E 513 
 .fl635 
 Copy 1 
 
 I 
 
 
 Lit 
 mm 
 
 Ceremonials 
 
 Unveiling of the Statu k 
 
 i^. 
 
 Gov. JOHN A. ANDREW, 
 
 At the State House, 
 
 Euestiag, jFeiiruarg \\X\ 1871. 
 
 " I know not what record of sin awaits me in the other world; but this 1 do know, 
 that I never was so mean as to despise any man because he was poor, because he was 
 ignorant, or because he was black." — John A. Amlrew. 
 
 BOSTON : 
 
 WRIGHT & POTTER, STATE PRINTERS, 
 79 Milk Stueet (cornek ok Federal). 
 
 1871. 
 
 
 
/ 
 
V/\iSS 1 cVinsttta. Gr&i\«Ta\ towT't 
 
 CEIIEMONIALS 
 
 UNVEILING or THE STATUE 
 
 Gov. JOHN A. ANDREW, 
 
 k 
 
 '^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 At the State House, 
 
 Tuesday, February 14, 1871. 
 
 BOSTON: 
 
 WRIGHT & POTTER, STATE PRINTERS, 
 79 Milk Street (corner of Federal). 
 
 187 1. 
 
J 
 
 A^-'^s' 
 
House of Representatives, February 20, 1871. 
 
 Ordered, That five thousand copies of the proceedings and speeches at the pre- 
 sentation of the statue of John A. Andrew to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 
 be printed for the use of the Legislature. 
 
 Sent up for concurrence. 
 
 W. S. ROBINSON, Clerk. 
 
 Senate, February 23, 1871. 
 
 Concurred. 
 
 S- N. GIFFORD, Clerk. 
 
PEELIMINAEY PEOCEEDINGS. 
 
 RESOLVE OF APRIL, 1868. 
 
 Resolved, That foy^ consent and permission, npon the part of 
 the Commonwealth, is hereby given to the application of Jacob 
 BiGELow, Wm. Gray, F. W. Lincoln, Jr., Otis Noeceoss, 
 Wm. Amory, Samuel H. Walley, Feancis Bacon and W. 
 W. Clapp, to place a statue of the late John A. Andrew in 
 a niche in the north-west corner of the Doric Hall of the 
 State House. 
 
 LETTER FROM GOV. WM. CLAFLIN. 
 
 commonwealth of massachusetts. 
 
 Executive Department, Boston, 
 January 21, 1871. 
 
 To the Honorahle Senate and House of Bepresentatives : 
 
 I have the honor to transmit herewith, for such action as the 
 Legislature may deem proper, a communication from the Hon. 
 Wm. Geay, chairman of the committee " appointed to procure 
 and present to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts a statue of 
 John A. Andrew, in marble," informing me that the statue 
 has arrived, and that it will soon be placed in position in the 
 Doric Hall, as designated by the Resolve passed by the Legisla- 
 ture of the year 1868. 
 
 WILLIAM CLAFLIN. 
 
Statue of John A. A^idreiv. 
 
 LETTER OF HON. WM. GRAY. 
 
 Boston, January 20, 1871. 
 To His Excellency William Claflin, Governor of Massachusetts : 
 
 SiKj — On behalf of the committee "appointed to procure 
 and present to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts a statue of 
 John A. Andrew, in marble," upon whose application the Re- 
 solve of 1868, chapter 37, was- passed, I have the honor to in- 
 form you that the barque Frank Marion, with the statue on 
 board, arrived this morning from Italy. 
 
 The consignees state that it will probably be ten days before 
 the statue can be taken from the barque, after which it will be 
 placed in the State House, vmder the direction of Mr. Hajvoiett 
 Billings, acting for the sculptor, Mr. Thomas Ball. 
 
 After the statue shall have been placed in its position, the 
 committee will be happy to unite with the Government of the 
 State in such ceremonies as may be fit for the occasion. 
 I am very respectfully yours, 
 
 WM. GRAY, Chairman. 
 
 In accordance with suggestions of the Governor, the follow- 
 ing Joint Committee was appointed. On the part of the Senate, 
 President Horace H. Coolidge, Messrs. Bird of Norfolk, and 
 Fox of Suffolk ; and on the part of the House, Speaker Harvey 
 Jewell of Boston, Messrs. Cogswell of Salem, Beard of 
 Brookline, Adams of Quincy, Pratt of Braintree, and Paine 
 of Blackstone. 
 
Proceedings at the Unveiling. 
 
 REPORT OF THE JOINT SPECIAL COMMITTEE. 
 
 COMMONWEALTH OJ" MASSACHUSETTS. 
 
 In Senate, February 10, 1871. 
 
 The Joint Special Committee on the subject of the presentation 
 to the Commonwealth of a statue of the late Governor 
 Andrew, 
 
 REPORT: 
 
 That they have conferred with the committee of the donors 
 of the statue, and find that it is agreeable to that committee 
 that the ceremonies of presentation should take jDlace on Tues- 
 day, the 14th instant, at 11 o'clock in the forenoon, in the Doric 
 Hall of the State House, where the statue now stands, and that 
 the presentation should be made by the Hon. William Gray. 
 
 Your Committee concur in the recommendation of the time 
 and place before named, and have requested His Excellency the 
 Governor to accept the statue in behalf of the Commonwealth, 
 which he has consented to do. 
 
 In view of the limited capacity of the Doric Hall, your Com- • 
 mittee have considered carefully the number of persons w^ho can 
 be present, and find that the members and oflicers of the Legis- 
 lature, in all about 300 persons, the Lieut. Go^^ernor and Coimcil, 
 with members of the Governor's staff, the heads of departments, 
 will leave only space for the presence of the two Lieut. Governors 
 and members of the several Councils under the administration of 
 Gov. Andrew, together with the members of his family and his 
 personal staff, and for the committee of the donors of the statue, 
 with a few distinguished persons to be invited by the Governor. 
 
 They therefore recommend that the front entrance of the 
 State House be closed on Tuesday next, between the hours of 
 ten and one o'clock, and that no persons be admitted except 
 
8 
 
 Statue of John A. Andreiv. 
 
 those before enumerated, and those especially invited as above 
 indicated, and that the members of the two branches meet in- 
 formally in their respective chambers, at 10| o'clock on that 
 day, and proceed thence to the Doric Hall to meet the commit- 
 tee of the donors and witness the presentation. 
 
 For the Committee, 
 
 HORACE H. COOLIDGE, Chairman. 
 
 . Senate, February 10, 1871. 
 Accepted. 
 
 Sent down for concurrence. 
 
 ■ S. N. GiFFORD, Clerk. 
 
 House of Repeesentatives, February 10, 1871. 
 
 Concurred. 
 
 W. S. RoBiNSOisr, Clerh. 
 
 House of Representatives, February 10, 1871. 
 
 Ordered,. That the Joint Committee on the reception of the 
 statue of the late Gov. Andrew have full power to carry out 
 the order of the Legislature, as exjsressed in the report of said 
 committee. 
 
 Sent up for concurrence. 
 
 W. S. Robinson, ClerJc. 
 
 Concurred. 
 
 Senate, February 10, 1871. 
 S. N. GiFFORD, Clerk. 
 
Proceedings at the Unveiling. 9 
 
 CEREMONIALS 
 
 UNVEILING OF THE STATUE. 
 
 The ceremonials of the presentation and unveil- 
 ing of the statue took place, in accordance with 
 the above orders, in th^ Doric Hall of the State 
 House, on Tuesday, Feb. 14th, 1871, at 11 o'clock 
 A. M., in presence of the State Government, both 
 branches of the Legislature and invited guests. 
 The statue was veiled by the American Flag. 
 
 Hon. Horace H. Coolidge, President of the 
 Senate, called the company to order and sj)oke as 
 follows : — 
 
 BftMAEKS OF President Coolidge. 
 Your JExcdlency, Senators and Hepresentatives r 
 
 "We have met to-day as Representatives of the 
 Commonwealth of Massachusetts, to receive in her 
 behalf from her generous and patriotic sons the 
 gift of a statue of her great war Governor, and to 
 
10 Statue of John A. Andreiv. 
 
 place it beneath the dome of the Capitol, where his 
 noble work was done, here in this Doric Hall, 
 whose pavement echoed so often to the sound of 
 his footsteps, as he went forth to hail and bless the " 
 conquering banners of the State and of the nation, 
 now faded and drooping behind his image, and to 
 pledge the faith of the Commonwealth, that here 
 it shall stand forever in memory of his great deeds, 
 and of the love and veneration of a grateful jDeople. 
 
 Address by IJon. William Gray. 
 
 May it ^^?e«se you?' Excelle7icy», Mr. President Mr, Speaker^ 
 and Gentlemen of the Legislature : 
 
 On the 30th day of October, in the year 1867, 
 a private citizen of Massachusetts died at his resi- 
 dence in Boston. His death was regarded as a 
 great public and private bereavement. The official 
 authorities of the city of his adoption expressed 
 their own feelings and the feelings of the whole 
 community in appropriate Resolutions. The public 
 officers of the State and city, and great numbers of 
 private citizens, on one of the loveliest days 
 of autumn, attended his remains to their restinof- 
 place on earth. On the invitation of the City 
 Council of Boston, a eulogy was pronounced by an 
 intimate personal friend, and public and private 
 
'Proceedings at the Unveiling. 11 
 
 grief joined in recognition of the high traits of 
 character which formed and adorned him whose 
 statue I now unveil to your expectant eyes. 
 
 [The flags covering the statue were here drawn 
 aside amid the applause of the audience.] 
 
 On the 6th day of May, in the year 1868, a Re- 
 solve of the Legislature of Massachusetts was 
 approved by the Governor, giving full consent and 
 permission, upon the part of the Commonwealth, to 
 place a statue of the late John A. Andrew 
 in a niche in the north-west corner of the Doric 
 Hall of the State House. 
 
 Before the living generation shall have passed 
 away these records will have no place in the minds 
 of men generally. They will remain in the archives 
 of the city and State, to gratify the investigation 
 of the curious, and the lovers of reminiscences of 
 former days ) but the life and character of him 
 whom they were designed to honor, will live in the 
 hearts of all who recognize the worth of honest 
 purpose and faithful endeavor, and who welcome 
 with fervent gratitude to the Giver of all good, 
 conspicuous examples of high resolve and earnest 
 devotion to the welfare of others. 
 
 John A. Andrew died a private citizen. "With- 
 out the previous political training, which is the 
 
12 Statue of John A. Andreiv. 
 
 customary school for those who occupy high puhhc 
 station, he entered upon the office of Governor of 
 Massachusetts in January, 1861, and retired from 
 that office after a service of five years.- During his 
 whole term he met the great opportunities of the 
 time, and of his place, with a manly, faithful 
 and fearless spirit. He illustrated in his own ex- 
 ample the ojiening words of his first inaugural 
 address: "Whatever shadows may cloud for the 
 time our national horizon, walking in^ the faith 
 which becomes men — rational, immortal and believ- 
 ing — who perceive in difficulties only obstacles to 
 be overcome, let us meet the duties, and, if need 
 be, the dangers of the future, with lofty and tri- 
 umphant cheer." 
 
 The public authorities, in their full expressions 
 of the public sorrow at the time of his death, 
 recognized the sentiment of the people, and their 
 public duties were ended. The sons and daugh- 
 ters of Massachusetts, as individuals and private 
 citizens, were not willing to leave their duties 
 unperformed. Governor Andrew, in his devotion 
 to the public service, had entirely relinquished 
 the practice of his profession, and left at his 
 death a moderate property, quite too small for 
 the support and education of his family. In 
 
Proceedings at the Unveiling. 13 
 
 addition to his widow and four children of ten- 
 der years, he left two sisters whom he had aided 
 during his life and whose comfort required such 
 assistance. Soon after his death some of his 
 friends, four hundred and twenty-five in number, 
 placed in the hands of trustees, eighty-six thou- 
 sand five hundred and sixty-six dollars and fifty 
 cents, to be expended at their discretion, with a 
 single eye to the welfare of his family. The in- 
 dividual subscriptions to this fund Avere from ten 
 cents to one thousand dollars, and among the 
 donors were many of the race who justly regard- 
 ed him as their peculiar friend. A portion of 
 the fund has been set apart for his two sisters, 
 and the income of the residue has been applied 
 to the benefit of his widow and children. So 
 was realized the faith which he had in the rela- 
 tions between himself and the people of Massa- 
 chusetts. He had declined the office of collector 
 of customs for the port of Boston, voluntarily 
 tendered to him by the President of the United 
 States; an honorable and lucrative office, held by 
 two of his distinguished predecessors after they 
 had . retired from the executive chair. "When 
 asked why he did not accept the appointment, he 
 replied with a calm self-reliance on his own future, 
 
14 Statue of John A. Andrew. 
 
 if he lived, and a faith as to that of his family if 
 he were early removed, " that is not the office for 
 me; the people of Massachusetts will take care of 
 my family." 
 
 One other service remained to be performed. 
 At a meeting held in Faneuil Hall on the 18th 
 day of January, in the year 1865, a committee was 
 appointed for the purpose of erecting a statue of 
 Edward Everett, and by the terms of the sub- 
 scription for that object, it was provided that any 
 surplus which might remain should be disposed of 
 as the committee should direct. Five hundred 
 subscribers contributed to this fund the sum of 
 thirty-three thousand dollars. After procuring a 
 statue of Mr. Everett, which stands in the Public 
 Garden, a bust of him, which is in the Public 
 Library, and a full length portrait of him, which 
 hangs in Faneuil Hall, a large sum remained. 
 From this fund the sum of five thousand dollars 
 was given towards completing the equestrian 
 statue of Washington in the Public Garden, and 
 the sum of ten thousand dollars was appropriated 
 for a statue of John A. Andrew, in marble, to be 
 placed in the State House. The committee, to 
 whose discretion was intrusted the disposal of the 
 surplus of a fund whose contributors reside in clif- 
 
Proceedings at the Unveiling. 15 
 
 ferent parts of the State, believe that their action 
 will meet and gratify the wishes of those whom 
 they represent. In execution of their plan, the 
 general committee appointed a sub-committee, and 
 charged them with the duty of procuring and pre- 
 senting the statue to the Commonwealth, and upon 
 the petition of this sub-committee the Resolve of 
 May 6, 1868, was passed. Mr. Thomas Ball, a na- 
 tive of Charlestown, long resident in Boston, and 
 now in Florence, was selected as the artist. He 
 has completed his work to the acceptance of the 
 committee, and the statue now stands in this hall, 
 here to remain, the gift of private citizens to the 
 Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as a memorial 
 of the affectionate regard in which the people of 
 the State hold her distinguished son. 
 
 At the time of his first election as Governor, 
 with the exception of a seat in the House of Rep- 
 resentatives of the State for a single year, Mr. An- 
 drew had never held public office, and it might 
 have been thought that he would have felt the 
 want of experience in public affairs. If such ex- 
 perience be desirable in some cases, there was no 
 need of it for him. He could say : " I have for 
 twenty years past been a constant and careful ob- 
 server of public men and affairs; and for twelve 
 
16 Statue of John A. Andreio. 
 
 years, at least, I have been intimately aware of the 
 private as well as the public declarations and con- 
 duct of the representative men in almost every 
 town and village of the Commonwealth." And in 
 the same address he said : " Shall a reactionary 
 spirit, unfriendly to liberty, be permitted to sub- 
 vert democratic republican government organized 
 under constitutional provisions? Upon this issue, 
 over the heads of all mere politicians and parti- 
 sans, in behalf of the Commonwealth of Massa- 
 chusetts, I appeal directly to the warm hearts and 
 clear heads of the great masses of the people." 
 
 The occupation of public office in very early life 
 is more frequently an injury than an advantage to 
 him who holds it. In political affaii^s, in the indis- 
 pensable necessity of political parties, the greatest 
 of all dangers to individuals is that they may jdeld 
 the convictions of their own judgment to the iron 
 rule of party dictation; that they may blindly re- 
 gard the good of the party and the good of the 
 State as identical; that they may surrender their 
 own intelligence to the seeming indications of pop- 
 ular will. There is no class of questions, touching 
 the material interests of a people, of greater impor- 
 tance in the view of a thoughtful mind than those 
 of political science. They affect the well-being of 
 
Proceedings at the Unveiling. 17 
 
 every individual; upon them rests the rights which 
 belong to all; included in them is the legislation 
 which will best promote the rewards of industry, 
 which will advance the standard of education, 
 which will establish the principles to . govern and 
 guide a community, problems complex in them- 
 selves, and requiring, for a just application, patient 
 investigation, calm consideration and unselfish aim. 
 These problems are enduring in character and in- 
 fluence, which is clearly shown by their gradual 
 though slow adoption by political parties so flir 
 and so fast as it appears that the people intend to 
 carry them into practice. It is obvious that one 
 who would exert a large and permanent influence 
 should study to inform himself upon such problems, 
 for their true solution always depends upon great 
 principles. How fully Governor Andrew held 
 these views, his own language in describing the 
 people of Massachusetts will clearly show. " Look- 
 ing forward to the long ages of the future; build- 
 ing always, in their own minds, for countless gen- 
 erations yet to come ; they have endured and are 
 willing still, cheerfully and hopefully, to endure 
 much wrong and more misconception, because they 
 trust in the blood inherited from heroic ancestors; 
 in the principles of constitutional liberty; in the 
 
18 Statue of John A. Andrew. 
 
 theory of democratic institutions; in the honest 
 purpose of the intelligent masses of the people 
 everywhere; in the capacity of truth and right 
 ultimately to reach and control the minds of men; 
 in an undying affection for their whole country, its 
 memories, traditions and hopes; and above all in 
 the good providence of God." 
 
 In his earnest advocacy of all measures to pro- 
 mote the highest education in the Commonwealth, 
 his large and comprehensive views are conspicu- 
 ously shown. " That we should continue to build 
 on the foundation our fathers laid, endeavoring to 
 make actual in the life of our society their ideal, I 
 religiously believe. Let us plan to concentrate 
 here the ^ gladsome light ' of universal science." 
 " Doubt not that in the wonderful future about to 
 dawn upon our country, the part you are to enact 
 of beneficence and glory, under the inspiration of 
 your generous culture and expanding thought, will 
 transcend all the former achievements of your in- 
 dustry, and will outshine the lustre of your arms." 
 
 Whilst his eloquence on appropriate themes 
 manifested the strength of his convictions and the 
 warm and bright play of his fancy, his concise 
 statements on matters of business evinced a versa- 
 tility ready for all topics. " All the scrip hitherto 
 
Proceedings at the Unveiling. 19 
 
 issued by Massachusetts (January, 1865), she is 
 bound to pay, and she will i)ay — both interest and 
 principal in gold — to all holders, with the cheerful- 
 ness which becomes her spotless honor, and the 
 promptness of an industrious, economical and 
 thrifty Commonwealth." 
 
 It will be fully conceded that Governor Andrew 
 carried into, and maintained in his office personal 
 independence and unselfish aims; that he never al- 
 lowed personal ease to interfere with the punc- 
 tilious performance of all that devolved upon him; 
 that he exercised a sleepless vigilance over the wel- 
 fare of all in military or naval service ; that he re- 
 garded himself, at all times and in all places, as the 
 servant of the Commonwealth and of the country. 
 
 There are fires in the breasts of some individuals 
 which rarely sleep. They are lighted by the God- 
 given spirit which animates such persons. The 
 unceasing restlessness which they constantly stim- 
 ulate tends to- prostrate the bodies in which they 
 live, but, while exhausting the indi^ddual, they carry 
 forward the race. With a full knowledge of the 
 danger to which he was constitutionally exposed, 
 and which ultimately caused his ^death. Governor 
 Andrew, believing that life consists in the full em- 
 ployment of all the powers and all the opportuni- 
 
20 Statue of John A. Andrew. 
 
 ties placed in the hands of man, permitted no re- 
 gard to consequences to interfere with the attempt 
 to reach the ideal which he ever kept before hun. 
 
 There is no more attractive study than the 
 growth of a human mind. Sometimes the victim 
 of conflicting forces, which for awhile render pow- 
 erless the will; at other times struggling bravely 
 against the tendencies which would destroy its 
 personal independence; at one time the slave, at 
 another time the master of outward circumstances ; 
 the variety of the phases which it presents Iniows 
 no parallel in any other study; and when we ob- 
 serve a continued growth, an increasing power 
 over the minds of others, an unfaltering upward 
 step, we become fascinated to follow, if we may, 
 the law of its development. 
 
 Growth depends largely upon temperament, 
 upon large human sympathies. The intellectual 
 faculties, however great in their range, in their 
 acuteness, in their brilliancy, if isolated from hu- 
 man sympathies, give no warmth to bless mankind ; 
 whilst the combination of such powers with such 
 sympathies is the most efficient instrument used by 
 Providence for tlie regeneration of the race. Such 
 a combination can only exist with unselfish single- 
 ness of purpose, and with convictions proof against 
 
Proceedings at the Unveiling. 21 
 
 all assaults, resting upon principles "whose seat is 
 the bosom of God." 
 
 Governor Andrew was a growing man. The 
 great events of the time in which he was a con- 
 spicuous actor, aided his growth. His individual- 
 ity of character, his strong sense of personal obli- 
 gation, his sympathetic disposition, led him to ob- 
 serve and adoj^t ideas which attracted him, and his 
 entire fearlessness and depth of conviction impelled 
 him to express and act upon such ideas. Having 
 lived through the storm of war, having entire faith 
 in the will and in the ability of the people to carry 
 into practical effect the great principles which the 
 war had established and settled by the obliteration 
 of all legislation which impaired in any way hu- 
 man rights, and by conferring upon all of every 
 race political and personal freedom, he believed 
 that " the true question then was not of past dis- 
 loyalty, but of present loyal purpose. We need not 
 try to disguise the fact that we have passed through 
 a great popular revolution. * * * The people of 
 the South, men and women, soldiers and civilians, 
 volunteers and conscripts, in the army and at home, 
 followed the fortunes of the rebellion, and obeyed 
 its leaders, so long as it had any fortunes or any 
 leaders." "We ought to demand and to secure 
 
22 Statue of John A. Andreiu. 
 
 the cooperation of the strongest and ablest mmds, 
 and the natural leaders of opinion in the South. 
 If we cannot gain their support of the just meas- 
 ures needful for the work of safe reorganization, 
 reorganization will be delusive and full of danger." 
 " In this hour of triumph, honor and religion alike 
 forbid one act, one word of vengeance or resent- 
 ment. Patriotism and Christianity unite the argu- 
 ments of earthly welfare, and the motives of 
 heavenly inspiration, to persuade us to put oif 
 all jealousy and all fear." 
 
 '^o production from his pen shows such mature, 
 full thought, such frank and free discussion, and 
 has such marks of great ability and sagacity, as his 
 valedictory address to the two branches of the 
 Legislature in January, 1866. Reading its pages 
 with the light of subsequent events there are in 
 them prophecies already fulfilled. 
 
 The distinguishing trait, or rather the most 
 marked combination of qualities in him, appears in 
 his public spirit. Born and brought up in a ISTew 
 England home, commencing his professional life in 
 its metropolis, under the narrow circumstances 
 which have marked the early lives of nearly all the 
 distinguished men of our country, he saw that 
 national wealth, in the largest sense, was to be 
 
Proceedings at the Uiweiling. 23 
 
 fostered and promoted by the large spirit of indi- 
 vidual citizens. As he had learned from his own 
 experience the pressure of narrow circumstances, 
 he felt a quick sympathy for others in like condi- 
 tion, and his interest in individuals led him to a 
 large interest in the people. 
 
 May it please your Excellency and Gentlemen of the Legis- 
 lature : 
 
 The private citizens who have placed in this hall 
 a statue of John A. Andrew, now offer it to the 
 acceptance of the Commonwealth. There is no 
 spot on earth so fit for him to stand upon. Under 
 the dome of the Capitol, the witness of his ex- 
 hausting toil of five years, in the vestibule to the 
 halls of legislation, where his counsels were ut- 
 tered, and to the Council Chamber of his cares, 
 anxieties and hopes ; in the presence of and " be- 
 neath a hundred battle-flags, war-worn, begrimed 
 and bloody, proud but sad memorials of the glory 
 and the grief of war," the great magistrate 
 will stand " the observed of all observers." From 
 that portrait-statue will proceed an influence to 
 kindle the aspirations of the young, inspiring them 
 to walk worthily in their lot, and to awaken the 
 gratitude of all, that in the hour of the greatest 
 
24 Statue of John A. Andrew. 
 
 trial of our country, Massachusetts had a Chief 
 Magistrate worthy of her own fame. 
 
 Address of Goveen^ok Claelin. 
 
 Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen of the Committee : 
 
 By request of the honorable Senate and House 
 of Kepresentatives, and in . behalf of the people of 
 the Commonwealth, I accept the statue of the 
 loved and honored Chief Magistrate who held the 
 executive chair during one of the most eventful 
 periods of our country's history. The generous 
 donors of this beautiful work of art are entitled to, 
 and will receive, the lasting gratitude, not only of 
 the people of this State, but also of the whole 
 country, for giving perpetuity to the form and 
 features of the man whose life was such a bright 
 example to the world of earnest patriotism and 
 noble devotion to duty. 
 
 A little more than ten years ago John A. 
 Andrew took the oath of office as Governor of 
 this Commonwealth. Though pale with emotion, 
 his voice was firm ; and his whole demeanor 
 showed his fixed resolve to meet undaunted the 
 weighty responsibilities which, even then, the 
 excited state of the country showed were soon 
 
Proceedings at tlie Unveiling. 25 
 
 to devolve upon him. N^o man ever came to the 
 office with less actual experience in public affairs. 
 Like the martyred President, he had become 
 known to the country by his steady advocacy of 
 human rights, and his earnest belief in human 
 progress. Notwithstanding this want of experi- 
 ence, from the very first he took hold of the helm 
 of state with a firm grasp, and the people soon 
 learned to rely upon his almost unerring sagacity 
 and unflinching courage. Conscious that the 
 mighty conflict of opinion then in progress was 
 soon to assume vaster proportions, and perhaps 
 terminate in war, he endeavored to be prepared for 
 any and every emergency. His predecessor, rea- 
 soning on general principles, had wisely urged 
 upon the Legislature the imj)ortance to the public 
 safety of a well-disciplined militia, and that body 
 had placed in his hands the power of organizing 
 and equipping an increased military force. Gover- 
 nor Andrew, very soon after his inauguration, 
 commenced to prepare, this force still more thor- 
 oughly for immediate service. 
 
 His first active participation in the war exhibits 
 the man, revealing his promptness, energy and 
 practical talent. Receiving information from Gov- 
 ernor Clifi'ord and the Hon. Stephen H. Phillips, 
 
 4 
 
26 Statue of Jolin A. Andrew. 
 
 then in Washington, that it was the probable 
 intention of the rebels to seize that city, he 
 instantly summoned the Council, who met on the 
 fifth of February, 1861. He informed them of 
 the situation of affairs at the capital, and in 
 accordance with his earnest request, an order was 
 passed to furnish overcoats for two regiments of 
 the militia, as not a company in the whole State 
 was then fully equipped to march at a moment's 
 warning. This was probably among the first 
 steps, if not the very first efficient one, taken by 
 any Chief Magistrate to defend the nation; an act 
 of which Massachusetts may well be proud, and 
 which enabled her troops, though five hundred 
 miles distant, to be with the earliest to defend the 
 menaced city, and to relieve the President and the 
 inhabitants from their terrible anxiety. 
 
 From that time to the close of the war he gave 
 himself no rest, but everywhere by voice and pen 
 he lu'ged the government and people to push on 
 the war for the unity of the nation, l^o man ever 
 heard him express a doubt as to the final issue of 
 the conflict, but with unfaltering faith in the justice 
 as well as the success of the cause he labored to 
 secure an early victory. He lived to see the 
 nation triumphant, and peace restored. And then, 
 
Proceedings at the Unveiling. 27 
 
 true to the instincts of his nature, he immediately 
 proposed amnesty for those lately in rebellion, 
 and demanded that the freedmen have equality 
 of rights with their former masters. We stand 
 here to-day, proudly remembering that his aspira- 
 tions have been realized, and more than realized, 
 — that his words, then seemingly prophetic and 
 far beyond the ideas entertained by most men, 
 foreshadowed events now become historic. And 
 these events, passing beyond even his anticipations, 
 attest that an unseen Hand moves the hearts and 
 directs the purposes of peoples and nations to 
 issues far beyond the expectations of the broadest 
 intellects. 
 
 Other Governors served their States as faithfully 
 perhaps, and amid greater difficulties, but no one 
 of them gave such lofty inspiration to the contest. 
 Other Governors achieved high honor, but no one 
 gave to the people such an impression of unselfish 
 devotion to duty and the cause of the country. 
 Other Governors doubtless have served this State 
 with as sincere a purpose to advance her best 
 interests, but no one of them ever had such an 
 opportunity to speak, in glowing language, those 
 noble sentiments which should animate the people 
 in times of disaster. The State was fortunate 
 
28 Statue of John A. Andrew. 
 
 indeed, in this trying period, in finding one so true 
 to her character and history. Even in early man- 
 hood he gave promise of all this greatness, for at 
 the age of nineteen he wrote to a friend, quot- 
 ing this patriotic expression: "One constitution, 
 one country, one destiny," and adding these soul- 
 stirring w^ords: — 
 
 " {Stand fast, hold on, fear not ; a few bullet-holes through 
 the bodies of reformers, though they destroy mortal life, are 
 only so many sky-lights for the truth to shine through, — and 
 so much the sooner will its light illumine the nations." 
 
 This was the lofty utterance of his early days, 
 and beautifully do we find that loftiness tempered 
 and softened by the now familiar sentiments, 
 expressed during his public career, — 
 
 " I know not what record of sin awaits me in the other 
 world ; but this I do know, that I never was so mean as to 
 despise any man because he was poor, because he was igno- 
 rant, or because he was black." 
 
 To this portrait-statue will resort in all after 
 time friends of humanity and freedom, for they will 
 recognize in his character those traits which endear 
 men to each other and which ennoble the contests 
 that so often attend the progress of the race and 
 
Proceedings at the Unveiling. 29 
 
 the advance of Christian civihzation. Here they 
 will receive new inspiration and learn to trust to 
 high motives and honest purposes, rather than to 
 selfish designs and the arts of ambition. 
 
 Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen of the Committee : 
 
 Again I thank you and the donors, in behalf of 
 the people of the Commonwealth, for the gen- 
 erosity which has given to them this statue of Gov- 
 ernor Andrew, — now worthily placed near that of 
 the Father of his Country and surrounded by the 
 memorials of the momentous contest in which he 
 bore so important a part, and to the successful issue 
 of which he really gave his life. Be assured it will 
 be faithfully preserved to future generations. 
 

/ 
 
till 
 
 'Old 703 122 A