V ,§I ■P Qass E 663l Rnnk .K79 ^^J^™ 88 } HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ^SoTail" GEORGE KONIG ( Late a Representative from Maryland ) MEMORIAL ADDRESSES DELIVERED IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES SIXTY-THIRD CONGRESS Proceedings in the House Proceedings in the Senate June 28, 1914 June 2, 1913 PREPARED UNDER THE DIRECTION OP THE JOINT COMMITTEE ON PRINTING WASHINGTON 1915 D. of D. MAR 2\ 1916 4~ TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Proceedings in the House .. 5 Prayer by Rev. Henry N. Coudcn, D. D -. 5, 8 Memorial addresses by — Mr. Charles P. Coady, of Maryland 11 Mr. .1. Charles Linthicum, of Maryland 15 Mr. David J. Lewis, of Maryland 22 Proceedings in the Senate 25 Funeral services 27 [3] DEATH OF HON. GEORGE KONIG Proceedings in the House Monday, June 2, 1913. The House met at 12 o'clock noon. The Chaplain, Rev. Henry N. Couden, D. D., offered the following prayer: Father in heaven, we wait on Thee for Thy blessing, that we may he wise in our conceptions, pure in our motives, strong in our devotion to Thee and in the things which make for good in the relationships of life; in our homes that they may be sacred; in our country, which safeguards our homes, protects our inherent rights; in our religion, which holds us close to Thee in life and in death. Again our hearts are touched by the removal of another Member of this body; he has answered the call which waits on us all — a typical American citizen who dignified labor by faithful service and was called by those who knew him best to serve them in the affairs of State and Nation. Make us faithful to the obligations resting upon us, that we may be prepared to go forward to the larger life without fear or doubting, and comfort those who knew and loved him, especially his wife and children, with bright hopes and anticipations for the continuance of his existence in another of the Father's many man- sions, where they shall join him. And Thine be the praise forever. In the name of Him who taught us the immortality of the soul. Amen. [5] Mbmobial Aumti esses : Repbbsbntative Konig Mr. I.iMiiiii m. Mr. Speaker, it is my painful duly to announce to this House the death of my colleague, Hon. George KONIG, of the third Maryland district, which oc- curred on Saturday evening last. Mr. Konig entered upon the activities of this life as an errand boy. He was what we call a "sell-made man." He educated himself. His opportunities for acquiring an education while young wire so meager that along with his other heavy tasks he under- took and acquired an education while in his twenties, lie was energetic and persevering, and through this and through the many friendships which he laid up during life he was able to win the congressional nomination of the Democratic Parly, and was elected to the Sixty-second Congress from a district which had long been in the possession of the opposing party. During his member- ship in this House he followed out the principles and precepts of bis party at all times and under all circum- stances. He looked upon the platform of his party as a contract entered into with the people ami carried out that contract to the letter. He was a loving husband and father, and one of Baltimore's good citizens. At a later date I shall ask the House to set apart a time for pro- nouncing eulogies upon his character and public services. At this time 1 present the following resolutions. The Clerk read as follows: House resolution 120 Resolved, That the House has heard with profound sorrow of the death of lion. Gborob Konk,. a Representative from the State of Maryland. Hcsoli'cti, That a committee of 11 Members of the House, witli such Members of the Senate as may be joined, be appointed to attend the funeral. Retolved, That the Serjeant at Arms of the House he authorized and directed to take such steps as may be necessarj for carrying out the provisions of these resolutions, and that the necessary ex- [6] Proceedings in the House penses in connection therewith be paid out of the contingent fund of the House. Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions to the Senate and transmit a copy thereof to the family of the deceased. The resolutions were agreed to. Under the resolution the Speaker appointed the fol- lowing committee: Mr. Covington, Mr. Talhott of Mary- land, Mr. Linthicum, Mr. Smith of Maryland, Mr. Lewis of Maryland, Mr. McDermott, Mr. Barklcy, Mr. Sabath, Mr. Baker, Mr. Hayes, Mr. Bartholdt, Mr. Barton, Mr. Woods, and Mr. Gardner. The Speaker. The Clerk will report the remaining reso- lution. The Clerk read as follows: Resolved, That as a further mark of respect this House do now adjourn. The resolution was agreed to; accordingly (at 2 o'clock and 2 minutes p. m.) the House adjourned until to- morrow, Tuesday, June 3, 1913, at 12 o'clock noon. Tuesday, June 16, 191k. Mr. Coady. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that Sunday, June 28, be set apart for eulogies on the late Bepresentative Konig, of Maryland, and that there be a session of the House on that day for that purpose. The Speaker. The gentleman from Maryland [Mr. Coady] asks unanimous consent that on Sunday, June 28, 1914, there be a session of the House for the purpose of paying eulogies on the life, character, and public services of the late Bepresentative Konig. Is there objection? Mr. Mann. At the regular hour? The Speaker. At 12 o'clock noon. Is there objection? There was no objection. [7] Memorial Addresses: Representative Konic Si mi\v. June 28, 1911. The House mei at 12 o'clock noon and w;is called to order by the Speaker pro tempore, Mr. Linthicum. The Chaplain, Rev. Henry N. Couden, D. D., offered the following prayer: How wonderful are Thy works, o God, how inscrutable are Thy ways; who can comprehend Thy wisdom; who can understand Thy power. Thou art almighty, yet we are not dismayed, for Thou hast revealed Thyself in the heart of the Christ as the Father of all souls. Thy love is reflected in the overruling of Thy providence, in the sacri- fices of the patriot, the scientist, the philanthropist, in the love of parents for their offspring, in the suhlimc sacri- fice of Calvary. We are here to-day in memory of one who made himself a place in the hearts of his country- men by the heroism displayed in the common daily duties of life; in his struggles for the hettcrment of his fellows; the love of his country, his splendid devotion to father, mother, wife, and children. With a host of admirers and the overwhelming sorrow of those who are near and dear we mourn him, but not without hope, for Thou hast woven into our being a part of Thy substance which shall survive the wreck of time and live on with Thee forever. By this thought comfort us, by this truth solace the be- reaved wife and children. And songs of praises we will ever give to Thee in the spirit of Him who taught us faith, hope, love. Amen. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will read the Journal of the proceedings of yesterday. Mr. COADT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to dispense with the reading of the Journal, and that it he approved. The Si i \ki it pro tempore. The gentleman from Mary- land asks unanimous consent to dispense with the read- [8] Proceedings in the Hoise ing of the Journal and that it be approved. Is there objection? There was no objection. The Speaker pro tempore. The Clerk will read the special order for to-day. The Clerk read as follows: On motion of Mr. Coady, by unanimous consent, Ordered, That Sunday, June 28, 1914, be set apart for addresses upon the life, character, and public services of Hon. George Konig, late a Representative from the State of Maryland. Mr. Coady. Mr. Speaker, I offer the following resolu- tions, which I send to the Clerk's desk and ask to have read. The Clerk read as follows : Resolved, That the business of the House be now suspended that opportunity may be given for tributes to the memory of Hon. George Konig, late a Member of this House from the State of Maryland. Resolved, That as a particular mark of respect to the memory of the deceased and in recognition of his distinguished public career, the House, at the conclusion of these exercises, shall stand ad- journed. Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions to the Senate, Resolved, That the Clerk send a copy of these resolutions to the family of the deceased. The Speaker pro tempore. The question is on agreeing to the resolutions. The resolutions were agreed to. [9] MEMORIAL ADDRESSES Address of Mr. Coady, of Maryland Mr. Speaker: We are gathered here to-day in this historic chamber, the meeting place of the lower branch of the greatest legislative body in the world, to pay tribute to the memory of one who rose from the humble station of laborer to a place in this great body, sitting here as a representative of the city of Baltimore. Few men accomplish so much as this in their lifetimes, and such as do are remarkable men. George Konig was a remarkable man. We are told that he was born at North Point, Baltimore County, Md., near the famous battleground where, in 1812, the raw militia from Baltimore drove back and de- feated the trained and seasoned British soldiers, killing their commander, Gen. Ross, and saving the Monumental City from the threatened English occupation. In his early youth his father moved to Baltimore, where young George obtained a position in a packing house, which required him to run errands and perform light laboring work. Subsequently, he worked in a shipyard, then on a fishing boat, and later he became apprenticed to a shipbuilding concern, where he learned the trade of calking, which he followed for some time thereafter. From these humble places in life he rose to be superin- tendent of the Baltimore Pulverizing Works; member of the first branch city council of Baltimore, which he held for four years; member of the second branch city council, which he held for a like period; and then to the House of [11] Memorial Addresses: Representative Konig Representatives, being Brsl elected in 1910, and reelected in I'll 2. When we stop and think Unit lu- could not read <>r write until lie reached early manhood, we can truthfully repeat that George Konig was a remarkable man. Let me read to yon a biography of Mr. Konig, prepared and furnished by himself to the Baltimore papers: Yes, I was a calker — He said after his rise to a seat in Congress — I was a calkcr and a good one. But as I grew older there canu- i crisis in my life. I was one of those careless fellows, intent only upon drawing my pay envelope on Saturday night and just seeing how fast I could spend my money. 1 was always out for a good time. I joined the union and went to the meetings, and finally came to the conclusion that the president and other officers of the union were substantial men — men who did not carouse and ilrink and who were certain in their work. I saw myself as simply a fol- lower of those better men. This put me to thinking, and I said to myself: " George Konig, which are you going to be? A leader or a follower? Why can't you be one of those substantial men in- stead of one of the bunch?" Right there 1 made my choice. I bought a primer and an arith- metic and several other books to start on, and started for home. •' Hey, George, where are you going?" some of my friends yelled at me. " Come with us." " I am going home," I answered, and although they jeered at me when they found out I had bought the books, I went home and started plugging. I studied every night and wrestled with those books, first learning the letters and piec- ing out the words slowly. Hard work? It was the hardest job I have tackled. II was worse than pulling in those nets, hut I plugged along and made some headway. In time I became head of my union by a majority of just one vole. The next year my election was unanimous. You see, the boys learned that I was making good and gave me their confi- dence. Since then I have prospered. I try to be on the level and square and to stick to my friends. When a man docs that he is going to get along. [12] Address of Mr. Coady, of Maryland As a member of the city council of Baltimore, he was regular in attendance at its sessions, painstaking in his work, and at all times diligent in looking after the in- terests of the people he represented. He had the courage of his convictions. Once he determined a line of action to be right, he could not be swerved by influence of any kind, political or otherwise. This was demonstrated dur- ing the stirring times in the council that followed the great Baltimore conflagration of the year 1904, when his vote and influence were vainly sought in support of meas- ures that Mr. Konig's conscience told him were wrong. He discharged the important duties that were imposed upon him by reason of his membership in this House with credit and fidelity to his constituents, and received during his first term designations on two of the big and impor- tant committees of the House, the District of Columbia and Immigration, an unusual compliment to a new Member. He was a most useful member of both of those com- mittees. His eight years' service in the city council of Baltimore had familiarized him with many and impor- tant municipal problems, so that when he secured a place on the District Committee, his experience as a city legis- lator proved to be a valuable asset to that committee. He sought membership on the Immigration Committee because he believed this place would enable him to serve the large foreign-born population in his district. He had great sympathy for these people and served them well, and in return they had the highest regard and admiration for him. He was devoted to his friends. Busy as he was per- forming his congressional duties and looking after his business interests when he could, he never forgot those whom he knew well and associated with before success and prominence came to him. [13] Memorial Addresses: Representative Konh We learn that frequently and regularly he would visit all the political and social organizations in his district, where liis old-time friends were accustomed to gather, and there meet them, fraternize with them, and talk over with them some of the incidents and happenings of the days when they and he were struggling hard to gain an existence. Geohge Ko.mg was a charitahlc man. He gave liberally of his means to the needy and afflicted, and no man seek- ing alms ever came away from him empty-handed. I believe he was more liberal than he could afford to be, but his heart was so big and he had so much sympathy for the distressed that he just simply could not resist an appeal to his generosity. I attended Mr. KONIG'S funeral, held in the city of Balti- more. A great concourse of people assembled in tin vicinity of his home the morning he was buried; Un- church where the last sad rites were performed was crowded to the doors, hundreds being unable to gain ad- mission; and at the cemetery thousands gathered and stood with bared heads as all that was mortal of George KONIG was committed to the ground. It was a remarkable tribute to a remarkable man. It was a mark of affection for a man who loved the people and who in turn loved and trusted him. Mr. Coady look the chair as Speaker pro tempore. [14] Address of Mr. Linthicum, of Maryland Mr. Speaker: These services in memory of our late colleague from Maryland vividly recall a similar service held in this Hall one Sunday a little more than a year ago in which Congressman Konig was himself a participant. I remember distinctly that on that Sahbalh morning when he arose to speak in memory of the late Senator Rayner we all listened with keen interest because we had learned that though Congressman Konig was not fond of public speaking, whenever he did speak he had something to say and a manner of saying it which made it well worth hearing. We were not disappointed on that occasion, and I yet think of one paragraph in his address which im- pressed me at the time as expressing the philosophy of human life. He said: Hut, taking ourselves as we find ourselves, there is no man with an ambition to attain anything who does not, as soon as he attains It, find himself possessed of an ambition to attain something else above and beyond it, and the which if he does not attain leaves him as much unsatisfied as if his first ambition had nol been realized. Such is the nature of human effort and ambition; per- haps it is well that it is so. How well the speaker's life typified that statement many here present know. The hand of death has stilled the voice which spoke those words, but he who ponders them can not but be convinced that they were uttered by one whose habits of thought placed within his grasp an intimate knowledge of human nature. And the man who uttered these words, whose reflec- tions brought him to this conclusion, was once spoken of as " uneducated." [15] Memorial Addresses: Representative Konig Perhaps he lacked the kind of education which is the only brand some people recognize. True, he could point to no college diploma. His alma mater was the rough school of life and experience, and from that body he graduated at the head of his class. He learned the cardi- nal virtues, sincerity, honesty, and energy. Possessing these essentials of success, he was successful. With an aversion to literary tasks begotten by infrequent use of the pen, doubtless it would have been an effort for him to write an essay on " Charity." He would have been equally as reluctant to express his views in a speech on that subject. But when it came to "doing" charity the act was a natural part of himself. His deeds proclaimed him more eloquently than did the writings or public addresses of others. The big heart in his bosom beat warmly for his fellow man, and that sympathy was outwardly expressed in countless acts of kindness. These acts, performed so naturally, so gracefully, were often known to no one but the doer. Those who know of some of them never fail to recall them but with increased admiration for the man. I was told of an incident which occurred after Congressman Konig began his services in this House. Upon returning to Baltimore one evening, after finishing his daily duties in Washington, he found an old lady, an invalid, sitting in a wheel chair in the depot. She was pathetically excited, her distress being evident to all who observed her. Pausing to learn the cause of her discom- fort. Congressman Konig inquired in that kindly, sym- pathetic manner which ever distinguished him and was told that she had returned to Baltimore from a visit, and it had been arranged that some of her relatives were to meet her at the station to lake her home. She had ar- rived and had been waiting for an hour or more, but none of her family had appeared [16] Address of Mr. Linthicum, of Maryland The Congressman inquired her address, and when it was told him, volunteered to wheel her home himself. When he got her home, she explained with much grati- tude that she was without funds to compensate him for his trouble, but asked his name, telling him that she would remember him in her prayers, and pray for a blessing upon him. I need not attempt to describe the surprise of the good lady when her benefactor modestly told his name and admitted that he was the man who represented her part of the city in the Congress of the United States. Innumerable acts of kindness like this established Congressman Konig in the affection and esti- mation of those who knew him. Congressman Konig was not a fluent speaker. Perhaps he was often silent because he was conscious of his limi- tations in speech. I would not have you think he was unable to express himself, for when the occasion de- manded, or the spirit of the moment roused him. he was capable of delivering himself in English terse and ex- pressive. But, as a rule, he did not rush into words. He thought, he analyzed, he revolved the proposition in his own mind carefully, and when he spoke what he said was worth hearing. Perhaps the thought was not set forth strictly according to the rules in the " little blue grammar " of Kerl and McGuffey, but it was pictured in words that adequately conveyed the views of the speaker, and these views were generally popularly indorsed as " practical common sense." When George Konig was elected a Member of this House there were many people who smiled; who won- dered the kind of Representative his limited educational qualifications would enable him to make; who waited with curiosity his advent in the councils of our Nation. For these there was in store a surprise. How great was that surprise I can best describe by reading from an edi- 4097°— 15 2 [17] Memorial Addresses: Representative Konig toria] in the New York Sun of June .'5, 1911, inspired by Congressman Konig's first speech in Congress. Permit me to remind you that the first effort of every new Congress- man is not discussed in the editorial columns of this great metropolitan daily. The Sun saw in Congressman Konig's effort Bubject of interesting speculation, and its verdict on that effort was as follows: The Hon. Geobqb Konig, of Baltimore, in an autobiographical sketch in the Congressional Directory, says that be "was denied the opportunity of acquiring a school education, and it was not until quite advanced in years thai he taught himself, under great difficulties, reading and writing." The maiden speech of such a man in the House is therefore of more than ordinary interest, especially when, as in the case of Hon. George Konig, there is a tendency in some quarters to decry Ii is merits and regard him as a breezy and amusing character who got into Congress by a fluke. But the self-made who push their way to greatness, careless of the susceptibilities they tread on, are seldom judged fairly. Probably the Hon. George Konig, who calked ships for 10 years and rose to be the manager of a pulverizing company and a law- maker in Congress, is not sensitive to the flippant criticism of the less successful. They expected George Konig to make a laughing stock of himself when he spoke his first piece in Congress. We are inclined to think that it was rather a creditable etrort of the calker who taught himself to read and write. At any rate, many- worse speeches have been made by more imposing persons who were never calkers. Mr. Konig talked about the bill to admit New- Mexico and Arizona as States and took up only a minute or two of the House's time, lie had decided to vote for the bill in spite of the provision for the recall of judges in the Arizona constitution, of which be did not approve. "Anyway, my friends, it is Arizona's funeral, not ours." said Mr. Konig, holding that the Arizonans, if they made a mistake in the constitution they wanted, would dis- cover and correct it. What tin- ex-calker thought of the recall of judges has not alwa\s been better said. It will be seen that the Hon. GEORGE Konig is no orator, but just a plain man with a w cll-d. tveloped bump of common sense and a modest gift of idiomatic English. And he has no mean turn for epigram, too. [18] Address of Mr. Linthicim, of Maryland Congressman KONIG, as slated by my colleague, was born in 1856 near North Point, M