 he was the first nieml)cr to raise his voice in sjieech within these 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 145 
 
 portals. Is it a wonder that, when in foreign courts enjoying 
 the distinction of being the representative there of this proud 
 Government, he yearned to return hither and again resume his 
 accustomed seat? 
 
 Nothing could divorce him from legislative life. His impress 
 had been set upon the statutes of his country; his life was 
 spread upon the pages of the Record; he was part of it; it was 
 part of him; naught but death could part the twain. His last 
 utterance upon this floor was to resent an insult, as he thought, 
 to the dignity of the House of Representatives. He had been 
 an actor during "three decades of American legislation." He 
 loved the institutions of his country, was proud of the part he 
 had taken in shaping its destiny. He had never met foe on 
 battle-field or drawn the sword of war, but he had met in these 
 halls and put to route the foes of constitutional government and 
 wielded the sword of rights with steady arm and dauntless 
 heart. He had won the stainless victories of peace, and the 
 laurel wreath of honor should be twined in deathless glory 
 about his brow. He was one of America's noblest sons. His 
 life is part of her history and her greatness is reflected upon his 
 name. 
 
 Not only was he a great orator and a great statesman, but he 
 was a scholar besides. I asked him once how he found time in 
 liis busy life to give attention to literary matters and charm b\- 
 printed page as he had by spoken word, and he told me that 
 God had given him a helpmate in the person of his wife and 
 that she had shared his labors as she had indeed doubled the 
 pleasures of his life. And thus, loved at home, admired by his 
 peers, honored by the people, the statesman, the wit, the scholar, 
 passed his life away. The passing years left but little impress 
 on his brow and made no mark upon his heart. 
 II. Mis. 243 10 
 
141) Address of Mr. Washington, of Tennessee, on the 
 
 I was in a foreign land when the news reached me that illness 
 had stretched liini on a bed of pain, and with heavy heart I 
 awaited further news day by day, until in sorrow I read of the 
 end. Had not ocean's waves separated nie from his remains I 
 would have stood by his bier and paid the last tribute the living 
 can pa\- the dead. This poor consolation of friendship was de- 
 nied me, but 1 can not refrain from taking a humble part in 
 this closing scene of all and placing upon record this tribute of 
 affection to my departed friend, the scholar, statesman, and 
 patriot, Samuel Sullivan Cox. 
 
 Address of Mr. Washington, of Tennessee. 
 
 Mr. Speaker: We are assembled on this solemn occasion to 
 do a last honor to the memory of our distinguished and be- 
 loved colleague, the late Samukl Sullivan Cox, of New 
 York. It is a maxim as old as humauity to speak nothing 
 save good of the dead; but who, speaking in justice and truth, 
 could say aught but good of S. S. Cox ? 
 
 Horn at Zanesville, Ohio, September 30, 1824, his youth 
 was passed in that beautiful pastoral region, where the trials 
 and iriljulationsof the early settlers of that new State fired his 
 imagination and filled his young mind with noble aspira- 
 tions. 
 
 A grand.son, on his maternal side, of the Revolutionarv- 
 hero, General Sullivan, he imbibed at a tender age a lofty am- 
 bition to serve his country and to preserve unUirnished the her- 
 itage of constitutional liberty for which his ancestors so bravely 
 fought. The broad bent of his mind, as well as the kindly 
 love for his fellow-man which warnu .1 liis generous heart, aided 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 147 
 
 b\' the precept aud example of his revered father, led hiin from 
 the first to espouse the principles of Democracy. Often have I 
 heard him tell, with pathos in his voice, how his father on one 
 occasion lifted him in his arms to the door of a stage-coach to 
 see and speak to that great Democratic apostle, Felix Grundy, 
 then a Senator of the United States from Tennessee; how the 
 kind words of that great man burned into his soul as, with his 
 hand resting on his young head, he dedicated him, a boy, to the 
 service of the Democratic party. Never in all his long and 
 useful career did he falter in his true allegiance. 
 
 His early schooling was at home aud at the University of 
 Ohio, at Athens. His collegiate training was at Brown Uni- 
 versity, at Providence, R. I., where he graduated in the class 
 of 1846. There he imbibed his political economy; there he 
 learned the true theory of taxation, which should be for gov- 
 ernmental and not for private purposes. 
 
 There, from the lips of the great Baptist divine, Dr. Way- 
 laud, of whom he so often spoke in terms of affection, he 
 learned that the government should be so administered as to 
 bring the greatest good to the greatest number. There he ac- 
 quired that keen, rapier-like logic with which he parried the 
 argument and, breaking down the defense, would overwhelm 
 with satire, wit, and sarcasm his opponent in debate. 
 
 Columbus, Ohio, was the home of his early manhood, the 
 theater of his first activity. While editing the Columbus 
 Statesman he wrote that sketch of a glorious "sunset" which 
 gave him the sobriquet which clung to him as long as he lived. 
 I would not follow him through all the details of his long and 
 useful public career, or rather, I should say, official life, be- 
 cause his career was public in the highest and truest sense from 
 his college days until his death. Twice he served in diplomacy 
 
148 Address of Mr. Washington, of Tennessee, on the 
 
 abroad, first as secretary of legation in Peru, in 1855, and after- 
 wards as minister to Turkey, in 1885. 
 
 During the latter appointment he gathered the notes and en- 
 joyed the experiences which led to tliat charming book of his, 
 the Diversions of a Diplomate. He had the unusual distinction 
 of representing in Congress at different times two of the great- 
 est States in the Union. He was for eight years the member 
 from the Columbus (Ohio) district, and, having changed his 
 residence to New York City, after an absence of four years he 
 came back to this Hall as one of the Representatives of the 
 E^mpire State from the city of New York, which honored him 
 by an election eleven successive times. He sat in fourteen 
 Congresses, serving for twenty-eight during a period of thirty- 
 two years, more than a generation. He died in the harness at 
 the comparativeh- early age of si.xty-five, having given half of 
 his life to the .service of his country. 
 
 No greater or more unexpected .shock could have been given 
 to his friends than the telegraphic announcement of his death 
 in the full vigor of his manhood, in the prime of his mental 
 power. He was a man ])os.sessed of vast information in litera- 
 ture, .science, art, histor\-, and politics. Quick in perception, 
 he readily grasped an idea. In a long practical experience he 
 had almost grown up with the legi.slation of this most active 
 cpiartcr of our centiiry of national existence, and no false histor- 
 ical statement went unchallenged in his hearing. Posse.s.sed of 
 a wonderfully retentive memory, he held in reserve and could 
 call up at a moment's notice facts of history, politics, religion, 
 and science which would charm his hearers and amaze, con- 
 found, and silence iiis oppo.sers. 
 
 Whenever he rose to speak a respectful silence fell ujion this 
 usually noisy assembly and both political sides paused to listen. 
 
Life and Cliaractcr of Saniucl S. Cox. Wd 
 
 Nor did he fail to anmse, entertain, and instruct. He had a 
 thorough knowledge of men and motives, a keen perception of 
 character. Travel had given him a fund of quaint incidents, 
 which he had embellished by a close observation. A thorough 
 parliamentarian, he was a terror to the opposition on the floor. 
 While in the chair he was a correct, easy, impartial presiding 
 officer. He became a prominent figure at a time when the 
 foundations of vast fortunes were laid by the misuse of power 
 and its opportunities, but the breath of scandal never came near 
 his name. 
 
 Throughout the whole of his long career we can say — what, 
 alas! it is a reflection on American statesmanship that we should 
 be compelled to refer to at all — that he was scrupulously honest. 
 During the whole struggle of reconstruction which followed 
 the war between the States, his devotion to the Constitution 
 was conspicuous. He showed that he regarded that instrument 
 not as a mere form of words, a growth of time, but rather as the 
 complete and written chart of our liberties, left by the fathers. 
 He made a record then which endeared him beyond measure 
 to the hearts of the people of the South, and they longed for a 
 fitting opportunity to show it.. 
 
 Of the rights and privileges of our adopted citizens of foreign 
 birth, no matter of what nationalit>-, he was always the cham- 
 pion and the defender. 
 
 One of the crowning glories of his life was his labor to estab- 
 lish, to build up, and to make thoroughly effective the present 
 lyife-Saving Service along our coasts. 
 
 Those who travel by water, who go down to the sea in 
 ships, when they hear the hoarse waves' angry murmur should 
 breathe a prayer for the peaceful rest of the soul of "Sunset 
 Cox," for many thousands are the lives that have been and 
 
150 Address of Mr. Washington., of Tennessee, on the 
 
 that will be saved by the agencies which he labored to estab- 
 lish. 
 
 His sympathetic nature embraced all who labored, even the 
 humlilest man. It was he who, recognizing the long hours of 
 toil and the poor recompense for the skill and intelligence re- 
 quired, took up the cause of the letter-carriers and never staid 
 his hand or voice until they were put on an approximately equal 
 footing with the other employes of the Government. 
 
 My acquaintance with him began in the Fiftieth Congress. 
 I had the great good fortune to draw by lot a seat just in front 
 of his. I'rom the first he was my friend and \\\\ coun.selor. 
 Always kind, ever ready with advice, aid, encouragement, our 
 acquaintance soon ripened, on my part, into a warm and affec- 
 tionate regard. After the adjournment of Congress sine die on 
 the 4th of last March, I bade him- a fond farewell. Later, in 
 April, while he was on a lecturing tour, I had the great pleasure 
 of meeting and entertaining him at Nashville. He was as full 
 of the spirit of fun and laughter as ever. Seeminglv in perfect 
 health, he carried sunshine and happiness to the hearts of all 
 wlio met him. 
 
 Willi a tender voice he spoke to me of his dear wife, and said, 
 " I had nothing else to do ; so I told Mrs. Co.\ I would take a 
 trip with my lecture, and bring her home some shekels to fur- 
 nish the house." We parted on the train which bore him away 
 to the centennial celebration in New York. .\ furious rain was 
 falling, the thunder rolled, the sulk-n storm-clouds produced an 
 awful darkness. It was an April morning. Soon the rain cea.sed ; 
 the sun came out iu all his glory; but our friend was gone ! 
 
 < )li I may the darkness of the shadow of death, through wliicli 
 he has passed, have dawned for him in the cloudless day of a 
 liiqip) elernily ! 
 
Life and Character of Sa)niicl S. Cox. 151 
 
 Ready for action, full panoplied for war, at the sudden call 
 he laid down his arms. The active brain was still ; the generous 
 heart ceased to beat. Full of life, full of vigor, it seemed to us 
 poor, blind mortals that his days of usefulness had but just be- 
 gun. Oh, how he has been missed ! A gap in the ranks of his 
 party that no one can fill! A break in the line of his country's 
 defenders that no one can close! 
 
 The vacant chair in his household must ever remain empty. 
 Yet who knows but that his task was finished? Who knows 
 but that the all-seeing Providence called him hence in the full- 
 ness of time? The hour had struck. 
 
 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must 
 put on immortality. 
 
 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal 
 shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying 
 that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 
 
 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 
 
 ADDRESS OF Mr. MAISH, OF PENNSYLVANIA. 
 
 Mr. Speaker: The deeds of a great and good man are a 
 legacy that a free people will not willingh- let die. To per- 
 pettiate the memory of a faithful Representative is a fitting 
 occupation for this House. The brother whose life and services 
 we commemorate to-day illustrated by his public career, in an 
 eminent degree, the qualities of an able, zealous, and patriotic 
 statesman. His official life here, with only a few intermissions, 
 extended over a period of more than thirty years, embracing 
 wjthin its compass the most critical period of our country's 
 history. 
 
 Men of all shades of political opinion agree that his services 
 
152 Address of Mr. Mais/i, of Pennsylvania., on the 
 
 to the Republic were of the highest value, and, at times when 
 mau>' honored names were sullied, the breath of suspicion never' 
 reached the elevation of his virtues. 
 
 He was under all circumstances a thorough American. This 
 country ne\er jjroduced a statesman wlio had a more sincere 
 devotion for her institutions. lie was a stanch Democrat and 
 honestly believed that the teachings and principles of his party 
 would best promote the welfare of his country, but when in his 
 judgment the occasion demanded he rose above party and pur- 
 sued fearle.ssh' the i)atli of dut\-. It can ne\er be said of him 
 that he gave to party what was meant for mankind. 
 
 I can recall no statesman in our countr\''s history who be- 
 stowed such unremitting labor to the promotion of measures 
 that he cherished. During his long career he discussed every 
 prominent question that came before Congress. His speeches 
 would fill volumes, and the\ display such a depth of learning, 
 such a variety and abundance of illustration, and such rare elo- 
 quence as to place him in the \er\' front rank of American 
 orators. Others may have excelled him, and doubtless did, in 
 the possession of one or more of the higher qualities of the 
 orator, but I know none that combined a greater number of the 
 elements that con.slitute an effective public speaker. 
 
 His memory was simply amazing. He seemed to ha\e for- 
 gotten nothing that he ever read. It was the habit of members 
 to go to him to solve their historical and literary difficulties, 
 and I never heard of a single instance in \sliicli he failed lliem. 
 This faculty gave him an immense advantage in debate and 
 often secured him the \ictory o\er competitors that were not so 
 liiglih' gifted. His mind was decidedly of a literary cast, and 
 hence he adorned his speeches with select thoughts from English 
 literature ami the cla.ssics. 
 
Life and Cha racier of Samuel S. Cox. 153 
 
 Whether discussing a great political problem or merely some 
 subject that unexpectedly arose in the House, literarv gems may 
 be found alike sparkling through his speeches. They fell un- 
 bidden from his lips. In many cases his productions were in- 
 terspersed with a rare and delicious humor. It was a humor, 
 too, all his own. It welled up from his generous heart and 
 sparkled through his speeches like crystal fountains by the way- 
 side. Satire was seldom the object of it. It was gentle, good- 
 natured, and betokened the kindly heart that gave it birth. 
 
 It has been suggested that if he had not indulged this fac- 
 ulty so much he would have achieved greater results. I do not 
 believe this. Mirth is pre-eminently human. i\Ian alone is 
 stirred by it, and he who can successfully produce it is sure to 
 reach the human heart, and that is the easiest avenue to the 
 mind. Would we willingly give up the wit and humor of the 
 myriad-minded Shakespeare? How barren would seem even 
 his unsurpassed productions with his flashes of mirth blotted 
 out. No one will dispute that much of their efficacy would 
 then be gone. 
 
 It was the rare good fortune of our brother to become identi- 
 fied with one of the noblest institutions of modern civilization. 
 The Life-Saving Service owes its present organization mainly 
 to his efforts. To place it upon a sure foundation and promote 
 its efficiency he bestowed untiring industry and his ablest intel- 
 lectual efforts. It was ni)- rare privilege to hear him deliver in 
 this House his greatest speech in support o^ that service. It 
 occurred during the second session of the Fort\-fifth Congress. 
 He occupied the same seat that b\' permission of this House he 
 last occupied here and which he uninterruptedly occupied for 
 many years. A number of speeches had been made; his was 
 the last. 
 
154 Address of Mr. Maish, of Pentisylvania, on tlw 
 
 No especial interest was manifested in the subject; nothing- 
 to distinguish it from the ordinary discussions tliat dailv take 
 place here. It was in the morning, after the routine business 
 had been disposed of, when Mr. Cox arose. The attention of 
 members was gradually arrested. The calling of pages by the 
 clapping of hands grew less and less frequent as he proceeded. 
 In a short while the members sat enchained by the eloquence of 
 the address. Xow and then there was applause, but when he 
 stopped a profound silence pervaded the House. 
 
 In a moment or two it was broken by a member near by ex- 
 tending his congratulations to him. He was quickly followed 
 by another; then two or three pressed forward to take him by 
 the hand; then almost simultaneously a score or more ap- 
 proached him, and finally, in less time thin I can describe it, 
 every member was on his way up the aisle towards him to ex- 
 tend his congratulations. No attempt was made to continue 
 business. The Speaker of the House acquiesced in the tempo- 
 rar\' interruption, and only called the members to order when 
 they liad resumed their .seats. I sat immediately opposite to 
 him during the delivery of the speech, and was the last mem- 
 ber to grasp him by the hand. As I did so I saw that he had 
 been moved to tears, and not a word passed between us. 
 
 I doubt very much, Mr. Speaker, whether in the whole his- 
 tory of this body any speech had such an instantaneous effect. 
 It was a high tribute to the orator. Ay, it was more. It was 
 an liomage paid to his subject. .Vs he so felicitously put it: 
 
 Humanity, niorc beautiful than art and more profound tlian science, 
 has bent over the tempestuous seas her grand etliereal bow. unfoldini; its 
 hues of promise as an everlasting covenant with heaven. 
 
 He struck the key-note of humanity, and all within its sound 
 responded to its spell. 
 
Life aiidCliaracter of Samuel S. Cox. 155 
 
 You may search in vain for a more graphic and thrilling piece 
 of word-painting than '\\x. Cox's description of the wreck of 
 the Ameriqtie in this speech. It consists of a succession of the 
 most startling scenes, drawn with such intense realit\- as to 
 strike one with wonder and admiration. 
 
 The concluding paragraph of that address presents in words 
 better than I can command the motives that actuated our brother 
 in devoting his best efforts to the noble service whose object is 
 the rescuing of human lives from the dangers of the deep. He 
 says : 
 
 Mr. Speaker, I have spent the best part of my life in this pubHc serv- 
 ice; most of it has been like writing in water. The reminiscences of 
 party wrangling and political strife seem to me like nebuu-e of the past, 
 without form and almost void. Gladly I would, if I could, for many 
 reasons growing out of personal inconvenience and party competency, 
 reverse much that I have done here. Confessing so much inadequacy, 
 recalling so many who have come and gone from this House— gone 
 many of them to another sphere, and, I hope and trust, a better world — 
 I would gladly lay down my commission and turn to other duties which 
 the lapse of time admonishes me should have attention. But what little 
 I have accomplished in connection with this Life-Saving Service is com- 
 pensation "sweeter than the honey in the honey-comb." It is its own 
 exceeding great reward. It speaks to me in the voices of the rescued; 
 ay, in tears of speechless feeling ; speaks of resurrection from death, 
 
 " In spite of wreck and tempest's roar, 
 In spite of false lights on the shore; " 
 
 speaks of a faith triumphant over all fears in the better elements of our 
 human nature. It sounds like the undulations of the Sabbath bell, ring- 
 ing in peace and felicity. It comes to me in the words of Him who, re- 
 gardless of His own life, gave it freely that other lives might be saved. 
 
 Humanity and civilization should walk white-handed along with gov- 
 ernment. They strengthen and save society. In the perils which environ 
 our country, from passion and prejudice, from old animosities and new 
 irritations, let us do good deeds— pray hopefully that our vessel of state 
 be free from leakage, collision, wreck, and loss. 
 
156 .ItMri-ss of Mr. W'hcchr, of Alabama., on the 
 
 Mr. Speaker, what our brother has wrought iu establishinj^ 
 the Life-Savin<^ .Service of our country will constitute his en- 
 during monument. So long as the sacredness of human life 
 shall be properly appreciated and good men .shall employ their 
 lives in guarding against its perils, so long will the name of 
 S.\.MVKi- Sri.MV.\x Cox be cherished as one of the benefactors 
 of our race. 
 
 ADDRESS OF Mr. Wheeler, of Alabama. 
 
 Mr. Spe.^kkk: When the shadow of death passed over the 
 form of S.\.MLKL SULLIV.A.X Cox the world lost a profound 
 thinker and a ripe .scholar, our country a devoted patriot, Con- 
 gress its brightest and most accomplished member, the people 
 of the South a man ever ready to defend them against wrong 
 and oppression, and the poor and lowly a champion who de- 
 lighted to use all his great talents in their behalf Genuine 
 sorrow filled millions of hearts. A great, a good, a gifted man 
 was no more. He whose life had been devoted to his country 
 and to his fellow-men had left us forever. A volume of devo- 
 tion and good deeds was finished, an effort in the cause of hu- 
 manity had been accomplished. 
 
 He was an intellectual giant, an encyclopedia of information, 
 and a monarch of words. In the forum and in debate he was 
 imperial. In llio thousand or more conflicts with the ablest 
 men during the long period of his public life he was always 
 victor. In the halls of Congress, likt.- the most famous Roman 
 gladiator, he was ever triumphanl. 
 
 When in the history of our country have we seen .su many 
 virtues, s\ich great and varied lalent.s, such bountiful oilture, 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 157 
 
 and such lovable qualities all blended together? When has a 
 man li\ed so universally loved, so devoted to friends, and so en- 
 tirely without enemies as Mr. Cox? For more than forty years 
 he stood amidst the storm of political strife under the calcium 
 light of the severest criticism, and even his most scrutinizing 
 opponents could never find a single act upon which they could 
 lay the slightest foundation for censure. 
 
 Mr. Cox's ancestry were people of distinction and very high 
 standing. His father, the Hon. Ezekiel Taylor Co.x(born May 
 25, 1795, died May 18, 1873), moved from New Jersey to Zanes- 
 ville, Ohio, early in the century, was State senator, clerk of the 
 supreme court of Ohio, United States marshal, etc. 
 
 His grandfather was General James Co.x (born October 16, 
 1753, died September 12, 1810), officer in the Revolution, 
 speaker of the New Jersey Assembly, member of Congress at 
 the time of his death. 
 
 His great-grandfather was Judge Joseph Co.x (born August 18, 
 1713, died April 17, 1801), known as a man of strong mind and 
 unblemished character. 
 
 His great-great-grandfather was James Cox (born August 18, 
 1672, died April 17, 1750), a large landholder and a man highly 
 respected in the community. 
 
 His great-great-great-grandfather was Thomas Cox, who set- 
 tled in Upper Freehold Township, Monmouth County, New 
 Jersey, in 1670. He was one of the twenty-four original pro- 
 prietors of the province of East New Jersey. 
 
 Mr. Cox, the sixth in descent of the persons enumerated, was 
 born at Zanesville, Ohio, .September 30, 1824. His quick, 
 bright mind enabled him to acquire information very rapidly, 
 and before he was eighteen he had so far completed his classical 
 course that he was enabled to commence the studv of law. .\t 
 
1 5S Address of Mr. IVkeeter, of Alabama, on the 
 
 twentj'-five he was the owner and editor of the Columbus States- 
 man, and from that early date he took a prominent stand among 
 the men who shape and control the affairs of our Government. 
 At twenty-nine he was the chairman of the executive committee 
 of the Democratic party of Ohio, and won great distinction in 
 the campaign of 1853, during which Mr. Medill, the Democratic 
 candidate, was elected governor. 
 
 When scarcely more than thirt\' years of age the appointment 
 as secretary of legation to Great Britain was tendered him, but 
 he declined the honor. He afterwards accepted a similar posi- 
 tion to represent the United Slates with the Peruvian Govern- 
 ment. 
 
 .•\t thirty-two he was elected to Congress, where he at once 
 took a remarkable position for a new member and so young a 
 man. He continued as a member of this body with but little 
 iiU(.rrui)li(jn from llial time to the day of liis death, comprising 
 a period of nearly a third of a century. He was a member of 
 the national convention at Cliicago in 1864 which nominated 
 McClellan and Pendleton, the convention which nominated 
 Horatio Seymour and P'rank P. Blair in New York in 1868, 
 and the convention wliicli nominated Tilden and Hendricks at 
 St. Louis iu 1S76. He was elected Speaker /»;-<) tempore 0/ the 
 House in 1876, and was minister to Turkev during the greater 
 l)art of the first half of Mr. Cleveland's administration. 
 
 When minister at Constantinople a .severe hemorrhage brought 
 the longing wish to place his famih in the slielter of home. 
 Accordingly he left the Kasl at tiie iiul of an eighteen months' 
 sojourn, after having, through great urgenc\' antl perseverance, 
 constunmaled the treaty .stipulations initiated years before by 
 our Government. But, owing to the fact thai treaties with 
 Germauv anil other countries were under consideration, and 
 
Life and Character of Sainitcl S. Cox. 1 59 
 
 complications might arise by a ratification at this time, this 
 treaty was never acted npon by the United vStates Senate. 
 
 Shortly after Mr. Cox\s resignation and return he received 
 the decoration of the Order of the Mejidieh from his Imperial 
 Majesty, Sultan Abdul Hamid, the decoration of the Order of 
 the Shefakat having already been bestowed on the minister's 
 wife in Turkey. 
 
 For nearly a third of a century Mr. Cox was a bright and 
 shining figure in the affairs of the Government. 
 
 God places men in the various spheres of life to carry out His 
 purposes; and the entire life of this statesman shows how essen- 
 tial his presence was to the great cause he served so well. His 
 voice, his magic powers, his sympathy were always on the side 
 of humanity. This was characteristic of the man. Whether 
 Jew or Gentile, Moslem or Christian, foreign or to the manner 
 born, black or white, slave or free, any man, if oppressed, found 
 in Samuel Sulliv.^n Cox a champion and defender. We re- 
 mendDcr his successful labors for the overworked of all occupa- 
 tions, for craftsmen of all trades and professions, and for the 
 downtrodden of all climes and nations. 
 
 When the Irish were oppressed by the British Government, 
 the heart and eloquence of Mr. Cox were enlisted in their de- 
 fense. When passion and hatred pursued the people of the 
 South, Mr. Cox, at the risk of political popularity, sometimes 
 even of political existence, placed all his influence between 
 them and threatening danger. 
 
 Who has not read and felt the pathos of these lines? 
 
 Never, sister, never, was told by luiman breath. 
 
 What they behold, 
 
 O'er whom has rolled 
 The one dark wave of death. 
 
160 Adc/i-c'ss of Mr. \\'kccln\ of Alabama^ on the 
 
 In the whirl aiul turmoil of busy life and the constant carni- 
 val of earthly ambition, these words rise up in our thoughts: 
 " If a man die shall he live again ? " 
 
 All hearts ask the same great question, some in fear and 
 doubt, but all in hope; and there are few in which this hope 
 does not crystallize into conviction. Not only will all men 
 live again in another world, but great and gifted minds like ;\Ir. 
 Cox, who have impressed themselves upon the affairs of men, 
 will live in their works, and the influences for good which they 
 exerted during life will continue during years and centuries to 
 come. 
 
 The effects of .some of the labors of Mr. Cox will be felt dur- 
 ing all time. Not while the sun .shines above the mortals of 
 this earth; not while flowers bloom and gi\'e forth their fra- 
 grance; not while the noisy torrents rush down the mountain 
 side; not while the sluggish, sinuous stream winds its way from 
 plain to sea will the efforts of Mr. Cox in behalf of the Life- 
 Sa\-ing Service of the United States be unfelt or forgotten. 
 
 In a speech upon this subject, June 4, 1878, which has been 
 regarded as one of the most effective ever delivered in Congress, 
 he showed clearly his intense gratification at .seeing the im- 
 portant work about to be established. Towards the close of 
 his speech, Mr. Co.x spoke of his long service and how in some 
 respects it had not been satisfactory to him, stating how gladly 
 he would at any time haw laid down his commission and re- 
 turned to other duties which so earnestly demanded his atten- 
 tion. He then closed his speech in these words, wliich I read 
 from page 4094 of the Record, second session Fort>'-fifth 
 Congress : 
 
 Hut what lillle I have accoin|)lished in connection witli this Life-Saving 
 Service is compensation "sweeter than tlie honey in the honey-comb." 
 
Life and Character of Saiiiuel S. Cox. Kil 
 
 It is its own exceeding great reward. It speaks to me in the voices of 
 the rescued ; ay, in tears of speechless feehng ; speaks of resurrection 
 from death — 
 
 In spite of wreck and tempest's roaf, 
 
 In spite of false lights on the shore ; 
 
 speaks of a faith triumphant over all fears in the better elements of our 
 human nature. It sounds like the undulations of the Sabbath bell, ring- 
 ing in peace and felicity. It comes to me in the words of Him who, regard- 
 less of His own life, gave it freely that others might be saved. 
 
 Humanity and civilization should walk white-handed along with gov- 
 ernment. I'hey strengthen and save society. In the perils which environ 
 our country, from passion and prejudice, from old animosities and new 
 irritations, let us do good deeds — pray hopefully that our vessel of state 
 be free from leakage, collision, wreck, and loss. Send out the life-boat ; 
 fire the line over the imperiled vessel ; free the hawser for the life-car, and 
 then with stout hearts and thankful souls lift up our prayer to Him who 
 holds the sea in the hollow of His hand. 
 
 Immediately after the close of this speech the bill was passed 
 without, as far as the Record shows, one dissenting vote. 
 
 I remember years ago reading a sermon from an eininent di- 
 vine of Boston, Mr. Cook, discountenancing a religion of sor- 
 row and moaning. He said, "Let it be a thing of sunshine, 
 mirth, and happiness. Let religion and all connected with it 
 be joyous. Let the walks which lead in the paths of God be 
 the happiest which can be pursued." Mr. Cox'.s religious life 
 reminded me of this sermon of years ago. He did not regard 
 sadness and repining and making others sad as an acceptable 
 demonstration of religious convictions. He was a Christian who 
 believed that being happy and making others happy and doing 
 good to mankind was the part of a true Christian, and during 
 all his long life he was guided by these principles. 
 
 When quite young, Mr. Cox, in his open, frank manner, es- 
 poused the cause of Christ. 
 
 He was a devoted student of the Bible and knew much of it 
 H. Mis. 243 U 
 
1G2 Address of Mr. U'/icc/cr, of Alabama^ on (he 
 
 by heart. In his early boyhood he accoinplislied the niemo- 
 rable task of learninjj and reciting, ahnost withont a mistake, 
 the entire epistle of St. Panl to the Romans. In 1848, through 
 the influence of Rc\ . T. J. Stockton, who, although himself a 
 Methodist, counseled this step, Mr. Cox united with the Pres- 
 byterian Church at Cincinnati, under the pastorate of Rev. Dr. 
 P^isher. ()u his return to his home in Zauesville, in 1850, his 
 connection was transferred to the Putnam Church in that place, 
 under the Rev. Dr. .\ddison Kingsbury, the venerable pioneer 
 pastor of that church. 
 
 I have not, indeed few men, if any, possess the power of de- 
 scription to do even meager justice to the great ability and 
 scholarly elocjuence so often displayed by Mr. Cox. His ora- 
 tory was calm and generally dispassionate, but at the same time 
 forcible and convincing, and his advocacy of the cau.se he es- 
 poused was always fearless and determined. His methods were 
 open and chivalrous, his generosity broad and deep and strong, 
 his friendship true and enduring. 
 
 hi all his debates he sought 10 conduct his arguments and 
 controversies with tla- utmost consideration for the feelings of 
 others; and although he finally became victor and brought all 
 opi)onents to the ground, it was not done roughly, for like a 
 skillful wrestler he preferred to .see his foe fall lightly and by 
 his gentle manner .seemed to prepare a bed of roses for the re- 
 ception of his vanquished rival. 
 
 Tho.se who ventured to assail him were, however, never 
 allowed to escape. His repartee, though devoid of bitterness, 
 was nevertheless crushing in the extreme; \et there was none 
 of that harshness which leaves a la.sting sting. It is true that 
 sometimes the attack on him was of a character lo require and 
 call for a severe retort, and all who ventured upon such a line 
 
fjfe and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 163 
 
 of debate soon learned the temper and form of his trenchant 
 blade. There were few who had the temerity to hazard such a 
 conflict; but we all remember his discomfiture of the distin- 
 guished General Butler in the Forty-third Congress, and his 
 crushing repartee to the humorous Mr. Horr, eight years later 
 in the Forty-seventh. 
 
 A characteristic of Mr. Cox was his charming humor and 
 brilliant wit, and many who expressed surprise that a man so 
 able, cultured, pure, and gifted was not called to the highest 
 office which it was possible for his admiring countrymen to be- 
 stow, believed that this remarkable wit was the only cause which 
 retarded his advancement; but in this I think they were mis- 
 taken. His humor always did good and ne\er harm. He 
 seldom used this faculty merely for the purpose of amusing liis 
 audience, but put it into play when it was evident that b\- so 
 doing a desired, and frequently a very important, object could 
 be attained. 
 
 We all remember how often he quelled a storm in the House 
 of Representatives by some pleasant witticism, almost instantly 
 changing the scene from one of angry dispute to one of most 
 pleasant hilarity. 
 
 It is a mistake to say that this detracted in any way from Mr. 
 Cox's dignity or the great esteem which was universally felt 
 for him. 
 
 I think the real reason why Mr. Cox did not receive the 
 honors of office which would naturally have fallen to the lot of 
 such a man was owing to his never seeking any such advance- 
 ment. 
 
 That he would have honored tlie Presidency no one who 
 knew him would for a moment doubt. No one of his time 
 was better equipped than he with regard to all matters of gov- 
 
Ki-I . ItMrrss oj Mr. ll'haici^ of Alabama, on the 
 
 eminent, and in <jeneral information and knowledge of poli- 
 tics and history the superiority of his attainments was remark- 
 able. 
 
 I doubt if any member of either House of Congress ever 
 equaled Mr. Cox as a worker. He delivered lectures, wrote 
 and published most interesting books, including such valuable 
 and popular works as Three Decades of Federal Legislation, 
 Why We Laugh, The Pleasures of Prinkipo, and The Diver- 
 sions of a Diploniate. 
 
 His whole jjublic life showed that he was always guided by 
 a conscientious conviction of duty. He was one of the few 
 members who opposed the bill to increase and at the same time 
 to give back salaries to Congressmen; but his crowning effort 
 was the establishment of the Life-Saving Service, which has 
 already rescued some twelve or fifteen thousand lives and some 
 lens if not hundreds of millions of dollars. 
 
 lie also attended most scrupuloush- to every detail which 
 dexolved upon him as a Congressman, and with all this he 
 found time to join with and assist Mrs. Cox in the social 
 duties which pertained to the family of so eminent and widely 
 known a statesman, as well as to obey frequent demands to 
 attend dinners and banquets to which liis presence seemed 
 almost essential. This involved much intellectual eflbrt, as a 
 good and new speech was expected of Mr. Cox on all occa- 
 sions of this character. 
 
 His wonderful aliililN U> accomplish so mucli was due to un- 
 usual Itrain power, vivid inuigination, perfect command of lan- 
 guage, aiul remarkable memory, all sn])ported by an energy 
 and force which seemed irresistible. His rapidity of thouglit 
 is illustrated by the article which gave him the .sobriquet of 
 *' Sunset." It wa- written in less than twenty minutes, when 
 
Life and CJiaracter of Samuel S. Cox. 165 
 
 he was still very young. I will give it as it appeared in the 
 Ohio Statesman thirty-seven years ago: 
 
 A GREAT OLD SUNSET. 
 
 What a peculiar sunset was that of last night ! How glorious the storm, 
 and how splendid the setting of the sun ! We do not remember ever to 
 have seen the like on our round globe. The scene opened in the west, 
 with a whole horizon full of a golden interpenetrating luster, which 
 colored the foliage and brightened every object into its own rich dyes. 
 The colors grew deeper and richer, until tlie golden luster was transfused 
 into a storm-cloud, full of finest lightning, which leaped in dazzling zig- 
 zags all round and over the city. The wind arose with fury, the slender 
 shrubs and giant trees made obeisance to its majesty. Some even snapped 
 before its force. The strawberry beds and grass plots " turned up their 
 whites" to see Zephyrus march by. As the rain came, and the pools 
 formed, and the gutters hurried away, thunders roared grandly, and the 
 fire-bells caught the e.xcitement and rung with hearty chorus. The south 
 and east received copious showers, and the west all at once brightened up 
 in a long, polished belt of azure, worthy of a Sicilian sky. Presently a 
 cloud appeared in the azure belt, in the form of a castellated city. It 
 became more vivid, revealing strange forms of peerless fanes and alabaster 
 temples, and glories rare and grand in this mundane sphere. It reminds 
 us of Wordsworth's splendid verse in his Excursion: 
 
 The appearance instanlaneoiisly disclosed 
 
 Was of a mighty city, lioldly say 
 
 A wilderness of buildings, sinking far 
 
 And self-withdrawn into a boundless depth, 
 
 Far sinking into splendor without end ! 
 
 But the City vanished only to give place to another isle, where the most 
 beautiful forms of foliage appeared, imaging a paradise in the distant and 
 purified air. The sun, wearied of the elemental commotion, sank behind 
 the green plains of the west. The " great eye in the heavens, " however, 
 went not down without a dark brow hanging over its departing light. 
 The rich flush of the unearthly light had passed and the rain had ceased; 
 when the solemn church bells pealed, the laughter of children rang out, 
 and joyous after the storm is heard the carol of birds; while the forked 
 and purple weapon of the skies still darted illumination around the Star- 
 
Itili Address ojMr. W'liccler^ of Alabama^ on the 
 
 ling College, trying to rival its angles and leap into its dark windows. 
 Candles are lighted. The piano strikes up. We feel it is good to have 
 a home — good to be on the earth where suth revelations of beauty and 
 power may be made. And as we can not refrain from reminding our 
 readers of everything wonderful in our city, we have begun and ended 
 our feeble etching of a sunset which comes so rarely that its glory should 
 be committed to immortal type. 
 
 While Mr. Cox was himself a statesman, while his real life- 
 work led and held him among other statesmen whose dnt)' it 
 was to guide the ])nblic counsels of our country, he was yet no 
 stranger to the calm pursuits of science, and, had not his career 
 been determined by early as.sociation with the life of both father 
 and grandfather, he would have devoted himself to those .scien- 
 tific or those literary purstiits to which his early inclination led 
 him. 
 
 Knowing this, we can better understand the pleasure he de- 
 rived from his duties connected with the Smithsonian, and can 
 appreciate his sincerity in alluding, as he frequently did, to his 
 association with the regents and learned scientists of the insti- 
 tution as a .source of keen enjoyment to him. 
 
 It was upon the motion of Mr. Cox that the Board of Re- 
 gents of the Smith.sonian Institution elected as their chancel- 
 lors Chief-Justice Chase in 1865 and Chief-Justice Fuller in 
 18S9. 
 
 Mr. Cox was a firm sujiporter of the broad policy, proposed 
 by Professor Henry, which has been so long and successful 1\- 
 carried out by the Board of Regents of the vSmithsonian Insti- 
 tution. 
 
 Undoubtedly the influence of his friend, Stephen .\. Dong- 
 las, one of the regents when Mr. Cox entered Congress, had 
 much to do in forming liis mind and in shaping his course in 
 regard to the institution. 
 
Life and Cliaractcr of Samuel S. Cox. 167 
 
 His conception of the policy best adapted to carry out the 
 object of the founder is strikingly shown in his eulogy of Mr. 
 Douglas, in which he speaks as follows: 
 
 In February, 1854, Stephen A. Douglas, of Illinois, while a Senator 
 from the State, was appointed one of the regents of the Smithsonian In- 
 stitution, and continued a member of the board until the time of his 
 death, on the morning of the 3d of June, 1861. From the pursuits of 
 his life and the peculiarities of his course it might be thought that he was 
 not well qualified to discharge properly the duty of a trustee of a fund 
 intended for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men. But 
 this would be a mistake, for although he had given no special attention 
 to any branch of science, yet his mind was of that comprehensive cast 
 which enabled him duly to appreciate the nature of the bequest and the 
 general principles of the different plans whicli had been proposed for car- 
 rying it into e.xecution. It is true, as I am informed, that before he was 
 elected a regent he had adopted the popular idea that the bequest was 
 intended merely to diffuse useful knowledge among the people of the 
 United States, yet when he came to study the precise words of the will 
 of the founder and caught, as he immediately did, the peculiar idea of 
 the object intended, namely, the extension of the bounds of science and 
 not merely the teaching of what is already known, he fully adopted the 
 views on which the present organization of the institution is based, and 
 ever after continued a warm advocate and an able supporter of the 
 measures now in succe^sful operation for the realization of the liberal and 
 enlightened intention of James Smithson. 
 
 ******* 
 
 It is but natural that the shock of Mr. Cox'.s death was se- 
 verely felt by this scientific institution. Having served with 
 him on the board, I can well testify to the high regard in which 
 he was held by this body, which included men of the greatest 
 distinction. Mr. William Walter Phelps, now our minister to 
 Germany, was the colleague of Mr. Cox and myself during the 
 preceding Congress. 
 
 At a meeting last January it became my painful duty to pro- 
 pose that a committee be appointed to prepare suitable resolu- 
 
168 Addri'ss of Mr. \\'lmki\ of Alabama, on titc 
 
 tioiis upon the deatli of our associate. The record of the 
 Smithsonian, made pursuant thereto, is in these words : 
 
 At a meeting of the Board of Regents held Januar)' 8, 1890, Mr. 
 Wheeler called the attention of the board to the death of their late col- 
 league, Hon. S. S. Cox, and on his motion it was — 
 
 Resolved, That a committee be apjjointed, of which the secretary shall 
 be chairman, which shall be authorized to prepare resolutions on the serv- 
 ices and character of the late S. S. Cox, and to make the same of record. 
 
 The cliairman announced as the committee the secretary, C.eneral 
 Wheeler. Dr. Welling, Mr. Lodge; who reported as follows: 
 
 To thf Board 0/ Regents : 
 
 Your committee report that the Hon. S. S. Co.\ was first appointed a 
 Regent of the Smithsonian Institution December 19, 1861, and that he 
 filled that office, except for intervals caused by public duties, to the time 
 of his death. 
 
 While he was a regular attendant at all the meetings of the board, he 
 was ever ready to advance the interests of the Institution and of science, 
 either as a regent or as a member of Congress, and although such men as 
 Hamlin, Fessenden, Colfax, Chase, Garfield, Sherman, Gray, and Waite, in 
 a list comprising Presidents, Vice-Presidents, Chief-Justices, and Senators 
 of the llnited States, were his associates, there were none whose service 
 was longer or more gratefully to be remembered, nor perhaps any to 
 whom the Institution owes more than to Mr. Ct)X. 
 
 The regard in wiiich his brother regents held Mr. Cox's accuracy of 
 characterization, and his instinctive recognition of all that is worthiest of 
 honor in other men, may be inferred from the eulogies which he was re- 
 quested by them to deliver, among which may be particularly mentioned 
 the one at the commemoration in honor of Professor Henry in the House 
 of Representatives; but though these only illustrate a very small part of 
 his services as a regent, your committee are led by their consideration to 
 recall that his first act upon your board was the preparation and delivery 
 of an address at the request of the regents on their late colleague, Stejihen 
 A. Douglas, and that on this occasion he used words which your commit- 
 tee permit themselves to adopt, as being in their view singularly charac- 
 teristic of Mr. Cox himself. 
 
 "It was not merely as one of its regents thai he showed luinself the 
 true and enlighteneil friend of objects kindred to those of this establish- 
 ment. He ever advocated measures which served to :idvan< e knowlcdi^e 
 
Life a)id CJuDactcr of Sautuel S. Cox. 169 
 
 and promote the progress of humanity. The encouragement of the fine 
 arts, the rewarding of discoverers and inventors, the organization of ex- 
 ploring expeditions, as well as the general difl'usion of education, were all 
 objects of his special regard." 
 
 In view of these facts it is — 
 
 Resolved, That in the death of Hon. S.a.muel Sullivan Cox the 
 Smithsonian Institution has suffered the irreparable loss of a long tried 
 friend, the Board of Regents of a most valued associate and active mem- 
 ber during fifteen years of service, and the country of one of its most dis- 
 tinguished citizens. 
 
 Resolved, That the Board of Regents desire to express their deep sym- 
 pathy with the bereaved family of the deceased, and that a copy of these 
 resolutions be transmitted to the widow of their late associate. 
 
 It is hard to realize that the tliree strong men, Cox, Randall, 
 and Kelley, who consecrated their lives to dut\ iti this Hall, 
 and who at the close of the last session were firm and healthy 
 and determined, should have gone from us forever. We look 
 at the seats they occupied so long, and they are no longer 
 there. A few weeks ago we met here to pronounce our eulo- 
 gies upon Air. Kelley; in a few weeks we shall quietly enter 
 the Hall to do honor to Mr. Randall; and to-day the Hotise 
 holds a special session that its members may utter their heart- 
 felt e.xpressions commemorative of the virtues of Mr. Cox. He 
 has crossed the river, the dark, placid, untathomable River of 
 Death. He has entered the Elysiau Fields; he is resting under 
 the shade of the trees. Peaceful may be that rest 1 In life he 
 was invincible; in death he is immortal. 
 
 Mr. Speaker, the obsequies of Mr. Cox have been tonchingly 
 described by other gentlemen during these services, but only 
 passing allusion has been made to the beautiful addresses of 
 Dr. Milburn, Dr. Talmage, and Dr. Deems. These exercises 
 would not be complete without these tributes. I will there- 
 fore incorporate them as a part of my remarks. 
 
170 .hyiYrtss of Mr. Wheeler., of Alabama, on the 
 
 At the chiircli the procession was headed by the clergy, led 
 by Charles E. Deems. D. D., LL. D., pastor of the Church of 
 the Strangers, a church Mr. Cox frequently attended. He was 
 followed by Rev. Dr. Milburn, Chaplain of the House of Rep- 
 resentatives, accompanied by Rev. Dr. Talmage, of Rrookhn. 
 Then followed the pall-bearers with the remains, and then the 
 faniil)- and friends. 
 
 Dr. Deems read the sentences out of llic- Church Ser\ice: 
 
 I am the resurrection and the life, saith the Lord ; he that believeili in 
 Mc, though he were dead, yet shall he live; and whosoever iiveih and 
 believeth in Me shall never die. 
 
 I know that my Redeemer liveth, and tluu he sliali .stand at die latter 
 day upon the earth. And though after my skin worms destroy this body, 
 yet in my flesh shall I see God, whom I shall see for myself, and mine 
 eyes shall behold, and not another. 
 
 We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain wc can carry 
 nothing out. The Lord gave, and the I-ord hath taken away ; blessed 
 be the name of the Lord. 
 
 After the congregation were seated, Re\-. Dr. Milburn read 
 in a most impressive manner the fifteenth chapter of the First 
 Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians, and after an anthem 
 jjroceeded to deliver the following euloginm. 
 
 Rev. Dr. Milburn said: 
 
 SAMLicr. Sui.LiVAN Cox, the humorist, tlie writer, the speaker, a servant 
 of the people, an officer of the State, a most hunian-heariei! man, has 
 left us, and we, the city, the nation, are the poorer for his going. I'liere was 
 in him a vein of admirable wit united to an excellent understanding and 
 a rare power of sympathetic speech, and these, with an indefatigable in- 
 dustry and dauntless energy ami courage, early in life brought him to il-.e 
 front, and throughout his days kept him there, in a position of influence 
 and power to which he was fully entitled. The country can ill afford to 
 spare, in what should have been the maturity of his manhood, one so 
 richly endowed by nature, labor, large and varied e.xperience, whose soul 
 was weddetl to its honor, and to the happiness, interest, and welfare of 
 his fellow-men. .As his friends, we mourn our irreparable loss, while the 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 1 7 1 
 
 whole land sorrows for the departure of one of its most faithful, valiant, 
 and devoted sons. 
 
 Sprung from a brave old Revolutionary stock, born in Ohio, one of a 
 family of fourteen children, taught from his earliest days to work with jjer- 
 sistence and energy, he gained a university education as the fruit of his 
 own toil, and then enlarged his mind and quickened his sympathies by 
 wide travel, making acquaintance with many climates, cities, of men. and 
 governments, and thus prepared himself for the work he was to do. He- 
 first tried his hand as a writer for the newspaper press and also as the 
 author of a book of travels, but soon entered the Capitol of the nation as 
 a member of the House of Representatives, where his brilliant parts at 
 once gained him distinction. 
 
 Throughout his Congressional career of nearly thirty years, he secured 
 and maintained to the last the kindly regard, the warm admiration, and 
 personal friendship not onl)- of his political associates, but of the mem- 
 bers on the otlier side of the floor, and in the bead-roll of his friends and 
 admirers there will be found as many opponents as members of his own 
 party. Trenchant and powerful in debate, he used the weapons of re- 
 search, clear statement, argument, keen wit, and an ever-present humor, 
 and wherever he inflicted wounds they were always salved by kindness 
 and mirth, and all canker was removed. 
 
 Earnest in his political convictions and ardent in their advocacy, he 
 was yet more earnest and ardent in matters outside of politics that con- 
 cerned the happiness of his fellow-men. Notable illustrations of this are 
 found in our Life-Saving Service, of which he may be said to be the 
 father, and in his championship of the cause of the hard-worked and 
 underpaid clerks and carriers of the postal service. His best and highest 
 public utterances, which had the whole force of his character in them, 
 were in behalf of a larger toleration, a sweeter and more practical 
 humanity. 
 
 When one reviews his work in Congress, and knows the immense la- 
 bors he performed there, in the profound study of ail questions vital to the 
 nation's welfare, in committees, on the floor, and at the Departments, it 
 would seem enough to tax any man's utmost strength and fill his whole 
 time; yet such was his unwearied industry and elastic energy, that he 
 managed to write book after book which have instructed and delighted 
 great bodies of readers by their intelligence, vivacity, their wisdom, humor, 
 and wit. 
 
 I must leave ii to others, to his colleagues in Congress, to speak of his 
 
172 Address of Air. W'lieelcr, of Alabama, on the 
 
 political services and the debt of gratitude the country owes his memory. 
 This place is sacred to the consideration of character. How did he use 
 those extraordinary talents which he possessed? Were they for himself 
 supremely? A less selfish man than Samuel Sullivan Cox has never 
 appeared in the political life of his country. He had a large heart, ten- 
 der sympathies, a kind appreciation, and a power to interpret the charac- 
 ter of all will) whom he came in contact. Noble as was his head his 
 heart was still nobler; and throughout his career he strove to help, to 
 cheer, to befriend those who were in need of friendship. There was a 
 light in his eye, a music in his voice, a grasp in the hand, a cheerfulness 
 of speech, a heartiness of manner, which lifted burdens from the shoulders 
 of those who came near him. His honor was unstained. .Although he 
 was connected with the politics of this city and of the country in their 
 darkest hours, when corruption ran riot and the infamous scramble for 
 place and pelf was common, the pitch never defiled him, his good name 
 was never assailed even by the tongue of scandal. He bore himself with 
 a lofty rectitude; his integrity was incorruptible. 
 
 .\mid the dance of society, the roar of business, the greed for office 
 and money, we pause beside this coffin in the stillness of this sacred place 
 to recall the form and features of one whose nature was large enough to 
 offer the generous hospitality of recognition and sympathy to all sorts and 
 conditions of men, whether they were Roman Catholic or Protestant, 
 Jew or Mohammedan; and who in the battle of life ever struck with all 
 his might for the cause of the true, the right, the good. One who knew 
 him best has assured me that his piety towards God was as genuine, deep, 
 and reverent as his charity towards his fellow-men was large, unaflected, 
 and fervent. He drew the inspiration of his conduct and character from 
 the truths and faith of our holy religion. 
 
 We speak of our friend as dead. This casket contains his outer cover- 
 ing; the man himself lives. He looked with those eyes, sjjoke with that 
 tongue, those lips, used those hands, for there was that within the body 
 which emi)Ioyed these organs as instrume.its. The man himself has 
 passed through the door, invisible to us, into a world not of ghosts, but a 
 world of substance — of human forms. He has gone forth tlothetl with 
 immortality, and stands to-day in the presence of his Father and his t'lod, 
 of his Saviour and ours. He has carriei! with him all the fruits of his 
 true and kindly words, brave and generous deeds, noble conduct and en- 
 durance; for in that sphere character alone survives, and every man shall 
 find th.- place for which he has fitleii himself on earth. We can not tell 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 173 
 
 what things may be given him to do, but we are sure that his higher hfe 
 in that glorious world unseen by us will be one of activity, of ministry to 
 others, perha^Ds to us, in ways we can not understand. Shall not the 
 blessed revelation of this truth, of the life and immortality brought to 
 light in the Gospel, bring comfort to our hearts, consolation to our sense 
 of bereavement? 
 
 *' Brief life is here our portion, 
 Brief sorrow, short-lived care ; 
 The life that knows no ending, 
 The tearless life, is there. 
 Oh, happy retribution. 
 Short toil, eternal rest; 
 For mortals and for sinners 
 A mansion with the blest." 
 
 Shall not these truths irradiate our own lives, inspire our characters, 
 helping us as they do to take the measure of lite's values, to place in right 
 proportion the world on this side the grave and on the other. 
 
 Will not the beautiful example of this man who the other day walked 
 at our side, talked, worked, laughed, and wept with us, but is now beyond 
 the stars, bring to our toil-worn brains and hearts peace this day ? There 
 will be little profit to us in gathering about this coffined form to pay this 
 last office of love to the memory of our friend unless we go hence more 
 reverent towards God and more kindly to our neighbor, reading the 
 minds and conduct of others with a more charitable eye, and carrying 
 ourselves with a more tolerant and affectionate bearing towards them. 
 
 This man bore himself to the age of three-score years and five, not 
 only untainted by the world, but unworried with it. No frown of dis- 
 content, no scowl of misanthropy, was ever seen upon his brow; no coin- 
 plaint of the emptiness of the world or of its vanity was prompted by that 
 cheery heart. He wrought for the welfare of others, and in so doing 
 found his own, for love is its own exceeding great reward. Let us take 
 this spirit with us from this hallowed place, and we shall depart truer and 
 braver citizens, purer men, worthy to live, and not afraid to die. 
 
 Rev. T. De Witt Talmage, D. D., then delivered the follow- 
 ing address: 
 
 The nation weeps. What a wide, deep, awful vacuum the departure 
 of such a man as S.^muel S. Co.x leaves in the world ! We shall not see 
 his like again. It will be useless to try to describe to another generation 
 
174 Address of Mr. IVheeler^ of Alabama, on the 
 
 who or what he was hke. He was the first and the last of that kind of 
 man. He was without predecessor and will be without successor. Wiiat 
 a genial, gracious, magnificent soul he was ! ,\nd every year he lived 
 made to the world a new revelation of his admirable qualities. Within 
 the past few weeks I traveled in his wake across the American con- 
 tinent, and I heard everywhere of the ovations he had received and the 
 superb impressions he had made, cities and Territories and States casting 
 their crowns at his feet. 
 
 And while these tempests are raging on land and on sea and the life- 
 saving stations have rescued, within a few hours, the crews of thirty ships, 
 we are called u])on to perform the last office over the body of him who 
 was the chief champion of that national benevolence for which every 
 sailor on the seas feels thankful. 
 
 \nd was there ever a truer friend ? Tell me, ye who live in the high 
 places of the earth, and the poor who last night, while his body lay in 
 state, wept over this casket ! There is hardly any one here to whom he 
 has not done a kindness. 
 
 Did he not speak for you a good word or write a generous commen- 
 da.tion or give you the smile of encouragement in some exigency ? How 
 many people he helped; how many perple.xities he disentangled; how 
 many bright utterances he strewed in the pathway of others, no one can 
 remember save the God who remembers all. 
 
 Firm as a rock, brilliant as a star, artless as a chiki, pure as a woman. 
 God endowed him for a good purpose with a resiliency of wit, a faculty 
 of impersonation, and an irresistible mimicry and a dramatic power that 
 were ine.xhaustible. How much the world owes to such a nature we can 
 not tell. It is often a greater good to cause a laugh than to start a tear. 
 We all cry enough, God knows, and have enough to cry about, and we 
 need no impulse in that direction. But he who can scatter otir gloom by 
 innocent merriment has been to us an emancipator. Solomon was right 
 when he said, '"A merry heart doeth gooil like a medicine." Wit is of two 
 kinds, that which stings and galls and angers and makes the eye flash and 
 the heart burn ; the other is that which illumines, sets tree, strengthens 
 for another contest, jjuts us in gooil iiumor with the world and makes us 
 renounce our follies. The one kind of wit is the lightning that rives, but 
 the other is the dew that refreshes. Of that last kind was the wit of our 
 departed friend. 
 
 He never laughed at anything except that which ought to be laughed 
 at. There were in it no innuendoes that tipjied both ways; nothing x iper- 
 
Life and CharacU'r o/ Saii/ucf S. Cox. 175 
 
 ine ; nothing that would have been discordant to recall if he had died 
 the next hour. Prince of innocent pleasantry, sanctified reparteeist, our 
 friend shall live in our memories like a sweet song too soon closed, like a 
 banquet too soon ended, like a picture over which too soon the veil has 
 dropped. 
 
 Good-by, old friend of years ! Together we rejoiced in this world. 
 Together we shall rejoice in a brighter world. You have gone because 
 your work was ended. We toil on because there is yet something for us 
 here to do. Come down to the gate and meet us when it is our turn to 
 enter. Then on the emerald banks of the crystal sea we will walk arm in 
 arm and talk over the scenes of earth by which we were disciplined for 
 the raptures that never die. Spirit blest ! I hail thee from this dark 
 autumnal hour on earth, thou of the June morning celestial! 
 
 My sister, bereft! God will help you in this sad hour. Lean hard on 
 the everlasting Arm. Thank God that this genial soul was permitted to 
 walk by your side so long, your pride and your joy, and be comforted 
 that you <iid just as well by him as he did by you. Witness the long 
 watchings of his two great sicknesses. Witness your life-time devotion. 
 Where he went you went all these years, and none of the enchanting 
 places of foreign travel which he described by his graceful and potent 
 pen were as bright or beautiful as the place where you shall meet him 
 soon. He will not forget you any more than you will forget him. 
 
 In this dark world of sin and pain 
 We only meet to part again; 
 But when we reach the lieavenly shore 
 We there shall meet to part no more. 
 The hope that we shall see that day 
 Shoidd chase our present griefs away. 
 
 Dr. Deems read the coiniiiitment service from the Book of 
 Common Prayer, and closed the service with an e.Ktemporaneous 
 prayer nearly as follows: 
 
 Almighty and most merciful (iod, our lieavenly Father, who in Thy 
 wise providence hast taken from our midst the spirit of our departed 
 Ijrother, we do most humbly bow to the holy will which has brought this 
 great bereavement. We do most humbly and heartily thank Thee for 
 the existence and career of our brother. We thank Thee for every good 
 thing that came into his life. For his radiant childhood, his brigin boy- 
 
17t! Address of Mr. ll'Juthr, of .i/abaina, on the 
 
 hooti, and his energetic manhood, receive our humble thanks, good Lord. 
 For all his intellectual and moral endowments; for his industry, patience, 
 perseverance, and genial temper; for his success in striving to turn aside 
 from evil ways; for his unselfishness, his genuine devotion to humanity, 
 his love of his fellow-men, his patriotic devotion to his country, his 
 ability to serve his tellow-citizens in so many and so important directions; 
 for his examjile in leading a clean life in an environment in which so 
 many have been corrujHed ; for the thousands of tears he has wiped from 
 the eyes of widows and orphans and strangers and the oppressed and 
 perplexed and poor, and for the thousands of smiles he has kindled on 
 so many sad faces, we render Thee most humble and hearty thanksgiv 
 ing, good Lord. For his home of unsullied purity and sunny love, for 
 his ])Osition of conspicuous honor and usefulness, for the great hosts of 
 friends by which he was able to surround himself from his boyhood to his 
 deatli, for his reverence for the Christian faith and the pleasure he had 
 in its strengthening, comforting, and uplifting influence, we render most 
 humble and hearty thanksgiving, good Lord. 
 
 And now, most holy Father, we beseech Thee to sanctify the sorrow 
 which hath come with his death. Into the arms of immortal love take 
 our dear sister, his bereaved wife. In the lonely hours when she listens 
 and waits in vain for the familiar footfall and the sunny smile of his 
 presence, and he does not come, and her heart grows lonely, speak to 
 her in the accents of divine affection and say to her, "Thy .Maker is thy 
 husband." Let his departure be by Thy grace aimed into a blessmg to 
 all his kindred, so that his memory may not be only a precious and fra- 
 grant treasure, but also a high and sustaining incentive to lives of good- 
 ness and purity. May all his friends and associates, in private and public 
 life, feel that, this fountain of beneficence being sealed, they must ojjen 
 their own lives for ampler usefulness. 
 
 .\nd now. Lord, amiil these surroundings, we pray that the silent benefi- 
 cent influence of Thy Holy Spirit may be exerted upon the people in 
 the Congressional district which Thy departed servant represented. In- 
 cline them to choose for his successor a man whose hands and whose 
 heart are clean of falsehood, bribery, and corrujjtion. Pour Thy Spirit 
 upon our whole land and nation. Orant Thy grace to all our public 
 men. Let there come from the grave of Thy servant a call to them all 
 to turn from every evil way to perfect holiness in the fear of the Lord 
 May all who make and expound and execute the laws of this land be 
 inwardly devout si-rvarus of ilu- liviiii; ('•ud. and DUtwardIv examples of 
 
Life and Characlcr of ScdiihcI S. Cox. \11 
 
 justice, mercy, and truth. O Thou, who hast permitted this people to 
 govern themselves, grant unto them the spirit of wisdom and of a sound 
 mind. May they all learn that no man who is bad in private can be 
 trusted to be good in public. May they never elevate to places of power 
 and trust men who are false, cowardly, licentious, or profane. May the 
 people have grace to select for their public servants men who fear God 
 and fear nothing else in heaven or earth or hell; and so may we come to 
 be that people of whom the nations of the earth shall say, "Blessed is the 
 people whose God is the Lord." And so may the land which our brother 
 loved, and for which he lived and in whose service he died, grow in all 
 true greatness and be an example to the nations of all the earth. }Iear 
 us. Holy Father, we do most humbly beseech Thee, and answer the prayers 
 of us. Thy servants, as may be best for us, granting us in this present 
 world a knowledge of Thy truth and in the world to come life everlasting. 
 
 Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it 
 was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be. 
 
 Our Father which art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy king- 
 dom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this 
 day our daily bread : and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those 
 who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; bat deliver 
 us from evil. Amen. 
 
 . And now may the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, keep 
 your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of his Son, 
 Jesus Christ, our Lord. And the blessmg of God Almighty, the Father, 
 the Son, and the Holy Ghost, be amongst you, and remain with you 
 always. Amen. 
 
 ADDRESS OF Mr. YODER, OF OHIO. 
 
 Mr. SPE.A.KER: We are again called upon to pause for a time 
 in the midst of the toil and cares of legislative duties, and in 
 kind and loving remembrance to pa\- tribute to the memor\- of 
 one of our most distinguished colleagues, and for many years a 
 noted figure on the floor of this House, Samuel Sulliv.'VN Cox. 
 He has gone from among us to return no more. It is due that 
 we should give to him, our late friend and co-worker, that 
 H. Mis. 243 12 
 
178 Address of Mr. Voder, of 0/iu\ on //ic 
 
 which we, too, must soon claim from those who live after us — 
 a just and grateful recognition. I desire to express not only ray 
 own, but Ohio's sincere grief at the loss of this noted and brilliant 
 man. Her cherished son, lu- will ever hold a marked place by 
 the side of Corwin, Chase, Allen, and her other great statesmen 
 who have gone from earthly honors and preferment to the richer 
 and higher glories of the Master. 
 
 Standing near him in party sympathy, as I did, I am free to 
 say that but one thing inspired his actions, l)ut one principle 
 controlled his thoughts, and but one burden rested upon his 
 great .soul, and that was the purest of patriotism and the greatest 
 good to all people. Born of distinguished parents — his grand- 
 father a soldier of the war of the Revolution, a friend of Jeffer- 
 son, and a member of Congress during his administration; his 
 father a member of the Ohio State senate, and his mother the 
 daughter of the State treasurer — he was justly proud of his line- 
 age, and in dying left no shadow upon an honorable and noted 
 ancestr\-. 
 
 LawNcr, diplomatc, traveler, poet, essayist, author, and states- 
 man; alike keen, large, trite, and brilliant, his name will ever 
 live in beautiful recollection by all who knew him, and in the 
 hearts of admiring and grateful countrymen will it be cherished 
 and enshrined; and on those tablets, more lasting than flinty 
 stone, hammered brass, or polished marble, will be inscribed the 
 perfect record of his true greatness. Small in stature and ])hys- 
 ically delicate, \el he was a man of distinct individualit\', 
 strength of will, (irmness of purpose, and soundness of jvidg- 
 ment. l'o.sse.ssed of genuine human sympathies and .sensibilities 
 the most tender, he wanned and gladdened all by his affability 
 and llie sweetness of his manners. 
 
 There was no sham, no di.sguise in him. The true tpialities 
 
Life and Character of Sa)njiel S. Cox. 179 
 
 of his soul, the open nature of his heart, though apparent to 
 the multitude, were best known and therefore most highly ap- 
 preciated by those immediately around him. In temperament, 
 style, and bearing he was eminently himself Ardent, pungent, 
 glowing, sincere, and winning, whether in conversation or in 
 speech, his society was eagerly sought and his titterances listened 
 to with the greatest interest. Endowed by nature with a quick 
 perception and an intense love of the sublime, his sweeping 
 logic was seldom other than clothed with the flowers of rhetoric, 
 and his thoughts, pointed and brilliant, poured forth like an 
 avalanche, in grand and inspiring words. 
 
 Prominent in his forensic efforts were the admirable qualities 
 of thoughtfulness, patient research, energy, and power. His 
 addresses exhibited a freshness and variety of thought, a vigor 
 and impressiveness of argument, a force and aptness of illustra- 
 tion, that impressed the dullest as well as commended him to 
 the most intelligent and thoughtful hearer. Yea, often en- 
 tranced by the magic of his eloquence when some strange power 
 possessed him, his hearers were led beyond comprehension of 
 the real into Elysian fields of a mystic paradise. Aside from 
 gilding and the embellishments of style or elocution, he was 
 master of the solid elements of mind and heart. A student of 
 ancient and modern literature, science, and art, often the quiet 
 midnight found him in contemplative joy over the productions 
 of the world's master minds. 
 
 In manner unassuming, in bearing dignified, in statement 
 vigorous, he had a wonderful command of language and pe- 
 culiar charm of speech, that pleased, convinced, and won. But 
 though he could sway the throng that waited in rapturous eager- 
 ness for every word that fell from his eloquent lips, yet his 
 home and the sweet companionship of his devoted wife had far 
 
180 Address of Mr. Voder, of Ohio, on the 
 
 greater charms for him than the praise of men or the fascina- 
 tions of the forum. Here, at his own fireside, away from the 
 restraint of public life and the cold and distant formalities of 
 modern society, he found his happiest moments and his greatest 
 joy. Here his s^enial and generous nature and his trusting and 
 confiding heart gave sunshine and cheer to the idol of his life. 
 
 He was a philanthropist in the highest .sense of the word, a 
 lover of his fellow-men. He was one of the grandest ornaments 
 that modern times have contributed to American public life. 
 Few there are to-da>- among great men po.ssessed of his varied 
 abilities and his brilliant intellect, and few will ever equal his 
 grand and unique character. A scholar and historian, he has 
 left us the result of his labors in books that enlighten and in- 
 struct his countrymen. His death came -like a dark cloud upon 
 us and upon the nation. That great heart is now stilled which 
 could but lo\e, for it contained no malice, and no words of 
 bitterness fell from his lips. The absolute purity of his private 
 life and the unquestioned houest\' of his public career are ex- 
 amples to us and to the nation to praise, emulate, and follow. 
 
 To the members of this House he was warmly attached. 
 Even on his dying bed often he inquired after and earnestly 
 expressed a desire to be with us again. Constant and true, his 
 devotion to friends was proverbial and unwavering. His good 
 nature, humor, wit, intelligence, and sociability made him a 
 favorite not only here but eveni'where. 
 
 Ohio in sadness lays on his grave the flowers of her love and 
 
 pride. 
 
 (!) gocxl, grc.1t heart tli.it all men knew. 
 
 f) iron nerve, to true occasion true; 
 
 Fallen at length, that tower of strength 
 
 Which stood four si|uare to all the winds that blew! 
 
Life and Oiaractcr of SiDiiHcl S. Cox. 181 
 
 ADDRESS OF MR. QUINN, OF NEW YORK. 
 
 Mr. Speaker: After the eloquent tributes which have been 
 paid to the memory of Samuel Sullivan Cox by the gentle- 
 men who have preceded me, men whose genius and whose elo- 
 quence have thrilled the civilized world, it becomes a difficult 
 task for me to say aught that has not been already much better 
 said. 
 
 Yet I feel that I owe a duty to my own feelings as well as to 
 him whose memory we have assembled here this day to honor. 
 I knew him well, and I loved him even better than I knew 
 him. I loved him, and I honor his memory now for his patri- 
 otic and magnificent Americanism, for the kindly gentleness of 
 his great heart, for the brilliancy of his genius, and for the un- 
 selfish purit\- and grandeur of his whole life. 
 
 Though he himself was born in the great State of Ohio, he 
 was descended from the bravest and best of New Jersey's gal- 
 lant sons. His grandfather. General James Cox, of New Jer- 
 sey, was one of those whose heroism and bravery, on many a 
 hard-fought field, side by side with Washington and Lafayette, 
 drove the tyrant and the despot forever from our shores and 
 firmly laid the foundation of that freedom which is the glory 
 and admiration of the world, and for which his grandson sacri- 
 ficed so much of his life that he might hand it down pure and 
 unsullied to the generations yet unborn, to his country for all 
 time. 
 
 Few who ever lived were more patriotic or more sincere than 
 his father; few there were whose voices were heard as often in 
 the councils of his State and also in the« halls of the National 
 Legislature as his; and, like his patriotic father, he left a record 
 
182 Address of Mr. Qitinii, of Neu' York, on the 
 
 and a name behind him which is the pride and common her- 
 itage of his country. 
 
 Graduating, as he himself did, from one of the foremost uni- 
 versities of this countr)' with the highest honors, he soon he- 
 came one of the most active members of the bar. But another 
 and a wider field awaited him, that of journalism, one that b\- 
 reason of his brilliant wit, his keen satire, and his great learn- 
 ing, he was destined to adorn. 
 
 In 1856 he was elected to the Congress of the United States 
 from his native Ohio. For four consecutive terms did he faith- 
 fully, fearlessly, and well represent the Columbus district. In 
 1868 we find him transferred to the metropolis of tlie Empire 
 State, where a still wider and more extensive field awaited the 
 outpouring of his genius and his patriotism. In that year he 
 became one of its Representatives in these Halls, and well does 
 New York to-day — yes, and the whole land he loved .so well — 
 bear testimony to the manner in which he .served their every 
 interest. Well do the toilers of the sea remember his ceaseless 
 efforts ill their behalf and the victory achieved by him in the 
 establishment of the Life-Saving Ser\'ice around our shores. 
 
 Dear is his memory to the hearts of those faithful servants of 
 the Government employed in the postal .service, for whose 
 emancipation he labored .so faithfully and so well. Dear is he 
 to all the toilers of our land, whose champion he was at all 
 times. No iiuin of our time lias so faithfully performed the 
 duties of the patriot, the statesman, and the friend as he! To 
 use the words of Hon. J. Proctor Knott, wlien speakiiis^ re- 
 cently of his departed friend: 
 
 .\'o other subject of a mere teni|)oral eliaracter so roiii]ilctely tilled the 
 soul of Mr. Cox as the sublime perfection he saw in our Federal Union. 
 It inspired him with the same wrapt enthusiasm with which the devout 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 183 
 
 astronomer regards the wondrous mechanism of the star- bedecked heavens. 
 To him it was a splendid galaxy of sovereign and co-equal Common- 
 wealths bound to a common center by an indissoluble tie upon which the 
 preservation of each depended, and the moving in their appointed paths 
 with the precision and harmony which marked the music of the spheres 
 in the glorious dawn when the morning stars sang together and all the 
 sons of God shouted for joy. 
 
 But, Mr. Speaker, it is not for his great and untiring love of 
 duty to his country and his people alone that we must admire 
 and honor him. To see him in the midst of his domestic circle 
 was a pleasure never to be forgotten. Generous in his hospi- 
 tality to a fault, he delighted all around by his lovable disposi- 
 tion and the gentleness of his manner, for he was indeed the 
 most gentle of men, whose heart was full of sympathy and whose 
 tongue, as well as his pen, was ever the first in the fight to 
 strike the shackles from the limbs of the oppressed and down- 
 trodden of every clime. 
 
 Supremely blessed was he in the companionship of one of the 
 most charming of helpmates, his wife, formerly Miss Julia A. 
 Buckingham, whom he married at Zanesville, Ohio, October, 
 1849. To him she was a priceless jewel, in spirit and disposi- 
 tion pure as the sweetest buds of spring. His constant com- 
 panion, who cheered him and rejoiced in his every triumph, her 
 love brightened the whole pathway of his life and cast a sweet 
 halo of religious consolation and hope around its close. Well 
 may our tears mingle with hers over his tomb, for a grateful 
 country shares her loss, her suffering, and her woe. 
 
 Not yon bright stars that heaven's high arch adorn. 
 Nor rising sun that gilds the vernal morn. 
 Shine with such luster as the tear that brealis 
 For others' woes down Virtue's manly cheeks. 
 
 Yes, we mourn with you, dear partner of his life; you, the 
 faithful, loving, affectionate wife, who in the bloom of your 
 
'184 ^Iddrcss of Mr. McClainmy\ of North Carolina., on the 
 
 beauty gathered all his heart-strinjijs together and wound them 
 around your own! 
 
 Farewell, Samukl Sullivan Cox, for your sun will rise on 
 earth no more; >et the bright rays of your genius will continue 
 to enlighten and cheer the people of every land! Your name, 
 now a lioiisehold word, shall live forever with our other immor- 
 tals. Your career as a patriot and a statesman shall continue 
 to illumine the brightest pages of our history. Empires and 
 thrones will pass away, but your name shall live forever, and 
 forever be dear to the heart of )our loving and grateful countr>'. 
 
 ADDRESS OF Mr. MCCLAMMY, OF NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 Mr. Spe.\ker: Horace has declared that "Pale Death advanc- 
 ing with equal and impartial step knocks at the hovel of the 
 poor and the palace of the great." To die is the universal lot. 
 To pass to our kindred dust and be forgotten, or else to live in 
 cold and pulseless marble chiseled by glorious art to vital grace, 
 is all that earth can offer us. Not even the Lord of Life, at 
 whose bidding countless worlds flashed upon tin.- brow of night, 
 at whose command the vanished spirit returned to its abandoned 
 tenement, in whose hands was all power and in whose heart 
 was all purity, not even he escaped that dread and awful pen- 
 alty in whose shadow we stand to-day, our hearts united with 
 sorrow and our lips duml) with loss. 
 
 Mr. Speaker, the custom which we now obser\'e is as im- 
 memorial as death itself Abraham bought the cave of Mac- 
 pelah and fashioned and beautified it in loving sorrow for name- 
 less loss. Barbaric nations piled uncouth stones on high as 
 rude hut touching memorials to commemorate the virtues of 
 
Life a)id Cliaractcr of Samuel S. Cox. 185 
 
 their gifted dead. Advancing civilization builds to heroic worth 
 the graceful shaft that splinters in radiant space the golden 
 beams of light; and we pause beneath our country's drooping 
 banner to eulogize our fallen comrade, whose loved features 
 shall be seen no more and whose eloquent voice is hushed for- 
 ever. 
 
 The author, the scholar, the diplomate, the orator, to whose 
 proud and swelling tones your hearts have thrilled, the patriot 
 whose great soul loved every rood of that mighty empire over 
 which our country's glorious banner floats, has crossed the 
 river. He, whose great intellect for thirty years burned upon 
 the peaks of fame like a beacon of glorious light; he, whose 
 genial humor flashed upon dull debate as the rays of the sun 
 that pierce and scatter the murky folds of clouds; he, whose 
 divining sense, whose scholarly polish, whose kindly heart, 
 whose swelling soul and honor's loftv sense have made his name 
 and life immortal, has passed to his great reward. 
 
 Samuel Sullivan Cox is dead ! 
 
 Ohio mourns not alone her honored dead. New York, with 
 bowed head and faltering step, approaches not alone the grave 
 of buried worth. North Carolina, with whom liberty is an in- 
 spiration and duty a watchword, offers upon this shrine, with a 
 grief that is voiceless, her profoundest tribute to the illustrious 
 dead. Everywhere upon this continent of republics true hearts 
 have chanted his mournful requiem and lowered above his 
 honored dust the proud standards of national sovereignty. 
 
 It is unnecessary to speak of his public services. Their 
 length and character are the best attestation of their worth and 
 sincerity. They glow upon his country's history; they burn 
 in shimmering glory upon his country's banner. They are 
 written upon the hearts of my people with a stylus of fire. 
 
1 86 Address oj Mr. Mc Clammy, of Xorth Carolina, on the 
 
 When war had torn and wasted them; when their land was 
 white with the tombs of her flower and dark with the rnins of 
 a century's toil and hope; when Xiobe, uncrowned and voice- 
 less, sat amid the ashes of desolation, his voice pleaded with an 
 angel's eloquence for the preservation of the American Union 
 and the perpetuation of American liberty; and my people will 
 love and honor him until Mecklenburo^h and Moore's Creek and 
 King's Mountain and Guilford Court-House can no longer thrill 
 the hearts of a degenerate posterity. 
 
 Sir, it has been recently said by a distinguished orator that 
 the South builded monuments to men who perished for slaven.- 
 and anarch>'. I wish to say, sir, in the presence of that vacant 
 chair, while in my heart is a chamber that will be drcar\- and 
 empty forever, that if power equaled desire I would build a 
 monument to tliis great leader of the North that should fall 
 amid the wreck of matter and crash of worlds, about whose 
 lofty summit the ethereal graces of the morning mists alone 
 should hover, and upon whose granite heart should burn in 
 fadeless fire the name of the patriot Cox. Not to him alone, 
 but to every American, regardless of section and regardless of 
 all .save that he consecrated his abilities to his country and io 
 his God in the cause of liberty, justice, and truth. 
 
 My friends, a great captain has fallen, flushed with victor)-, 
 nearing the zenith of his glory, crowned with ba>s, wreathed 
 with immortelles. 
 
 How .sleep tlie brave who sink to rest, 
 Uy .ill llieir country's wishes lilesscd! 
 
 The voice that rang so proudly in the.se Halls as he soared 
 upon liis bold and mounting wing is now, alas, but the memorN's 
 echo; the face that shone transfigured with intellectual emotion 
 is but a copy of the pale death. 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 187 
 
 Our friend is Sunset Cox no longer; he has passed the quiver- 
 ing bars of the sunset; his plumed spirit has floated through the 
 translucent seas of ruby and opal and amethyst; passed the glit- 
 tering splendors and burnished systems that flash from the 
 jeweled arch of the midnight; passed from death unto life, from 
 great tribulation unto perfect rest; joined beyond the golden 
 bars his loved and lost; chanting upon golden harp the sweet 
 refrains of triumph and wearing by the crystal river the victor's 
 crown of life. For him there is no death. Immortal he lives 
 forever. 
 
 There is no deatli. But angel forms 
 
 Walk o'er the earth with silent tread; 
 They bear our best loved things away, 
 
 And then we call them dead. 
 But ever near us, though unseen, 
 
 The dear immortal spirits tread ; 
 For all the boundless universe 
 
 Is life — there are no dead. 
 
 ADDRESS OF Mr. Turner, of New York. 
 
 Mr. Speaker: We sit to-day in the presence of the voiceless 
 mystery, death. Samuel Sullivan Cox, but a few short 
 months ago vigorous in life, radiant in hope, strong in courage, 
 has joined the silent army of the shadow-land. Life, that is 
 itself a mystery, has given way and yielded to the greater and 
 the stronger mystery, death. From out this circle the strong 
 man has gone; in the midst of the battle the chieftain has fallen ; 
 the wisdom of the statesman has vanished and the voice of the 
 orator is hushed. The strained gaze of the watcher sees nor 
 light, nor form, nor substance on the farther shore of the name- 
 less river; the listening ear of aSection catches no murmur from 
 the echoless portals of the tomb. 
 
188 Address of Mr. Turner^ of Xczv York^ on the 
 
 All the wisdom of all the ages stretches no farther than the 
 little span of human life, bounded by the cradle and the coffin. 
 The revelation of Deity alone can teach to man aught of the 
 eternity that lies back of the cradle or that stretches forever 
 beyond the grave. It is meet and fitting, then, for those who 
 live to pause beside the bier of the giant gone, and learn again 
 the lesson of the weakness and the futility of human hope, the 
 short limitation of human life, and the evanescence of human 
 fame. It was not my fortune, Mr. Speaker, to be associated 
 with Mr. Cu.x in his Congressional career; it began before my 
 life began. 
 
 I can not speak to you, as others to-night have spoken, from 
 the intimacy of long association in these Halls; I can not, as 
 others so well have done, recall the incidents of his life, nor so 
 justh- as others can I estimate his abilities nor tell of the deeds 
 of kindness that endeared him to so many of his fellow-men; 
 but, sir, I can speak of the love and reverence in which he was 
 held by the common people in the great city that honored him 
 so long. Perhaps no man in the last quarter of a century has 
 dwelt so near the hearts of the common people as S.'^Mi'EL Si'L- 
 LU A.\ Co.x. In him they felt they had a champion and a rep- 
 resentative to whom the\' could always turn and in whose care 
 their rights and their interests were guarded and were safe. 
 
 As few men ever have, he possessed the confidence of the 
 toiling millions of this great land, and none probably deserved 
 that confidence more. To the poorest and the meanest, as well 
 as to the richest and the greatest, he was always accessible; no 
 one was turned away from his door and none denied a hearing 
 who came with remonstrance or petition. In these qualities of 
 Mr. Co.x I see a more enduring fame than in even his brilliant 
 course as a member of this bodv. Great indeed is that man 
 
Life and Character of Sanntcl S. Cox. 189 
 
 who not alone exerts an influence in the legislative body of 
 this nation, but who throughout a long public life dwells near 
 to the hearts of the people. 
 
 The common people of this land, Mr. Speaker, are its gov- 
 ernment, their wishes and desires its safest and its wisest policy, 
 and he who understands them best and represents them most 
 faithfully is its greatest and its grandest statesman. Their full 
 confidence Mr. Cox possessed, and in this confidence lay his 
 strength. It was this that made him for many years a great 
 and living force, while other men as brilliant vanished from the 
 public gaze and became but shadowy memories of the past. 
 His life was one of singular devotion to their interests, and 
 those of us who gather here to-night, almost about his grave, 
 may from that life draw the most valuable lessons. 
 
 We are not all possessed of his keen, incisive intellect, but 
 we can at least imitate his unflagging zeal and tireless industry; 
 we do not all have his brilliant and far-reaching mind, but we 
 can at least emulate his lofty sense of duty and of honor; not 
 all of us shall attain his mighty and lasting fame, but we can 
 at least walk in the way he led and be, as he was, a faithful 
 representative of the people. 
 
 Sleep, then, O mighty leader of the public thought; rest for- 
 ever in peace, tried and faithful servant of the sovereign people; 
 upon thy bier lie not alone the laurel wreaths of victories won, 
 but the fadeless immortelles of the people who loved and fol- 
 lowed thee. Long as thy fame shall last in this body which 
 thy genius adorned, still longer will the people of the great city 
 that delighted to honor thee hold in loving memory thy name 
 as one who gave to them the best service of his life. 
 
190 Address of Air. Hansbrough, 0/ North Dakota, on the 
 
 Address of Mr. Hansbrough, of North Dakota. 
 
 Mr. Speaker: As a representative of one of the new States 
 admitted into the Union largely through the assistance of the 
 statesman whose life and services are now under review, I hope 
 that I may be able to contribute, in a few brief sentences, some- 
 thing which will stand as an expression of the feeling of those 
 who are now enjoying the rights and liberties so long denied 
 them. 
 
 It was not my good fortune to occupy a seat in this House 
 witli the lamented Samuel Sullivan Cox, nor indeed did I 
 know him beyond a casual acquaintance. Yet, sir, I should 
 have felt greatly honored to be his colleague, and I know that 
 we must have been the warmest of friends by the bonds of sym- 
 pathy which unite the greatest of strangers in the cause of jus- 
 tice. Few men rise superior to party when great party ques- 
 tions are involved. In the contest over the admission of the 
 new States Mr. Cox achieved fresh distinction as a statesman. 
 He left the beaten path of partisanship and became the new 
 Douglas of the Democracy. 
 
 Tlius to the garlands he had won in literature, in statecraft, 
 in diplomacy, and in debate were added the laurels that alone 
 belong to the patriot. He had read the lives of the fathers of 
 this Republic not in \ain. The history of llicir devotion to 
 liberty and their abhorrence of oppression must have been 
 deeph' graven upon his youthful mind, for in man's estate we 
 find him, as a political leader, disregarding his party's man- 
 date and struggling to liberate a million of his countrymen 
 from Territorial bondage. 
 
 Who can fathom the depths of pride with which he witnessed 
 
Life and Cliaractcy of Saiiiiu/ S. Cox. 191 
 
 the fruition of what must have been to him the dearest hope of 
 his declining years ? It was a fitting and just recognition of 
 his patriotism when he was called, only a few months before 
 his death, to visit, upon the mountains and upon the plains, the 
 grateful people in whose interest he had so successfully labored. 
 It was the statesman's compensation to stand with uncovered 
 head and receive the plaudits of a delighted populace. 
 
 So, Mr. Speaker, I believe that I express the sentiment of the 
 people of the two Dakotas, Montana, and Washington when I 
 say that the services of Mr. Cox in our behalf have, as they 
 are entitled to have, the fullest measure of appreciation. We, 
 too, in our humble way, can rise above party; and we come to- 
 day to lay the offerings of our gratitude upon the altar of his 
 renown. 
 
 To' him, after a ripe age, a long life of usefulness, death must 
 have come like a gentle sleep — without pain, full of peace, 
 laden with assurance of immortality. May the memory of his 
 worth never perish. 
 
 ADDRESS OF Mr. McCarthy, of New York. 
 
 Mr. Spe.\ker: I rise to participate in these sad services, 
 realizing the great responsibility and aware of the lack of abil- 
 ity on my part to do justice to the memory, virtues, and states- 
 manship of our deceased friend, Samuel Suluvan Cox. 
 
 However, I ask you to bear with me and make allowance for 
 my imperfections, and to accept the assurance that but for the 
 love I have for his memory I would not venture upon such a 
 task. 
 
 He is dead, and all that is left of him is the small particle, of 
 clay which lies cold and silent in the tomb. He is not dead. 
 
19- Address of ilr. McCarthy, of Xciu York, on the 
 
 His spirit lives. It is abroad. A man dies, but his memory 
 lives. His life, character, and virtues will always be cherished 
 by and live in the hearts of the American people. Men of his 
 character and his fame never die. 
 
 The lives of such great men always encourage us to greater 
 efforts, and to attempt at least to make our lives sublime, and, 
 in the words of Longfellow, 
 
 Departing, leave behind us. 
 Footprints on the sands of time 
 
 How few there are who loved him in life that do not mourn 
 him in death, realizing all that was great in his marvelous 
 character! A citizen of the purest manhood, his ever\- under- 
 taking was a triumph sublime. His deeds were beneficent and 
 his every contest through life was a victory of peace. By his 
 great ability he has raised on a solid foundation a fame which 
 kings might envy and which will last to the end of tirtie in tlic 
 history of his country. 
 
 No statesman has been more widely known among his 
 countrymen than he. At home and abroad, wherever our lan- 
 guage is spoken, his name is familiar. There is scarcely a home 
 in our land where civilized man has his abode, c\en in the sol- 
 itude and fastnesses of the western wildeniess, where his name 
 is not a household word. 
 
 He was born at Zanesville, Ohio, on the 30th of September, 
 1824. He was a scion of Revolutionary fame. He was the son 
 of Ezekiel Taylor Cox, who was one of the pioneer journalists 
 of Ohio and who started the Muskingum Messenger, at Zanes- 
 ville, in the early part of the present century. His father held 
 many oflRces of trust and confulence. From 1S21 to 1S28 he 
 held the office of clerk of the supreme court, and was also 
 officially connected willi the court of common pleas of his 
 
Life and Characlcr of Samuel S. Cox. 193 
 
 county. In 1831 he was a State senator, subsequently held the 
 office of recorder, and was later again appointed a United States 
 marshal by the President then in office. 
 
 The grandfather of S. S. Cox was General James Cox, a dis- 
 tinguished officer of the Revolution, who was born at Mon- 
 mouth, N. J., and who fought at Brandy wine, Germantown, 
 and Monmouth. His mother was the daughter of Samuel Sulli- 
 van, who was treasurer of the State of Ohio in 1818. 
 
 Samuel Sullivan Cox attended the university at Athens, 
 Ohio, for a brief period, finally becoming a student at Brown's 
 University, Rhode Island, where he paid his expenses by his 
 literary ability as a teacher, afterwards graduating with the 
 highest honors in 1846 and receiving three years later the de- 
 gree of A. M. As late as 1885 this great seat of learning hon- 
 ored him further by conferring the degree of LL. D. 
 
 To illustrate his ambition for literary fame and the great 
 solicitude he felt about his education personally, I could not 
 perhaps do better than read to you one of his letters to his 
 father, from Athens, Ohio, in 1843 ■ 
 
 Dear Father: Although I wrote you yesterday, circumstances have 
 occurred which would require I should write again. Do not think I am 
 troubling you too much about my future course. It is not a very trifling 
 matter where I am to pass the remainder of my collegiate course, and it 
 should receive a degree of consideration, you will admit, correspondent 
 to its importance. 
 
 I wrote you I determined on leaving Athens (owing to changes). 1 
 can spend my time (vacation) profitably by reading, studying for debates, 
 etc., and can easily enter junior at Cannonsburgh. If I trouble you too 
 much, I have a tolerably good reason, you will admit, and I hope you 
 will give me credit for wishing at least to do the best with the least in- 
 convenience and expense. But I am perfectly at your will in regard to 
 my future course. 
 
 '^o""' SO"' Samuel. 
 
 H. Mis. 243 13 
 
194 Address of Mr. McCarthy., of Neic York, on the 
 
 Although exceedingly anxious about his future college course, 
 this most ambitious youth seriously considered his father's pe- 
 cuniary circumstances and unmistakably disclosed undoubted 
 reluctance to trespass on his affectionate parent. 
 
 However, for some reason unknown to me, Ca .nonsburgh 
 was not chosen. Brown's University, at Providence, R. I., was 
 selected; and a generous relative, Mr. James C. Cox, furnished 
 the requisite funds. It may also be stated here that as soon as 
 the good student became self-sustaining this indebtedness was 
 gratefully remembered and canceled. 
 
 A letter written by him at Cincinnati, in 1849, to a younger 
 brother, in a most remarkable manner forecasts the power and 
 genius of this great statesman and the key to his after life. I 
 read from it: 
 
 It pleases me immeasurably to see that you try yourself a little. I like 
 to look to motives rather than to motions, to promptness rather than to 
 flourishes, to principles ratlier than to semblances; and when I see in a 
 good performance a good motive, a creditable pronipture, and a noble 
 principle, I can open some part 01 my nature which no one can ever see, 
 not even my father, without these golden keys. Vou may learn some day 
 of aspirations and the close, unremitting industry with which I have fol- 
 lowed up certain ends — of the irrepressible love I have of triumphing over 
 difficulties I have had. But enough. I only mention it to show you that 
 the least effort on your part to rally under the " Excelsior " ensign touches 
 a genial cord. 
 
 I would ever advise you, as your elder brother and as one who in the 
 better moments hopes to be (if he be not) a Christian, to rise above 
 every obstruction, come from where it may. By willing it you can do 
 It. Uill alone becomes confirmed and strengthened by the first act under 
 its guidance. 
 
 1 am used to writing freely and would rather be lookeil upon as unkind 
 and forbidding, in writing something that may stir, rather than to indulge 
 in fancy, etc. 
 
 Returning to his ulnm malir, as well as defraying his 
 collegiate e.\])enses with his literary labors, he .secured prizes 
 
Life and Cliaractcr of Samuel S. Cox. 195 
 
 in classics, history, literary criticism, and political econ- 
 omy. 
 
 He had the reputation of being a good student, and never 
 ceased to treasure a warm affection for his professors. Later on in 
 life he had the honorary membership of the Cobden Club, of 
 England, bestowed on him. 
 
 Adopting the profession of the law, he returned to his native 
 State and entered, as a student, the office of the firm of Goodard 
 & Con vers. Afterwards he removed to Cincinnati, and completed 
 his legal studies with Hon. Vachel Worthington. Here he 
 practiced for a few years. He was also a close student of theol- 
 ogy, and was familiar with the different doctrines of the various 
 religions, knowing the Bible almost by heart. 
 
 In his Orient Sunbeams, speaking of the holy sepulcher, he 
 says: 
 
 In this far-off country one is very near his highest and best thought, 
 and at the very tomb, or at least in the very precincts of the spot where 
 He suffered, agonized, and died, utter helplessness of one's condition, 
 without divine aid, subdues all pride and humbles all worldliness. 
 
 In 1851 he attended the first World's Exposition in London 
 and traveled extensively through Europe, touching on Asia. 
 
 On his return to his native country in 1853 he settled in Co- 
 lumbus, where he assumed the duties of an editor. The Ohio 
 Statesman, of which he took charge, was a very prominent po- 
 litical organ of the Democratic party. It was while editing 
 this paper that he wrote a strikingly literary and exceedingly 
 picturesque article, entitled "Sunset," from which thereafter 
 he carried with him, even to his honored grave, his widely 
 known sobriquet. 
 
 In 1855 he was offered the secretaryship of legation to Lon- 
 don, but declined to accept that high honor. Still, shortly 
 
1 96 Address of Mr. McCarthy., of New York, on the 
 
 afterwards, in a similar capacity we find him at Lima, Peru, in 
 the service of his country. But on account of the fever so 
 prevalent in this southern clime he soon resigned that office 
 and returned to his home in Columbus. Here his district sent 
 him to Congress four tenns in succession, where he distin- 
 guished himself from December, 1857, to March, 1865. It was 
 about the beginning of this time that this able and honored 
 statesman delivered his first speech. It was noticeable that it 
 was the first speech ever delivered in this Hall in which we are 
 now assembled. It was on the Lecompton constitution, ad- 
 mitting Kansas into the Union as a State. At the end of his 
 term, in 1S65, he was admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court 
 of the United States, before which he succeeded to a most ex- 
 tensive practice. Here his zest and activity' established the 
 fact that he was a shrewd, careful, and able lawyer and a mas- 
 ter of that honored profession. 
 
 That he was an adherent and stanch supporter of the great party 
 he cast his fortune with, his honored career gives ample proof 
 We find him next serving as a delegate to the Charleston, Chi- 
 cago, New York, and St. Louis conventions of 1856, 1864, 
 1868, and 1876. 
 
 It was during the ci\il war that his patrioti.sm spoke the vir- 
 tues of his brilliant and noble character, when his country 
 needed his .ser\ices most, when he sustained the Ciovernment by 
 voting men and money, notwithstanding that he took a promi- 
 nent part in opposing several policies of the .Administration. In 
 short, he was a stanch adherent and faithful ad\ocate of the 
 preservation of the I'nion. 
 
 In was in 1865 that he came lo reside in the great metropolis 
 of llie country, which, three years later, .sent him to Congress 
 again. New York. ahva\s remarkable for honoring the worthy, 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 197 
 
 pleased with the sterling qualities of the great statesman and to 
 bear testimony of her high appreciation of Mr. Cox's patriotic 
 services, re-elected him eight times thereafter in succession to 
 the position he so honorably filled. Our deceased friend was a 
 representative man in every sense of that term. He served on 
 numerous committees, among others on Foreign Affairs, Bank- 
 ing, Naval, Library, Centennial, Rules, and Census, of all of 
 which, excepting perhaps the Committee on Rules, he was 
 chairman. 
 
 In the Forty-fourth Congress he was appointed Speaker pro 
 tempore June, 1876. 
 
 At the opening of the first session of that Congress, 1877, he 
 was one of the candidates for the Speakership, and, although 
 not elected, he served frequently thereafter in that office with 
 the most marked ability and distinction. In the very session 
 of the House I now speak of, he organized the new census, and 
 his individual efforts in relation thereto reflected creditably on his 
 energy and capacity. He distinguished himself as an author of 
 a system of apportionment which met the highest approval of 
 his colleaeues and evoked the entire satisfaction of his constit- 
 uents, and is the author of the present apportionment law 
 under which the representation of the States in Congress is 
 made. 1 
 
 In the tariff he was always at home. It was his pet theme. 
 His orthodox views were as broad as he was whole-souled and 
 liberal-minded. He was the friend of the Hebrews of every 
 country, and their interests under every condition were safely 
 and solicitously guarded by him. A true and sterling patriot, 
 born in the most liberal, liberty-loving country on the face of 
 the globe, he loved to see liberty prevail the world over. The 
 persecution of the Hebrews abroad evoked his deepest sympa- 
 
1 98 Address of Mr. McCarthy, of Nexc York, on the 
 
 thy, sense of justice, and his most earnest sen-ices in behalf of 
 suffering humanity. 
 
 As an evidence of the great gratitude of the Jewish people 
 and their high appreciation of and friendship for Samuei. Sri.- 
 i.i\AX Cox, I will briefly quote you a passage from the language 
 used by Simon Wolf, chairman of the executive committee, at 
 the general convention of the supreme lodge of the order of 
 Kesher Shel Barzel, delivered very recently, and already quoted 
 b\- the gentleman, Mr. Bunnell. This Mr. Wolf continues: 
 
 He was a statesman, a patriot, a legislator, a diplomate, an author, 
 a wit, a lecturer. He was, notwithstanding all these attributes wliich 
 caused him to be devoted day and night to the many duties of his call- 
 ing, a devoted friend, a strong and wise defender of the oppressed of all 
 climes and of all faiths, a counselor humane, gende as a woman, efl'ul- 
 gent with the weil-S])rings of a humanity that had its fount in the heart 
 and its elevation in the loftiest attributes of a refined and cultured brain. 
 While his name and his praises had been sung by all people there is no 
 class that should remember hmi more gratefully than the Jews. In sun- 
 shine and in storm, in and out of Congress, he was their constant friend, 
 their champion most devoted and true. 
 
 He was the friend of the oppressed in all countries alike, irre- 
 spective of creed or cla.ss. 
 
 He believed in home rule and a government of the people, 
 by the people, and for the people, and therefore always advo- 
 cated home rule for Ireland. 
 
 He it wa.s who secured and had extended the use of the Hall 
 of the House of Representatives and the attendance of Sena- 
 tors and other influential and public men of note to liear that 
 great champion of Irish liberty, Charles Stewart Parncll, jdace 
 before the .\merican people in their true light the great griev- 
 ances of Ireland. This was the greatest honor ever extended 
 to any stranger by our people. 
 
Life and Character of Sannicl S. Cox. 199 
 
 His efforts in the cause of humanity stand to-day as living 
 monuments of his worth, earnestness, and sincerity. His legis- 
 lative acts were always of the substantial, serviceable, and few 
 fell short of being institutions of universal benefit to humanity. 
 
 For many years he was the introducer and champion of the 
 bill organizing the Life-Saving Servdce; in fact, he was the 
 father of this service, the passage of which he had the pleasure 
 of witnessing. 
 
 Writing on this subject, the Chicago Times says: 
 
 To the late lamented S. S. Cox, more than to any individual Rep- 
 resentative in the country, falls the honor of making our Life-Saving 
 Service effective. It is now a grand monument to his wisdom and 
 humanity. 
 
 Over 3,950 persons were rescued, and ships and cargoes valued at 
 $7,966,660 saved this year. Ages hence, S. S. Cox will be remembered 
 by those who go down to the sea in ships and are rescued from the 
 treacherous waves by the crews of life-boats. 
 
 To account for Mr. Cox's deep interest in this great and suc- 
 cessful undertaking of his, I will read an extract from a speech 
 delivered b}' him in the House of Representatives, June, 1878: 
 
 It is impossible, Mr. Speaker, personally not to felicitate myself upon 
 having given much earnest study to this life-saving legislation. It would 
 not perhaps be in good taste to boast of having been instrumental in its 
 organization and improvement. 
 
 The inspiration for what I have done, however, came out of a storm 
 upon the Scilly Isles, in the winter of 1868, when a great steamer barely 
 escaped shipwreck. It was the worst tempest in thirty years upon that 
 coast. When we arrived in port the day after the peril, the English jour- 
 nals were full of the glorious exploits, by rocket and signal and coast- 
 guard and mortar and life-boat. I wondered if so much could be done 
 in England, with her forty-five hundred miles of coast line, why should 
 not our country, with double that number of miles, have a similarly effi- 
 cient service. It was this that led me to propose what the superintendent 
 of the service called the efficient beginnmg of the patrol of the Jersey 
 coast. Since that time how much has been done for the wellbeins and 
 
200 AMiTss of Mr. McCarthy, of New York, on the 
 
 rescue of imperiled human life ! How much of comfort and joy has 
 been vouchsafed to families and friends of the beneficiaries of that mercy 
 which droppeth as the gentle rains from heaven in this warm-hearted 
 legislation, blessing and blessed. 
 
 Again, in 1888, when speaking on the same subject, he de- 
 clared that the saving of life at that time exceeded 36,000 
 persons. 
 
 Speaking of the same subject then he says: 
 
 May I not, then, take pardonable pride in the establishment and prog- 
 ress of this system, which has nQ peer in the world for its efteciive work 
 and no paragon in the history of nations for its inspiration ? I some- 
 times think, Mr. Speaker, that I have, through the mercy of God, more 
 than my comjiensation for the little I have done in the promotion of this 
 service. When struggling for life one year ago, in this city, when the 
 little will jjower which was remaining was ready to succumb before the 
 ravages of disease and the agony of pain, and when friends had almost 
 given uj) my surviving, I cast my eves upon two pictures at either side of 
 my sick-bed. 
 
 One was that of the life-boat gomi; out through the storm to the res- 
 cue of a ship wrecked upon a rock-bound cdast, while there on the shore 
 the relatives of the surfmen stand speechless with anxiety as to the fate 
 of the brave men who hazard all for the rescue. The other picture is 
 that of the same life-boat coming in. It is laden with its precious freight. 
 The howling storm, the chime of the breakers, and the dark clouds around 
 the lieetling clifls; the cry goes up from thankful hearts, ••.\11 safe: all 
 well." 
 
 In my poor sick fancy I grasped the tiller of the life-boat. 1 clung to 
 it with the tenacity that overcame the sinking heart of an emaciateii body. 
 The good doctor, when I related to him the incident and the source, and 
 how it had ins|)ired me with a fresh hope and a new life, gave me smiling 
 assurance that I might still survive as a rc^cucil man to plc.id for the Life- 
 Saving Service in many Congresses. 
 
 Not alone to llu- man wliu travels ow the sea was Mr. Cox a 
 benefactor. IK- was a friend to every num. luicmics In.- li.ul 
 but few. He was a friend to the letter-carrier. He supported 
 the legislation wliich raised tlieir salaries and irranted them a 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 201 
 
 vacation every year without loss of pay for such time, which 
 lessened their hours of labor to eight hours a day. This last- 
 mentioned measure necessitated an additional appropriation, but 
 faithful service and gratitude from the beneficiaries proved the 
 outlay in many respects a saving. 
 
 The gratitude of these hitherto overworked servants of the 
 people was sincerely and truly illustrated b>- their feelings of 
 sorrow for the deceased and sympathy with the wife in her great 
 bereavement, and numerous testimonials which came from 
 them show a grateful recognition of the great statesman's kind- 
 ness of heart. 
 
 His life was one of unceasing activity. He served on the 
 committees to investigate the doings of Black Friday, the Fed- 
 eral elections in cities, the New York post-office, and the ku- 
 klux troubles. 
 
 He was one of the regents of the Smithsonian Institution and 
 always took a deep interest in the affairs of that institution. 
 
 One of the most important services rendered by Mr. Cox, and 
 for which New York gratefully remembers him, was his instru- 
 mentality in the passage of a law to effectually preserve New 
 York Harbor and its tributaries from destruction. 
 
 In 1885 he was appointed minister to Tiirkey under the Cleve- 
 land administration. Here the resources were infinite for his 
 studious pen, and so deeply interested was he in the country and 
 its people — much to the unfeigned discontent of his numerous 
 friends and the public at large — that he was loath to return to 
 America very soon. But a severe hemorrhage necessitated his 
 coming home ijnmediately. He accordingly was constrained 
 to abandon his mission, and after eighteen months' sojourn 
 abroad he was with his own people again. 
 
 As his health soon was restored, the people again felt a great 
 
202 Address of Mr. McCarthy, of New York, on the 
 
 interest in their faithful representative, and two months later he 
 \s-as again in the campaign, a political contest which comprised 
 two elections. One was to the Forty-ninth Congress to fill the 
 place of Hon. Joseph Pulitzer, who had resigned, and then an 
 election to the Fiftieth Congress. I need not say that in both 
 elections Mr. Cox was a successful candidate. 
 
 In the fall of iS88 he was strongly advised to resign his seat 
 in Congress and accept a nomination for the mayoralty of the 
 city of New York, l)ut many reasons have been given for his re- 
 fusal to allow his name to be used on this occasion. 
 
 As an able, effective speaker and a littcraUur he had a wide 
 reputation. He was a great wit as well as a humorist. He was 
 considerable of a writer and was the author of a volume on his 
 experiences while in Congress from Ohio, entitled Eight Years 
 in Congress, published in 1865; Search for Winter Sunbeams 
 in Corsica, Algiers, and Spain, in 1869; Why We Laugh, in 
 1877; and in 1882, After a Summer Tour, Northern and Eastern 
 Europe, Arctic Sunbeams, and Orient Sunbeams. 
 
 His latest political work was the Three Decades of Federal 
 Legislation, published in 1885. In this latter work liis writing 
 alludes to the most critical and e.vc'ting era in the history of the 
 American Republic, his first decade beginning with the birth 
 of the Republican party, the last ending with the return of the 
 Democratic party to power, in 1885. 
 
 During twenty-four years of this eventful and momentous 
 period Mr. Cox was an active member of the House of Repre- 
 sentatives. 
 
 In 1887, after his return from Turkey, he published I'rinki- 
 poo, and a much larger volume, entitled Diversions of a Diplo- 
 mate, l)()lh of which have been widely read and are popularly 
 sought after. 
 
Life ami Cliaracter of Samuel S. Cox. 203 
 
 But the last and crowning act in the legislative career in the 
 great statesman's busy life was in connection with the admission 
 to the Union of four new States: Washington, Montana, and 
 North and South Dakota. So, even to the close of his bus}' 
 life, his energy and patriotism were directed toward the honor 
 and advancement of his country. ' 
 
 It was at Zanesville, too, where he was born, that Mr. Cox, 
 on the nth of October, 1849, found the best and truest com- 
 panion of his life, Miss Julia K. Buckingham. Liberally edu- 
 cated, gifted, and ever devoted to her husband's greatest inter- 
 ests and welfare, in her wifely love she realized his truest ideal 
 of the standard of noble womanhood. She in all things was his 
 most trusted adviser, and to-da)-, more than all of us, mourns his 
 loss and reveres his memory. 
 
 His illness was so brief that news of his death was at first 
 discredited. The sad event occurred at 8.30 p. m. , at his home, 
 No. 13 East Twelfth street. New York City, in the presence of 
 his ever-devoted wife and most trusted friends. 
 
 News of his death was received by men of all parties with pro- 
 found and unfeigned regret and sorrow. Ever since the Thirty- 
 fifth Congress he was prominent as a man of mark in national 
 affairs. I might say truly, not in the history of the United 
 States has there been a more prominent Representative on the 
 floor of this House. Everybody knew hin: and everybod}- liked 
 him. 
 
 There were few more industrioirs students or riper and versa- 
 tile scholars in the field of literature or politics. In the most 
 important branches of the public service he was an invaluable 
 worker. He was one of the ablest debaters on the floor; he was 
 an accurate speaker, eloquent, sometimes humorous, and ever 
 quick and keen at repartee. He was a thorough parliamen- 
 
204 Address of Mr. McCarthy, of Nen' York, on Ihc 
 
 tariau; in a word, he was in every sense a national man. In 
 years to come he will be universally missed, whilst to-day he is 
 mourned by political friends and foes alike. 
 
 ]\Ir. Speaker, the spirits of the great Washington, Jefferson, 
 Madison, Monroe, Clay, Webster, Lincoln, and Grant hover 
 about us and bid us give our fullest expression to the virtues 
 and the memory of this great statesman. Here assembled we 
 obey their bidding. We can not speak too much of him. Often 
 williin these Halls has his familiar voice been heard pleading in 
 behalf of liberty, justice, and charity. 
 
 In the words of Dr. Talmage, at the funeral service in New 
 York: 
 
 A nation mourns. What a wide, deep vacuum is left when such a man 
 as this dies. We shall not see his like again. He was the first and last 
 of his kind. Without a predecessor, he will be without a successor. 
 
 Mr. Speaker, as I said in the beginning, our honored friend 
 lives and his good works will go down to posterity in the his- 
 tory of his country. 
 
 As a mark of our love, respect, and esteem, I respectfully sug- 
 gest to this House, for consideration at some more favorable 
 time, that a suitable bust of the Hon. S.\muel Svlliv.xn Cox, 
 statesman, philosopher, and patriot, be erected within the pre- 
 cincts of this Hall. In the words of Antony over Brutus — 
 
 I lis life was gentle, and the elements 
 
 So mixed in him that Nature might st,-ind U|i 
 
 And say to all the world, " This w.is a man '. " 
 
 In my very humble way I have labored to place before you a 
 few of the many great qualities possessed by this remarkable 
 man. Thanking you most sincerely for the kind maniKi in 
 which I have been listened to, I leave the subject with tin. re- 
 flection and wish that the memory of Sa.mi'ki. Sl'I.i.ivan Co.x 
 mav ever live in the hearts of his conntrvmcn. 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 205 
 
 ADDRESS OF MR. SHERMAN, OF NEW YORK. 
 
 Mr. Speaker: To sketch even briefl}- the events which made 
 up the life of Samuel Suluvan Cox, to pause upon and touch 
 each step of his remarkable career, to review his public acts, 
 to analyze his public character aud works, to summarize all 
 that gave him place among America's Christian statesmen, I do 
 not intend. A perfect word-painting by the most eloquent 
 among us, intensified by the memory of some special kindly 
 act, could hardly do justice to his memory. 
 
 Those better fitted by nature and by longer and more inti- 
 mate acquaintance with him have outlined the more important 
 doings of his life. Of a life full of activity, so full of service to 
 his country and mankind, too much can not be said. It is in 
 my heart to do justice to his memory; but to pronounce his fit- 
 ting eulogy in all things I shall not attempt. 
 
 I would speak a few unvarnished words, descriptive of his 
 goodness, as a recorded proof that memor>- still holds dear the 
 face, the form, the heart of a departed friend; speak them feel- 
 ingly, tenderly, reverently, as I would scatter a handful of 
 flowers upon his grave. 
 
 The name of Mr. Cox has been familiar to me as that of an 
 esteemed and trusted friend of my father, though I had never 
 met him until the meeting of the Fiftieth Congress. As my 
 father's son, I made myself known to him. My reception was 
 most cordial. From the first I found in him a friend, ever 
 ready to give ear and counsel, no matter how trivial the subject 
 upon which I approached him. His great kind heart seemed 
 open to me. It opened so quickly, so freely, that I seemed to 
 have found a friend of \'ears. I learned by observation, neither 
 
206 Address of Mr. Sherman., of Xcic York^ on the 
 
 long nor keen, tliat I was not an exceptional recipient of his 
 kindness. 
 
 Of him could it have been literally said, " He salutes the 
 world and extends the hand of friendship to the human race." 
 His most striking characteristic to one who came to know him 
 well was his kind and tender heart. Day by day it grew upon 
 his associates. At times it seemed as if it must break the con- 
 fines of the frail body. Quick, alert, sharp as he was in de- 
 bate, earnest as was his advocacy of a cause he espoused, ready 
 as he always was to parry the thrusts of his opponent, and by 
 his rhetoric, his wit, or his satire blunt the point of the argu- 
 ment, his words were framed, were spoken with such a manner 
 of personal, kindly feeling for his adversary as to leave no 
 wound behind. The subject and not its champion was the ob- 
 ject of his attack. 
 
 I lis heart had room to share the sorrows of others. His hand 
 was ready to lighten others' ills. His very busy life was never 
 too busy to prevent his turning aside to alleviate suffering or 
 soften grief. Above his statesmanship, his versatility, his 
 humor, above his intense Americanism, shines out the good- 
 ness and greatness of his heart. He will be forever remem- 
 bered for — 
 
 That best portion of a good man's life: 
 His little nameless, unnumbered acts 
 Of kindness and of love. 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 207 
 
 ADDRESS OF Mr. Morrow, of California. 
 
 Mr. Speaker: Reference has been made to the legislative 
 services of Mr. Cox for the benefit of the letter-carriers of the 
 United States. The legislation he proposed was always in the 
 direction of a liberal and enlightened government policy in all 
 branches of the pnblic service. He was a man of broad sym- 
 pathy and generous impulses, and appreciated the fact that the 
 Government while not always exacting was yet sometimes a 
 hard task-master. 
 
 The letter-carrier system has always imposed long hours and 
 hard work on its employes. Mr. Cox advocated and secured 
 for this most deserving class much-needed relief and endeared 
 himself to them by his able and active services in their behalf 
 
 The letter-carriers of San Francisco, Cal., as an organization 
 have prepared and adopted a series of resolutions expressing the 
 tribute they would pay to the memory of our departed friend. 
 These resolutions have been handsomely engrossed and framed, 
 and are now in front of the Speaker's desk. I ask that they 
 may be read and incorporated into the proceedings as giving 
 voice to one thought coming to-day from the far Pacific. 
 
 The resolutions were read, as follows : 
 
 THE letter-carriers' AID ASSOCIATION OF SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. 
 
 At a meeting of the United States letter-carriers of the city of San 
 Francisco, held on Tuesday evening, October 15, 1889, a subjoined pre- 
 amble and resolutions were unanimously adopted: 
 
 Whereas we contemplate with feelings of mingled sorrow the announce- 
 ment of the death of the Hon. Samuel S. Cox, member of Congress 
 from the Ninth Congressional district of New York: Be it therefore 
 
 Resolved, That in the death of Mr. Cox the nation has lost an able 
 
208 Address of Mr. Gcisscu/iaiiier, of Xtzc Jersey, on the 
 
 ami experienced legislator, whose most conspicuous features were a long 
 and useful career of eminent scholarship, tireless industry, and unsullied 
 reputation for honesty and integrity, and a never-failing devotion to the 
 ties of friendship and the rights and welfare of the people. 
 
 Resolved, That as employes of the free-delivery system of the United 
 States postal service, we shall ever hold in grateful remembrance the 
 painstaking research, laborious compilations, and eloquent pleading for 
 which on so many occasions during his long and honorable career in the 
 halls of Congress Mr. Cox so ably assisted iii securing for ourselves and 
 our fellow-employes of the service mentioned the just provisions which 
 from time to time have been accorded to us by Congressional enactments. 
 Kesolvi-J, That a copy of these resolutions, suitably engrossed, be 
 transmitted to the honorable Clerk of the national House of Representa- 
 tives, with a respectful request that he may please to cause the same to 
 be read in the presence of the honorable body of whom the deceased 
 was long esteemed a distinguished associate, and thereby confer a lasting 
 favor upon the letter-carriers of the city at the Golden Gate. 
 
 John !•". Glover, Chairman. 
 Eugene Flanders, 
 ROLLA Fairhanks, 
 euwakd l. bolan 
 John Rules, 
 
 Committee on Resolutions. 
 San Francisco, October 15, 1889. 
 
 ADDRESS OF MR. GEISSENHAIK; .EW JERSEY 
 
 Mr. Spiv.\ker: It is a ctistoiii somewhere in our land for rela- 
 tives and friends to drop, in succession, upon the casket wlicn 
 deposited in its final restiny;-placc a white rosebud. This HoiLst- 
 is at this hourdeckinj^ the tomb of a revered and distinguished 
 brother. It is castinjj the rosebuds culled aloni; the pathway of 
 affectionate companionship and memory upon the bier of him 
 who, bej(inniny the journey anew, was phicked awa>' even before 
 the road was reached. 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 209 
 
 The ancestry of Samuel Sullivan Cox is of noble and 
 patriotic history. His grandfather, General James Cox, a Rev- 
 olutionary hero, was a native of old Monmouth. Leaving New 
 Jersey early in the century, his family was drawn further and 
 further toward the land of that setting sun so vividly described 
 b\- him, and which description gained for him the title by which 
 lie was known until his end. 
 
 Mr. Cox was born at Zanesville, Ohio, in 1824. Reared- 
 among the great fields and beneath the majestic, overshadowing 
 trees, he early learned to love the soil and to honor those whose 
 mission it was to labor. Ever amid the pursuits of his life, 
 whether as lawyer, journalist, author, diplomate, or statesman, 
 he never forgot the sons of toil, and ever strove to assist and 
 direct them. Frank and free, he drew them around him, and 
 rejoiced in their approval and support. With them he was 
 earnest, and when addressing audiences of laboring men strug- 
 gled to forge some mighty truth in such fashion that all might 
 grasp and comprehend. 
 
 His genial nature was carried in the front and turned alike 
 to all. Never shall be forgotten the kindly clasp of his hand 
 nor the pleasant word of welcome with which he greeted the 
 member coming from the home of his sires, the home where a 
 few years before he had participated in the laying of the corner- 
 stone of the Monmouth battle monument. 
 
 He was careful of his good name and well guarded it, believ- 
 ing that desire for reputation when founded on integrity was as 
 much a duty to one's self as approbation beyond one's own con- 
 victions was falsehood and vanity. 
 
 His friendship was a worthy, honest one, built upon a sym- 
 pathetic and reciprocal foundation, a friendship ready to share 
 alike a pleasure or a grief. 
 H. Mis. 243 14 
 
210 Address of Mr. (jcissoi/iaimr, of Xca' Jersey, on the 
 
 Altliough the hand of death has fallen heavily upon this 
 House and even this very week has beckoned away, as the ninth, 
 one of the foremost of this body, it can not take from us the 
 recollection of what the departed have been, nor can it check 
 their influence upon the present and the future. 
 
 The Seneca Indians had a beautiful superstition. When a 
 loved one of the tribe was called to the "happy hunting- 
 grounds" a young bird was imprisoned until it began to chirp 
 its little song. It then was loaded witli caresses and set free, 
 with a firm conviction that it would neither fold wing nor close 
 eye until it had borne its burden to the shadow in the spirit 
 land. The bird is freed to-day, and were the superstition true 
 there would be carried to our deceased brother the loving bur- 
 den breathed upon it by his eloquent successor. 
 
 We know, ho.wever, that our brother is in that eternal world 
 where no superstition, however beautiful, can ever enter. He 
 has been guided by death to an everlasting life. He has left us 
 in the land of the dying and gone before into the land of the 
 li\iug. 
 
 'Die last act has been performed, the earthly record is closed, 
 and having mingled the laurel with the myrtle, we lea\e the 
 brother trustingly to the tender care of the Infinite and Eternal. 
 
 Mr. Ci'M.Mixc.s. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
 tho.se members who have not spoken and who desire to pay 
 tribute to the memory of Hon. S.\miki. SfLLlVAN Cox be 
 allowed to print their remarks in the Record. 
 
 There was no objection, and it was so ordered. 
 
 Mr. McAnoo. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to 
 insert in llu- Record, in connection with these exercises, the 
 address of Hon. I'roctor Knott, of Kentuckw an ex-member of 
 
Life and C/ia racier of Samuel S. Cox. 211 
 
 this House, the remarks of ex-President Cleveland, and the 
 proceedings at the great memorial meeting held at the Cooper 
 Union, New York, October lo, 1889. 
 
 There was no objection, and it was so ordered. 
 
 MEMORIAL MEETING IN NEW YORK. 
 
 Cooper Union, October 10, 1889. 
 
 Mr. Julius Harburger, president of the Steckler Association, called 
 the meeting to order, and introduced Rev. Dr. P. F. McSweeney, who de- 
 livered the prayer: 
 
 In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. 
 Amen. 
 
 O Almighty and Eternal God, source of all power, wisdom, and good- 
 ness, we praise and bless Thy holy name, and we offer Thee our humble 
 thanks for all Thy graces and gifts to us. Thy creatures. On Thee do 
 we depend for all that we are and possess, and for all that we hope for 
 in this life and in the next. But, while we hail Thee as the great Master 
 and just Judge, we also know, through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, 
 that Thou art, above all, our loving and merciful Father. We thank 
 Thee for giving us this beautiful and spacious land in which to dwell, 
 and for the noble and Christian principles of freedom under law by which 
 it is governed. Especially do we return Thee thanks this night for rais- 
 ing up great and good leaders of Thy people, like him whose loss we 
 mourn so deeply, while bowing with pious resignation to Thy holy de- 
 cree. In him we miss the servant whom Thou didst choose as the 
 minister of Thy mercy when Thou didst hearken to the distressful cry of 
 the shipwrecked mariner and of the laborer oppressed, and when Tliou 
 didst dry the tears of the widow and of the orphan. 
 
 Do Thou, we beseech Thee, comfort the sorrowful heart of his beloved 
 relict during the remainder of her lonesome journey through this mortal 
 life, and bring her one day to Thy holy face in the kingdom of Thy glory. 
 May those who will be called to occupy his place be endowed by Thee 
 with intellectual power and civic virtue like those which characterized 
 him. May they, like him, have a kind heart and an appreciative sym- 
 pathy for Thy holy church and for the poor of Christ. And may this 
 glorious Republic continue under Thy fostering care to be the refuge of 
 the afflicted of every country and an exemplar to those who rule the na- 
 
212 Memorial Meeting iti New York. 
 
 tions in Thy name. To Thee, O Lord, be benediction, and honor, and 
 glory, and power forever and ever. Amen. 
 
 After which Mr. Harburger came forward and said : Ladies and gen- 
 tlemen, members of the Steckler Association, .and invited citizens, under 
 the auspices of the Steckler Association : This memorial meeting is held 
 in honor of our lamented member, friend, and valued Representative in 
 Congress, Samuel Sui,livan Cox. The high honor and privilege has 
 been conferred on me, as president of the association, of presenting to 
 you the presiding officer of this memorial meeting. ex-President of the 
 United States, Grover Cleveland. 
 
 Hon. Grover Cleveland said: It is peculiarly fit and proper that 
 among the tributes paid to the worth and usefulness of Samuel S. Cox 
 the most hearty and sincere should flow from the hearts of his Congres- 
 sional constituents. These he served faithfully and well, and they were 
 honored by the honor of his life. It was as their chosen public servant 
 that he gathered fame and exhibited to the entire country the strength 
 and the brightness of true American statesmanship. It was while he still 
 served them that he died. All his fellow-citizens mourn his death and 
 speak in praise of his character and his achievements in public life ; but 
 his constituents may well feel that the affliction of his death is nearer to 
 them than to others, by so much as they are entitled to a greater share 
 of pride in all that he wrought. 
 
 I should not suit the part allotted to me on this occasion if 1 should 
 speak at length of the many traits of character within my personal knowl- 
 edge that made your friend and mine the wise and efficient legislator, the 
 useful and patriotic citizen, and the kind and generous man. These 
 things constitute a theme upon which his fellow-countrymen love to 
 dwell, and they will be presented to you to-night in more eloquent terms 
 than I can command. 
 
 I shall not, however, forbear mentioning the fact that your Represent- 
 ative in all his public career and in his relations to legislation was never 
 actuated by a corrupt or selfish interest. His zeal was born of public 
 spirit and the motive of his labor was the public good. He was never 
 found among those who cloak their efforts for personal gain and advan- 
 tage beneath the disguise of disinterested activity for the welfare of the 
 people. These are ple.osant things for his friends to remember to-night ; 
 and they are without doubt the things ujwn which rest the greatest share 
 of the honor and res|)ect which his memory exacts from his tellow-citizens. 
 
Memorial Meeting in New York. "213 
 
 But while we thus contemplate the value of unselfish public usefulness, 
 we can not restrain a reflection which has a somber coloring. What is 
 the condition of the times when we may justly and fairly exalt the mem- 
 ory of a deceased public servant because he was true and honest and 
 faithful to his trust ? Are we maintaining a safe standard of public duty 
 when the existence of these virtues, instead of being general, are excep- 
 tional enough to cause congratulation ? 
 
 All public servants should be as true and honest and faithful as the 
 man whom we mourn to-night. 
 
 I beg you to take home with you among the reflections which this oc- 
 casion shall awaken an appreciation of the truth that if we are to secure 
 for ourselves all the blessings of our free institutions we must better ap- 
 prehend the interest we have at stake in their scrupulous maintenance, 
 and must exact of those whom we trust in public office a more rigid ad- 
 herence to the demands of public duty. 
 
 I congratulate you and myself upon the fact that we are to be ad- 
 dressed to-night by one whose eloquence and ability, as well as his warm 
 friendship for Mr. Cox, eminently fit him to be the orator of the occasion. 
 
 It is with much satisfaction that I now introduce Hon. J. Proctor 
 Knott, of Kentucky. 
 
 MEMORI.AL .i^DDRESS OF HON. J. PROCTOR KNOTT, OF KENTUCKY. 
 
 Mr. President, there has always been a disposition among men to 
 honor their dead, to linger with a mournful pleasure upon the recollection 
 of their virtues, and to speak of their merits in gentle terms of commen- 
 dation. The sentiment is coeval with our race and wilj continue with it 
 to the end of time. It is peculiar to no clime ; it is confined to no class ; 
 it is limited by no condition in life. It is common to humanity every- 
 where. It is innate with every member of our species who is capable of 
 the slightest feeling of respect for his fellow-man. It wreaks itself upon 
 expression in the simple ceremonies that attend the unobtrusive sepulture 
 of the peasant and the solemn pomp that waits on the imposing obsequies 
 of the king. Its memorials are seen alike in the fading wreath that ex- 
 hales its dying fragrance upon the obscure grave of humble poverty and 
 the sculptured column that lifts its lofty head above the moldering dust 
 of departed grandeur. It has brought us here to-night to offer with one 
 accord the tribute of affectionate admiration to the memory of one who 
 was endeared to many of us by the tenderest ties of friendship, and to all 
 
214 Memorial Meeting in Nc2i' York. 
 
 by tlie magnanimity of his nature and the luster reflected by his genius 
 upon the history of our country and our race. 
 
 No bloody laurel entwined his brow, no braying trumpet heralded his 
 going forth, no nodding plumes were veiled at his approach, no em- 
 battled armies wailed on liis word, no serried hosts rushed to the carnival 
 of slaughter at his bidding. The " pomp and circumstance of glorious 
 war" were not for liim. His weapon was mightier than the sword, his 
 arena grander than the stricken field, with its mangled dead and dying 
 thousands. His triumphs were sublimer than crested leader ever won. 
 They were the beneficent but bloodless victories of peace. In them he 
 laid the broad foundations of a fame more durable than storied marble or 
 monumental brass. The name of no man was ever more widely known 
 or more lovingly revered among his countrymen than his. It has been 
 heard wherever the language of civilized men is spoken. There is 
 scarcely a home in all this wide and wondrous land, whether amid the 
 Busy haunts of the crowded city or in the solitudes of the far-oft" mountains, 
 in which it is not a familiar household word. Thousands who had never 
 looked upon his kindly face nor listened to his friendly voice read through 
 the blinding mists of bitter tears the mournful tidings that his generous 
 pulse had been stilled by the icy touch of death. Millions of loving 
 hearts ached with silent anguish at the thought that all the sweet mel- 
 odies of nature were hushed to his dull, cold car forever; that the cheer- 
 ful sun would rise and set on busy, joyous generations through all the 
 cycles of coming time, but bring no light to his fi.xed ami rayless eye. 
 Yet how few there are among all the mighty multitudes who loved him 
 in life and who mourn for him in death who fully realize all that was ad- 
 mirable in his marvelous, many-sided character I 
 
 SAMUEL SULLIVAN COX 
 
 was born in Zanesville, Ohio, September 30, 1824. His ancestors, from 
 whom he inherited the germs of those sterling qualities which were 
 always so conspicuous in his singularly brilliant career, were, in all the 
 elements of t'ciniinc rcs])CLiabilit\ . luiiiicntly worthy of their illustrious 
 descendant. 
 
 His grandfather. General James Co.\, of New Jersey, was an ardent 
 advocate of .\merican inde|)endence and a gallant soldier in the Revolu- 
 tionary war, in which, by the force of his own distinguished merits, he 
 rose from the rank of captain to the command of a brigade, and after the 
 close of that heroic struggle was rejieatedly elected to the general as- 
 
Memorial Meeting ill Nczv York. 215 
 
 sembly of his native Commonwealth, and later on to a seat in the Federal 
 Congress, dignifving every position to which he was chosen as well by 
 his disinterested devotion to every duty as by the singular vigor of his 
 enlightened understanding. 
 
 His father, Hon. Ezekiel Cox, having emigrated to Ohio, soon be- 
 came a prominent citizen of his adopted State, and among other flatter- 
 ing evidences of popular consideration was chosen to represent his district 
 in the higher branch of the legislature, where his intelligence and his 
 integritv amply vindicated the confidence reposed in him by his con- 
 stituency, while his private life was a constant illustration of highest vir- 
 tues that pertain to an honorable and useful manhood. 
 
 How far the subsequent success of their gifted son may be attributed 
 to the pure example, prudent counsels, and pious solicitude of his excel- 
 lent parents it would be impossible now to estimate, It may be sufficient 
 for the present occasion to say, therefore, that they furnished him every 
 educational advantage their modest means would afford; and that no 
 more encouraging example could possibly be presented for the emulation 
 of his aspiring young countrymen than the manner in which he improved 
 his opportunities. Every fiber and tissue of his soul was inspired by the 
 golden truth that 
 
 In the lexicon of youth, which fate rejerves 
 For a bright manhood, there is no such word 
 As Fail. 
 
 He realized that labor was the only talisman of success. He ate no 
 idle bread; he flung away no priceless moment. In his boyhood, as in 
 his mature age, he was a prodigy of intellectual activity, a miracle of 
 mental energy. 
 
 On entering Brown University, whence he was graduated in the twenty- 
 second year of his age, he absolved his honored father from all further 
 claims upon his paternal aid, and while maintaining himself throughout 
 his entire collegiate course by his own literary labors — performed at hours 
 when his fellow-students were asleep or treading the seductive paths of 
 idle pleasure — he carried off" the highest prizes for proficiency in the 
 classics, in history, in literary criticism, and in political economy. And 
 when he left the threshhold of his alma mater, wearing the badges of her 
 coveted honors on his breast, he was distinguished by the same insatiate 
 thirst for knowledge, the same indomitable energy, the same untiring 
 industry, the same inflexible fidelity to duty, the same earnest devotion 
 
21 G Memorial Meeting in Ncu' York. 
 
 to truth, the same incorruptible sense of justice, the same purity of con- 
 duct, the same buoyancy of disposition, and the same fearless self-reliance 
 that characterized him in tlie rich, ripe j'ears of his usefulness and renown. 
 
 From the curriculum of the university, strewn with the rarest flowers 
 of classic literature, festooned with the curiously woven garlands of spec- 
 ulative thought, and adorned by the rich spoils of experimental science, 
 he stepped upon the narrower and less attractive arena of the law. Nor 
 did he enter its lists unarmed or ill-equipped to be battered, bruised, and 
 mangled in an unequal contest with the grim old veterans of the bar. 
 With his natural avidity for knowledge, he had mastered the quaint 
 learning of Coke, the charming analyses of Blackstone, the dry formal- 
 ities of Chitty, the abstruse principles of Fearne, the philosophic logic of 
 Starkie, the learned lectures of Kent, the voluminous compilations of 
 Story, and the long catalogue of other authorities that went to make up 
 the ordinary armament of the legal practitioner of the period. 
 
 With his brilliant wit, his trenchant satire, his accurate l.earning, his 
 incisive logic, and his adroitness in debate, he might have become one 
 of the most formidable and famous forensic gladiators of the age; but 
 neither the lawyer's office nor the court-room aftbrded a world wide 
 enough for his restless, active, aspiring spirit to bustle in. He conse- 
 quently abandoned the bar, and after a brief tour in Europe sought the 
 more congenial field of journalism, for which his tastes, his genius, and 
 his rare attainments pre-eminently qualified him, and it is not surprising 
 to those who are acquainted with his varied abilities that, as editor of the 
 Columbus Statesman, he speedily took rank among the foremost political 
 writers of our country at a period when the ablest journalists it has ever 
 produced were at the zenith of their powers. 
 
 He was soon diverted, however, from the arduous and e.vacting labors 
 of journalism — which he had assumed in 1853 — by an ap|)ointment as 
 secretary of the legation to Peru, tendered him by President Pierce, in 
 1855, but returned to his native State in the following year, when he was 
 elected as a member of Congress from the Columbus district, which he 
 continued to represent for four consecutive terms. In 1865 he located 
 in this magnificent metropolis, and in 1868 made his first appearance in 
 the House as a member of Congress from New York, of which he re- 
 nwined one of the most distinguished and useful Representatives to the 
 day of his death, with the exception of a brief interval in 1873 and 
 another extending a little beyond a year, during which he was employed 
 in the diplomatic service of his country as minister near the Turkish court. 
 
Afc'Dioriaf Mccfiiig ill Nezv York. 217 
 
 In Congress Mr. Cox found his appropriate sphere. No other forum 
 could have suited his^tastes so well or been more precisely adapted to his 
 talents, and in that his peer in all particulars will probably never be seen 
 again. Almost immediately on entering the House of Representatives 
 he took a conspicuous position among the most prominent members of 
 that distinguished body, which he maintained with a constantly increas- 
 ing reputation for a period almost equal to the average life of a genera- 
 tion. There, amid the most memorable and exciting scenes in the par- 
 liamentary history of our Government, he found frequent occasion for the 
 exercise of the varied faculties of his extraordinary intellect and the exhi- 
 bition of his illimitable stores of information. There his remarkable 
 character appeared like a diamond of purest water, fashioned with a 
 thousand facets, each emitting a blaze of iridescent splendor. There its 
 manifold features were presented in the clearest light, and there alone 
 can they be considered in the rich glow of their associated beauty. 
 
 The one trait, however, which distinguished him pre-eminently in the 
 estimation of a large majority of his fellow-men was the gentle, joyous, 
 lovable disposition which constantly displayed itself in the playful wit, 
 the genial humor, the kindly sentiments, and tender sympathies which 
 welled up from the serene depths of his generous nature like a perennial 
 fountain of bright and sparkling waters. 
 
 It was this that made him a favorite everywhere with all classes and 
 conditions of men, not only among the masses of his own countrymen, 
 who can not recur to his honored name without a loving thought, but 
 alike with the polished circle of distinguished diplomates around the Sul- 
 tan's court and the stolid peasantry of Scandinavia, with the titled digni- 
 taries of the proudest empires of Europe and the ignorant but liberty- 
 loving Kabyles of Algeria, in the historic halls of British nobility and the 
 rude tent of the wondering Bedouin, and with the diverse peoples of other 
 lands as well. 
 
 He was, indeed, the gentlest of men, and had he been asked to desig- 
 nate among all the diversified transactions of his long and brilliant career 
 in Congress those which afforded him the supremest pleasure, he would 
 probably have mentioned his repeated and earnest appeals for universal 
 amnesty; his eloquent defense of the homes and firesides of the South 
 against a merciless and unconstitutional act of confiscation ; his generous 
 and disinterested services to a large class of ill paid employes in the 
 humbler grades of the public service ; his repeated manifestations of an 
 earnest and active sympathy in the sufferings of the oppressed and down- 
 
218 
 
 Memorial Mictin;^ in Xeif York. 
 
 trodden kindred of thousands of his fellow-citizens of foreign birth, and 
 his ultimate triumph, after laborious and long-continued eftort, in the 
 establishment and successful organization of an efficient Life-Saving Serv- 
 ice, which has been the means of saving multitudes of valuable lives and 
 of protecting myriads of happy hearthstones from the grim specters of 
 desolation and despair. It may be safely said, at least, that by these and 
 similar exhibitions of an enlightened philanthropy he reared for himself 
 in the grateful hearts of his countrymen a monument of affection which 
 will survive in the memory of their posterity long after the majestic dome 
 beneath wiiose shadow his beneficent labors were performed shall have 
 crumbled into dust. 
 
 It would be a grave mistake to suppose, however, that because lie rev- 
 eled in joyous mirth and delighted, above all things, in deeds oi loving 
 kindness, he lacked in the least degree the sensitive, courageous spirit 
 always inseparable from genuine manhood, or that he woul 1 under any 
 circumstances suffer himself to be imposetl upon with impunity. .No man 
 ever had a more delicate appreciation of the respect due to his own dig- 
 nity uf character or was readier to enforce it when the occasion required it. 
 None knew this better than tho.se who were unfortunate or fatuous -nough 
 to willfully provoke his indignation; and of the very few whose indiscre- 
 tion brought upon themselves his scathing invective, his burning satire, and 
 defiant scorn, none ever ventured to repeat the discouraging experiment. 
 It is a mistake, m .ireover, to suppose that the brilliancy of his wit and 
 the playfulness of his humor were the qualities in the character of Mr. 
 Co.\ which were most admired by those who knew him best. Nothing, 
 in fact, could be farther from the case ; and no one could possibly regret 
 more than he would have done that his merits should be measured" by 
 that standard alone While they recognized wit and humor, not only as 
 belonging to the legitimate armory of the ])arliameniary chamjiion.'but 
 as being often among his most potential weapons, and while they knew 
 that no one ever employed them more dexterously or effectiveiv than 
 himself, they were infinitely more imijressed by the substantial equip- 
 ments of his athletic intellecl. which were more or less obscured, pcrhajis, 
 in popular estimation by the glamour of those other more fascinating but 
 jjerilous endowments. 
 
 It is true thai his tendency, as well as ability, to emjjlov the glittering 
 rimeter of satire and the no less dreadc.i archery of humorous ridicule 
 was most extraordinary; but he was e.jually as capable and far more 
 fond of wielding the trenchant broadsword of logic and the ponderous 
 
Memorial Meeting in Nets.' York. 219 
 
 battle-ax of truth. He was, in fact, one of the most serious, earnest, 
 devoted, and practical of mankind. lienea'.h the rippHng, sjiarkling sur- 
 face of his never-faihng, effervescent humor there lay the serenest depths 
 of thought, an energy of will that knew no impediment, and powers of 
 intellectual labor that defied fatigue. 
 
 His hunger for information was as ravenous as the genius of famuie. 
 It devoured everything that could amuse the fancy, improve the mind, 
 or elevate the soul. The extent and variety of his knowledge were 
 amazing. There was scarcely a branch of elegant or useful learning in 
 which he was not more or less proficient. He had e.xplored all the fields 
 of ancient and modern literature and culled their choicest fruits. He had 
 threaded the mazes of every school of philosophy and watched with 
 interest the wondrous developments of physical science. He was familiar 
 with the technology of the useful arts and hymned in sweetest notes 
 " the poetry of mechanism." He had examined the origin of every creed 
 and was acquainted with the dogmas of all religions. He had traveled 
 through many lands and enriched his mind with the results of their varied 
 civilizations. He had analyzed every theory of politics and understood 
 the principles of every system of jurisprudence. He had made his own 
 Government the subject of special and conscientious study, and had every 
 provision in its Constitution and every fact in its history at his fingers' 
 ends. 
 
 No one who was close enough to Mr. Cox in life to understand the 
 prodigious extent and infinite variety of his attainments will mistake what 
 I have said for the fulsome language of inflated panegyric, which, if liv- 
 ing, he would himself despise; nor will any one, in view of those vast 
 and varied stores of learning, systematically arranged in the capacious 
 chambers of his well-ordered and tenacious memory, be surprised at the 
 marvelous felicity of expression and readiness in debate in which he has 
 rarely had an equal and never a superior among men. 
 
 It was this abounding plenitude of accurate information wliich dis- 
 tinguished his speeches from those of all the popular or parliamentary 
 orators with whom he was associated or came in contact during his long 
 and admirable public career. Did the subject in hand require an illus- 
 tration from the wide range of history, a flower from the bright parterres 
 of poetry, a jewel from some musty repository of antiquated lore, a golden 
 grain from the sacred garners of Holy Writ, or a crystal from the crowded 
 cabinet of science, did he need a principle of international law, a rule of 
 enlightened jurisprudence, a precedent of parliamentary practice, or an 
 
220 Memorial Meeting in New York. 
 
 incident in the public record of his antagonist, the ministering genii of 
 his memory brought it instantly from his exhaustless treasure-house of 
 knowledge. With the deft skill of an accomplished artist and such 
 abundant and varied materials constantly at hand, his public utterances — 
 whether extemporaneous or prepared — were like rich mosaics of rarest 
 gems finished with a master's skill. Every apple of gold had its picture 
 of silver. 
 
 But Mr. Cox was not one of those who manufacture their wares simply 
 for show. He was not only in the fore-front of every important parlia- 
 mentary battle that occurred during his long period of service, but he 
 was one of the most careful, painstaking, indomitable workers that ever 
 occupied a seat in Congress. Often at the head of the most important 
 committees in the House, he not only kept up with the multifarious bus- 
 iness on his own docket, but see"med to have an intelligent insight into 
 almost every (juestion that came up for consideration, whether it involved 
 matters of important public moment or a mere claim for a few dollars on 
 the Private Calendar. He was far oftener found delving in the hard-pan 
 of practical labor than disporting himself in the rose-tinted clouds of 
 fancy. He was more at home in the rugged paths of parliamentary bus- 
 iness or amid the intricate details of statistical science than in the airy 
 realms of poesy or the inviting fields of elegant literature. As an illustra- 
 tion of this it is not necessary to recite the long catalogue of measures 
 involving the most important commercial and financial interests of the 
 country which he from time to time introduced or discussed. I have 
 only to refer to his valuable services to our postal system or to the com- 
 plete reports of the Census of 1880, which are the offspring of his wisdom 
 and his labor. 
 
 His mdustry, indeed, was simply enormous. He not only discharged 
 all his manifold public duties faithfully, punctually, and ably, but in the 
 intervals of his oificial labors wrote several of tiie most entertaining books 
 of foreign travel that ever emanated from the pen of an .Vmerican writer; 
 the most complete if not the only philosophic review of .\merican hunior 
 ever written; a volume devoted to the discussion of imjioriant problems 
 in economic science which would have done credit to the ablest states- 
 man among his contemporaries either in this country or in Europe, be- 
 sides a work of several hundred ])ages containing the clearest and most" 
 coniprchensive statement of the more important features of Federal legis- 
 lation for three decades that has yet been pulilished ; yet. with all this, 
 he never neglected even the most Irivial duty to his humblest constituent. 
 
Memorial Meeting in Nciv York. 221 
 
 Notwithstanding his long-continued occupancy of public position, Mr. 
 Cox was far from being a politician in the lower and more common ac- 
 ceptation of that term. He was firmly fixed in his convictions upon all 
 questions of popular importance and as bold in their expression. He 
 never " crooked the pregnant hinges of the knee where thrift might fol- 
 low fawning." He bowed to no behest but the imperious dictates of his 
 own honest and enlightened judgment. He was no manipulator of the 
 dirty machinery by which small men have so often been elevated to ex- 
 alted position during the later years of our history. Every election with 
 which he was ever honored was a spontaneous tribute of affectionate con- 
 fidence on the part of a generous and enlightened constituency, a just 
 recognition of his ability, integrity, and fidelity to the grand principles of 
 constitutional liberty. 
 
 With what boundless gratitude he regarded those marked manifesta- 
 tions of popular esteem and with what deep devotion he requited them 
 none knew like those he loved so well and served so faithfully. Yet his 
 solicitude was not confined to the welfare of his own constituents. He 
 was a patriot in the grandest, broadest sense of that word. His love 
 of country amounted to a passion. It knew no section, it recognized 
 no class. It embraced the impoverished people of the South as tenderly 
 as the proud and prosperous population of his native State or the generous 
 mhabitants of the great city in which he had made his home. His fealty 
 to the Union was paramount to all other obligations; his pride in its 
 grandeur and power touched the extremest limit of exultant enthusiasm; 
 his veneration for its Constitution was the supreme sentiment of his soul ; 
 his faith in its destiny transcended the wildest dream of optimism. 
 
 In faith, in feeling, in practice, in all the ardent aspirations of his soul, 
 Mr. Cox was a Democrat of the purest Jeffersonian type. It was impos- 
 sible, indeed, from the very nature of his moral and intellectual organiza- 
 tion, that he should be otherwise. Sprung from the body of the people; 
 with the most delicate appreciation of their inherent rights, with the 
 liveHest solicitude for their individual happiness and social prosperity, 
 with an abounding confidence in their capacity to control their own affairs, 
 and detesting from the innermost depths of his being everything savoring 
 of unfairness,inequality,or oppression, his brightest ideal of political organ- 
 ism was " a government of the people, by the people, and for the people," 
 a government instituted for the benefit of the governed, and not for the ag- 
 grandizement of the governing class, a government so administered as to 
 secure "equal and exact justice to all, with exclusive privileges to none." 
 
222 Memorial Meeting in Neic York. 
 
 Trusts, monopolies, and all other contrivances resulting from the abuse 
 or non-user of legislative authority for the emolument of the few at the 
 expense of the many were the objects of his supreme abhorrence. He 
 believed in the absolute inviolability of private property, except when 
 required for public uses with just compensation, and that any taxation, in 
 whatever form or for whatever purpose, beyond what was necessary to 
 defray the legitimate expenses of the Government, economically admin- 
 istered, was not only in violation of its organic law but of the funda- 
 mental principles of civil liberty. He held with Mr. Justice Miller, one 
 of the most distinguished members of our Supreme Bench, that "to lay 
 with one hand the power of the Government on the property of the citi- 
 zen and with the other to bestow it u])on favored individuals, to aid in 
 private enterprises and build up private fortunes, is none the less a robbery 
 because it is done under the forms of law and is called taxation." He 
 felt that to despoil one citizen of his property and transfer it to another 
 under the pretext of promoting the general welfare was the very essence 
 of despotism. It was impossible for him to discriminate between the 
 morals of communism, which would ravage the coffers of the rich and 
 distribute their hoarded millions among the poor as a means for the pro- 
 motion of popular prosperity, and those of an insidious system of spolia- 
 tion under the guise of a bounty taxation which robs the rich and poor 
 alike for the benefit of a favored few. For the one he might have had 
 some of the respect he would probably have entertained for the brute 
 courage of the highwayman, who meets his victim in the open face of 
 day and boldly demands his money or his life; for the other he felt some- 
 thing like the loathing with which he would have regarded tlie stealthy 
 burglar who would creep into his chamber at midnight and rifle his pock- 
 ets after having lulled him into delightful dreams of security and happi- 
 ness by the administration of some poisonous drug. 
 
 It was not surprising, therefore, that, with his exquisite sense of justice, 
 his extreme love of fairness, his clear apprehension of what was right, his 
 detestation of all that was wrong, and his ever-abiding interest in the 
 welfare of the masses, as well as his reverent respect for the limitaiions 
 of the Constitution, Mr. Cox should have been found among the earliest 
 and most persistent advocates of a " tariff for revenue only." 
 
 His numerous speeches upon that interesting and important question 
 of i)ublic policy are among the most remarkable ever delivered before a 
 deliberative assembly. They disclose an enormous mine of intellectual 
 treasures. Radiant with wit, rich in learning, rejjlete with facts, and vig- 
 
Memorial Meeting in Xezc York. 223 
 
 orous 111 logic, they are like strings of rarest pearls strung on threads of 
 gold. In all the recent discussions of that vital subject, tremendous in 
 power, exhaustive in research, and fervid in eloquence as they have been, 
 there can scarcely be found a single argument or a solitary fact illustrat- 
 ing the views of his parly in relation to it which he had not presented in 
 some form or other long before. He had fathomed it in all its depths 
 and shoals, and dragged to light every valuable thought, every tenable 
 principle, and every just conclusion that the most active and inquisitive 
 intellect could find beneath them. A compilation of his brilliant and 
 instructive utterances concerning it would form one of the most enter- 
 taining and useful text-books that could be placed in the hands of the 
 student of economic science. 
 
 Nor was his interest less intense, his vigilance less alert, or his labors 
 less untiring when any other proposition aftecting the property-rights or 
 the private prosperity of the masses was presented for consideration. He 
 maintained with the illustrious apostle of his political creed that there 
 should be the most rigid economy in the expenditure of public moneys, 
 in order that labor, the ultimate source from which the "general coffers 
 of the state" are invariably replenished, should be lightly burdened. I 
 would not be understood as intimating, however, that he was one of those 
 who frequently, from a want of any other merit to commend them, seek 
 a cheap reputation by posing conspicuously as guardian angels of the 
 public Treasury, nor that he was ever on any occasion influenced by a 
 niggardly spirit of parsimony, that would begrudge to the public service 
 sufficient means to secure the highest degree of efficiency in any of its 
 departments. On the contrary, when any such laudable purpose was in- 
 volved, he was uniformly actuated by the most enlightened liberality. 
 But, honest to the last degree, punctiliously faithful to every trust, and 
 despising from the uttermost depths of his soul the foul spirits of fraud 
 and corruption, too frequently found brooding like unclean birds in 
 various branches of the Government service, no man ever set his face 
 more firmly against all appropriations to be wasted in criminal extrava- 
 gance, lavished in gratuities upon unworthy objects, or squandered in 
 dirty jobs and nefarious schemes. In that regard, in the actual preserva- 
 tion of the Treasury from the "felonious fingers" of peculation and pil- 
 lage, he was without doubt among the most useful and efficient members 
 of the House of Representatives throughout his three decades of service 
 in the Federal Congress. During those thirty years, as has been said of 
 him by one of his most impartial friends, it is safe to assert that he was 
 
224 Memorial Meeting in Neii' York. 
 
 never approached by the low manipulator of any fraudulent scheme with 
 a dishonorable proposal; such a thing, indeed, was an impossibility. His 
 pure integrity was a perpetual rebuke to everything bearing the semblance 
 of dishonesty. The filthy ministers of corruption and plunder slunk away 
 abashed and cowering from his presence. No man dared to ask him to 
 support a measure unless he was satisfied that it was free from the 
 slightest taint of dishonesty and demanded by the necessities of the Gov- 
 ernment. 
 
 Regarding the people as the original source and ultimate repository of 
 all political autliority, and government as a mere agency contrived by 
 themselves for the protection of tlieir own rights, the preservation of their 
 own liberties, and the promotion of their own happiness, with its duties 
 clearly define<i ami its powers carefully hmited by the Constitution, Mr. 
 Cox realized in its fullest force the conclusion logically resulting from 
 those undisputed premises and so aptly expressed in the golden ma.xim 
 that "a public office is a public trust," and with that conscientious sense 
 of the sanctity of every obligation which influenced him in the discharge 
 of every duty in life, he not only made it the guiding star- of his own 
 official conduct on all occasions, but felt that the integrity of our institu- 
 tions demanded that every one who occupied a position of public re- 
 sponsibility shouki be required to do so likewise. 
 
 He was not only in favor of a " rigid arraignment of all abuses of pub- 
 lic trust before the established tribunals of public justice, as well as the 
 great bar of popular opinion," but was earnestly op|)osed to the appoint- 
 ment of any one to official position unless he could sustain the fullest 
 test of the Jeffersonian touchstone of honesty, qualification, and fidelity 
 to the Constitution. Entertaining such views, it was but natural that he 
 should be an ardent and active advocate of civil-service reform and a 
 zealous supporter of the statute which was passed by Congress with the 
 view of accomplisiiing that purpose, notwithstanding its provisions fell 
 far short of his own conceptions of what such a measure should embrace 
 and his settled conviction that in many res|)ects it would fail to meet the 
 standaril of popular expectation. He nevertheless regartleil it as the 
 initial step in the right direction; the inauguration of a policy which, if 
 faithfully carried out, would ultimately relieve the Clovernment to a great 
 extentof evils of incompetency and |)urify many of its branches from the 
 hideous corruption with which he had so often seen them polluted. He 
 therefore sustained its administration as vigorously as he had supported 
 its enactment. 
 
Memorial Meeting in Neiv York. ■ 225 
 
 But no other subject of a mere temporal character so completely filled 
 the soul of Mr. Cox as the sublime perfection he saw in our Federal 
 Union. It inspired him with the same rapt enthusiasm with which the 
 devout astronomer regards the wondrous mechanism of the star-decked 
 heavens. To him it was a splendid galaxy of sovereign and co-equal 
 Commonwealths, bound to a common center by an indissoluble tie, upon 
 which the preservation of each depended, and all moving in their ap- 
 pointed paths with the precision and harmony which marked the music 
 of the spheres in the glorfbus dawn when " the morning stars sang to- 
 gether, and all the sons of God shouted for joy." He knew of no other 
 means among men for preserving the priceless heritage of liberty it was 
 designed to secure, and made every other consideration subsidiary to its 
 perpetuity. 
 
 To that all-absorbing end he felt that the complete autonomy of the 
 States was as essential as the most sedulous maintenance of Federal 
 authority within its legitimate sphere. He knew that the Union could 
 no more exist without the power in its integral parts to perform their 
 proper functions than the life of the human body could survive the com- 
 plete paralysis of its various members. He knew that consolidation and 
 disintegration were equally certain to result in its absolute destruction, 
 just as the relaxation of one of the mysterious forces which anchor the 
 solar system to its center would hurl the planets into the vortex of chaotic 
 ruin, while a suspension of the other would send them " darkling through 
 eternal space." , 
 
 Therefore, in the true spirit of the great founder of his chosen school • 
 of political philosophy, he was ever found foremost among the most zeal- 
 ous champions of "home rule," defending the State governments in all 
 their rights, dignity, and equality "as the most competent administrators 
 of our domestic concerns and the surest bulwarks against anti-republican 
 tendencies," while as ardently supporting " the General Government in 
 its whole constitutional vigor, as the sheet-anchor of our peace at home 
 and our safety abroad. " In these simple but sublime principles he dis- 
 cerned the true foundation, and in their beautiful co-relation tlie keystone 
 of the grand political arch which spans our continent from ocean to 
 ocean. Take either away, and in his judgment the stupendous struct- 
 ure would topple into ruins. With their necessary corollaries so tersely 
 formulated by Mr. Jefferson in his first inaugural they were to him the 
 crowning truths of a political gospel whose precepts he followed with the 
 faith of a devotee, and whose doctrines he would have maintained « ith 
 H. Mis. 243 15 
 
226 » Memorial Meeting in Nezf York. 
 
 the constancy of a martyr. They were his pillar of cloud by day and his 
 pillar of fire by night, and it was his intrepid fidelity to their guidance, 
 at all times and under all circumstances, which gave that well-rounded 
 symmetry and consistency to his public life which ha\ e always challenged 
 the admiration of his political friends and foes alike. 
 
 it was not the effulgence of his genius, however, by which this great 
 man was most endeared to those who knew and loved him best. It was 
 the milder glow of those gentle virtues which lit up his private character 
 with "the lambent purity of the stars." The incarnation of personal 
 honor and liie very soul of sincerity, perpetually overflowing with the 
 milk of human kindness; free "from envy, hatred, malice, and all un- 
 charitableness," his social relations were of the purest, gentlest, loveliest 
 character, constantly illustrated by tiie most generous self-abnegation and 
 unremitting thoughtfulness for the happiness of others. No tender plea 
 for the sake of sweet charity ever met his ear, whether from the humble 
 beggar on the street or the i)romoters of some laudable work of public 
 benefaction, but his purse was instantly open and his most active sympa- 
 thy immediately enlisted. 
 
 All evil-speaking and unkind allusion in disparagement of others were 
 as foreign to his habit as they were rcpulsi\e to his nature. He made a 
 close and constant study of the Holy Scriptures, and adopted their divine 
 precepts as the criterion of his conduct in all things. To him the golden 
 rule was not merely the higiiest result of liie most enlightened social phi- 
 losophy, but a direct emanation from Uivjjiity itself, and tliemost fervent 
 petition in his humble prayer — whether on committing his soul to the 
 fatherly care of his great Creator on lying down at night or in his morn- 
 ing offering of reverent gratitude for the light of a new day — was that he 
 might be taught to e.xtend to all men the generous forgiveness, the tender 
 sympathy, and the loving kindness he would be glad to receive from 
 them. 
 
 Of his religious views he rarely ever spoke, and then only with liis most 
 intimate friends. He preferred to exhibit the principles of his creed in his 
 practice, instead of proclaiming his sentiments from the house-top. They 
 were to him loo sacred for the coarse ribaldry of the vulgar scofl'er, the 
 cold cynicism of the skeptic, or the uncharitable censorship of the narrow 
 sectarian. But those who lived nearest to his heart anil were permitted 
 to look in upon the secret chambers of his inner life found there not only 
 the "pleasing longing after immortality" which filled the soul of the an- 
 cient philosopher, but the most serene and childlike faith in the full real- 
 
Memorial Meeting in Xew York. 227 
 
 ization of that Heaven-sent hope through the priceless promises of the 
 gospel. 
 
 Fortunate as he was in many respects, infinitely beyond the average of his 
 race, Mr. Cox found the crowning blessing of his beautiful life in the affec- 
 tionate devotion and genial companionship of his gifted and loving wife. 
 She was Miss Julia A. Buckingham, whom he married at Zanesville, Ohio, 
 October ii, 1849. Pure in spirit as thrice-sifted snow; sweet in dispo- 
 sition as the breath of new-blown roses ; gentle in manner as the evening 
 zephyr kissing the violet's eye; faithful to every obligation and cheerful 
 in the discharge of every duty that affection, humanity, or religion could 
 impose, she realized her husband's brightest ideal of the highest, holiest 
 type of noble womanhood. To him she was indeed the pearl beyond all 
 price. His constant companion, his truest friend, his trusted adviser in 
 all things, she was to him a crown of glory and a song of rejoicing 
 throughout all the days of their "married life. She shared all his high am- 
 bitions and gloried in his grand successes. Her tender sympathies sup- 
 ported him in the dark hours of sorrow and her cheering smile gave a 
 lovelier glow to the bright rays of returning joy. Hand in hand they 
 trod life's journey together, strewing its pathway with the rich jewels of 
 gentleness and charity, until, in the full flush of his fame, with his blush- 
 ing honors thick upon him, he was beckoned to a brighter clime — to tlie 
 real " Wonderland " —whither his pure spirit is wooing her in the soft, sweet 
 music of an angel's whisper. 
 
 I have done. I need not detain you longer wiih this pleasing but 
 mournful theme. It is one upon which I shall delight to linger with the 
 fondness of a brother's love when I, too, shall have crossed the cold, 
 dark waters of death. I turn from it now with a sad sense that tlie 
 beautiful story of a life so lovely can never be told in any poor words of 
 mine. The purest offering I can lay upon the tomb of my dead friend is 
 the silent homage of my soul. 
 
 BENEDICTION OF REV. RABBI G. GOTTHEIL, D. D., OF TEMPLE EMANUEL. 
 
 May that all-merciful Power, whom to invoke is our highest privilege, 
 grant that in the good man whose loss we mourn may be fulfilled the 
 promise given by the mouth of the prophet : "And the wise shall shine 
 like the brightness of the firmament and those that lead many to right- 
 eousness like the stars of the heaven forever ; " and also this : " that the 
 
228 Mfmorial Meeting in Nexv York. 
 
 memory of the just shall be for blessing." May that blessing appear 
 whatever time we are called upon to jjerform our duty as citizens in that 
 we follow closely the steps which he trod whilst among us. May peace 
 reign within our borders and good-will be shown by one towards the other 
 throughout our land. Amen. 
 
 Mr. CuMMiNGS. Mr. Speaker, as a further mark of respect to 
 the memory of Hon. Sa.muel Sulli\'an Cox, late a member 
 of the House of Represetitatives from the State of New York, 
 I move that the House do now adjourn. 
 
 The motion was agreed to. 
 
PROCEEDINGS IN THE SENATE. JULY 8, 1890. 
 
 The President pro tempore. The resolutions of the House 
 of Representatives will be read. 
 The Chief Clerk read as follows: 
 
 In the House of Representatives, April 19, 1890. 
 
 Resolved., That the business of the House be now suspended, that 
 opportunity may be given for tributes to the memory of Hon. Samuel 
 Sullivan Cox, late a Representative from the State of New York. 
 
 Resolved, That as a particular mark of respect to the memory of the 
 deceased, and in recognition of his eminent abihties as a distinguished 
 public servant, the House at the conclusion of these memorial proceed- 
 ings shall stand adjourned. 
 
 Resolved, That the Clerk communicate this resolution to the Senate. 
 
 Resolved, That the Clerk be instructed to communicate a copy of 
 these resolutions to the family of the deceased. 
 
 Mr. HiscoCK. Mr. President, I offer the resolutions which I 
 send to the desk. 
 
 The President pi^o tempore. The resolutions will be read. 
 The Chief Clerk read as follows: 
 
 Resolved, That the Senate has received with profound sorrow the an- 
 nouncement of the death of the honorable Samuel Sullivan Cox, late 
 a member of the House of Representatives from the State of New York, 
 and tenders to the family of the deceased the assurance of sympathy in 
 their sad bereavement. 
 
 Resolved, That the business of the Senate be now suspended that op- 
 portunity may be given for fitting tributes to the memory of the deceased 
 and to his eminent public and private virtues, and that as a further mark 
 of respect the Senate at the conclusion of such remarks shall adjourn. 
 
 Resolved, That the Secretary be directed to transmit to the family of 
 
 the deceased a copy of these resolutions. 
 
 229 
 
230 Address 0/ Mr. Hiscock, of Neic York, on the 
 
 ADDRESS OF MR, HiSCOCK, OF NEW YORK. 
 
 Mr. PRESlDrxT: I first met Mr. Cox after he and I were 
 elected to the Forty-fifth Coiioress in part to represent the State 
 of New York in the Honse of Representatives. He then had 
 an established national reputation as a brilliant, able, and versa- 
 tile orator and conscientious and patriotic legislator. Mr. Cox, 
 sir, was an uncompromising partisan upon those questions that 
 divided the two great political parties during the memorable 
 period that he was jn public life, and fully possessed of the 
 courage of his convictions. He never hesitated to champion 
 them or assail with the eloquence, logic, wit, ridicule, and 
 satire at his command — and few men were endowed witli his 
 resources — the policy of the opposing part\'. But in my service 
 with him in the Hou.se he received — and it was due him — a 
 large degree of credit for sincerity, worthy motives, and honora- 
 ble methods, however earnest his attacks were or troublesome 
 to his adversaries. 
 
 If I pay tills lril)ute to his memory it will liardl) be .said that 
 I am too friendly a critic, for in our political faiths we had 
 nothing in common, and never that I now recall approached so 
 near each other and to the part\ line as to create the suggestion 
 of a sympath>- between us. I speak, sir, of party questions 
 alone; upon man\ others we rarely seriously differed. Repre- 
 senting the same State, both devoted to her service, jealous of 
 her honor, and proud of her history, we were drawn together 
 by the common cau.se, if it were possible, of adding new luster 
 to her renown, rather than by any natural law of selection, and 
 became personal friends, and thoroughly in harmony in what- 
 ever in our public careers was personal to each other. What 1 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox, 231 
 
 mean is that in those struggles that are consnnnnated b\- the 
 survival of the stronger, if not always the fittest, there was the 
 utmost cordiality, often co-operation and confidences. 
 
 It is often said of those occupying the most exalted public 
 positions while li\-ing that their vacant places would be so 
 quickly and well filled that the notice of death and the funeral 
 ceremonies would alone advertise the change. There have 
 been marked exceptions to this, and the death of Mr. Cox is 
 one of them. 
 
 He was a ready, cogent debater, who always enlisted the in- 
 terest of his hearers, and he easily maintained the most advanced 
 line of recognized parliamentary leadership in tlie controversy. 
 His party friends yielded him his position without murmur or 
 jealousy. T-[is opponents recognized it, for to leave him unan- 
 swered was an abandonment by them of the contest. He was 
 often so eloquent in the use of language that while he was 
 cogent he strongly appealed to the sympathies, the hearts, and 
 all the noblest and most exalted human sentiments. 
 
 Confessedly he was witty and had the most difficult task of 
 maintaining the reputation, and I believe no one has ever in a 
 service of the same length as his coined more witticisms than 
 our friend. His public utterances abounded in illustrations 
 entertaining and instructive. He must have been a great reader 
 of books, and of books generally, for he was always well equipped 
 from those resources. His eloquence, wit, appeals, illustrations, 
 and logic were characterized by a genuine, earnest love for the 
 good, admiration for the great, and the desire to be kind to, 
 considerate of, and improve the moral and material conditions 
 of those in any degree dependent upon legislation or the bounty 
 and guardianship of the nation, and he favored laws which he 
 believed promoted the interest of his countr\men and their 
 
232 AMirss of Mr. Uiscoik, of Xciv York, on the 
 
 moral and intellectual advancement. He was an ever-living 
 spring of love, generous sentiments, and kindly deeds. The 
 sentiment of hate — I mean that hate which is cruel orprompts 
 revenge — was foreign to his nature. 
 
 Mr. Cox, though an eloquent orator and able debater, was 
 not a political leader in the sense that a general is a great gen- 
 eral. I mean that he was not one of those to whom it seems 
 to be allotted to lead parties, who have followers bearing their 
 names, and who seem to lose a distinctive political existence 
 apart from it. He possessed too kind a heart and his nature 
 was too emotional; his taste for literature and its laurels, for 
 travel and its pleasures, his enjoyment of art and all that is 
 loving and lo\ely and good were too absorbing. He would 
 have starved and died if limited for his enjoyments and pleasures 
 to the victories of a great political organizer. I do not mean 
 by this that he was not strong in leadership when the occasion 
 and lime were to his liking, but that all occasions and times 
 did not call him from all other, and to him often more charm- 
 ing, jnirsuits and more delightful employments. 
 
 In the memorial volume will be presented the record of his 
 .social, domestic, literary, and political life, spoken by loving 
 and admiring friends. I have not preferred to dwell upon them, 
 but rather upon his, to me, most charming character and ac- 
 complishments. I said earlier, his absence will be missed and 
 marked. Memorial exercises, funeral orations, and eulogiums 
 are unnecessary to remind us that he has left his accustomed 
 place in our social life. ]>arliamentary leadership, and the service 
 of his countr\', and that it is still vacant. 
 
 Mr. President, we will strew flowers upon his grave; each 
 one must be rich and perfect in lints and shades, and with its 
 own peculiar iicrfume, each symbolizing purity, love, grace, 
 
Life and Characlcr of Sa»ntel S. Cox. 2.'53 
 
 lofty aspiration or holy inspiration, and \oicing an appropriate 
 sentiment. Appropriate flowers have always been messengers 
 of affection and regard ; as such we lay these upon his grave. 
 
 ADDRESS OF Mr. VOORHEES, OF INDIANA. 
 
 Mr. President: More than tlie third of a century has passed 
 away since Samuel Sullivan Cox sprang full-armed and 
 equipped into the arena of public life and achieved a national 
 reputation. He was first elected to Congress in the portentous, 
 ill-boding year of 1856, and at once took his place as a leader 
 in the debates which sectionalism then for the first time con- 
 jured into a bloody and fatal meaning over the organization and 
 condition of the Territories of Kansas and Nebraska, and the 
 dangerous and far-reaching questions incident thereto. From 
 that time until the ibth day of September last, when he fell 
 asleep on earth to wake in eternity, his career was continuously 
 before the public eye as if under a calcium light, and it was at all 
 times brilliant, fascinating, able, instructive, and under all cir- 
 cumstances as free from stain, speck, or blemish as the official 
 life of Cato, the Roman censor. 
 
 Sir, in many respects the career of Mr. Cox was remarkable 
 and without a parallel in the histor\- of American affairs. Born 
 in the Valley of the Mississippi, he attained high eminence 
 there, and then, instead of following the westward-moving star 
 of empire, which usually guides the way for American ambi- 
 tion in quest of new fields of action and of triumph, he turned 
 his face to the East, and sought the oldest, the strongest, and 
 most competitive center of American civilization. The great 
 Commonwealth of Ohio has furnished forth many of her native 
 
234 .Icfchcss of Mr. I 'oorhccs^ of Indiana, on the 
 
 sous to other States for the public service, and is now furnish- 
 ing the President of the United States and two of the most im- 
 portant members of his Cabinet, together with six members 
 of the United States Senate; but Mr. Cox was the first and only 
 one to go to an older and abler empire State than his own, and 
 there to win a U)ft\ ci\ic distinction and be crowned with tlic- 
 evergreen laurel of imperishable honor and fame. 
 
 Ohio and New York may e.\ult together over the successful 
 and beneficent labors of his active and useful life, and together 
 they may bend in .sorrow over his untimely grave. The official 
 record .shows that he was elected four times to Congress from 
 Ohio and twelve times from Xew York. No other such record 
 as this can be found in the history of our Government, and we 
 instinctively turn to the theater where he so long appeared in 
 order to study some of the leading elements of a character 
 which commanded such success and such unwonted popular a])- 
 proval. If it is true that a man is known by the compan\' he 
 keeps, then indeed Mr. Cox must take very high rank from the 
 beginning to the end of his service in the Hou.se. He kept 
 company \w debate on the greatest questions with the ablest in- 
 tellects of their day and generation. He was in ever\' race, from 
 start to finish, with tho.sc who were swiftest and of best endur- 
 ance. 
 
 Pa.ssing over the Thirty-fifth and Thirty-sixth Congresses, in 
 which he distinguished himself in debate on the Douglas side 
 of the Lecompton question, with many of the strongest men 
 from the South, he rises to m\ mind and memory here to-day 
 as he appeared when we first met as members of the Thirty- 
 .seventh Congress at its called .session, on the 4th of July, 1S61. 
 Sir, how distant and awful thai period appears to us looking 
 back upon it now, as we sit here in the soft, sweet sunlight of 
 
Life and Cliaracter of Samuel S. Cox. 235 
 
 peace and union. It towers up seemingly as a far-off volcanic 
 height, once fraught with destniction, but now extinct and 
 only enveloped in the haze and mist and vapor of sad and by- 
 gone memories. 
 
 There was a turbulent spirit abroad when the Thirty-seventh 
 Congress was cho.sen, and every intelligent mind discovered 
 danger in i860 as certainly as the experienced mariner dis- 
 covers the deadly storm when it is swiftly coming up. It 
 is the philosophy of political communities, as shown by the 
 history of the human race, that agitations arising from deep- 
 seated causes never fail to put strong men in the front lines of 
 action — sometimes their strength already known, but more fre- 
 quently developed, or, rather, manifested, after being assigned 
 to their positions. This was eminently true of the period from 
 i860 to 1865 in this country, and to a certain extent it was true 
 of the Thirty-seventh Congress. Into that bod)- came men ap- 
 parently fashioned and adapted b\- nature to such a crisis; and 
 others of the same mold and stamp, btit more fully developed 
 by the startling events of the times, came afterward, and more 
 numerously, into the Thirty-eighth Congress. 
 
 Into the Thirty-seventh Congress came Thaddeus Stevens, 
 then in his old age called for the first time to enact a mighty 
 part in human affairs for which the hand of nature had espe- 
 cially equipped him. Never in all histor}-, I think, has there 
 been such a leader on the floor of a parliamentary body. Not in 
 the history of the Grecian or Roman democracies, when most 
 ruled and guided by popular favorites, nor amidst the civil wars 
 of England, can there be found a character so dominant over 
 others without any reliance whatever upon the sword. Stevens 
 had no need to resort to a vulgar violation or abuse of the rules 
 of the House in order to establish his supremacy. 
 
23(J Addnss of Mr. loorhees, of Indiaua, on the 
 
 He ruled his party majority, and thus ruled the House by the 
 force of a giant intellect, combined with an iron will, and some- 
 times set on fire by those tremendous passions of the human 
 heart which rage when the tempest rages, direct the whirlwind, 
 and outride the utmost fury of the storm. Often while watch- 
 ing his wonderful displays of power over the House I have 
 busied myself in taking up in review the various leaders of the 
 French Revolution, and wondering which one he would most 
 nearly have resembled had he lived and acted through those 
 convulsive scenes. M> mind always inclined to Danton for a 
 comparison, and yet with only a partial assent. They were 
 alike in their power, by brief impassioned speech, to stir the 
 blood of men and to impel them to action like a bugle-call to 
 battle. They were alike in their mental superiority, their 
 stormy tempers, and the gloomy vein of misanthropy which be- 
 set them, but there the comparison seems to end. 
 
 The American was more sincere and filled with more definite 
 and nobler purposes than the Frenchman. Though Danton 
 died of the guillotine, yet with his dying words he sneered at 
 the cause for which his noble head, a moment later, fell in the 
 dust. Stevens had great aims in view from the first, and he 
 pursued them unsparingly. The destruction of slaver\- and the 
 downfall of the political power which it upheld were the 
 supreme objects of his life and inspired him, not .so much with 
 love for the slave as with hatred toward the people of his own 
 race who iulierited the negro in bondage and had the care of 
 him. He lived to witness the fulfillment of his dearest wishes, 
 and was then laid down to rest, according to his own directions, 
 in the colored church-yard at his old home. 
 
 Owen Lovejoy was also a member of the Thirty-seventh Con- 
 gress, a man of powerful and inflammatory eloquence, hot and 
 
Life and Character o/Saviue/ S. Cox. 237 
 
 bitter in his political convictions, and animated in his hostility 
 to the South by a personal grievance in the death of a brother 
 at Alton, 111. The names of Roscoe Conkling, Schuyler Col- 
 fax, Henry J. Raymond, Francis Thomas, of Maryland, John 
 F. Farnsworth, and others of high ability and national stand- 
 ing might be cited and dwelt upon to show the strength and 
 resources of the overwhelming majority in the House at that 
 time. 
 
 At a later day and into the Thirty -eighth Congress came Gar- 
 field, with his industrious, scholarh* methods and almost boyish 
 enthusiasm; Blaine, with whose brilliant. Prince Rupert style 
 of parliamentary warfare we are all familiar; and Schenck, who, 
 in my opinion, was the best real debater of the actual matter 
 in hand of them all, the hardest and most direct hitter in short, 
 turn-about speeches, and the fairest and readiest in recognizing 
 the force of his adversary's blows. Sir, it was in company and 
 in combat with these men and others more or less like them 
 that Mr. Cox was to be found for nearly thirty years of his life. 
 How well he bore himself through it all, sans peiir, sans reproche, 
 the voluminous records ampl}' disclose, and even his opponents 
 have always testified. 
 
 If called upon to point out to the emulating young men of 
 the country the traits of character which most conduced to Mr. 
 Cox'.s great success, I would say that, aside from his high order 
 of natural ability, he was most indebted to an undaunted courage 
 and a never-wearying industn,-. These two qualities brought 
 him into every conflict always ready and never afraid. He read 
 everything with a marvelous faculty for the rejection of the 
 chaff, the husks, and the shells, and for the assimilation of all 
 else to his own use. He kept scrap-books on all subjects, and 
 his drawers, not only at his home, but in his desk at the House, 
 
238 Address of Mr. I oor/irrs, of Indiana^ on the 
 
 were well stored magazines of fixed ammunition for any and 
 all sorts of political conflict. 
 
 He always approached an important and hotly contested dis- 
 cussion in the House with a joyous and confident air, and his 
 friends never dreaded the result when they saw him rise and 
 turn to his opponents with the lig:ht of battle in his face. He 
 shrank from no odds and never halted to count the number or 
 the quality of his adversaries. He relied on the justice of his 
 own cause and the strength of his own preparations, and then, 
 with the steady and splendid courage of a knight in the days of 
 the tournament of old, he met the chosen and the ablest cham- 
 pions that were sent against him. His was in everj- respect an 
 intrepid nature. He was a brave man, mentally, morally, and 
 physically. He laughed at danger in its face. 
 
 In the history of Henry of Xavarre it is written that within 
 the first hour of his birth his jubilant Gascon grandfather per- 
 fumed his infant lips with the clove and wet them with wine, 
 in order, as he said, that the ro>al -blooded child might, when 
 he grew to manhood, have within his l:)reast a bold and at the 
 same time a ga>' and mirthful heart. And so in other instances, 
 without the clove and the wine, hearts have been filled with 
 courage and with the sunshine of mirth and humor, and have 
 borne themselves in every manly conflict of life with as much 
 gallantry and true chivalry as he who wore the white plume 
 and bade his soldiers follow it as their oriflannnc. 
 
 Mr. Cox was often criticised during his life-lime, and by 
 those who thought thus to injure him, because he was a parti.san 
 in his political faith and action. His critics were mistaken, 
 not in the fact that Ik- was a partisan in the fullest and best 
 sense of that term, but in a.ssuijiing that such a fact was injurious 
 to his. career for usefulness, to his character as a lover of his 
 
Life and Cliaractcr of Samuel S. Cox. 239 
 
 kind, or to his reputation and standing with all honorable men 
 of whatever party, persuasion, or creed of belief and practice. 
 He did indeed believe in the party to which he belonged, and 
 defended its principles in the open arena against all comers. 
 May I not ask, however, whether much respect is due to any 
 one in public life who does less than this ? 
 
 Political parties are absolute necessities in free governments. 
 They are the only methods known to the wisdom and experi- 
 ence of enlightened history whereby concentration of thought, 
 agreement of opinion, unity of purpose, and concert of action 
 can be secured for the accomplishment of great results. Errors 
 may creep into party organizations, but their cure lies in that 
 general spirit and purpose of reform which inspires the honest 
 membership of all parties, rather than in an outcry against the 
 e.xistence of the parties themselves. 
 
 In every struggle for liberty among the Greeks and the 
 Romans, in every contest for the enlargement and security of 
 popular rights in England or anywhere else in modern Europe, 
 and in all the mighty movements and convulsions which have 
 taken place for freedom in this western hemisphere, the leaders 
 of the people have simply been the leaders of great political par- 
 ties and have accomplished all their vast and glorious results 
 through compact, unified, and aggressive political organiza- 
 tions. Washington himself was a leader in civil life of the 
 Whig party against the party of the Tories, and but for this 
 fact wotild not have been chosen to command the armies of 
 the Revolntion. Jefferson and Jackson were party men, and 
 so, likewise, were lyiucoln and Grant. It is the small man, 
 not the great, who deems himself wiser than the associated 
 wisdom of his timeS, and who in official station distends him- 
 self out of all proportion with the idea that he is stronger. 
 
24(1 Address of Mr. I'oorliees, of Indiana, on the 
 
 greater, and knows more than the party which created and 
 elevated him. 
 
 But as we recall and dwell for a moment on Mr. Cox's grand 
 loyalty and adherence to his party and its policies, how broad 
 and comprehensive appear the whole tenor and spirit of his life 
 and conduct; how like universal sunshine on growing fields 
 and blooming flowers, his warm philanthropy, his active benevo- 
 lence, his generous, helpful deeds shine forth in every line of 
 his public service! Liberality was the law of his being; his 
 soul was lit up with love for the brotherhood of man, and no 
 narrow or selfish thought or jnirpose ever darkened its cham- 
 bers. He never had any doubt who was his neighbor or of the 
 meaning of the golden rule. 
 
 Had he been on the road between Jerusalem and Jericho when 
 the stranger was found stripped, wounded, and half dead, he 
 would have relieved the Samaritan of the task of furnishing oil 
 and wine, of binding up wounds, and of paying the stranger's 
 bill in advance for proper care at the inn. Henn,- Cla\ filled 
 the civilized world with the music of his eloquence in sym- 
 pathy with the oppres.sed Greeks in 1824. It is not too much 
 to say that S.^-Ml'EL S. Cox, in recent years, with wider infor- 
 mation on his subject, greater knowledge of the different races 
 of the earth, and with a braver and loftier benevolence than was 
 required of the great Kentuckian, challenged the attention of 
 his own countrymen and of all nations to the brutal and bar- 
 baric treatment of the downtrodden Hebrews of Poland and 
 throughout all the vast, dark, and hopeless regions of Russian 
 despotism. 
 
 His powerful and eloquent protest aroused public opinion, 
 fjuickened consciences, and put ancient lilind prejudice to 
 shame in c\er\ enlightened lanil beneath the sun, so that now 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 241 
 
 the sous and daughters of Israel in the dominions of the Czar 
 ^nd elsewhere are safer and happier because of the words he 
 spoke and the expression he secured in the American Congress. 
 His heart went out to helpless and suffering people, and he 
 visited those who were sick and in prison. His bold, deter- 
 mined, and efficient efforts in behalf of an exchange of prisoners 
 during the most resentful and deadliest period of the war be- 
 tween the North and the South will not only be enshrined for- 
 ever in the archives of his Government, but the\- have also been 
 written to his credit by the recording angel in that high realm 
 where the blue and the gray are alike liberated from prisons 
 and from pain and where they have already welcomed the com- 
 ing of their common benefactor. 
 
 While Mr. Cox discussed amph- and upon full preparation 
 every question within the entire range of government, State 
 and national, yet it will be found by the student of history that 
 his most conspicuous labors and his most eloquent and im- 
 passioned speech were in behalf of those who were helpless to 
 labor for themselves. When the war of the sections was over 
 and the South was a wreck; when her vStates were torn from 
 their foundations and demolished as cities are by cyclones; when 
 her people were bankrupt, disfranchised, and standing amidst 
 their ruined homes with nothing left save the inextinguishable 
 honor, courage, and recuperative energies which belong to a 
 heroic and glorious race, then it was that Mr. Cox seemed to 
 gather a new inspiration, and he flung himself into the tre- 
 mendous debates which followed on reconstruction and kin- 
 dred questions with the learning and versatility of Burke, the 
 polished wit of Sheridan, and the fiery, impassioned logic 
 of Douglas. 
 
 He who now or hereafter most carefulh' and impartially e.x- 
 H. Mis. 24:5 !<> 
 
242 .IMrcss of Mr. I oor/iccs, of Indiana, on the 
 
 amines the debates in the House during the first ten years after 
 the war will most fulh' concur in the estimate I make of Mr. 
 Cox's power and resources in parliamentar>- warfare. He had 
 supported the Government in its efforts to suppress the rebellion; 
 he had voted men and mone\- without stint or limit; but when 
 the vanquished were at the mercy of power and the legions of 
 Lee and Stonewall Jackson were scattered to fight no more for- 
 ever, he took the side of those who were voiceless here in their 
 own behalf; he espoused the cause of the weak, and held over 
 their heads, to protect them from further blows, a shield 
 stronger, more impenetrable, and more glorious than was forged 
 and wrought by \'ulcan for .\chilles — the shield of the Consti- 
 tution. 
 
 The restoration of the States, and not their reconstruction 
 and re-admission into the Union from which they had no power 
 to secede, was his polic\- of statesmanship for that anomalous 
 period. He believed the honor of the Southern people could 
 be trusted in their relations v.'ith the Federal Government, and 
 he was therefore in favor of rehabilitating them at onc;^" in all 
 their former rights as .\merican citizens, subject simply to the 
 elimination of slavery. There are tho.se who belicxx lliai Mr. 
 Lincoln, had he lived, would have pursued substantialh' such a 
 policy, and they also believe that the most disastrous results of 
 his horrible and untimeh' death were the reconstruction and 
 military occupation uf iIk- .Southern States growing out of the 
 supreme distrust and hostility at tlial time Ik-Iwccu the legis- 
 lati\e and executive departments of the (iovernmenl. 
 
 Turning to other subjects which engaged the thought and 
 action of Mr. C<-).\ in his public service, the .same l)road and 
 liberal principles of l)encvoleul statesmanship are to be found in 
 his works on (.altn hand. To his constant and unwearied 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 243 
 
 efforts, persisted in for years and enriclied with vast informa- 
 tion and thrilling eloqnence, the present splendid life-saving 
 system of our Government owes its existence and its humane 
 and heroic career. When the hardy mariner mans the lii#-boat 
 and goes to the rescue of the shipwrecked and tempest-tossed 
 on the angry ocean, the spirit of this brilliant, comprehensive, 
 and benevolent American statesman will be with him as a pilot 
 on the waters; and when drowning men and women are carried 
 from the raging surf and resuscitated on the beach their first 
 conscious thought may well be one of thankfulness and gratitude 
 that he lived and labored so usefully and so well. 
 
 It is hardly necessary to say that Mr. Cox had quick, keen, 
 and tender sympathies with such as are known as the plain, 
 common people. He sincerely loved them, enjoyed their ways, 
 believed in their virtues, and often talked with them in their 
 neighborhood dialects. Daniel O'Connell, in his palmiest days, 
 when Irish multitudes shouted with mirth or burst into tears at 
 his will, never got nearer in heart, love, and sympathy to his 
 audiences than did the gifted orator whose death we mourn to- 
 day. The people on their part when brought in personal 
 contact with him, especially as their Representative, made him 
 their political idol. I once witnessed a scene in illustration of 
 this fact which will never fade from my memory. 
 
 More than twenty years ago I was taking part in a memorable 
 political campaign in Ohio, in which Thurman, Vallandigham, 
 Pendleton, and other gentlemen of great note were likewise 
 engaged. Judge Thurman was a'candidate for governor, and, 
 although defeated bj- a few votes for that position, he secured a 
 legislature which gave him a seat in this body and thus enriched 
 American history by his great and imperishable services as a 
 Senator. ]\Ir. Cox had removed from Ohio and was then living 
 
2 14 Address of Mr. I oor/wes, of Indiana^ on the 
 
 in New York, but was called to Zanesville by a death in his 
 family circle, which, of course, prevented his participation in 
 the canvass then at a high stage of excitement and activity. 
 
 During his melancholy sojourn of a few days at Zanesville he 
 concluded to run down to Columbus, and it so happened that 
 Mr. Pendleton, Mr. \'allandigham, and myself were on the train 
 with him. It was not generally known that Mr. Cox was then 
 in the State, and least of all was he expected at Columbus that 
 da\-. When the train arrived a concourse of people, with music 
 and banners, was at the depot to welcome those of the party 
 w ho were expected, when, as we emerged from the cars, all at 
 once an intent look came into every eye in that multitude, and 
 then a jubilant, prolonged shout rent the air. The brilliant 
 Buckeye was discovered by his old neighbors and constituents, 
 and in an instant everbody was forgotten but him. It was his 
 first return after going out from their midst and taking up a 
 new home. He managed to get from the cars to a carriage, but 
 loving hands lifted him out of it. 
 
 I ha\e witnessed many an ovation to popular part\- leaders, 
 but never anything like the intense personal devotion, affection, 
 and love displayed on this occasion. The last I .saw of him 
 many hours afterward was as he stood bare-headed in the street 
 surrounded by a surging multitude of men, women, and chil- 
 dren, who were shouting, laughing, crying, and clinging to 
 him. His own eyes were suff"used, his face was pale, and his 
 lips trembled, though wreathed with smiles of rapture at his 
 unexpected and wonderful welcome. ( )flen in after \ears he 
 and I talked over this scene together, and the memoiA' of it re- 
 mained a joy to his heart to the latest day of his life. 
 
 If we leave Mr. Cox's official jmblic life and at this point 
 turn to other fields and forums, we find Jiim tliere disi)laying 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 245 
 
 the same rare ability, the same amazing rapidity of thought 
 and action, which made him tiie commanding figure he was as 
 a tribune of the people in the halls of legislation. The range 
 of his information on all subjects was more extensive and more 
 accurate than that of any other man I have ever known who 
 was engaged in political life and in affairs of state. Nothing 
 once appropriated to his mental store-house ever escaped him or 
 failed to be used at the proper time. 
 
 Whether in company with professors, scientists, authors, trav- 
 elers, playwrights, eminent actors, humorists, or with states- 
 men, jurists, and law-givers, he was equally at home, and equally 
 readv to contribute something useful, brilliant, and instructive. 
 He paid tribute to the memory of savants such as Morse, Agas- 
 siz, and Henry with the learning and in the language of one of 
 their own class. On the lecture platform, when he chose to 
 ascend it, he had no superior in the richness and strength of his 
 matter or in the eloquence with which it was delivered. 
 
 I once heard him address the literary societies of one of the 
 leading universities of the country on the practical details of 
 chemistry as applied to the physical sciences, and it was inter- 
 esting to observe two professors of chemistry watching with 
 note-book and pencil in hand to detect him in a technical lilun- 
 der, a false quantity, an erroneous combination, or a faulty result, 
 and watching in vain, as they afterward admitted, with great 
 surprise and admiration. He was a writer of wonderful beauty 
 and grace. He wrote and published books which sparkle like 
 gems in the literar>- world, and which will continue to delight 
 and instruct generations yet to come. He loved art, and be- 
 friended artists by liberal legislation and b)- his magnetic per- 
 sonal sympathy and encouragement. 
 
 In statuary and painting his taste was simply the unerring 
 
246 Address of Mr. I'oorhees, of Indiana, on the 
 
 instinct of his own lofty genius, and he frequented with enthu- 
 siasm the galleries and museums where the works of the masters 
 displayed their greatest beauties and glories to his eye. He 
 was at the front in every movement looking to the cultivation, 
 refinement, and progress of the people. He believed in the 
 educating and elevating influences of libraries, and hence gave 
 the sanction of his name and of his abilities to that great struct- 
 ure now rising in its strength and beaut)- in front of this Cap- 
 itol, there to stand as a home for the books of the world, as a 
 depositor)' for the mental product of the human race, and as a 
 monument to the enlightened spirit, the grace, and the culture of 
 the American Republic at the close of the nineteenth century. 
 
 In the midst of all his home labors, pursuits, and duties Mr. 
 Cox al.so found time to take rank as one of the most extensive 
 and intelligent travelers of modern times. With her at liis 
 side who had joined her name and fortune to his in the \'alley 
 of the Muskingum in the bright morning of youth he re- 
 peatedly journeyed over Europe, Asia, and Africa, and always 
 returned with the spoils of useful knowledge and an increased 
 love for his own land. 
 
 With the eye of a philosopher and with a soul filled with the 
 poetry and sublimity of high historic associations, he saw 
 almighty Rome, climbed the Pyramids, and stood upon Mount 
 Calvary. He traversed deserts on the camel's back and camped 
 at night-fall with the Bedouin at long-.sought wells of fresh 
 water. He floated on the waters of the Nile, and plucked the 
 lotus, the Egyptians' symbol of the creation. He marked the 
 course of the Euphrates; looked upon the Red Sea where Pha- 
 raoh attemj)ted to cross in pursuit of fugitive slaves; drank 
 from the river Jordan, and .slept by tlie cooling fountains of 
 Damascus. He .studied evcrv varietv of the human race in the 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 247 
 
 broad spirit of a human Ijrotlierhood, and no prejudice of caste 
 or of color darkened his vision or perverted his judgment as he 
 wandered amongst the motley and scattered tribes of the earth's 
 most distant parts. 
 
 But wherever he traveled and in whatever clime he sojourned 
 what a stanch and genuine American he was! The sunbeams 
 of the Orient, the soft skies of Italy, the grandest scenery of 
 the Alps, were not so attractive or sublime to him as the face 
 of nature in his own Western home. After gliding on the 
 waters of the Blue Danube and along the castellated heights of 
 the Rhine, he was wont to say that the Hudson between Albany 
 and New York and the Ohio from Steubenville to Cincinnati 
 presented more beauty to the eye of the traveler than anv other 
 rivers of the world. John Milton is quoted as saying, "Our 
 country is wherever we are well off." 
 
 This was peculiarly untrue with Mr. Cox. Cosmopolite as 
 he was in his philosophy and in his broad love of humanity, yet 
 he was not a citizen of the world in the sense that weakened 
 the ties that bound him to American institutions, to the Amer- 
 ican people, and to the x\merican flag. 
 
 Sir, such a character as I have here but imperfectly deline- 
 ated must take and hold a front place in the history of his 
 couutr\-. His works were durable contributions to the cause of 
 human progress, and they can not perish. Their influences 
 will bide the test of time and will go on forever. Who are en- 
 titled to be called great by the pen of the historian? Who merit 
 most the grateful remembrance of posterity ? Let statues and 
 monuments continue to arise in honor of warriors who gathered 
 fame on battle-fields, but let it not be accepted by the public 
 mind that they alone are to occupy the Walhalla of the brave, 
 the palace of immortality. 
 
248 Address of Mr. I'oorhccs^ of Indiana^ on the 
 
 There are other fields besides those of war where high cour- 
 age and capacity are displayed, where heroes achieve victories 
 full of blessings and full of glory, and where immortal fame at- 
 tends the efforts of those who live and labor for justice, liberty, 
 and equality in behalf of their fellow-men. In such fields as 
 these, fields of laborious thought, philanthropic purposes, and 
 lofty mental conflict, Mr. Cox won for himself a place on an 
 easy level with those whom tlie world has crowned with civic 
 greatness, and to him also belongs, and will be conceded, the 
 same recognition. 
 
 Hut while yet in full career, in the midst of plans, hopes, and 
 comprehensive purposes for the future, borne forward by all his 
 ceaseless activity, and in the unabated prime and vigor of all 
 his splendid faculties, he was called by a voice for which we 
 are all listening and which none can disobey. He responded 
 with the manly courage of liis nature, and in starting on his 
 last journey, this time to cross, not the ocean channels which 
 merely divide continents and hemispheres, but the realms wliich 
 lay between time and eternity, his only regret was the separa- 
 tion from his devoted and gifted wife, who from youth to age 
 had been his fellow-traveler, his companion, his comfort, his 
 beloved. He felt that he had not been a slothful .servant nor a 
 loiterer in the vineyard, and that all the ends he had aimed at 
 had been his country's, his God's, and truth's. 
 
 Not a line he ever wrote, not a word he ever uttered called 
 for change or apology in the interest of morals, patriotism, or 
 religion. He had always believed with Solomon that a good 
 name was rather to be cho.sen than great riches, and though he 
 was a conspicuous and innuential figure during periods reeking 
 with venality and corruption his record at every .step and at the 
 close was as wliite and clean as the falling snow. Ma\ we not 
 
Life and Cliaracter of Samuel S. Cox. 249 
 
 hope and believe that his good life goes on and his great talents 
 continue to expand in knowledge and in power in a world where 
 life is eternal ? Within less than a year before his final sum- 
 mons came he talked with me of the midnight sun he once 
 witnessed in the polar regions of the North. 
 
 With eyes glowing and face lit up, he described the great 
 luminary of day swinging low at midnight's still, weird hour, 
 and touching apjiarently with its burning rim the dark waters 
 of the Arctic, but never disappearing beneath them. He painted 
 with all the poet's fervor and beauty its emergence from the 
 shadowy and awe-inspiring aspect of its lowest point, and the 
 rich and joyous effulgence with which it blazed forth again as 
 it ascended the sky. In another sphere, more radiant and more 
 restful than this, he has beheld another sun which never sets 
 and in whose light his soul has realized the full fruition of 
 Christian faith and Christian works. 
 
 Associate and delight of my earlier and later years, joy and 
 charm of every hour we ever spent together, faithful and be- 
 loved friend of a lifetime, farewell! Hail, and farewell until 
 we meet arain! 
 
 Address of Mr. Sherman, of Ohio, 
 
 Mr. President: The death-roll of public men is lengthening 
 with unusual rapidity, so that now but few remain of those who 
 shared in the exciting and dangerous scenes in Congress pre- 
 ceding the civil war. The death of ]Mr. Cox strikes from the 
 list of the living one conspicuous actor in those scenes, and now 
 it becomes my duty, as one of the few survivors, to pay a brief 
 but just tribute to the qualities of head and heart that made him 
 and kept him a leader among the public men of our country for 
 
250 Address of Mr. Sherman, of Ohio, o>i the 
 
 a period of more than thirty-three years, longer than the average 
 life of a generation. This duty is the more imperative upon 
 me as he was a native of Ohio, for forty years a resident, aud for 
 eight years a Representative in Congress from that State, hon- 
 ored and respected by all of whatever partj' or creed, and belo\-ed 
 by his associates as but few in political life can hope to be. 
 
 I can also speak of him from a longer personal acquaintance 
 than auN- one in either House, for I have known him or his 
 kindred from. almost the days of ray boyhood. We were born 
 in neighboring counties, he one year later than I. My father 
 and his were associated as judge and clerk of the supreme court 
 of Ohio. I knew of him as early as 1853, as the editor of the 
 Ohio vStatesman, a Democratic paper published at Columbus, 
 the organ of that party in Ohio, but my personal acquaintance 
 and association with him commenced with liis election in 1856 
 as a member of the House of Representati\es. His distinguished 
 career in public life since that time has been eloquently stated 
 by Senators who have preceded me. I prefer to speak of him 
 as I think of him, as he appeared in social life, as a companion, 
 a traveler, a writer of history, and of almost every form of lit- 
 erary composition. 
 
 While Mr. Cox was a successful leader in political life and 
 rendered his party due fealty on purely political questions, he 
 was not always in harmony with the majority of his party. In 
 his first speech in Congress, and the first speech made in the 
 new Hall of the House of Representatives, an opportunity care- 
 fullv chosen by him with the skill of an actor, he took ground 
 against the Ivccompton constitution, stronglv recommended by 
 Mr. Huchanan's .Xilministration. He supjwrtcd .several meas- 
 ures during llie war not ajiproved by his political associates. 
 He spoke in favor of the amendment abolishing slavery, though 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 251 
 
 he did not vote for it. By instinct, education, and association, 
 especially by family ties, he was against slavery. On all other 
 questions of a political character he was by inheritance, and no 
 doubt by conviction, a Democrat, and faithfully followed the 
 tenets of his party. I do not consider this a fault, but a virtue. 
 
 While honesty of jjurpose and motive should be conceded to 
 all parties and sects it is no discredit to even the wisest of men 
 to yield his individual opinions to the deliberate conviction of 
 the great body of the people with whom in the main he agreed 
 in order to secure a common purpose or desire. The right to 
 protest and discuss and even to secede from a party or sect is 
 open to every individual and should be exercised when clear 
 and honest conviction demands it, but such con\-iction is more 
 frequently caused b\' chagrin, disappointment, or egotism than 
 by sober reason. It is enough to saj- of Mr. Cox that he was 
 an honest partisan, but neither a bitter nor revengeful one. 
 He was a Democrat, but he knew that the great party to which 
 he was opposed was as strong and faithful in their support of 
 the rights of the people as the party to which he belonged, but 
 they differed as to the best means to secure these rights. 
 
 We constantly forget in our political contests that the great 
 body of the questions we have to decide are non-political. Upon 
 these we divide without feeling and without question of motives. 
 On all such questions Mr. Cox was always on the humanitarian 
 side. He has linked his name in honorable association with 
 many humane, kindl\-, and reformatory laws. If not the founder 
 or father of our Life-Saving Service, he was at least its guardian 
 and guide. He took an active part in promoting measures of 
 conciliation after the war. He supported the policy of the 
 homestead law against the veto of Mr. Buchanan. He was the 
 advocate of liberal compensation to letter-carriers, of reducing 
 
252 Address of Mr. Sherman, of Ohio, on the 
 
 the hours of labor, and of liberal pensions to Union soldiers. I 
 doubt if there is a single measure on the statute books, during 
 liis time, which appeals to sympathy, charity, justice, and kind- 
 ness for the poor, the distressed, or the unfortunate which did 
 not receive his heartv support. If kindness bestowed is never 
 lost, then Mr. Cox has left an inheritance to thousands who 
 will revere his memory while life lasts. 
 
 Perhaps his most pleasing trait was his genial, social manner. 
 Always gay, cheerful, and humorous, he scattered flowers on 
 the pathway of all his friends and acquaintances. His wit was 
 free from sting. If in the excitement of debate he inflicted pain, 
 he was ready and prompt to heal the wound, and died, as far as I 
 know, without an enemy or an imhcaled feud. I had with him 
 more than one political debate and controversy, but they left no 
 coolness or irritation. In m\' last conversation with him. in 
 the spring of 1889, we talked of old times and early scenes more 
 than thirty years past and gone, and he recalled them only to 
 praise tho.se who differed with him. He had malice for none, 
 but charity for all. In that endearing tie 01 husband and wife, 
 which more tliaii an\ ollur tests the qualities of a man, both lie 
 and his wife were models of unbroken affection and constant 
 help for each other. 
 
 The most enduring fame of .Mr. Cox will not rest upon what 
 he said in Congress or did in Congress. His speeches are buried 
 in the vast mausoleum of Congressional Records. Hut few will 
 take the pains to select the wheat from the chaff", and what he 
 did will be forgotten with the generation of wliich he was a 
 part. His fame will rest mainly upon his innnerous writings 
 in many fields of literature. Tliis was the occupation in whicii 
 he look most delight. Ik- was bred a lawyer, but he early 
 abandoned his profession and became an editor of a ]JoliticaI 
 
Life and Cliaracter of Samuel S. Cox. 253 
 
 paper. Nor did he devote his time to political questions, but 
 soon became distinguished as a brilliant writer on purely literary 
 topics. One of his pen pictures — a model of its class — gave him 
 the name of "Sunset Cox," of which he was never ashamed. 
 
 He was fond of travel and wrote several books descriptive of 
 scenes and incidents of travel. He also wrote historical works. 
 He entered as an author, a lecturer, and a speaker many fields 
 of research, and in all sustained his reputation as a brilliant 
 writer and speaker, always interesting and often eloquent, a 
 close student who always mastered his subject, and withal a man 
 of generous impulses, kind and cheerful nature, a true friend, 
 and a faithful public servant. This all can be said trul}- and 
 without exaggeration of Mr. Cox. All that is left for me is to 
 express ni)- sincere sorrow for his untimely death. He did not 
 contemplate death when I saw him last. His death was the 
 first news I received on my arrival in New York, in September 
 last, from a journey abroad. I am told that he met the com- 
 mon fate of all with patient confidence and an assured hope and 
 belief in the doctrines of the Christian faith and the promise of 
 future life. 
 
 It is fortunate that man can not know the future, and espe- 
 cially that future beyond human life. Socrates, when con- 
 dennied to death, consoled himself with the inconceivable 
 happiness, in a future state, when he would converse and asso- 
 ciate with and question the mighty array of heroes, patriots, 
 and sages that preceded him. He .said to his judges, " It is now 
 time to depart — for me to die, for you to H\'e. But which of us 
 is going to a better state is unknown to every one but God," 
 We can not lift the veil, but may we not share the hope of the 
 wisest of men that our farewell to associates who go before us 
 is but a brief parting for a better life? 
 
254 Address of Mr. I es/, of Missouri, on the 
 
 ADDRESS OF Mr. Vest, of Missouri. 
 
 Mr. President: It is not my purpose to speak at length of 
 the public life of Samuel S. Cox. To do so would simplj; be 
 to present a resume of the political history of this country for 
 the last thirty years. When I came to the Senate twelve years 
 ago my first public duty of any importance was service upon a 
 joint committee of the Senate and House of Representatives to 
 inquire into the causes of the decay of the American merchant 
 marine. During my .service upon that committee, of which 
 Mr. Cox was a member from the House of Representatives, I 
 came to know him well, and personal and political sympathy 
 caused our acquaintance to rapidly ripen into earnest friendship. 
 
 He was in some respects the most remarkable man I have 
 known in public affairs. Whilst there was nothing majestic or 
 rugged in his nature, he was beyond question better adapted to 
 ])ublic life as known to the .\merican people than any other 
 man in all my acquaintance. He was capable of indefatigable 
 labor, with varied accomplishments, versatile talents, wonder- 
 ful eloquence, and a tenacity of purpose which knew nothing 
 like failure. He was a partisan, but a partisan in the highest 
 and best meaning of the term. He fought for his party because 
 the principles of that party were, in his judgment, necessary to 
 the welfare of his country. He never shrank from an\- political 
 hazard, from any political contest. There was not a ri\ct in 
 his armor that had not been tried by thrust of sword and point 
 of spear. .'\.ll that he was, all that he could give, was unre- 
 servedly and without hesitation devoted to the principles and 
 policy of the great organization of \\;hich he was so illustrious 
 a member. 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 255 
 
 He was a man of mercurial temperament, with whom the 
 lights and shadows came and went as on a summer landscape, 
 and like all public men of intellect and labor he tired at times 
 and almost despaired. In 1884, when I heard that he contem- 
 plated accepting the mission to Turkey, I called upon him as a 
 personal friend and remonstrated against it. I urged upon him 
 the necessity, with a Democratic Administration coming into 
 power after a quarter of a century, for our best talent and most 
 experienced leaders in both branches of Congress, and I placed 
 before him the great crisis that in the history of our party de- 
 manded his presence in the House of Representatives. 
 
 His answer was pathetic. He said, "I am tired; tired almost 
 unto death. I am tired of rolling this eternal stone up the hill 
 to .see it roll back again to the bottom. I am, tired of this eter- 
 nal toil without return. I am tired of the excitement, of, it 
 seems to me, the fruitless public labor that has been my lot for 
 so many years. I want rest, and I can find it amidst the 
 mosques and minarets of the finished civilization of the East. 
 I can find it in the land of sunshine and flowers, completed 
 centuries ago, where I can dream away the balance of this life, 
 so much of which has been spent in toil and excitement." 
 The year afterwards I received from him a letter stating that 
 he had been disappointed in the East and would return soon to 
 the United States, and I welcomed him back to public life as a 
 soldier welcomes a comrade whose blade he knows is never 
 absent in the hour of trial and danger. 
 
 I was the cause, to some extent, of the first address he deliv- 
 ered in the House of Representatives after his return, and it 
 was in connection with legislation affecting the Yellowstone 
 National Park. We agreed to meet there the summer after- 
 wards. I was prevented by circumstances beyond my control 
 
25G Address of Mr. lis/, of Missouri, on Ihc 
 
 from keepiii}^ llie engagement, l)ul 1 met liim after he came out 
 of that splendid reservation at Helena, Mont., and there we 
 talked, under the shadow of the great mountains, of the past 
 and tlie coming future. We tlien anticipated our meeting again 
 at the a.ssembling of the present Congress. But, Mr. President, 
 he has gone to a higher congress, whose sessions are eternal. 
 
 The history of Mr. Cox will always be connected not only 
 willi llie politics of this countr\-, l)ut with objects of the highest 
 and noblest pliil:iiiilm>ii\ . My friend from Indiana [Mr. \'oor- 
 hees] has spoken of his .splendid oratory in behalf of the Jews 
 of Poland. He also devoted many \-ears to those who "go 
 down to the sea in ships," and to the humble postman, who 
 brings tidings of joy or sorrow to each household in the land. 
 
 .\fter his return from the Pacific coast I received from him 
 the last of his literary productions. The Isles of the Princes; 
 or, the Pleasures of Prinkipo, and in the closing words of this 
 charming book, which seems in every page to breathe the 
 genius, the philanthropy, and the vivacity of this wonderful 
 man, a fitting epitaph is found for his tomb. This is an ac- 
 count of his last summer abroad, on the island of Prinki])o, 
 where with the companion of his life's journey he attempted 
 to realize that dream of complete rest for which he had left his 
 country: 
 
 The storv of our summer is toki. llie wreaths begin lo witlier on the 
 tomb. \ thousand thoughts and studies liang over iheni. Hut these 
 are not dead garlands. The angels of memory will resume their places 
 at tile gate of this paradise. The (laming sword drives us into the old 
 and l)usy world, under the glaring sun and tiie uncloistcred heal ami 
 • lust of our earnest and active .American life; but amidst all the turmoil 
 and worry of that life, we shall turn to the '' Pleasures of Prinkipo." 
 
 Ill the sIuiIdw of iliy pines, l>y tlie shores of thy sea. 
 Oil the hilU uf thy beauty, nur heart is with thee. 
 
Life and Character of Sanuicl S. Cox. 257 
 
 Address of Mr. Dixon, of Rhode Island. 
 
 Mr. President: A strong personal attachment, at first in- 
 spired by many kind attentions long ago, impels me to offer the 
 tribute of affectionate regard to the distinguished dead. Many 
 years his junior, I was attracted to Mr. Cox by such thoughtful 
 consideration as men of experience and years can show to those 
 much younger than themselves. In the kindness and friendli- 
 ness of his life he exerted such a winning influence on tho.se 
 with whom he came in contact that he made friends of young 
 and old. 
 
 From the time Samuel Sullivan Cox entered Brown Uni- 
 versity until just previous to his death, when he wrote, "I am 
 beginning to yearn after early memories of Brown and Provi- 
 dence," he had a great fondne.ss for that venerable institution 
 and the city where it stands. There it was he early displayed 
 those brilliant qualities of mind that in after years made hini 
 renowned; there it was his youthful powers were cultivated, 
 bent, and trained, and there it was, as I have often heard him 
 say, he acquired that analytic habit that became a part of his 
 intellectual power. Then and there it was he formed associa- 
 tions in Rhode Island that ended only with his life. 
 
 Ver>' naturally after leaving college his tastes led him to de- 
 vote himself to a professional career, and he practiced law in 
 Zanesville, Ohio, his native town, until 1S53, when he moved 
 to Columbus and became editor of the Columbus Statesman; 
 then turning his attention to politics he soon entered public life. 
 
 Always a strong partisan, he bore a conspicuous part in the 
 councils of the Democratic party; yet when necessary to do 
 what he considered right he could step across the party line. I 
 H. Mis. 243 17 
 
258 Address of Mr. Dixo/i, of Rhode /stand, on the 
 
 leave all coinmeiulatiou for party fealty to his party associates. 
 It was by uo means on acconnt of his political affiliation that 
 his closest personal friends were bound to him. 
 
 In his public career, extending through so many years, where 
 he won an enviable national reputation (his first election to the 
 House of Representatives from Ohio was in 1856, and after re- 
 moving to Xew York he was elected from a New York City 
 district to the House almost successively until his death), there 
 is much to allure attention and attract remark. 
 
 Sensitive to the blows and thrusts of factional animosity, he 
 shrank from the keen rancor that has become too common a 
 part of public debate and difference. He would naturally "be- 
 ware of entrance to a quarrel, but being in" his abilities, his 
 mental resources, and his ready wit made him a bold and fear- 
 less adversary. Mr. Cox never entered into any contest bearing 
 malice, and if surprised into a loss of temper or suddenly ex- 
 cited to hot words he was prompt to express regret and ask for 
 that forgiveness he was ever ready to bestow. 
 
 When a man has been standing for many years in the fierce 
 liglit of political controversy it is generally forgotten that he 
 has any individuality, private life, or character except such 
 character as has been imposed upon him 1)\- political allies or 
 opponents. 
 
 But, sir, personal characteristics drew friends to Mr. Co.\; 
 his individuality kept that friendship. \Vhilc others laud his 
 statesmanship and commend liis i)ublic acts, I would pay my 
 humble tribute to the man him.self and to those qualities and 
 characteristics that won him friends. 
 
 In all his relations with men Mr. Ci>.\ was benevolent and 
 kind; always accessible to the unfortunate. Interested in works 
 of charit\-, he was so read\' witii his kindh aid that when djijior- 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 259 
 
 tunit)' presented an occasion to do good, with earnest zeal he 
 wonld devote himself to the kind purpose, whether that pur- 
 pose was directed toward the establishment of a national system 
 for life-saving on the sea and coast or was only secretly called 
 forth liy the pitiful recital of some individual distress. It was 
 not alone on account of his generous readiness to aid the un- 
 fortunate that friends were drawn to him, for in his intercourse 
 with those whose ample fortunes and full stores of this world's 
 goods left no material want he could supply, this cheerful, 
 genial man daily added to the number of his friends, and all 
 through this broad land of ours his name was known and in 
 almost every little town he had at least one friend. 
 
 In the city where he lived, so greatly was he honored and 
 esteemed that when he died a vast assemblage of his fellow- 
 townsmen met to pay to him the homage of their respect and 
 love. That gathering was a grander tribute to the worth and 
 goodness of the man than all the adulation and heartless solem- 
 nity of stately ceremonials in high places. 
 
 Mr. Cox had cultivated by studious application the strong 
 and vigorous mind he had inherited, had e.xpanded his powers 
 by e.Ktensive travel, and stored in a retentive memory what he 
 had read and seen. Gifted with an ease and felicity of expres- 
 sion, he became a freqnent and most interesting contributor to 
 periodical publications, and was the author of many entertain- 
 ing books, infusing into each the cheerfulness of his bright 
 mind. 
 
 To all appearance he had just reached the summit of his 
 mental strength; he seemed adequately equipped to undertake 
 still more laborious tasks. Never had he been so well fitted to 
 serve his constituency and his country. In the full possession 
 of his ripened powers he did not perceive that age was coming 
 
260 Address of Mr. Evarts, of New York, on the 
 
 on. To his full hope the end seemed still far distant, but the 
 days of his appointed time were numbered, and on the loth day 
 of September last Samuel Suli.uax Cox entered into rest. 
 
 An active, earnest, noble life has ended. Another pilgrim 
 has made the journey to that — 
 
 Country boiilcring on this land 
 Sealed in eternal silence here, where all 
 Are journeying— a region which we call 
 The empire of the dead. No moruil's hand 
 H.ith ever mapped its coast. Upon its strand 
 Discovery's anchor ne'er hath been let fall. 
 
 ADDRESS OF Mr. EVARTS, OF NEW YORK. 
 
 Mr. PRK.SIDEN-T: I might well ask to occupy some closing 
 moments of the declining hours of this day in speaking of my 
 dead friend if I had no other relation to him and to his char- 
 acter and his career than that which attends him as an emi- 
 nent public servant of the State which he so long represented 
 so abh- in Congress, or for those varied excellences of character 
 and of life which made him a notable figure in our historv for 
 so man\- years. But it so happens, Mr. President, that for more 
 than twenty years I had the pleasure of enjoying his friendship, 
 at all times agreeable to me, ne\-er broken and alwa\s accom- 
 panied with esteem for his life and his manners and his career. 
 
 It is difficult to conceive a career more versatile and at the 
 same time more ample and attractive than that which marks 
 the course of this young native of Ohio from the time when he 
 started— and at a great pace, which he kept up to the end of 
 his life— until the time of his death, when he had become the 
 most eminent of the public men of his party in the great State 
 of N\w \-,,ik. He was a scholar; he was an editor; he was a 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 261 
 
 la\v\-er; he was a politician; he was an orator; he was a philoso- 
 pher; he wasa trav-eler; he was an author; he was a diplomatist; 
 he was a wit, and yet the whole warp and woof of his life was 
 that of a member of Congress and in the active pursuit of poli- 
 tics. 
 
 In all these regards, if it can not be said of him that he ever 
 did any one thing that no other man could do, yet no one but 
 must say and feel that, within the field of our observation and 
 our contemporary history, no man has done so many things so 
 well as our deceased colleague, Mr. Cox. 
 
 But we must add to our estimate of this career the circum- 
 stance that he lived in an age and in a sphere in public life 
 when the nation was awakened and aroused, was rent and torn, 
 and then restored and re-established, and that the thirty years 
 of what makes up his public notice and his public service was 
 always upon such a theater and occupied with great actors and 
 great actions. We must, then, all agree that in our calm civili- 
 zation and in our established institutions, ever accepted and 
 ever expected to endure — we must agree that there have been 
 great opportunities of the highest dignity and the highest 
 responsibility, and that these opportunities were well used by 
 this Ohio statesman, this New York statesman, whose death 
 we lament. 
 
 Mr. President, in all the intercourse that I Iiad with Mr. Cox, 
 though we were always opposed to one another in politics, 
 always representing on every scene of action in our own State 
 opposite views, with opposite alliances, I do not know that in 
 any instance I can recall any action of his that seems to me 
 unsuitable to that career which he had espoused, that duty 
 which he had undertaken to fulfill. 
 
 It is idle to talk under free institutions, under rej^resenta- 
 
262 Ac/iiirss of Mr. Hz'arts, of Neu' York, on tlic 
 
 tive ji^overninent, in derogation of parties and of partisans. 
 All tlie public life of a free country is carried on by parties 
 and all are led by partisans. You might as well criticise the 
 career and the methods of the soldier and of the great captains 
 of armies for being devoted to the warfare and the battle and 
 the storm through which their paths of duty lie. These are 
 our paths, these are our duties, and the proper criticism of us 
 all is with what fidelity and with what advantage to the in- 
 terests that we espouse we have maintained our place in them. 
 
 I do not think, in looking back through thirty years among 
 the eminent men of the Democratic part\- in the State of New 
 York, that there is any one that can be fairly considered as 
 having been more engaged, and more usefully engaged, and more 
 constantly engaged, in public affairs than Mr. Cox. 
 
 This is a singular honor to one who comes from a native, a 
 great State, with a career there established, that Mr. Cox was 
 received with open arms by the great part\- and the great popu- 
 lation of our city and all that make up the interests of our 
 State. But this is nevertheless true. He became the idol of 
 the earnest and warm-hearted and sometimes too InnuiUuous 
 Democracy of our great city; but he also had a warm place in 
 the affection and regard of his political opponents in that wide 
 connuunity. There is no trace or token throughout his life of 
 bitterness or resentment towards him in all this busy scene of 
 his activities. .And tlius, throughout and in all regards, Mr. 
 Cox stands out a notable figure, from the boy editor on to the 
 final death .scene of the slatesnuin. .Ml may study it; all may 
 reflect upon it. 
 
 Mr. President, these mortuary meditations and reflections 
 which ari.se upon the contemplation of death, wliether they be 
 in the secret chambers of our own hearts or whether among 
 
Life and Character of Samuel S. Cox. 263 
 
 faithful friends, or on tliis larger scene of public observation of 
 men whose lives have serveil the comniunity^these are not 
 without iheir greatest and most beneficial effects upon the per- 
 sonal life and upon the public conduct of all who submit to 
 these reflections. The Patriarch who had known all of the 
 vicissitudes of joy and sorrow, of pride and contumely, and 
 had learned patience by this experience, was yet forced to cry 
 out, ' ' Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of 
 trouble." But the royal poet of Israel, who knew every step of 
 life himself also, from the sheep-cot to the throne, he, with 
 exultant and triumphant view of human life and of the endow- 
 ments of man by his Maker, said: "Thou has made him a little 
 lower than the angels, and hast crowned hina with glory and 
 honor. ' ' 
 
 This wide sweep in human affairs between that view which 
 deplores man's life as lamentable and that which exalts him as 
 in nature and faculty almost divine — in this life of ours of cul- 
 tivated, educated. Christianized communities — takes in all the 
 pessimists, and all the optimists; all the egoists and all the 
 altruists; all those who build up and those who destroy; all 
 those who touch nothing that they do not adorn and all those 
 who touch nothing that they do not defile; all those of the evil 
 eye of envy an.l all those of the pitiful eye of charity; all those 
 who ennoble and expand and all those who belittle and bedrag- 
 gle; all those who sap the virtues of society and those who feed 
 their healthful growth; all those, in fine, that would lift a mor- 
 tal to the skies and all those that would drag an angel down. 
 
 Mr. President, when a man's days are ended there comes 
 after his death a judgment even in this life. Nature and society 
 pass in a kind and yet a just survey upon each completed life. 
 On which side of these opposing views of human interests and 
 
^64 Address of Mr. J-liarts, of New York. 
 
 human liopes whicli I have portrayed shall the life and conduct 
 of our deceased friend find a place-? When the woven tapestry 
 of the fabric of his life, with its many bright colors and its gay 
 and graceful figures, is folded a\va>- among the leaves of fate 
 for the instruction and the delight of those who shall peruse 
 that great book, all men shall read of him that he "served 
 the state from boyhood up, labored for, loved her." and as for 
 society and friendship and mankind, all his work was to adorn, 
 to ennoble, and to expand; all such are enrolled in memories 
 that will not suflfer their remembrance to die. 
 
 I move, Mr. President, the adoption of the resolutions. 
 
 The President pro tempore. The question is on the motion 
 of the Senator from New York [Mr. Evarts] that the resolu- 
 tions which have been read by the Secretary be adopted. 
 
 The resolutions were unanimoush- agreed to. 
 
 Mr. E\-.\KT.s. I move that the Senate do now adjourn. 
 
 The motion was agreed to. 
 
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