134 



CONGRESS, UNITED STATES. 



For no cause, in the very frenzy of wantonness and 

 wickedness, by the red hand of murder, he was thrust 

 from the full tide of this world's interest, from its 

 hopes, its aspirations, its victories, into the visible 

 presence of death and he did not quail. Not alone 

 for the one short moment in which, stunned and 

 dazed, he could give up life, hardly aware of its relin- 

 quishment, but through days of deadly languor, through 

 weeks of agony, that was not less agony because si- 



brilliant, broken plans, what baffled, high ambitions, 

 what sundering of strong, warm, manhood's friend- 

 ships, what bitter rending of sweet household ties ! 

 Behind him a proud, expectant nation, a great host of 

 sustaining friends, a cherished and happy mother, 

 wearing the full, rich honors of her early toil and 

 tears ; the wife of his youth, whose whole life lay in 

 his ; the little boys not yet emerged from childhood's 

 day of frolic ; the fair young daughter ; the sturdy 

 sons just springing into closest companionship, claim- 

 ing every day and every day rewarding a father's love 

 and care ; and in his heart the eager, rejoicing power 

 to meet all demand. Before him, desolation and great 

 darkness ! And his soul was not shaken. His coun- 

 trymen were thrilled with instant, profound, and uni- 

 versal sympathy. Masterful in his mortal weakness, 

 he became the center of a nation's love, enshrined in 

 the prayers of a world. But all the love and all the 

 svmpathy could not share with him his suffering. 

 He trod the wine-press alone. With unfaltering front 

 he faced death. With unfailing tenderness he took 

 leave of life. Above the demoniac hiss of the assas- 

 sin's bullet be heard the voice of God. W T ith simple 

 resignation he bowed to the divine decree. 



" As the end drew near, his early craving for the sea 

 returned. The stately mansion of power had been to 

 him the wearisome hospital of pain, and he begged to 

 be taken from its prison-walls, from its oppressive, 

 stifling air, from its homelessness and its hopeless- 

 ness. Gently, silently, the love of a great people bore 

 the pale sufferer to. the longed-for healing of the sea, 

 to live or to die, as God should will, within sight of 

 its heaving billows, within sound of its manifold 

 voices. With wan, fevered face tenderly lifted to the 

 cooling breeze, he looked out wistfully upon the 

 ocean's changing wonders ; on its far sails, whitening 

 in the morning light : on its restless waves, rolling 

 shoreward to break and die beneath the noonday sun"; 

 on the red clouds of evening^ arching low to the hori- 

 zon ; on the serene and shining pathway of the stars. 

 Let us think that his dying eyes read a mystic 

 meaning which only the rapt and parting soul may 

 know. Let us believe that in the silence of the re- 

 ceding world he heard the great waves breaking on a 

 farther shore, and felt already upon his wasted brow 

 the breath of the eternal morning." 



[The orator on concluding was greeted with 

 most hearty applause, in which the whole au- 

 dience joined.] 



Rev. J. J. Bullock, the Chaplain of the Sen- 

 ate, pronounced the benediction, as follows : 



u May the peace of God, which passeth all under- 

 standing, keep your minds and hearts in the knowl- 

 edge and love of God and his Son, Jesus Christ, our 

 Lord. And the blessing of God Almighty, the Fa- 

 ther, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, rest upon and re- 

 main with you, now and for evermore. Amen." 



The President and his Cabinet, the Chief- 

 Justice and associate justices of the Supreme 

 Court, and other invited guests then retired 

 from the hall; after which the Senate re- 

 turned to their chamber. 



The House having been called to order 

 Mr. McKinley, of Ohio, submitted the fol- 



lowing resolutions, which were unanimously 

 adopted : 



Resolved (the Senate concurring), That the thanks 

 of Congress be presented to Hon. James G. Elaine, 

 for the appropriate memorial address delivered by 

 him on the life and services of James Abrarn Garfleld, 

 late President of the United States, in the Representa- 

 tives' hall, before both Houses of Congress and their 

 invited guests, on the 27th day of February, 1882 ; 

 and that he be requested to furnish a copy for publica- 

 tion. 



Resolved, That the chairmen of the joint committee 

 appointed to make the necessary arrangements to carry 

 into effect the resolutions of this Congress in relation 

 to the memorial exercises in honor of James Abram 

 Garfield be requested to communicate to Mr. Elaine 

 the foregoing resolution, receive his answer thereto, 

 and present the same to both Houses of Congress. 



Mr. McKinley: "I now offer the resolution 

 which I send to the Clerk's desk." 



The Clerk read as follows: 



Resolved, That as a further testimonial of respect to 

 the deceased President of the United States, the House 

 do now adjourn. 



The resolution was adopted ; and thereupon 

 (at one o'clock and fifty-five minutes p. M.) the 

 House adjourned. 



WOMAN SUFFRAGE. In the Senate, on De- 

 cember 14th, Mr. Hoar, of Massachusetts, 

 moved to take up the following resolution re- 

 ported by the Committee on Rules : 



Resolved, That a select committee of seven Senators 

 be appointed by the Chair, to whom shall be referred 

 all petitions, bills, and resolves providing for the ex- 

 tension of suffrage to women or the removal of their 

 legal disabilities. 



The President pro tempore : " The resolution 

 is before the Senate for consideration." 



Mr. Vest, of Missouri: "Mr. President, I 

 am constrained to object to the passage of this 

 resolution, and I do it with considerable re- 

 luctance. At present we have thirty stand- 

 ing committees of the Senate, and we have 

 four joint committees and seven special com- 

 mittees, in addition to the committee now pro- 



" But, Mr. President, I will be entirely in- 

 genuous and give another reason. This is 

 simply a step toward the recognition of woman 

 suffrage, and I am opposed to it upon principle 

 in its inception. In my judgment it has noth- 

 ing but mischief in it to the institutions and to 

 the society of this whole country. I do not 

 propose to enter into a discussion of that sub- 

 ject to-day, but it will be proper for me to 

 make this statement, and I make it intending 

 no reflection upon the zealous ladies who have 

 engaged for the past ten years in manufactur- 

 ing a public sentiment upon this question. I 

 received to-day a letter from a distinguished 

 lady in my own State, for whom I have per- 

 sonally the greatest admiration and respect, 

 calling my attention to the fact that I propose 

 to deny justice to the women of the country. 

 Mr. President, I deny it. It is because I be- 

 lieve that the conservative influence of society 

 in the United States rests with the women of 



