Glass, fc. £> & j~ Book . P3 £^ Co ^2. B °SS S 1 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES { D No??7r!' T SERENO ELISHA PAYNE ( Late a Representative from New York) MEMORIAL ADDRESSES DELIVERED IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES SIXTY-THIRD CONGRESS Proceedings in the House Proceedings in the Senate February 7, 1915 December 11, 1914 ' ) : PREPARED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE JOINT COMMITTEE ON PRINTING \l-lieH WASHINGTON 1916 D. of D. JUN 5 1918 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page. Proceedings in the House of Representatives 5-83 Prayer by the Chaplain, Rev. Henry N. Couden, D. D._ 5, 20 Funeral services — Prayer by the Chaplain, Rev. Henry N. Couden, D. D 9,12 Scripture readings by the Chaplain 10 Song, " Nearer, My God, to Thee," by quartet choir of Calvary Raptist Church, Washington, D. C 13 Address by Rev. Samuel H. Greene, D. D., pastor of Calvary Raptist Church, Washington, D. C 13 Song, " Lead, Kindly Light," by quartet choir of Calvary Raptist Church 10 Renediction by the Chaplain 16 Memorial addresses by — Mr. William M. Calder, of New York 23 Mr. Champ Clark, of Missouri 28 Mr. James R. Mann, of Illinois 32 Mr. Joseph A. Goulden, of New York 35 Mr. Richard W. Austin, of Tennessee 37 Mr. Edward L. Hamilton, of Michigan 40 Mr. Edwin S. Underhill, of New York 44 Mr. Joseph W. Fordney, of Michigan 46 Mr. .Luther W. Mott, of New York 51 Mr. James S. Parker, of New York 55 Mr. Edmund Piatt, of New York 57 Mr. John J. Fitzgerald, of New York 60 Mr. William S. Greene, of Massachusetts 62 Mr. Frank W. Mondell, of Wyoming 67 Mr. Richard Wayne Parker, of New Jersey 70 Mr. Charles H. Sloan, of Nebraska 72 Mr. Samuel Wallin, of New York 75 Mr. J. Hampton Moore, of Pennsylvania 77 Mr. Henry G. Danforth, of New York 81 [3] Table of Contents Page. Proceedings in the Senate 85-88 Prayer by the Chaplain, Rev. Forrest J. Prettyman, D. D 86 Tributes — By the Committee on Ways and Means, House of Repre- sentatives 91 By the United States District Court, Northern District of New York 92 By the Cayuga County Bar Association 94 By the Common Council of the City of Auburn, N. Y._ 96 By the Republican State Committee of New York 98 By the Class of 1864 of the University of Rochester, N. Y. 18 [4] ..^ HON.SERENO E.PAYNE. DEATH OF HON. SERENO ELISHA PAYNE Proceedings in the House Friday, December 11, 191k. The House met at 12 o'clock noon. The Chaplain, Rev. Henry N. Couden, D. D., offered the following prayer : Lord God Almighty, Creator and Father of all souls, Thy will is supreme, and Thy will is good will, for Thou dost love Thy children and satisfiest the longing souls with hopes and aspirations, and leadest them on in thoughts and deeds which live after them. A great sor- row has come to this House in the death of a strong man, firm in his convictions, pure in his motives, which en- deared him to all who knew him, and who for years has held a conspicuous place on the floor of this House. In the committees to which he was assigned his counsel was sought. A statesman who served with all vigor and wis- dom his State and Nation, Sereno E. Payne will live; his going will be mourned by his people and by all with whom he came in contact. We thank Thee for his life, for his character, and what he did. Comfort us and his family in the everlasting hope of the immortality of the soul. Help us to follow his ex- ample, 1o emulate his virtues, and cherish his memory. And teach- us the value of well doing, and guide us by Thine own counsels, that we may leave the impress of our character on those who shall come after us. "A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favor rather than silver and gold." So keep us all in the [5] Memorial Addresses: Representative Payne way of righteousness, and bring us at last into Thine everlasting kingdom. In the spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Mr. Fitzgerald. Mr. Speaker, it becomes my sad duty to announce to the House the death of my colleague, the dean of the House and one of its most distinguished Members, the Hon. Sereno E. Payne, who passed away last night at his residence in this city. At some future time I shall ask the House to set aside a date to be de- voted to the delivery of eulogies upon the life, character, and public services of the deceased. At present I offer the resolutions which I send to the Clerk's desk. The Speaker. The Clerk will report the resolutions. The Clerk read as follows : House resolution 673 Resolved, That the House has heard with profound sorrow of the death of Hon. Sereno Elisha Payne, a Representative from the State of New York. Resolved, That a committee of the House be appointed to take order for superintending the funeral of Mr. Payne in the House of Representatives at 11 o'clock a. m. on Sunday, December 13, in- stant, and that the House of Representatives attend the same. Resolved, That as a further mark of respect the remains of Mr. Payne be removed from Washington to Auburn, N. Y., in charge of the Sergeant at Arms, attended by the committee, who shall have full power to carry these resolutions into effect, and that the necessary expenses in connection therewith be paid out of the contingent fund of the House. Resolved, That the Clerk of the House communicate these pro- ceedings to the Senate and invite the Vice President and the Senate to attend the funeral in the House of Representatives and to appoint a committee to act with the committee of the House. Resolved, That invitations be extended to the President of the United States and the members of his Cabinet, the Chief Justice and Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States, the Diplomatic Corps (through the Secretary of State), the Admiral of the Navy, and the Chief of Staff of the Army to attend the funeral in the House of Representatives. [6] Proceedings in the House The resolution was agreed to, and the Speaker an- nounced as the committee on the part of the House Mr. Fitzgerald, Mr. Underwood, Mr. Mann, Mr. Jones, Mr. Talbott of Maryland, Mr. Cooper, Mr. Gillett, Mr. Bar- tholdt, Mr. Bartlett, Mr. Butler, Mr. Greene of Massachu- setts, Mr. Hamilton of Michigan, Mr. Mondell, Mr. Fordney, Mr. Murdock, Mr. Gardner, Mr. Moore, Mr. Kitchin, Mr. Rainey, Mr. Dixon, Mr. Hull, Mr. Hammond, Mr. Sloan, Mr. Brown of New York, Mr. O'Leary, Mr. Wilson of New York, Mr. Dale, Mr. Maher, Mr. Calder, Mr. Griffin, Mr. O'Brien, Mr. Metz, Mr. Riordan, Mr. Gold- fogle, Mr. Levy, Mr. Conry, Mr. Dooling, Mr. Carew, Mr. Patten of New York, Mr. Chandler of New York, Mr. Cantor, Mr. George, Mr. Bruckner, Mr. Goulden, Mr. Oglesby, Mr. Taylor of New York, Mr. Piatt, Mr. Mc- Clellan, Mr. Ten Eyck, Mr. Parker of New York, Mr. Wallin, Mr. Mott, Mr. Talcott of New York, Mr. Fairchild, Mr. Clancy, Mr. Underhill, Mr. Dunn, Mr. Danforth, Mr. Gittins, Mr. Smith of New York, Mr. Driscoll, Mr. Hamil- ton of New York, and Mr. Loft. The Speaker. The Clerk will report the last resolution. The Clerk read as follows : Resolved, That as a further mark of respect this House do now adjourn. The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 12 o'clock and 38 minutes p. m.) the House adjourned until Satur- day, December 12, 1914, at 11 o'clock a. m. Saturday, December 12, 191k. A message from the Senate, by Mr. Carr, one of its clerks, announced that the Senate had passed the follow- ing resolutions: Resolved, That the Senate has heard with profound sorrow the announcement of the death of Hon. Sereno Elisha Payne, late a Representative from the State of New York. [7] Memorial Addresses: Representative Payne Resolved, That a committee of 10 Senators be appointed by the Vice President, to join a committee appointed by the House of Representatives, to take order for the superintending of the funeral of the deceased. Resolved, That the Senate accepts the invitation of the House of Representatives extended to the President of the Senate and the Senate to attend the funeral of the deceased, to be held in the Hall of the House of Representatives at 11 o'clock a. m. on Sunday next, December 13, 1914. Resolved, That the Secretary communicate a copy of these resolutions to the House of Representatives. Resolved, That as a further mark of respect the Senate do now adjourn. And that in compliance of the foregoing the Vice Presi- dent had appointed under the second resolution, as the committee on the part of the Senate, Mr. Root, Mr. O'Gor- man, Mr. Clark of Wyoming, Mr. Martine of New Jersey, Mr. Rrandegee, Mr. Ashurst, Mr. Lodge, Mr. Smith of Georgia, Mr. Nelson, and Mr. Rankhead. [8] Funeral Services in the Hall of the House of Repre- sentatives Sunday, December 13, 191h. The House met at 10 o'clock and 30 minutes a. m. The Chaplain, Rev. Henry N. Couden, D. D., offered the following prayer: Thy blessing descend upon us, God our Father, as the dews of Hermon as we thus gather in the solemn presence of the dead, that our hearts may be mellowed, our faith lifted up to a higher altitude, and our hopes strengthened for the service which is to follow; in the name and spirit of the Lord Christ. Amen. Mr. Page of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I ask unani- mous consent that the House recess until 10 o'clock and 50 minutes a. m. The Speaker. The gentleman from North Carolina asks unanimous consent that the House stand in recess for 15 minutes. Is there objection? There was no objection. Accordingly (at 10 o'clock and 35 minutes a. m.), the House took a recess. The recess having expired, the House was again called to order by the Speaker. The remains of the late Mr. Payne lay in state in the space in front of the Clerk's desk. At 10 o'clock and 54 minutes a. m. the Doorkeeper an- nounced the Senate, and they took the places assigned to them on the right of the Speaker, the President pro tempore [Mr. Thornton] occupying a seat at the Speaker's desk. [9] Memorial Addresses: Representative Payne The following were then announced and took the places assigned to them: Ambassadors to the United States and members of the Diplomatic Corps. The New York delegation in Congress. The Chief Justice and the Associate Justices of the Su- preme Court of the United States. Members of the President's Cabinet. The Chaplain, Rev. Henry N. Couden, D. D., read selec- tions from the Scriptures as follows: The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth His handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth and their words to the end of the world. In them hath He set a tabernacle for the sun. Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and re- joiceth as a strong man to run a race. His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof. The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testi- mony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the path of righteous- ness for His name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me. Let not your hiart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. [10] Funeral Services in the Hall of the House For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: Whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living. But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die. And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased Him, and to every seed His own body. All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corrup- tion; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory: it is sown in weak- ness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, [11] Memorial Addresses: Representative Payne nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. The Chaplain then offered the following prayer: " Lord, Thou hast heen our dwelling place in all genera- tions. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever Thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, Thou art God." From time immemorial, amid the changing scenes and conflicts of life, the heart of man has ever turned to Thee, O God our Father, for light to guide, strength to sustain, and courage in every time of trouble. So we turn to Thee in this hour of sorrow. Open Thou our spiritual eyes, that we may see the glories round about us; our spiritual ears, " that we may hear the rustle of wings," the song of angels; our spiritual hearts, that we may feel the warm currents of Thy love and be reassured in our longings, hopes, and aspirations. A friend, a colleague, a servant of the people, has passed from the scenes of the Now to the realms beyond. Time and space are nothing. Life in Thee alone is life. So we believe, so we aspire, so we pray. Our coming together to-day in memory of a great man is the earnest of that immortality which springs spontaneously from the soul and lifts us to the realms of high heaven, source of all good. His deeds speak more eloquently than tongue or pen of his worth to State and Nation. It is well thus to com- memorate them, that he may live again in those who shall come after him. Comfort those who knew and loved him, especially his bereaved family, in the undying hope of the eternal and everlasting life in a risen and glorified Christ. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen. [12] Funeral Services in the Hall of the House The quartet choir of Calvary Baptist Church, Washing- ton, D. C, sang " Nearer, my God, to Thee." Rev. Samuel H. Greene, D. D., pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, Washington, D. C, spoke as follows: Men die, but sorrow never dies; The crowding years divide in vain, And the wide world is knit with ties Of common brotherhood in pain. This solemn sense of relationship is ours to-day as we come to pay our tribute to the memory of one whose long and distinguished service has made us all his debtors. It seems fitting that this manly form should be brought again within these walls where for nearly a third of a century he was a conspicuous figure in national legisla- tion. Pausing tenderly and reverently beside our dead, let us pray — So teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. Consciously or unconsciously, we are recognizing God in hours like this, the Greater Life that must be behind our own, in whose favor alone we find peace and hope; the Source of all Authority, at whose summons we pass to the great beyond. This center fact of the universe finds emphasis in all the crucial hours of human life. Its call sounds when we grope helplessly in the darkness; it sounds when on the mountain top our vision is largest, and it sounds when at last our little boat puts out to sea. Jesus, lover of my soul, Let me to thy bosom fly, While the nearer waters roll, While the tempest still is high, Hide me, my Savior, hide, Till the storm of life is past; Safe into the haven guide, Oh, receive my soul at last. [13] Memorial Addresses: Representative Payne There are some hours when the sense of common loss is so great that we forget our little differences, and in that hallowed light stand face to face with our better selves. It is one of the compensations of sorrow. This remark- able gathering, the place, and the hour are a splendid tribute to the memory of a great and good man, and an equal tribute to the better qualities of American manhood as represented here to-day. Mr. Payne seemed the natural product of the family whose name he bore. For generations they had been a sturdy, industrious, prosperous, religious people. He was born in the university town of Hamilton, N. Y. In its fine atmosphere of culture his early life was spent. Here he began a college course which was completed in Rochester University, from which he graduated in 1864. Two years later he commenced the practice of law in the city of Auburn. His thoroughness as a student, his rare good judgment, his unquestioned integrity and marked ability soon won for him wide and abiding popularity. His townsmen hastened to honor him with the evidences of their esteem and confidence. As city clerk, district at- torney for Cayuga County, and as president of the board of education he served with distinction. In a city of wealth and culture he became one of its foremost citizens. His home life was ideal, his church life happy, the Sunday school he superintended prosperous, and his friends an ever-increasing multitude. Thus early in his young man- hood he was crowned with the favor of God and men. Out of such homes and such lives can a nation build strongly and securely. It is not strange that from such a place and such endeavors his fellow citizens should call him as their Representative at the National Capital. Mr. Payne's long and conspicuous career here is a fine illustration of the worth of character in public life. Deep down in the American heart, whatever may be its own shortcomings, there is an abiding reverence for honesty, [14] Funeral Services in the Hall of the House purity, and courage. It is not the wish of our people that promotions come shadowed by political dishonor or tricks of trade. When the people are persuaded that in the face of temptations a man is too honest to do wrong, . too good to be untrue, too near to God to speak falsely, even for personal gain, then they mean to honor him with more than a temporary allegiance. It is an abiding witness to the high character of our departed friend that the people who knew him best were his stanchest friends and ardent admirers. And here in the stress and storm of political debate and changing conditions this strong, fearless man, standing sometimes in the front of the fray, never ceased to be manly or stooped to conquer. For the purity and strength of his character he was honored and loved by all. Around this casket all bitterness dies as we bear our tearful tribute to American manhood and American statesmanship. Those who differed with him most were quick and glad to recognize his great learning, wide experience, splendid courage, and absolute honesty. These high qualities of character commanded the ad- miration and loyalty of his constituency at home and an acknowledged position among his colleagues here. If from this sad place the message may go to the young men of our Nation that character and service are the condi- tions of place and permanency in public life, our friend and brother will have added yet another contribution to the life of the country he loved and served so long and well. Mr. Payne was a man of deep religious convictions. Reared in a Christian home, uniting early with the church, called to its activities, he soon became recognized as a devoted and efficient leader. He gave generously of his time, his means, and his influence. [15] Memorial Addresses: Representative Payne On coming to this city he immediately identified him- self with a church of his own denomination, and few were more regular or loyal attendants on its public services. On many occasions he there bore tender and eloquent testimony to his Christian faith. It was but natural that at last he should be found with the open Bible beside him. The noble and devoted wife had passed to her reward three years ago, the son was in another city, no kin were near when that last hour came on, but the One Book that had so long been a light to his pathway was beside him as he entered the valley and the shadow of death. At the end of a long and honored career he rests from his labors in the blessed hope of the resurrection and the life everlasting. In this distinguished presence we pay this grateful tribute to his memory, and pray that the God of all grace may comfort this sorrowing family and the many whose hearts are heavy with sense of great and personal loss. So live that when thy summons comes to join The innumerable caravan which moves To that mysterious realm where each shall take His chamber in the silent halls of death, Thou go not, like the quarry-slave at night, Scourged to his dungeon, but sustained and soothed By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave, Like one that wraps the drapery of his couch About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams. The choir sang " Lead, Kindly Light." The Chaplain, Rev. Henry N. Couden, D. D., pro- nounced the following benediction : And now, Almightly God, our heavenly Father, sanctify our hearts by this service, and let the spirit which has come into them lead us all the journey of life, and at last bring us to Thee; in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen. [16] Funeral Services in the Hall of the House The members of the President's Cabinet, the Chief Justice and the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States, the Ambassadors to the United States and the Diplomatic Corps, the Senate, and the committee appointed on the part of the Senate and House to escort the remains withdrew from the Chamber in the order named. 4094°— 16 2 [17] Monday, December 21, 191b. Mr. Parker of New York. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to extend my remarks in the Record. I desire to have incorporated in the Record a resolution by resi- dent members of the class of 1864 of the University of Rochester, December 11, 1914, with regard to the death of Hon. Sereno E. Payne. The Speaker. The gentleman from New York asks unanimous consent to extend his remarks in the Record. Is there objection? [After a pause.] The Chair hears none. The resolution is as follows : UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER CLASS MEMORIAL TO HON. SERENO E. PAYNE, LL. D. At a meeting of the resident members of the class of 1864 of the University of Rochester, December 11, 1914, held because of the sudden death of our classmate, the Hon. Sereno E. Payne, LL. D., of Auburn, N. Y., it was decided to express our regrets at this national loss, and our personal appreciation of his character and distinguished career, by this informal memorial. At the recent " golden " anniversary of our class day and com- mencement, the week of June 11, 1914, Mr. Payne was one of the six members of our class permitted to gather for this dual reunion at the altars of our alma mater. Mr. Payne was the central figure in our class exercises, and the chief spokesman, after our honored president, in the social festivi- ties of commencement day. In our class reunion he was the same genial, simple, honest, frank " old boy " of 54 years ago, when we first met as a class in the old United States Hotel Building, Buffalo Street. There was nothing then to indicate the prophetic appropriateness of his title to the subsequent career of national celebrity and achievement to the ruddy-faced Auburn boy, or the present standing among the halls of learning of the United States of our alma mater in the fourteenth year of its strenuous struggle for academic foothold. [18] Proceedings in the House What an incentive this joint record of boy and university is to students and institutions, unknown to-day, yet with the same possibilities before them. Longfellow did not dream that in his immortal " Psalm of Life " he was inscribing his own epitaph, as well as the historic record of many others, in his paradoxical phrase of imperishable im- print in the shifting toys of " every wind that blows," when he wrote: " Lives of great men all remind us We can make our lives sublime, And, departing, leave behind us Footprints on the sands of time." These words of eulogy do not seem an unfitting laurel crown for the man who has reflected honor upon the city of his birth and residence, upon his alma mater and its proud city, upon the Empire State and all her associated States. Finally, we, his classmates and friends, are proud of the boy and the man, the classmate and citizen, the fellow student and statesman. We most sincerely desire to extend our sympathy and con- dolence and our congratulations on his record to his surviving son, his city, our own city and university, to his State and na- tional friends, and to his associates in the House of Representa- tives of the Sixty-third Congress, honored by his active member- ship up to the moment of his solemn, unwitnessed summons. For the class of 1864. Edward Dwight Chapin, President. Charles Wiltshire Wood, Secretary. Wednesday, January 6, 1915. Mr. Calder. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent Mr. Wingo. The point of no quorum was made. The Speaker. Will the gentleman from Arkansas [Mr. Wingo] withhold his point, so that the gentleman can offer a resolution ? Mr. Wingo. I will if the gentleman from Ohio will with- draw his motion for the previous question. Just so long as the parliamentary status is maintained The Speaker. It will be maintained. The gentleman from New York [Mr. Calder] offers a resolution, which the Clerk will report. [19]' Memorial Addresses: Representative Payne The Clerk read as follows : House resolution 697 Resolved, That Sunday, February 7, be set apart for services upon the life, character, and public services of the Hon. Sereno E. Payne, late a Representative from the State of New York, and of the Hon. Edwin A. Merritt, Jr., late a Representative from the State of New York. The Speaker. The question is on agreeing to the resolution. The resolution was agreed to. Sunday, February 7, 1915. The House met at 12 o'clock noon, and was called to order by Mr. Fitzgerald as Speaker pro tempore. The Chaplain, Rev. Henry N. Couden, D. D., offered the following prayer: Father in heaven, we thank Thee for the gift of life, its wonderful opportunities and far-reaching purposes, the earnest of that personal immortality which Thou hast woven into the warp and woof of our being, which through faith, hope, love, lifts us in our better moments up even to the throne of Thy divinity, and fills our hearts with longing, hopes, and aspirations; forces, though un- seen, which are ever moving us on to the betterment of conditions in our homes, in society, in governments, in religion. We are here on this sacred day to memorialize the life and character of two Members of this great body who, though dead, still live in our hearts and in the works they wrought as servants of the people. Make us strong to emulate, wise to pursue, earnest, faithful, that we may achieve and leave the impress of our personality behind us and be worthy of the gifts Thou hast bestowed upon us. May we look forward with those to whom the de- parted were near and dear in the unbroken continuity of life which shall bring us to them in the realms of larger [20] Proceedings in the House light, life, and purity; through Him who taught us the way, and the truth, and the life. Amen. The Speaker pro tempore. The Clerk will read the order of the day. The Clerk read as follows: On motion of Mr. Calder, by unanimous consent, Ordered, That Sunday, February 7, 1915, be set apart for serv- ices upon the lives, characters, and public services of Hon. Sereno E. Payne and Hon. Edwin A. Merritt, Jr., late Representa- tives from the State of New York. Mr. Calder. Mr. Speaker, I offer the following resolu- tion. The Speaker. The gentleman from New York offers a resolution, which the Clerk will report. The Clerk read as follows: House resolution 725 Resolved, That the business of the House be now suspended, that an opportunity may be given for tributes to the memory of the Hon. Sereno E. Payne, late a Member of the House of Repre- sentatives from the State of New York, and to the memory of the Hon. Edwin A. Merritt, Jr., late a Member of the House of Repre- sentatives from the State of New York. Resolved, That as a further mark of respect to the memory of the deceased, and in recognition of their eminent abilities as dis- tinguished public servants, the House, at the conclusion of these memorial proceedings, shall stand adjourned. Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions to the Senate. Resolved, That the Clerk be instructed to send a copy of these resolutions to the families of the deceased. The resolution was agreed to. [21] MEMORIAL ADDRESSES Address of Mr. Calder, of New York Mr. Speaker: Sereno Elisha Payne, our fellow mem- ber, and a distinguished statesman, was, on December 10, 1914, to our great loss and bereavement, suddenly called from his sphere of usefulness in the House of Representa- tives of the United States, where for more than a third of a century he had served his State and his country with great distinction and honor. He was born at Hamilton, N. Y., June 26, 1843, was grad- uated from the University of Rochester in 1864, was ad- mitted to the bar in 1866, was city clerk of Auburn, N. Y., 1868-1871, was supervisor of Auburn, 1871-72, was dis- trict attorney of Cayuga County, 1873-1879, was president of the board of education at Auburn 1879-1882, and was elected a Member of the House of Representatives to the Forty-eighth Congress, where he served continuously, with the exception of the Fiftieth Congress, to the time of his death. He had been recently elected to the Sixty- fourth Congress. He was appointed a member of the Ways and Means Committee of the House December 10, 1889, in the Fifty- first Congress, and served as chairman of that great com- mittee from January 20, 1899, to 1913. By a strange coin- cidence he was a member of the committee for exactly a quarter of a century. During his service in Congress he assisted in the preparation of five great tariff measures. He was an ardent believer in the Republican doctrine of protection. By many his views on the tariff question were not correctly understood. He was not, as was popularly supposed, an extreme protectionist. He believed that the organization of great industries in this country which lessened competition between manufacturers made it [23] Memorial Addresses: Representative Payne necessary to readjust our tariff rates. On the funda- mental principles of protection he never wavered, but was ready at all times to readjust the tariff rates to meet changing conditions. As chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means of the House he prepared the last Republican tariff measure, which bears his name. It did not express his individual views in all of its schedules, but the provisions in it for a maximum and minimum tariff were framed by him and marked that measure as a great advance in the tariff legislation of the country. To the preparation of that measure he devoted untiring energy, skill, and labor. He was an acknowledged au- thority on all questions relating to the tariff and fiscal policies of the United States. He was active in the councils of his party, twice served as chairman of the Republican State convention of New York, and was a delegate to the Republican national con- ventions of 1892, 1896, 1900, 1908, and 1912. In recognition of his ability as a statesman he was ap- pointed a member of the American-Rritish Joint High Commission in January, 1899. Thus for nearly half a century Sereno E. Payne was identified with the public life of his State and country. His career was marked by integrity of character, firmness of purpose, and adherence to principle. He commanded the respect of members of all political parties and the affection of a large circle of friends by a blameless, use- ful, and honorable life. It was my privilege 10 years ago to be elected to Con- gress from a district in the State of New York, and on entering upon my duties here I felt it was incumbent upon me to pay my respects to Mr. Payne, who was the dean of the delegation. In all of these years I found him not only a party associate, but a warm personal friend, will- ing at any time to help guide the younger men in their efforts to secure consideration for legislation in which [24] Address of Mr. Calder, of New York Ihey were interested. In all these years I came to know him intimately. His good wife, with whom he had lived for over 40 years, was called to the better world two years ago, and her death seemed to leave a void in his life. While he continued his activities in the House those who knew him well observed in him a marked change. When I entered the House of Representatives in the Fifty-ninth Congress Mr. Payne had as his associates from the State of New York in the House such distinguished men as the late Vice President Sherman, Alexander, Wadsworth, Littauer, Dwight, Fassett, Driscoll, Parsons, Bennet, Olcott, Vreeland, Goulden, Cockran, Fitzgerald, Cocks, Andrus, Ketcham, Bradley, Draper, and Law— all men of high character and large influence in the deter- mining of the important legislation of that day. All but Representative Fitzgerald and myself have left the serv- ice here, and some have passed to the great beyond. Of the Republicans from New York State who served in that Congress I am the only one left, and so I am accorded the privilege to speak of Mr. Payne's leadership of these great men. I was honored by the Speaker when selected as one of the committee to accompany Mr. Payne's remains to his old home in Auburn, a beautiful city in the great agricultural section of central New York. Mr. Payne was known there to every man, woman, and child. He was truthfully the first citizen of the city. It was a bleak December day; the streets were covered with snow, and over the whole city there hung the dull gray veil of sor- row for the death of a man widely known and well beloved. The church of which he was a member and officer was thronged with his saddened friends, and the splendid eulogies of the two distinguished clergymen who officiated at his funeral service portrayed faithfully the life work and the noble character of the deceased. [25] Memorial Addresses: Representative Payne I recall distinctly the rendering by the Rev. Dr. Sirrell of Tennyson's beautiful poem, " Crossing the Bar: " Sunset and evening star, And one clear call for me! And may there be no moaning of the bar, When I put out to sea, But such a tide as moving seems asleep, Too full for sound and foam, When that which drew from out the boundless deep Turns again home. Twilight and evening bell, And after that the dark!' And may there be no sadness of farewell, When I embark; For tho' from out our bourne of Time and Place The flood may bear me far, I hope to see my Pilot face to face When I have crost the bar. Though the flood did bear him far upon the boundless deep of life and strife, his devotion to the Christian Church and his years of service to his fellow men and to his country will bear him safely over the bar to face the great Pilot who so gently bade him sleep at the close of his working day. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to read the following letters from two of Mr. Payne's former associates in the House of Representatives. From former Representative McCall, of Massachusetts: I served with Hon. Sereno E. Payne for 20 years in the House of Representatives. For 14 years of that time I was with him upon the Ways and Means Committee. I understand that he had a longer period of service upon that committee and was also for a longer time its chairman than any other man in our history. In my opinion Mr. Payne has never been surpassed by any of his countrymen in his broad and at the same time exact knowledge of all matters relating to tariff taxation. His mind was a great store- house of facts, which upon occasion he would state in lucid order [26] Address of Mr. Calder, of New York and in a way that would give the strongest possible support to the principles of taxation in which he believed. He was reso- lutely high-minded and firm and never easily swerved. One could not know him well without deeply respecting his rugged- ness of character and his ability and accomplishments. He was one of the notable figures in the history of the House and was identified in a responsible way with much of the most important legislation of more than a quarter of a century. Sincerely, vours, S. W. McCall. From former Representative Bennet, of New York: How rapidly after all the personnel of Congress changes. When Mr. Payne passed away the other day the last Representative of the old red-carnation group, which was so powerful when you and I came to Congress 10 years ago, disappeared from this Con- gress. Mr. Payne was an American good to have known; a product of a time when partisanship was more intense through- out the country; an active leader in the struggle for the supremacy of our party for nearly a quarter of a century; a believer in our party principles; another one in that long and honorable list of American statesmen who had power over millions of money; lived modestly always and left no great estate. One of the triumphs of our institution is the number of our politically power- ful men in public office who have so lived and died. If it could be planned in advance, one could wish for no more useful career than Mr. Payne's was; a man of ability, successful professionally, with a comfortable environment, a stanch be- liever in the principles of his particular party and in their ad- vocacy as a patriotic duty, he was able to devote the bulk of his mature years and his great ability to a sturdy fight for that party and those principles. In both 1912 and 1914 I had the pleasure of campaigning in Mr. Payne's district and was impressed by the affection and respect which the people whom he had served so long had for their Congressman. I am personally glad that at the close of this busy American life there was no twilight zone of sickness, or material decay of the faculties, and that he was occupied to the last in the business of the House, in which for so many years he had been one of its most useful members. Yours, very truly, William S. Bennet. [27] Address of Mr. Clark, of Missouri Mr. Speaker: There is an old saying to the effect that it is folly to reserve kind words about a man until after he is dead, and that they should be uttered while he still lives. I have always acted on that dictum. In some preliminary remarks in my five hours' speech on the Payne tariff bill, March 24, 1909, I made the following statement: " I desire to congratulate the distinguished chairman of the Ways and Means Committee [Mr. Payne]. I do it from the bottom of my heart. He has now become a great historical personage. The history of the United States can not be written now and leave out the name of Sereno E. Payne, of New York. He takes his place in the com- pany of Henry Clay, Robert J. Walker, Justin S. Morrill, William McKinley, William L. Wilson, and Nelson Ding- ley as father of a great tariff bill, which must be referred to as long as men discuss the tariff in the United States, which, judging the future by the past, will be until Gabriel blows his trumpet. " There is another thing on which I congratulate the chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means, and I do it as honestly as I did the other, that during the course of these hearings, and by his nine and one-half hours' speech, he has knocked higher than a kite the idiotic theory of Dr. Osier. " Be it understood that I am not complaining in any degree whatever because he spoke nine and a half hours; it was a superb vindication of his physical and mental strength, and under the circumstances of the case and the character of the speech he was making, explanatory and defensive, answering a good many questions from [28] Address of Mr. Clark, of Missouri this side, and carrying on an extended debate with his political confreres on that side, I do not see how it could have been shorter; and what is more, I am not dead sure but that it was the wisest thing he could have done from a political standpoint, because a good many Republican gentlemen, having fired their shots, will not want to make speeches on the bill. " Wbile I am making these preliminary statements — and I do not think I am wasting time in making them — I want to say a word about the Committee on Ways and Means. I say now that no 18 men — because there were only 18, Mr. Granger being sick with the disease which finally proved fatal to him — no 18 men, Democrats and Republicans both, in the history of this country ever did harder, more tedious, or more fatiguing work than the 18 members of the Ways and Means Committee did in these hearings. " Think of it! We began at half-past 9 in the morning and worked until 1 o'clock, took an hour for lunch, then worked until 7 o'clock, taking an hour for dinner, as we call it in the city and supper in the country, and worked until 11 and 12 o'clock at night; keyed up, on edge, tus- sling with intellectual men who had facts in their pos- session about the tariff which they were determined not to give up, while we were determined that they should stand and deliver. " The chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, the gentleman from New York [Mr. Payne], is nearly old enough to be my father. I have always been credited with having an iron constitution, but I believe that he came out of the exhausting work fresher than I did, which was an absolute marvel to me. " One other thing about that committee. In my time I have done many things to earn a living, among them every species of farm work, clerking in a country store, teaching in all sorts of schools, from a log-cabin school- [29] Memorial Addresses: Representative Payne house in Kentucky to the presidency of a college in West Virginia, editing a newspaper, and practicing law. For three days I was a sort of a special deputy sheriff in Cin- cinnati, guarding a defaulter. I have tried a multitude of cases in court, including betwixt 1,000 and 2,000 criminal cases, ranging from murder and highway rob- bery to assault and battery and petty larceny; but no- where, at no time, under no circumstances have I ever performed any other labor so exhaustive of nervous energy as I performed at these tariff hearings. I am not complaining. We simply did our duty; but I have no doubt that it shortened all our lives. We not only worked like galley slaves while other people were taking their ease, but we tried to ascertain the truth." These were my honest sentiments in March, 1909. They are my sentiments in February, 1915. They will remain my sentiments so long as I live. I can not improve on them now. There is little to add, except one incident demonstrat- ing how we sometimes misjudge each other. Everybody knew that Mr. Payne was a man of ability and a strong debater. Those of us who had opportunity to study him closely knew that he possessed a vast store of information, particularly on the tariff. No wonder, for he was a stu- dent and participated in five revisions of the tariff. In debate he was irritable and brusque to such an extent that he frequently hurt the feelings of Members who in- terrupted him in his speeches. I did not like the way in which he sawed me off on several occasions and for a long time had it in my heart to catch him in the right situation and assail him hip and thigh. Finally, however, I was placed on the Committee on Ways and Means, of which he was chairman. During the Christmas holidays succeeding I was in New England and New York on a lecture tour. When I entered a parlor car in New York, en route to Washington, I had Mr. Payne [30] Address of Mr. Clark, of Missouri as a fellow passenger. He came and sat down by rqe and gave me a cordial welcome to his committee. He talked to me all the way here, and as I had never talked with him 10 minutes privately before that trip, I was amazed to discover that he was a most pleasant gentleman, an un- usually fine raconteur, and that his stock of personal and interesting reminiscences seemed inexhaustible. He spoke most entertainingly of Thurlow Weed, William H. Seward, Horace Greeley, Horatio Seymour, Gov. Morgan, Roscoe Conkling, Samuel Sullivan Cox, Henry J. Ray- mond, and other New York worthies of a past generation. Those five hours were not only delightful, but also in- structive to me and added much to the sum total of my historical knowledge. That trip laid the foundation of a close personal friendship between Mr. Payne and myself, which grew stronger and more tender with the passing years till the day of his death. He was the most dis- tinguished Member of the House to die in harness, as no doubt he wished to die, after the death of Gov. Dingley, his immediate predecessor as chairman of the great Com- mittee on Ways and Means. The House decreed him a public funeral, as was eminently proper, and we mourn- fully parted company with the honored and well-beloved " Father of the House." [31] Address of Mr. Mann, of Illinois Mr. Speaker: The generous tribute which has just been paid to Mr. Payne by the distinguished and beloved Speaker of this House is characteristic of the gentleman from Missouri, the Speaker, and also, I am pleased to think, is characteristic of American politics. The Republicans of this House and elsewhere also deeply appreciate the courtesy and respect which was paid to the memory of Mr. Payne by the Democratic majority in this House in according to him a public funeral and exercises held in this Chamber while the House itself was in session. I think that had not occurred before the funeral services of Mr. Payne's predecessor as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, Mr. Dingley. It is not my intention, Mr. Speaker, to dwell upon the public services of Mr. Payne. They are written in the legislative pages of this body, as well as in the five tariff bills which were enacted while he was a member of the Ways and Means Committee. Three of these tariff bills were Republican bills, in which he was one of the men who framed the bill. Two of them were Democratic tariff bills, in which he actively participated in opposition. I came into this House at the special session when the Dingley tariff bill was passed. Coming from a great city with many industries affected by the tariff legislation, it became my duty to frequently ask questions, privately, of the members of the Ways and Means Committee. I know, as everybody knows, that Mr. Payne when he was very busily engaged in work sometimes was rather brusque in manner, but it became my habit when I wanted to know anything about that bill to go to Mr. Payne. He was always courteous to. me, was always [32] Address of Mr. Mann, of Illinois able to give the information asked for, and I became rather deeply attached to him from a distance. I did not enjoy his close personal friendship. For years I used to watch Mr. Payne and Mr. Dalzell as they would leave the House and go to luncheon together. They were both high up on the Ways and Means Committee, Mr. Payne for a series of years chairman of the committee. The close friendship between the two was remarkable. Both were very active in the House and both very attentive to their duties in the House. They frequently went to luncheon together, sometimes taking somebody else with them. These, of course, are purely side lights upon his character. When I became the Republican leader in the House in the last Congress, knowing as I did that much of the feel- ing toward the Payne bill and also toward Mr. Payne throughout the country was unjustified, in so far as his personal desires were concerned, I gave especial atten- tion to the consulting of Mr. Payne, and very early learned that no one could have a better adviser as to the use of common sense than Mr. Payne. During the last two sum- mers the House remained in session during the entire summer. It became the habit of Mr. Payne and myself and some others, whenever the opportunity afforded, to take a little fresh air on the outside and forget the cares of state by going to the ball game. Mr. Payne, strange to say, with all of his enthusiasm for work, with his great knowledge and study relating to legislative matters, with his solemn tones in debate, was a lover of decent outdoor sports and was very fond of baseball. As we sat to- gether in the front row of seats in this Chamber during the consideration of the Underwood tariff bill, every day while there was a ball game in progress in the city of Washington, and usually anywhere else, in the midst of strong and sometimes somewhat bitter partisan debate on items in the tariff bill, the telephone clerk on the Republi- can side of the House would quietly drop down a number 4094°— 16 3 [331 Memorial Addresses: Representative Payne of times during the debate and inform Mr. Payne how the score stood. Mr. Speaker, that is what makes men men. That is characteristic of great men. He enjoyed the fight while the people on the outside were enjoying life. He liked to have other people happy, and when he was with them personally, in personal conversation, there was no man more delightful, more good-tempered, more en- tertaining than was Mr. Payne. His name will live in the history of legislation, but to those who knew him best he will live in their memory as a sweet-tempered, whole- some, and enjoyable character. [34] Address of Mr. Goulden, of New York Mr. Speaker: It was my privilege to serve with our late associate, Sereno Elisha Payne, who was unexpectedly called to his reward in December last. Coming from the same State and for many years a trustee of the Soldiers and Sailors Home, at Bath, N. Y., near his home, and meeting many of his friends and constituents there, I learned much regarding his home life. As a friend and neighbor, he was ever true and helpful; as a citizen, ever loyal and patriotic. He faithfully served his district in Congress for 30 years, ever mindful, not alone of his devoted people whom he loved, but of the interests of those of the State and Nation. His services to the good people of Auburn and of Cayuga County as district attorney, city clerk, and president of the board of education, with that of a Mem- ber of Congress, in all of which he showed a high pur- pose, a civic pride, and a faithful devotion to duty, endeared him to his home people. That is the best test of work well done and of high moral worth; of his splendid services here, the country is familiar. No man stood higher in the esteem of his associates than did Sereno E. Payne. For 10 years of my service here he was the able, vigilant, courteous majority leader. While he dealt our side hard blows frequently, he was always a gentleman, always kindly hearted and willing to respect the rights and opinions of others. Of him it will be said, " None knew him but to love him." The day of his untimely death I sat by his side talking about old friends that had passed away. He seemed in his usual good health, cheei'ful and smiling. In praising him for the work accomplished in this House, and congratulating the country upon his achieve- ments, we are forced to lament his taking off at a time [35] Memorial Addresses: Representative Payne when he could be of so much more value. We can mourn for him with the same feeling that we mourn the loss of Lincoln before he had given to his country all of which he was capable. We applaud the man and his work to-day while sadly lamenting his loss to us. We are met to pay a last tribute of honor and respect to a beloved fellow worker whose character we admired and whose rugged honesty was inspiring. His death has left a void that can not be filled, and his deeds, his kindness, and loving, cheerful disposition will ever live in the minds of his friends and associates. Well may we exclaim : Shall I say that what heaven gave Earth has taken? Or that sleepers in the grave Reawaken? One sole sentence can I know, Can I say: You, my comrade, had to go, I to stay. [36] Address of Mr. Austin, of Tennessee Mr. Speaker: We have met to-day to pay a willing tribute to a great leader, a worthy son of the great Empire State, and a wise, just, and patriotic American, the Hon. Sereno E. Payne, who died at his post of duty after 30 years of faithful and efficient service in this House. That his record was above criticism and reproach is attested by his unfailing success in 16 elections in a district made up of a sturdy, conservative, and highly intellectual constituency. His life was full of useful activities, and for more than a quarter of a century he had a prominent part in writing many of our wisest and best laws; his good deeds as a citizen and public servant were countless. No man in this House, composed of a membership of 435, and coming from every State and Territory, and our islands in the distant seas, has a record which excels that of our de- parted friend and colleague. He was a prominent figure in the Republican national conventions which nominated three of our greatest Presidents — McKinley, Roosevelt, and Taft — and an active and influential leader in framing and passing the many useful, progressive, and patriotic laws during their administrations. As a Member of this House he played a conspicuous part in the preparation and enactment of the three great tariff laws which bore the names of McKinley, Dingley, and Payne. If you will impartially study the history of our country during the life of these great measures, you will proclaim the most marvelous commercial growth and development of our country — not one section of it, but North, South, East, and West, every State, Territory, city, village, farm, and home. The prosperity and happiness was in evidence on every [37] Memorial Addresses: Representative Payne hand and in every nook and corner of the Republic. The wonderful strides in every line of industry, of every human endeavor, the matchless progress of this great Republic in foreign and domestic trade, in population, wealth, greatness, and glory; in all things that go to make us a great and envied people, fell to our happy lot during the period covered by the administrations of Presidents McKinley, Roosevelt, and Taft, and under the operation of tariff legislation in which Mr. Payne had an important part in creating. The men he aided in nominating and electing to the Presidency, and the laws he materially assisted in making, gave to the American Republic its happy, golden epoch, and showered upon its people countless blessings. More opportunities, more content- ment, more progress, more prosperity, and more happi- ness crowded into this period of our country's history than can be named to the credit of any tariff legislation in the entire history of our country. What a debt we owe as a people; what a debt due from our Nation to the grand old man whose memory we honor on this occasion. No words, no tongue, can truly tell the lasting obligation we owe to our late colleague. He led a life filled with usefulness, not alone to his faithful and devoted constituents, but to the country at large. Mr. Speaker, the great Empire State has furnished a long line of able, useful, and distinguished men to the American Republic, in peace and in war, and the im- partial historian in giving their names and recounting their great, useful, and patriotic deeds will place high on the list the name and fame of Sereno E. Payne. He was faithfulness itself in his attendance as a Member of this House; in his committee and departmental work; in caring for his correspondence, for the interests of his im- mediate constituents; nothing of an official nature, great or small, escaped his attention. There was never a more worthy, zealous, industrious, hard-working Member. He [38] Address of Mr. Austin, of Tennessee left a faithful and illustrious record which should in- fluence and inspire all of us. It would be to our credit and the benefit of those we represent if we would, in the discharge of our duties, follow the splendid example he left behind. I saw much of Mr. Payne during the past six years in this House, and for a portion of the time we lived under the same roof. We almost daily, during the past two years, occupied adjoining seats in the front row on the Republican side of the Chamber. My admiration, in- terest, and fondness for him was ever increasing, and his sudden death was a painful shock and great loss to me. He was a kind, genial, whole-souled, companionable man, and though a leading statesman and great leader he was plain and unassuming. As an admiring friend, as a Representative from a southern district which for 60 consecutive years has sent a protectionist to this body, I offer my simple but sincere tribute of respect, admiration, and esteem for our able, worthy colleague, for New York's honored son, for the Nation's invincible champion, and defender of the Ameri- can protective system, who I rejoice to know lived to see his great life work — the Payne tariff law — approved and vindicated in the hearts and thoughts of the American people. [39] Address of Mr. Hamilton, of Michigan Mr. Speaker : The night of December 10, 1914, Sereno E. Payne was found dead in his room with the open Bible beside him. " The gentleman's time had expired." The personality, which for 71 years had borne and honored the name of Sereno E. Payne, had gone into the region where we dimly suppose character is the only means of identification. Tariff questions, of which he was one of the most pro- found and practical students of his time, no longer con- cerned him. " Life's candle had burned out." He had carried with him on his journey down to the very instant of transition the only guide vouchsafed humanity on earth. All the honors which the years had brought to him and all the malice of political misrepresentation were as noth- ing to him as he sat there quietly in the austerity of death, with dead eyes looking into the mystery of eternity just revealed to him. A little later his body lay in state in the Hall of the House of Representatives, with a jungle of flowers around it, where the temporary occupants of places of dignity had gathered to do him honor, but to Payne these things were as nothing. Here he had gained his greatest triumphs, here he had undergone his discipline, here he had gained his reputa- tion, and here his body lay in state for a little time on its journey to the grave. He was a lawyer and had gained eminence in his pro- fession. He was a statesman and had been honored time and again by the party with which he was associated. T40] Address of Mr. Hamilton, of Michigan He first came to Congress in 1883 and served contin- uously, except during the Fiftieth Congress, until his death. He was chairman of the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries from 1895 to 1899, and in that position rendered valuable service; but his chief work in Congress was in connection with the tariff. He went upon the Ways and Means Committee in 1890, served there until his death, and was its chairman from 1899 until 1910, when the House became Democratic. His was the longest chairmanship of the Ways and Means Committee in the history of the country, and his the longest membership of that committee. He helped to frame the McKinley law of 1890. As a minority member of the Ways and Means Com- mittee he opposed the Wilson law of 1894. He was senior member of the Ways and Means Com- mittee when the Dingley law of 1897 was enacted. He was the chairman of the committee which framed the Payne-Aldrich law of 1909 and ranking minority member of the committee which reported the law of 1913. He helped to frame the war-revenue act of 1898, and, as chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means, helped to frame the Porto Rican tariff law of 1900, the Philippine tariff law of 1902, its revision in 1908, and the Cuban reciprocity law of 1903. " At all times a man who will do faithfully needs to believe firmly." Mr. Payne had convictions. His services ran through an era of change the magni- tude of which was not perceived by those who were a part of it. He lived in an age in which the accumulated science of the past was constantly applied to improved means of production, manufacture, transportation, and exchange. In the performance of his duties he helped to give shape to national policies in an era of geographical and trade expansion, in which men combined their capital to pro- [41] Memorial Addresses: Representative Payne duce at central points commodities to supply increasing areas of trade created by increasing facilities of trans- portation and communication. This movement was not confined to America, but extended throughout the com- mercial world. The era of his legislative services was a part of a world- wide adjustment to the rapidly increasing use of steam, supplemented by electricity, the rapidly increasing use of machinery, and the rapidly increasing adaptation of the corporate form of management to industrial enterprises. In his public service he was a practical, working, con- structive personality in a tariff world. He helped to put in legislative form the tariff policies of a party, based upon its conviction that it is better for us to keep our own capital and labor employed than it is to keep the capital and labor of foreign nations employed; that it is better for us to keep our money in use and cir- culation among ourselves than to send it abroad in ex- change for commodities which we can make and produce as well as foreigners; that it is better to maintain the standard of American citizenship by protection of Ameri- can labor and American industry than it is to lower the level of American citizenship by lowering the wages of American labor. He had seen the country pass from the simple to the complex. In the language of Goldwin Smith, he had " seen the collapse of many a political waterspout and the ebb of many a political tide." There was nothing sensational about Mr. Payne. He never posed. He was incapable of posing. He never ad- vertised. He had no press agent. He did his work. He was brave, honest, robust, unpretentious, truthful. His eloquence was the eloquence of logic and of facts ably stated. [42] Address of Mr. Hamilton, of Michigan As Cromwell is reported to have said: "If the words were true words, they could be left to shift for them- selves." He feared God and was without any other fear. It is a saying of Guizot that " one must have been of great worth indeed to deserve not to be forgotten," and the name of Sereno E. Payne is indelibly written into the history of our country among the names of its practical patriots. [43] Address of Mr. Underhill, of New York Mr. Speaker: I would feel that I had failed to perform a duty that I owe to the memory of our dear friend, Sereno Elisha Payne, were I not to add a brief tribute to his memory. Residing in the adjoining congressional district, and being whole-souled, generous, and earnest in his nature, he could not fail to have friends in all the counties near where he lived, and consequently he was invited and on several occasions accepted invitations to advocate the cause of his party in my home town years before I met him in this Hall. My early recollections of him are of the pleasantest character. Genial in temperament, he was a delightful man to meet, and evidently enjoyed becoming acquainted with young men. His popularity with the people is indicated by the long succession of honors in his career. He received prefer- ment in his home city and county before he came to Con- gress, more than 30 years ago, and no matter what the issue was against his party, his personal strength and popularity were always sufficient to insure his return to Congress. Here he advanced steadily in influence until he became the chairman of the most influential committee in the House, the great Ways and Means Committee, showing that his merit was duly appreciated and that his ability was recognized. While Mr. Payne was a partisan, he was honest in the discharging of his duties, as was evident in the framing of the great tariff bill which bore his name. It is but fair to state that the bill, as written by him, was a far fairer measure than it was when it became law, and that the changes made in it were generally contrary to his wishes and against his protest. [44] Address of Mr. Underhill, of New York His death has removed one of our ablest and most popular Members, and in his death Congress and the country have sustained a severe loss. It fell to my sad lot to be one of the congressional party that journeyed to Auburn to attend his funeral. The ceremonies were held in the Baptist Church where he had worshiped when at home throughout his entire life. They were simple, beautiful, and impressive, and everybody who was present on that occasion must have been im- pressed with the belief that Sereno Elisha Payne through- out his life had tried to live according to the Divine command. The loss of such a man is of great consequence to any country. Never in the history of our country have we needed Christian statesmen more than to-day, men who fear God and walk with him, as our former colleague did. In these days when men often rush madly after wealth, position, and power, God is too often forgotten. It can be truthfully said of our departed friend for whom these memorial eulogies are offered that he was a Christian statesman. His departure is sincerely mourned as a na- tional loss, and among those who associated with him and those who knew him best his memory will be cherished as a loyal and delightful friend, a congenial associate, a patriotic and devoted servant to his people, and a lover of his country. Death came to him without warning. He so lived that when his summons came to join The innumerable caravan which moves To that mysterious realm where each shall take His chamber in the silent halls of death, He went not like the quarry-slave at night, Scourged to his dungeon, but sustained and soothed By an unfaltering trust. [45] Address of Mr. Fordney, of Michigan Mr. Speaker: We meet to-day in memory of a man whose life was spent in bestowing on his fellow country- men the blessings of opportunity. He believed the great- est good that can be done to a healthy man is to give him a chance to earn his living and the greatest calamity that can befall him is to take from him his opportunity for daily work. With this idea ever in mind, he was able to crystallize it into laws that brought happiness to millions of Americans. Length of service in this House is a conspicuous honor achieved by few, and never except by deserving it. And on all the bright roll of famous American Representatives it is hard to find a name that shines with greater luster than that of Sereno E. Payne. He had within him a re- markable combination of fitting qualities that a discern- ing constituency were fortunate enough to recognize. The people of Mr. Payne's district in electing him to a genera- tion of membership here did a service to the country which is beyond human power to calculate, for they gave a great man the rare opportunity to carry to full fruition the results of broad constructive statesmanship. The present Speaker of the House gave him nothing more than just recognition when, on March 24, 1909, he said that Mr. Payne had become a great historical personage, and that — The history of the United States can not be written now and leave out the name of Sereno E. Payne, of New York. He takes his place in the company of Henry Clay, Robert J. Walker, Justin S. Morrill, William McKinley, William L. Wilson, and Nelson Dingley, as father of a great tariff bill, which must be referred to as long as men discuss the tariff in the United States, which, judging the future by the past, will be until Gabriel blows his trumpet. [46] Address of Mr. Fordney, of Michigan It is not difficult to see why Mr. Payne achieved this proud eminence. He never for a moment forgot the one great, central, overwhelming fact that this country can be happy and prosperous only by giving steady employment to its people at ample compensation. He knew, always, that it is folly to try to buy too cheaply if thereby an American is deprived of employment. His great mind was like a beacon light, forever warning of the hidden rocks that lie beneath the frothy breakers of free trade. He knew the disaster that always comes to a country when it takes bread from the mouth of labor at home by trying to buy abroad for less than free and manly labor is en- titled to receive. To this basic principle of protecting American manhood in the right to earn a living he ap- plied the resources of his luminous mind and wonderful memory. He served his tariff apprenticeship under Thomas B. Reed, William McKinley, and Nelson Dingley. He saw the ruin wrought by the visionary pilotage of William L. Wilson, when the industrial progress of this country suffered a head-on collision with bankruptcy, poverty, and starvation. He saw the values of railroad stocks shrink from par to 12 cents on the dollar, and the armies of the destitute recruited to millions of men as the result of bad tariff legislation. He saw the revenues of the Government fail and the Treasury balance shrink to a deficit because of the theorizing folly of those who guided the legislation of this Nation. Then he saw that army of hunger drive from power in this Capitol the enemies of prosperous employment, and he saw those hosts of misery change to millions of con- tented, hopeful, happy workers. He saw those depleted properties prosper once more till their stocks rose again to par. He saw the Treasury of the Nation filled again, and confidence shed its sunshine over all the land. And then, with the years of plenty, he saw the old men who knew these things pass away and young men arise [47] Memorial Addresses : Representative Payne who dreamed of power and who beheld rainbows in the clouds. He saw his party torn asunder in the effort to present to the country two Presidents at once, and he saw the dreamers again hold high place. Thus it was given to him to witness, in his own legislative career, a complete cycle, from the industrial destruction wrought in 1892-93 to the industrial stagnation and depression in 1913-14. And he was the only Member of the House of Representa- tives who survived the vicissitudes of those changing times. Of those Members who voted for the McKinley bill in this House in 1890, Mr. Payne alone remained to vote against the Underwood bill in 1913. Mr. Payne's devotion to the principles of protection was the foremost fact of his legislative career. His knowledge of the details of the subject was amazing. How vast that knowledge was, and how untiring his industry, no one can fully realize, except those of us who had the privilege of serving with him on the great Committee on Ways and Means. He also knew much about many other subjects, but he did not talk a great deal. His greatest speeches were five in number — on the McKinley, Wilson, Dingley, Payne, and Underwood bills, respectively. If every other speech ever made in Congress on the tariff should be lost, those five speeches by Mr. Payne would enable the states- men of the future to trace the tariff history of the United States, and the principles laid down by him would un- erringly point the way to individual and national pros- perity. He was not a polished orator in the rhetorical sense, but he had a remarkably direct and forcible way of stating things. He went directly to the heart of his subject, and so commanded instant attention. Thus, he began his speech on the Dingley bill, on March 23, 1897, as follows : Mr. Chairman, that we need more revenue would seem to be so self-evident a proposition that no man who has by accident or design been elected to a seat in Congress would dare deny it. If [48] Address of Mr. Fordney, of Michigan the gentleman from Missouri [Mr. De Armond], who has just taken his seat, or my colleague upon the committee from Ten- nessee [Mr. McMillin] would take pains some evening to consult the proprietor of the corner grocery store in the little villages in which they live, they would find that experience had taught this man in business that even a small groceryman, running his busi- ness for four years by borrowing at the end of each year sufficient capital to keep his head above water, could not forever continue in that condition of borrowing. And as I have been reading that speech, delivered nearly 18 years ago, it has seemed to me, Mr. Speaker, that it must have been written to apply to the conditions that exist to-day. I can not forbear to read one more brief extract. Listen: For some reasons, I could never exactly understand why, the people desired and obtained a change. They said it made no difference about the House of Representatives if it did go Demo- cratic; that the Senate would stand a bulwark against any tariff tinkering by the incoming administration. They were careless, and bitterly have they repented that carelessness in sackcloth and ashes since that fateful day. We had a Democrat in the White House; we had a Democratic House of Representatives, and finally, on the 4th of March, 1893, it was determined that we had a Demo- cratic majority at the other end of this Capitol. Confidence forsook the people. Business men began to pale before the prospect of that administration. Manufacturers dare not make their stock of goods for the succeeding market, and wage earners found that their employment and wages were un- certain under the new order of things. There was a prospect of lower duties; there was a prospect that if merchants could hold off their importations they might get them into the country at a less rate of duty. Importations ceased. Buying ceased, and under the influence of that administration, which was coming in like a black cloud over the industries of this country, they succeeded in cutting down the income under the McKinley bill so that for the year ending June 30, 1894, there was a deficiency of $69,000,000 in the revenue. Twelve years to a day after that speech was delivered, Mr. Payne completed the most remarkable oratorical 4094°— 10 4 [49] Memorial Addresses: Representative Payne effort that any of us has ever heard in this House, when, in a speech nine and one-half hours long, he explained in detail the Payne tariff bill, and answered freely every question put to him by every Member of the House, until all had asked him what they pleased. It was this exhibi- tion of mental and physical vigor that led Mr. Speaker Clark to say: There is another thing on which I congratulate the chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means, and I do it as honestly as I did the other, that during the course of these hearings and by his nine and one-half hours' speech he had knocked higher than a kite the idiotic theory of Dr. Osier. Mr. Payne was a delegate to six national Republican conventions, and in 1912 made an appeal for harmony and obedience to convention law which, if it had been heeded, would have prevented the split that elected Mr. Wilson. Mr. Speaker, time will not permit reference to the many incidents that crowd the memory of the older Members of the House, which remind us of the wisdom, the kind- liness, the ever-present sense of humor that characterized our beloved friend, whose greatness we are only begin- ning to realize. One of the greatest poets of antiquity boasted, truth- fully, that he had by his own words put forth a monu- ment more enduring than brass and higher than the Pyramids. The public utterances of Mr. Payne, preserved in our Record, form a monument to his memory, the magnificence of which will be recognized by our descend- ants when countless vears have flown. [50] Address of Mr. Mott, of New York Mr. Speaker : There are special personal reasons why I should have a few words of tribute to pay to the memory of Sereno E. Payne. Mr. Payne represented my home county of Oswego in the Forty-ninth Congress, and again in the Fifty-first and Fifty-second Congresses, after which a new apportionment was made. During that time he in- troduced several bills of local interest to my townsmen. Mr. Payne told my small son, when he met him last spring, that he was the fifth generation of my family he had known. He had not been in my home city of Oswego for 25 years until Thanksgiving eve, only a few days be- fore his death, when he addressed those gathered at a Republican dinner in what proved to be his last public speech. For the last year or two of his congressional career Mr. Payne was known as the " father of the House," being the oldest member here in point of service. But his few Republican colleagues from the State of New York liked to regard him more intimately as the father of our delega- tion. We did not merely call him that, but we treated him as such, and he was very good to us. If we had troubles of any sort or difficult problems to solve we took them to Mr. Payne, who was always ready to listen and to give a kindly word. Relieved of the great responsibility he had been carrying as chairman of the Ways and Means Com- mittee, he found time to enjoy things he had not had time for before. We had many meetings of one sort or an- other, and my visits with Mr. Payne will ever remain among the most precious memories of my stay here. Sereno E. Payne was a busy man during all his stay in Congress. He never spoke unless he had something to say, yet the records show that he made over a thousand [51] Memorial Addresses: Representative Payne speeches in the House. He began his committee service on two inconspicuous committees, but for the last 20 years he served on the Committee on Ways and Means, and for 12 years he was its chairman. In this position he gave his name to a great tariff bill, not only because he was chair- man, but because he really did the work of writing the bill as it passed the House. When he talked to the House about the tariff, he did not need a note or a written speech. He had all the facts in his wonderful mind ready to use as was necessary. He was the Republican floor leader under three Presidents — McKinley, Roosevelt, and Taft — and did valiant service for our party in that capacity. Only four days before his own death he announced on the floor the death of our colleague, Representative Merritt, and on the very day he passed away he spoke briefly on the schools of Washington. Truly it can be said of him that he died as he would have wished — in the harness and serving the country until the very last hours. Sereno E. Payne was a keen partisan. He believed in parties and in party government. He believed in his own party, and his best thoughts were for its advancement. The great men of the party for years past were his inti- mate friends, and he was repeatedly honored in its coun- cils, State and National. For mam 7 years the State plat- forms of the Republican Party in New York were largely written by him, and in 1908 he was chairman of the com- mittee on resolutions at the national Republican con- vention. While it was as an expert on the tariff and allied questions that Mr. Payne was best known throughout the country, a study of the bills introduced by him shows his interest and activity in many other questions. He was the author of the Spanish-American War revenue act. Many years ago he introduced a bill for the American registry of foreign-built vessels owned by Americans, similar to that passed last summer. He was the author of [52] Address of Mr. Mott, of New York a number of other bills relating to our merchant marine, and the local needs of his district received his constant attention. For many years he gave unsparingly of his time, not only during the sessions of Congress but in the recesses as well, to the tariff, and it was as a result of this great labor that he was able to become, perhaps, the greatest authority on this question in Congress. Sereno E. Payne was a splendid example of the kind of men we need in American public life. He performed his duties unflinchingly. He did not care for what has come too frequently to be regarded as associated with our office- holders — literary bureaus, political agencies, and the many other helps — which so many deem necessary for the obtain- ing of applause and favor from the public. These were un- known to him; yet his district and his colleagues in the House of Representatives continued to honor and revere him for 30 years. He believed in organization, but he did not need help from any organization to hold his office. If he had personal ambitions, he was never willing to compromise or temporize to attain them. He did not know how to associate personal gain with the holding of public office. He won his fights because he led them armed with personal honesty, unswerving devotion to principle, and unremitting adherence to what he deemed the best interests of the country. The great leaders in the House of Representatives, of all parties, who served with Mr. Payne on the Committee on Ways and Means and so grew to know him intimately, can best testify as to the value of his services to the country. They had almost daily opportunity to see the evidences of his splendid mind and his thorough grasp of the many problems coming before that committee. Those of us from his own State and of his own party who have been closely associated with him in the present Congress bear witness as to his nobility of character, his loyalty and his devoted friendship, and to the kindly in- [53] Memorial Addresses: Representative Payne terest he always took in the junior members of his delegation. Although we shall miss his eloquent voice from this Hall and although his sympathetic heart will never beat again, his memory will remain with us for years to come and Sereno E. Payne will stand out as a type of the great men who have occupied seats in the House of Representa- tives and have played the most important part in its deliberations. He was not only honored and trusted to an unusual degree, but he was well beloved by all those who knew him. He had the dignity which goes with a lofty character, he had the sympathy which goes with an under- standing mind and a feeling heart. He had that abiding faith in the future of his country which goes with lofty patriotism. He kept the faith. [54] Address of Mr. Parker, of New York Mr. Speaker: On the 10th of last December there came to a close the long and useful life of Sereno E. Payne. It had been a life in which much had been accomplished, both for his generation and for his country, and it is most fitting that we, his companions and friends, should pause for a moment and pay tribute to his most illustrious memory. I think I can say without fear of contradiction that Mr. Payne represented the highest type of American man- hood. A man of tremendous force of character and energy, combined with a love and capacity for hard work, he gave his life and his talents to his country with no ex- pectation of reward except the conscientious belief that he was bettering the conditions under which the great American people lived. He was an ardent partisan and a hard fighter, but recog- nized by friend and foe alike as a fair fighter. During his long years of service he had had to do with all the great constructive legislation of the last generation, and on ac- count of his great mental capacity and capabilities for hard work his mind was a veritable storehouse for ac- curate and intricate information on almost any legislative subject, but particularly as to legislation that referred to economic questions; and this information which he had been a lifetime acquiring was freely given to friend and foe alike. There are many men in this House on both sides of the aisle who felt that they could freely go to Mr. Payne and ask and receive information which other- wise it would have taken arduous labor to have acquired, and many times this information has been used against him on the floor in the argument of a party adversary. [55] Memorial Addresses: Representative Payne I doubt if there is a man on the floor on either side of the aisle that did not feel that he had sustained a personal loss when Mr. Payne went to his final reward. His life and accomplishments can well be taken as the example and guide of any young man who is about to enter public life, for, while a strong partisan, no one ever questioned his absolute honesty of conviction and his own great personal honesty and integrity. Personally he was a kindly and fatherly gentleman; one who was universally beloved by his colleagues in the New York State delegation, and especially so by the younger men whose counselor and guide he always was. He would spend hours refreshing his memory to give accurate information to some of us younger men who lacked the experience and the knowledge to enable us to ascertain facts and figures, and he did it all with a cheer- fulness that won for him our highest esteem and affec- tion. We shall miss his cool, dispassionate judgment, his wise counsel, his unerring sagacity, and his vast informa- tion. His life is a valuable lesson to the boys of America. It illustrates fully that genius is the capacity for hard work. Brilliancy often discourages patient toil, while natural genius is ever a failure without eternal vigilance and constant effort. [56] Address of Mr. Platt, of New York Mr. Speaker: My acquaintance with Sereno E. Payne was of such comparatively short duration that I hesitate to speak of him in the presence of men who have known him long and intimately, many of whom have worked with him in the preparation of great measures and have fought with him in great legislative and political battles. I had perhaps met him once or twice at conventions in the State of New York, but can hardly say that I knew him until this Sixty-third Congress met in special session in the spring of 1913. Mr. Payne was for years a friend of my father, and I naturally sought him for advice and counsel when I became a Member of this House, and dur- ing the long summer of 1913, when the House of Repre- sentatives was waiting upon the action of the Senate and few Members were in Washington, except members of the two or three committees concerned in the pending legisla- tion, I was much with him and came to feel toward him a strong affection. From his conversation, with its remi- niscences of men and of former legislative and political events of importance, I learned much that was invaluable. His mind was richly stored with information upon all public questions, and he was always kindly and patient and ready to answer the many inquiries of a novice like myself. Nothing impressed me more than Mr. Payne's high patriotism and devotion to principle. He was a man who voted on every question that came before him as a Mem- ber of Congress in accordance with his own convictions. His example and his able and forceful expressions of the reasons for his convictions have been an invaluable tonic to the small minority of Republican survivors in this Con- [57] Memorial Addresses: Representative Payne gress. To them, and especially to the Republicans of the New York delegation, the death of Sereno E. Payne was an irreparable loss, and the loss is felt only in less degree by men of other parties. The Sixty-third Congress is in very large degree a Con- gress of new men, and the new men naturally became acquainted with each other a little more easily and rapidly than with the men of longer service. As I began to know Mr. Payne well I became particularly interested in the expressions of opinion of the younger men about me concerning him. There were men from the West, Progressives, Democrats, and even Republicans, who came into this Congress with the firm conviction that Sereno E. Payne was a "tool of the interests," an advocate of " special privilege," in league with the " malefactors of great wealth," and so forth, and they looked upon him with great suspicion. Mr. Payne had been grossly mis- represented in the heat of the campaign of 1912 by pub- lications and political orators, and it is extremely gratify- ing to know that he lived long enough to live down those misrepresentations among all who had an opportunity of knowing the man and of knowing the truth about him and about his work. Several of the younger Members whom I have mentioned told me long ago that they had completely changed their opinions when they came to know Mr. Payne. Their feeling of suspicion soon broke down, and with further acquaintance they came to re- spect, to admire, and to love the grand old man who had endured undeserved abuse so patiently and so uncom- plainingly, preserving his serenity, with his readiness to serve undiminished. A well-known Democratic Member of this House, first elected to the Sixty-second Congress, told me recently that he knew full well that he would never have been elected to Congress if the Payne tariff bill had become a law as Mr. Payne and his colleagues prepared it and first passed [58] Address of Mr. Platt, of New York it through the House of Representatives. No one could fairly have questioned, he said, the fact that the original Payne bill was a full compliance with the Republican platform pledges of 1908. The State of New York has lost a great leader in the death of Mr. Payne. I doubt if the public men of the State have realized the full worth of his counsel and influence. His courageous advocacy of good men and good measures often turned the scale at conventions and conferences of great importance, and his was frequently the influence which really accomplished things for which other men received most of the credit. He looked to the accomplish- ment, to the service he could render, not to the applause. [59] Address of Mr. Fitzgerald, of New York Mr. Speaker: The House of Representatives suffered a distinct loss in the death of Sereno E. Payne. He was one of its most notable and distinguished Members. His fame rested upon substantial accomplishments. I am unable at this time to review with that detail which it deserves the career of Mr. Payne in the House. The demands of the short session upon me give no opportunity for the preparation of such a tribute as I should be honored to express. I can only hope to have recorded an expression of my sincere esteem and keen appreciation of a very dearly cherished friend. My service in the House began in the Fifty-sixth Con- gress. The death of Mr. Payne leaves me the sole survivor of the 34 Representatives who were elected from the State of New York in 1898. Even then, 16 years ago, he had attained an enviable prominence in public life. Inti- mately identified with the preparation of several tariff laws, he was justly regarded as one of the best-informed men in the United States upon the tariff question. He was a man of profound industry, of wide informa- tion, and of unquestioned integrity. His assiduous atten- tion to duty was well illustrated by his constant attend- ance during the sessions of the House. Only upon ex- ceedingly rare occasions was his striking figure missed from its accustomed place, and then only when ill health or imperative committee work prevented his attendance in the House. His example can be emulated with profit by many Members, and if universally adopted as the rule by Members of the House would tend very greatly to facili- tate the business of the House. Convinced that the principles of Government advocated by the political party with which he was identified were [60] Address of Mr. Fitzgerald, of New York most likely to advance the prosperity and the happiness of the people, he sturdily advocated his political beliefs. In such discussions he was the intense partisan that strong men of intense convictions must necessarily be. Ad- versity did not discourage him. His views were not altered by shifting majorities or changes of political sentiment. All the time he remained sturdy and unyield- ing as the oak, vigorously controverting all contentions which were not in harmony with his views. I am of those who believe that the country is better served by such sturdy partisans. Honest in convictions, with accumulated stores of valuable information, they eventually bring forth from the strife of intellect results that advance most the country's welfare. Seldom do permanent acquisitions of value result from the alert public man who is overeager to adapt his views to every passing popular whim or fancy. Mr. Payne was a modest and a lovable man. During 16 years of association with him I came to know him in- timately and to cherish his friendship. His services to the country were distinguished and valuable. He had the respect of all men, the good will of opponents, the deep affection of his friends. His death deprives this House of the wisdom, the experience, the counsel of one of its most distinguished Members. He will linger long in the memory of many men who respected, admired, and loved him. [61] Address of Mr. Greene, of Massachusetts Mr. Speaker: When I became a Member of this House in 1898 Mr. Payne had been designated as Speaker by Speaker Reed, and he administered the oath of office to me. Speaker Reed was not present on that day, as I was then informed, because he did not wish to attach his name as Speaker to the bill which admitted the Hawaiian Islands to the United States. Within one hour from the time Mr. Payne administered the oath to me the yeas and nays were ordered, and I voted for the admission of the. Hawaiian Islands, and I have always considered it one of the best acts of my life. I was assigned by Speaker Reed to the Committee on the Merchant Marine and Fish- eries, of which committee Mr. Payne was then chairman. I have been a member of that committee ever since that time. The committee were considering a ship-subsidy bill when I became a member, and I became very much inter- ested in the testimony presented in that interest. In the succeeding Congress a ship-subsidy bill was reported to the House, which passed this body subsequently, but it failed of passage in the Senate because of a filibuster similar to the one that is now meeting the project of a ship-purchase bill which originated with the President of the United States. I became somewhat familiar with Mr. Payne on account of being associated with him on the committee and be- cause we were nearly of the same age, and both of us had been lifelong Republicans. We talked matters over together very freely. In 1880 I was sent as a delegate to the Republican convention, which was one of the memor- able conventions, where the contest was between Grant and Blaine and which finally resulted in the nomination and election of President Garfield. [62] Address of Mr. Greene, of Massachusetts During the activities of that campaign there appeared in the opening to be some doubt as to whether the Republican Party would be successful. The result of the campaign of 1876 was of such a complex character that the question of determining the result of the election was settled by the appointment of an electoral commission, and on account of the controversy resulting therefrom there seemed to be some grave doubt as to whether the Republican Party would be successful in that campaign; but a chance remark spoken by the Democratic candidate in the campaign, wherein he stated that the tariff was a local issue, made an entire change on the face of the situation. My own city, which never has cast a majority for any candidate except a Republican candidate, was at that time in a realm of doubt, but upon that expression of Gen. Hancock the Republicans thought if it were a local issue they would make it a local issue, with the result that my city gave a very handsome majority for President Garfield, and the tariff issue overshadowed all other ques- tions in the general issue of the campaign throughout the country. Mr. Payne and myself frequently spoke of the general result of that election, and of the vital issue that determined it. Neither of us believed that the tariff ques- tion would cease to be a controverted question between the contending political parties until long after our days on earth should be numbered. The only time in the life of the Republican Party since 1854 that the Democratic Party has ever been able to have a plurality in that great manufacturing city was in the campaign of 1912, when the Republican Party was divided. I recall another time when Mr. Payne presided in this House. In February, 1899, there was a very severe snow- storm, the most severe that I had ever seen, although I had lived in the North all my life. There were about 50 Members who came to the House that day, and I was one [63] Memorial Addresses : Representative Payne of that number. I had an experience that I never had before. I froze both ears in that storm. Mr. Payne was elected Speaker for that day, Speaker Reed not being present. The means of conveyance for Members to come to the Capitol were very limited. Some Members came in tip carts, but I walked, a track having been broken by the street railroad company, although they could not move any cars. I watched Mr. Payne's career in this body with a great deal of interest. In the matter of the Payne-Aldrich Tariff Act, as it is known, if Mr. Payne himself could have written that tariff bill ac- cording to his own ideas, it would have been a very much broader bill even than it was when he reported it to the House. After it passed from this House to the Senate many changes were made in that bill, which caused the principal difficulties and misunderstandings which aroused severe opposition that the friends and believers in the bill could not seem to overcome. But I recollect particularly that Mr. Payne stated when presenting the bill to the House that it would be a great revenue pro- ducer, and he said also that it would be a means of open- ing up our foreign trade. Every word he had stated in his remarks before the House was fully verified by the results of the bill that was finally enacted into law, for we had the greatest development of our industries and the largest domestic trade under that bill, and the largest foreign trade, that has ever been recorded in the pages of history. In the lapse of time I became chairman of the Com- mittee on the Merchant Marine and Fisheries of the House. I did not hold that position long, for the change in the political status of this House in 1910 caused me to be retired from the chairmanship; but I have still re- mained a member and have taken an active interest in the work of that committee, and I frequently conferred with Mr. Payne during this session of Congress in regard [64] Address of Mr. Greene, of Massachusetts to the ship-purchase bill that was reported out of the committee in September, 1914, and that still remains, safely reposing in the Committee on Rules of this House awaiting, I presume, action in the Senate. I never had written a minority report in opposition to any legislation in that committee until I wrote the minority report upon this shipping bill providing for Government ownership, for the reason that the gentleman who now presides over that committee, and who was associated with me during the time that I was chairman of that committee, Judge Alexander, of Missouri, had been so fair and open in all the work that he presented in the committee that I deemed it unwise to make factious op- position to any legislation that he thought was for the best interests of this House and of the country. My association with the Members of this House has been extremely pleasant. I have always been a strong believer in the policy of protection to American indus- tries, of which Mr. Payne was the ablest advocate. I was assigned by the Speaker to the sad duty as a member of the committee to attend the funeral and to pay the last tribute of respect to Mr. Payne at his home. When we left this city it was a very bleak day. Thei-e was a hard rainstorm, and it was very disagreeable indeed. When we arrived at his home city we found the ground covered with snow, the cold rather more extreme and severe than we had found it here. We were received by a committee of citizens, who demonstrated to us the affec- tion and esteem they bore to Mr. Payne in that dear old city where he lived, and where he had received so many honors during his long and honorable career. The schools on the day of his funeral were closed, as were also the business houses of the city, as a mark of respect to his great work and his active life among his people for so many years. I noticed Mr. Payne when he came into the House in December last year at the open- 4094°— 16 5 [65] Memorial Addresses : Representative Payne ing of this Congress and recognized that he seemed quite considerably changed, that he did not have his usual vivacious appearance, and yet when he participated in debates he seemed to be full of vigor and was able to handle himself with great credit to himself and the mem- bership of this House. I was very glad to hear the present Speaker of this House repeat what he said after Mr. Payne had finished his remarks in presenting the Payne bill to this House in 1909. It showed the broad spirit that the present Speaker has, and it was a very creditable tribute to the able and distinguished work that Mr. Payne did in the preparation of that bill and in the presentation of it to this House. I never have seen a bill of any character presented during my experience here that demonstrated such carefulness in its preparation, nor have I seen such a knowledge of all the material things contained in that great bill as was demonstrated by Mr. Payne during the nine and one-half hours that he occupied in laying out the beginning and continued to develop to the end of that great tariff bill. His name will go down in history as one of the great men of this country. His work will live and it will be ex- amined and used in the legislation which will yet be placed on the statute books when time and season shall bring about a change of policy of administration regard- ing the great questions of the tariff. I am glad to come here to-day to pay this tribute of re- spect, love, and veneration for this beloved man, who passed away so suddenly and who finished his work in this House, where his triumphs and successes had been the greatest. [66] Address of Mr. Mondell, of Wyoming Mr. Speaker: In the death of Mr. Payne the House mourns the loss of one of its oldest, ablest, and best be- loved Members; his family loses one whom they had every reason to love, respect, and honor; and the country one of its most useful, upright, and valuable citizens. It was my good fortune to know Mr. Payne well during my entire service in the House. He was one of those then in commanding position in the House I found kindly and considerate when I entered as a new Member, nearly 20 years ago. The acquaintance then made ripened into a regard which increased, at least on my part, continuously with the passing of the years; for our late friend was a man who, above all things, wore well. The better one knew him the better one liked him and the more one appre- ciated his sterling qualities. Sereno E. Payne will be most widely and longest re- membered as the author of the Payne tariff bill, though his work in connection with that legislation was but a fragment of the great volume of his highly important, long-continued, and valuable service in the House. Our friend suffered the fate that seems the lot of most sponsors for tariff legislation. He lived to see the measure that bore his name criticized, misrepresented, and anathematized the country over; to become a veri- table football of politics in a time of extraordinary polit- ical upheaval and disruption. While all of this must have been very painful to him, he gave comparatively little outward sign of his regret and disappointment. The bill was not everything that Mr. Payne would have had it, as we well know. Things might have been very different had it been more nearly in accord with his [67] Memorial Addresses: Representative Payne views. He was not, however, given to criticizing those whose views had differed from his own in the enactment of the legislation, and at no time seriously doubted the fundamental soundness of the measure. This is neither the time nor the place to discuss the merits or demerits of legislation; hut I am sure that no one, whether they agreed with him or not, ever begrudged our departed friend the satisfaction that he felt, for a considerable time prior to his death, in what he believed to be a practical demonstration of the soundness of the bill which bore his name and of the unwisdom of its repeal. There are many of the finest products of nature that improve with age. In the main they are products that were always good, always wholesome, and time slowly, gradually, and almost imperceptibly enriches, mellows, and strengthens them. It pleases me to think that this de- sirable development which nature reserves for her best and rarest products was exemplified in the life and char- acter of our friend. We always knew him as honorable, upright, conscientious, able, loyal, and as the years passed there came to him, it seems to me, in increasing measure a kindly philosophy, which embraced all mankind, and a wider tolerance of the views and opinions of others, how- ever widely they differed from his own, than character- ized his earlier and more active years. There is a wide difference of opinion among men as to what constitutes the most desirable theater and setting for our last days on earth and our answer to the inevitable summons to another sphere of activity; but the better judgment of mankind seems most to incline to an ex- perience of usefulness and helpful activity until the hour of our departure shall strike, and to the hope of a peace- ful and painless passing into the shadows. From this viewpoint of a desirable ending to a life of usefulness our late friend was most fortunate indeed in [68] Address of Mr. Mondell, of Wyoming the manner of his approach to and his passage through the portals. To the very day of his death he occupied his accustomed place in the halls of legislation, with a mind as clear and logical and a memory as dependable as ever; with a body free from any serious taint, malady, or weak- ness of age. Thus, without lingering pain or illness, with honors thick upon him, in the midst of useful labors, respected by all, loved by those who knew him best, a good man, a faithful citizen, a devout Christian, having lived more than the allotted span of life and set an ex- ample which we may all well emulate, he passed to his reward. Blessed are those whose ways are the ways of upright- ness, whose days are days of usefulness, and who, answer- ing the last summons, die in the Lord. Thus lived and thus died our friend. [69] Address of Mr. Parker, of New Jersey Mr. Speaker: I only wish to say a word or two as a personal tribute to a friend. I came back to Congress on the 7th of December, and on the 10th of December Mr. Payne passed away, dying in harness and in the service of his country as truly as any soldier; and if it is sweet and fair to die for one's country, his was that end. He was devoted to that service. Nothing turned him from it. We could say of him, as was said of another, that he was not greedy for gold or feverish for gain, but went about his work knowing that " man's honest will must heaven's good grace command." I had known him for 16 years. When I met him first he was in his prime, just over 50, buoyant in life, broad in mind, strong in courage, large in heart, what can be truly called a great and not a small man — great in every respect that makes a man. So he remained, as our friend from Wyoming has just said, only mellowing with time into a kindliness that was felt by every Member of this House and that made them all his friends. There was a difference when I came back. He seemed to be thinking more of the past; he seemed always to have in his mind the touch of a vanished hand and the sound of a voice that is still, and we did not so much lament when we found that he was gone where he could be happy once more. There is one trait of his character that has not been touched upon. We know that he was unselfish and de- voted. His self-abnegation in his devotion to duty was very marked. I really had forgotten, until I looked over the old records of the House, that he had been the senior mem- [70] Address of Me. Parker, of New Jersey ber of the Committee on Ways and Means when his party came into power in 1895, and that he was not then made the chairman of that committee. But no man would have found that out from anything that he said or did. His devoted friendship to that great man. Nelson Dingley, who was put at the head of that committee, was a marked and wonderful thing in all of his service from that year down to the time of Mr. Dingley's lamented death. Mr. Payne thought nothing of self. He went on with his work and came into his own. He proved the adage, " Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." And as years went on, and now that he has gone to his reward, we can also say of him more forcefully than of most others that we have known here, " Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." [71] Address of Mr. Sloan, of Nebraska Mr. Speaker: Sereno E. Payne has passed. In his pass- ing the credit side of this great body has been more than ordinarily diminished. He occupied and filled a place which caucus action, conference decree, or official ap- pointment could not confer. He was the "Father of the House." But we who knew him do not dwell upon his age or length of service. He had been the chairman of the Ways and Means Com- mittee, the greatest legislative committee in the republics of the world. He was its ranking minority member when the summons came. He was not usually referred to as either of these. Supporter and opponent, the press and public, knew him as Sereno Payne. These positions he adorned; him they did not exalt. Four years I knew him as a young Member to whom on occasion he had kindly spoken. However, public print and picture had given me an estimate which was not greatly modified by personal contact. Eulogies are spoken and epitaphs carved for men who have opened new fields, evolved new theories, or di- rected revolutions. Sereno Payne's fame will not be so honored. His just claim for remembrance and distinc- tion will rest largely upon the careful study, clear con- ception, and enthusiastic advocacy of that already ex- istent which he believed to be sound and knew to be good. He might properly be characterized a defender of the faith rather than a reformer or crusader. Had he been a military man he would have chosen to defend the home and citadel rather than campaign for foreign conquest. In this great body are all conceivable shades and colors of forensic talent, sometimes rising to genius — the word painter, the master of pathos, the adept at sarcasm and [72] Address of Mr. Sloan, of Nebraska invective, the reveler in humor and wit, the student of detail, the repository of history, the cold, uncompromis- ing logician, the magnetic personality, and the dramatic declaimer. Sereno Payne had his distinctive power. He stood at the head of this House in the comprehensive mastery, with ability to deliver with maximum force the controlling facts affecting the controversy. A Jove-like presence, a lifetime of study behind him, confident of the rectitude of his cause, he carried conviction to his col- leagues which often swept over and beyond the party aisle. During the last campaign I was asked by a newspaper of his district for something that Payne had done for the farmers that it might be published in his behalf. I sent a copy of that part of the law bearing his name, relating to that industry in whose prosperity he was always con- cerned. It was sent; not what Payne had said, but the highest evidence of what Payne had accomplished and believed in. I remember well the rich glow of pleasure which suffused his face when I told him what had been done. His statute, their experience; he was content to abide their judgment. Partisan? Yes. The great characters of the nations nearly always have been. Narrow in partisanship? No. His partisanship seemed to be of that degree and extent which made a compact, virile, responsible organization, a reliable and efficient means for the accomplishment of his country's good. The culminating accomplishment of his career, the great law which bears his name, modified in another body beyond his wishes, became the storm center of criticism which would have broken a weaker man supported by a less loyal constituency. My four years in this House witnessed a marvelous change which must have, in recent months, been gratifying to Sereno Payne. That law anathematized by partisans, ridiculed by opponents, un- [73] Memorial Addresses: Representative Payne defended by friends — Sereno E. Payne stoutly stood for its general wisdom and expedience. Since the last vote of confidence which his people gave him, he remained long enough here to see that no more reproaches were cast upon that measure, and when he last defended it his de- fense remained unanswered. I do not at this time discuss its merits or demerits. What I have said was intended to show the pride and satisfaction he must have felt upon the apparent reversal of public sentiment upon a work to which he had given the best of a life of industry, honesty, patriotism, and far more than ordinary mental power. Like the lawgiver of old, he was denied entry to the land of promise — restored power of his party — but the full view from Nebo's height must have been gratify- ing, indeed. He was steadfast in his confidence that people when well counseled would arrive at a wise judgment. He was more so in the ultimate mercy, righteousness, and judgment of the great Father whom he served and adored. His last hour was in communion with Him " who doeth all things well." The Sacred Book was open be- fore him when his eyes were sealed from earthly vision, but they were opened to the endless beauties and sub- limities of the eternal. In that Book he had often found solace for his sorrow, comfort for his bereavement, inspiration for his conflict, hope for his ambition, and faith in the promise of that final reward which awaits a well-spent life. If his life had been an object lesson to all who would serve their country the circumstances of his death adds the final touch. It makes the Christian statesman the highest appellation we can give to those who serve their State or country. [74] Address of Mr. Wallin, of New York Mr. Speaker: A deserved tribute in memorial of the late Sereno E. Payne is a task for men who knew him more intimately than did I, and whose command of terms of admiration, whose opportunities for close inspection and familiarity with his many strong and nohle charac- teristics were better than my own. Before I came to Congress I knew Mr. Payne slightly and, in common with all thinking men of the State of New York, ranked him as one of our most able and sturdy citizens. His work in this House early attracted attention and grew more and more conspicuous as he laid before the country his views, especially as to the question of the revenues, on which he became an expert. Out of his close study and wide experience he gave us the Payne tariff law, and the day it was signed was un- doubtedly the proudest and most satisfactory period of his life as a legislator. His work had its reward in the tide of prosperity which swept over this Nation as a result of his labors and the expression in practice of his long, patient, and careful study and effort. He was justly jealous of this measure and defended it ably and con- vincingly on many occasions on and off this floor. Though superseded by a hostile administration and ma- jority, it to-day stands and will ever stand as a monument to him, its originator, as one of the most successful, most clearly drawn, most comprehensive and able documents of its character enacted in the history of the United States Congress. Closer acquaintance and relation convinced me that one of Mr. Payne's strongest qualities was faithfulness. He was faithful to every detail of life, great or small. His attendance in this House to within a few hours of Ins [75] Memorial Addresses: Representative Payne death was an example of this great and admirable at- tribute which he possessed. As a husband and father he was faithful, loving, generous, and wise. As a friend he was helpful, ready, and kind. Always gentlemanly, solicitous, and quick to comprehend, he gave to his ac- quaintances more than he received of courtesy, gentle- ness, and consideration. In a word, Mi*. Payne was a man whose personality and accomplishments impressed themselves upon those whom he met in an unusual and pleasant manner. Deceit or equivocation he had not. He was an aristocrat of the old school, but never an autocrat in any sense. Success did not elate him beyond the ordinary plane, and failure did not place upon him, either in face or in mind, the mark with which it sometimes delights to disfigure an otherwise noble nature. Sereno Payne has been taken from us. He has been called home by a Father All-Wise and Omnipotent. His going is a loss to his district, his family, his friends, and, through this House, to the Nation. No really great man, such as was he, can pass away without leaving not only aching hearts, but a void in affairs which is a long time in the filling and a wound which is not soon healed. Particularly is this the case with a man of Mr. Payne's character and disposition. His daily life, sunny, radiating with friendship and kindness, we shall always admire and never forget. As a legislator, as a factor in affairs of his country, and at his home his career was at once an example and an inspiration. He was no laggard. He shouldered responsibilities and made history. Broad was his mind, keen his foresight, and brave and manly his course along right lines. His constituents recognized his good qualities and his prominence and returned him here to serve them and the country, with but one break, for over a quarter of a century. Peace to his ashes. We shall, indeed, miss him. [76] Address of Mr. Moore, of Pennsylvania Mr. Speaker : Our modern conception of human great- ness sometimes induces us to underestimate the public services of unusual men who are around and about us, and to unduly exaggerate the merits of those whose fame has been made illustrious by time and history. And yet to-day there are great men rendering public service with as much patriotism and as much ability as is generally and historically conceded to those who have gone before, the difference being that they are less conspicuous in the popular mind to-day because they are more numerous than they were a century or more ago. Of Sereno E. Payne there are critics who might say he was not a great man. Our modern spirit of iconoclasm, and that familiarity which makes it impossible for the modern mind to realize that greatness of human intellect like the growth and development of the world's resources, exceed all in preceding centuries, may in some degree account for it. But that Sereno E. Payne possessed ele- ments of greatness which, upon the strength of his re- corded works, at some belated day may give him that niche in history which is vouchsafed to few, may not be denied. Mr. Payne was a product of American soil and he grew up and developed in the environment surrounding his place of birth. He advanced step by step, after the fashion of the typical American boy, until he was sent to be a spokesman for the people in the House of Repre- sentatives. His long and faithful services here brought to him a distinction for industry and devotion to the public welfare that all men might envy. He led the charge to victory, and in many battles received and turned [77] Memorial Addresses: Representative Payne the assault. He stood for the principles in which he believed and so well sustained them that the whole Nation came to look upon him as a champion to be relied upon in times of adversity as well as in times of prosperity. He had the public confidence. What greater honor can come to an American citizen than this? Before I came to Congress, having faith in the economic principles for which Mr. Payne contended, I had come to regard him as one of the great men in our national life. He was the central figure of the Ways and Means Com- mittee shaping tariff legislation. I had read of him as one who could keep his own counsel; as one who could be intrusted with the custody and determination of ques- tions vital to the welfare of industries and communities, and who could turn aside with a smile those who would disturb or thwart the work of his committee. When I arrived in Congress and found it was necessary to con- sult Mr. Payne upon many questions affecting the welfare of industries in my city and State, I found him in fact the strong, firm character about whom I had read, but courteous withal and determined that the scales of justice as between the conflicting elements should be evenly ad- justed. I had occasion to observe the careful and pains- taking work which he took upon himself to do in the shaping of the Payne tariff law. It was in the completion of this task that he again revealed those elements of great- ness, which even the minority members of the committee, on more than one occasion, conceded to him. If there be those who believe that Mr. Payne was not entirely satisfied with the great work to which his name has been attached, let it be remembered that the effect of the Payne tariff law, no matter how men may have differed as to its separate schedules, was not to detract from the progress or prosperity of the country, but to advance it to its highest state of achievement. [78] Address of Mr. Moore, of Pennsylvania When the Payne law was repealed and the general who had led the hosts to victory was called upon to cover the retreat he was still forceful, still brave, still great. He did not hesitate to defend the principles for which he stood, even though defeated, but took up the gage of battle and cheerfully and faithfully continued to fight just as he did when the tide was in his favor. Mr. Speaker, it was an honor to serve on the Ways and Means Committee with Sereno E. Payne. When I was added to the minority in that committee I took up the work with respect and reverence for our distinguished leader. To him it was necessary to appeal upon disputed points. To him it was wise to go when ti'oubled by doubts. And, oh, what a relief it was, when controversies arose in committee or on the floor of the House, to have this towering giant of the protective policy rush to the rescue. In such emergencies his knowledge and experience were invaluable. Though I came to know Mr. Payne far better than I had hoped, the genuine respect I entertained for him in the beginning continued until the end. The better I knew him, indeed, the greater I respected him. And when, on the morning after his death, I gazed upon his rigid body as it lay in his apartments in this city, majestic even in death, I was grateful that I had served with him, for I felt that a great public servant — one who would long be remembered — had been called to his reward. And when, Mr. Speaker, you were pleased to add me to the committee to escort his mortal remains to the beautiful town of Auburn, to be laid away under the sod and the snow in the local hilltop cemetery, I knew I was not mistaken. For in the town where his early life had been spent and in the church where he worshiped I had witnessed the poignant regret and sorrow of a people who knew him best and whose trust in him had never been shaken. Monuments to great men may tower high in [70] Memorial Addresses: Representative Payne public places where the multitude can come to see and admire them, but no memorial of granite or bronze is more to be desired than the love and esteem of the " home folks" — and these, we learned on that sad journey, had been earned, and retained through all his earthly battles, by our lamented colleague, Sereno E. Payne. [801 Address of Mr. Danforth, of New York Mr. Speaker: We have met this morning in memory of a great man — one whose greatness was shown at its best by the manner in which he lived his life from day to day and from year to year, performing each day his full and exact duty as he saw it in all its details. He was a devoted husband and father, a steadfast friend, a public- spirited citizen, a conscientious official, and representa- tive of the people. Sereno Elisha Payne was born at Hamilton, N. Y., in 1843, and was graduated from the University of Rochester, N. Y., in 1864. In that institution it was his privilege to study under a remarkable teacher, Martin B. Anderson, then president of the university, and he was fond of quoting a precept of that eminent educator, " Bring some- thing to pass, young man," and how thoroughly he ab- sorbed and lived up to that injunction his after life is proof. He was admitted to the bar in 1866, and thereafter practiced his chosen profession in the city of Auburn. In 1868 he became city clerk and held that position until 1871, when he served as supervisor for one term. From 1873 he was for six years district attorney of Cayuga County, and in the many important cases he tried he was noted for the skill and fairness he showed as prosecuting officer. He was then, in 1879, elected president of the board of education of Auburn, and after holding that office for three years he was chosen for what proved to be his life work — Representative in Congress; and with the exception of one term he was returned regularly and had been reelected again in November, 1914. His alma mater and Colgate University honored him and themselves by conferring upon him the degree of doctor of laws. 4094°— 16 6 [81] Memorial Addresses: Representative Payne In all the offices he held before coming to Washington he did his work so thoroughly that each was but a step- ping stone to the next, and this early acquired habit of complete devotion to the task at hand proved to be the secret of his success here. For 25 years a member of the great Committee on Ways and Means, he studied and became an expert on the sub- ject of the tariff. In the preparation of the McKinley and Dingley bills he was an important factor, and as chair- man of the committee he framed the bill in 1909 which bore his name. No better illustration of the mental and physical endurance of the man could be given than the labor involved in preparing in one lifetime three tariff bills and his complete mastery of such an intricate and complex subject. But this capacity for close study and persistent application might not have brought to him pre- eminence in this subject had he not been blessed with a most retentive memory. Mr. Payne was a master of debate, always ready and sometimes in his zeal giving hard blows, but I believe his adversaries, though vanquished, seldom bore him lasting grudge for their defeat. It was my good fortune to secure a seat next his when I became a Member of this body, and what had been but an acquaintance ripened into a true friendship, and, as opportunity served to let me know him better, I readily understood how he had attained the predominating posi- tion he enjoyed in the councils of the Republican Party, of which he was always a stanch and devoted member, and also how he came to have so many friends in the ranks of both parties. His public life had been so long and had been lived in such an eventful period of our country's history that an evening passed in his company when he was wont to re- view the events in which he had taken part was always one of deep interest, and his audience was certain to be [82] Address of Mr. Danforth, of New York thrilled by his recitals. I deem myself singularly fortu- nate in having enjoyed many such evenings in the past four years. He is and will be missed by many friends, but the memory of his life and deeds will be cherished by those friends, and they will have the consoling thought that he died without protracted illness or suffering, retaining to the end his full mental vigor and the power to enjoy with them the simple pleasures of which he was so fond. [83] Proceedings in the Senate Friday, December 11, 191'f. A message from the House of Representatives, by J. C. South, its Chief Clerk, communicated to the Senate the intelligence of the death of Hon. Sereno E. Payne, a Representative from the State of New York, and trans- mitted resolutions of the House thereon, including an invitation to the Vice President and the Senate to attend the funeral of the deceased Representative in the House of Representatives, to be held on Sunday, December 13, 1914, at 11 o'clock a. m. The Vice President. The Chair lays before the Senate resolutions from the House of Representatives, which will be read. The Secretary read the resolutions, as follows: In the House of Representatives, December 11, 1914. Resolved, That the House has heard with profound sorrow of the death of Hon. Sereno Elisha Payne, a Representative from the State of New York. Resolved, That a committee of the House be appointed to take order for superintending the funeral of Mr. Payne in the House of Representatives at 11 o'clock a. m. on Sunday, December 13, 1914, and that the House of Representatives attend the same. Resolved, That as a further mark of respect the remains of Mr. Payne be removed from Washington to Auburn, N. Y., in charge of the Sergeant at Arms, attended by the committee, who shall have full power to carry these resolutions into effect, and that the necessary expenses in connection therewith be paid out of the contingent fund of the House. Resolved, That the Clerk of the House communicate these pro- ceedings to the Senate and invite the Vice President and the Sen- ate to attend the funeral in the House of Representatives and to appoint a committee to act with the committee of the House. Resolved, That invitations be extended to the President of the United States and the members of his Cabinet, the Chief Justice [85] Memorial Addresses: Representative Payne and Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States; the Diplomatic Corps (through the Secretary of State), the Admiral of the Navy, and the Chief of Staff of the Army to attend the funeral in the House of Representatives. Resolved, That as a further mark of respect this House do now adjourn. In accordance with the foregoing resolution the Speaker ap- pointed the following committee: Mr. Fitzgerald, Mr. Underwood, Mr. Mann, Mr. Jones, Mr. Talbott of Maryland, Mr. Cooper, Mr. Gillett, Mr. Bartholdt, Mr. Bartlett, Mr. Butler, Mr. Greene of Mas- sachusetts, Mr. Hamilton of Michigan, Mr. Mondell, Mr. Fordney, Mr. Murdock, Mr. Gardner, Mr. Moore, Mr. Kitchin, Mr. Rainey, Mr. Dixon, Mr. Hull, Mr. Hammond, Mr. Sloan, Mr. Brown of New York, Mr. O'Leary, Mr. Wilson of New York, Mr. Dale, Mr. Maher, Mr. Calder, Mr. Griffin, Mr. O'Brien, Mr. Metz, Mr. Riordan, Mr. Goldfogle, Mr. Levy, Mr. Conry, Mr. Dooling, Mr. Carew, Mr. Patten of New York, Mr. Chandler of New York, Mr. Cantor, Mr. George, Mr. Bruckner, Mr. Goulden, Mr. Oglesby, Mr. Taylor of New York, Mr. Piatt, Mr. McClellan, Mr. Ten Eyck, Mr. Parker of New York, Mr. Wallin, Mr. Mott, Mr. Talbott of New York, Mr. Fairchild, Mr. Clancy, Mr. Underhill, Mr. Dunn, Mr. Danforth, Mr. Gittins, Mr. Smith of New York, Mr. Driscoll, Mr. Hamilton of New York, and Mr. Loft. Mr. O'Gorman. Mr. President, I have to convey to the Senate the sad intelligence of the death of an illustrious citizen of the State of New York, who was concluding his thirtieth year of useful and distinguished service in the House of Representatives, the Hon. Sereno E. Payne. In connection with this announcement I submit the resolu- tions which I send to the desk, and ask their adoption. The Vice President. The resolutions will be read. The resolutions (S. Res. 499) were read, considered by unanimous consent, and unanimously agreed to, as follows : Resolved, That the Senate has heard with profound sorrow the announcement of the death of Hon. Sereno Elisha Payne, late a Representative from the State of New York. Resolved, That a committee of 10 Senators be appointed by the Vice President, to join a committee appointed by the House of [86] Proceedings in the Senate Representatives, to take order for the superintending of the funeral of the deceased. Resolved, That the Senate accepts the invitation of the House of Representatives extended to the President of the Senate and the Senate to attend the funeral of the deceased to be held in the Hall of the House of Representatives at 11 o'clock a. m. on Sunday next, December 13, 1914. Resolved, That the Secretary communicate a copy of these resolutions to the House of Representatives. The Vice President appointed under the second resolu- tion as the committee on the part of the Senate Mr. Root, Mr. O'Gorman, Mr. Clark of Wyoming, Mr. Martine of New Jersey, Mr. Brandegee, Mr. Ashurst, Mr. Lodge, Mr. Smith of Georgia, Mr. Nelson, and Mr. Bankhead. The Vice President. The Chair notices that in the reso- lutions of the House the Vice President, among others, is invited to attend the funeral ceremonies of the late Repre- sentative from the State of New York. That the Vice President may not be conspicuous by his absence, it is necessary to state that he has an engagement for Sunday next, which will call him out of the city on that day. The Vice President does not desire that his absence should be taken as a mark of disrespect to the deceased or of any discourtesy to the invitation. Mr. O'Gorman. Mr. President, I move, as a further mark of respect to the memory of the deceased, that the Senate do now adjourn. The motion was unanimously agreed to; and (at 1 o'clock and 30 minutes p. m.) the Senate adjourned until to-morrow, Saturday, December 12, 1914, at 12 o'clock meridian. Saturday, December 12, 191b. The Chaplain, Rev. Forrest J. Prettyman, D. D., offered the following prayer: Almighty God, we know Thee in the renewing of our lives as we seek the center and source of all truth. Our [87] Memorial Addresses: Representative Payne approach into Thy presence is the gateway into that in- finite calm and peace for which our spirits were made. Glorify Thyself in this moment of prayer that out of it we may carry the glory and fervor of divine inspiration. A day in Thy court is better than a thousand. A moment's lifting up of our hearts to God gives to us an outlook of infinite possibility. The Nation is called upon to-day to mourn the loss of a statesman. We bless God for laying His hand upon men who are furnished for every good word and work. We thank Thee that in the infinite depths of life there is a unity of brotherhood. We bless Thee that our traditions hold us not so strong as our brotherhood, and that a com- mon loss is felt in the falling of a servant of the people. Grant, we pray Thee, still to raise up men whose character may stand the test of public life and in whose patriotism the Nation can rest secure. Add Thy blessings to us this day. For Christ's sake. Amen. Mr. Root submitted the following resolution (S. Res. 500), which was read, considered by unanimous consent, and agreed to: Resolved, That when the hour of 3 o'clock this afternoon ar- rives the Senate take a recess until to-morrow, Sunday, December 13, at 10 o'clock and 45 minutes a. m., in order to proceed in a body to the House of Representatives to attend the funeral serv- ices of the late Sereno E. Payne. The Vice President. Inasmuch as the Senator from New Hampshire [Mr. Gallinger] was not in the Chamber on yesterday when the Chair appointed the committee on the part of the Senate to attend the funeral of the late Repre- sentative Payne, the Chair now desires to appoint him as a member of that committee on account of his long serv- ice in the House of Representatives with the deceased Representative. [88] Proceedings in the Senate Sunday, December 13, 191k. (Legislative day of Saturday, Dec. 12, 191k.) The Senate reassembled at 10 o'clock and 45 minutes a. m. on the expiration of the recess. The Presiding Officer (Mr. Thornton in the chair). In conformity with the resolution of the Senate accepting the invitation of the House of Representatives to participate in the funeral services of the late Representative Sereno E. Payne, of New York, to take place to-day, the Senate will proceed in a body to the Hall of the House of Representa- tives. At the conclusion of the ceremonies there the Sen- ate will return to its Chamber, when the proper motion for an adjournment will be made. The Sergeant at Arms will execute the order of the Senate. Thereupon (at 10 o'clock and 47 minutes a. m.) the Senate, headed by the Sergeant at Arms and preceded by the Presiding Officer and the Secretary, proceeded to the Hall of the House of Representatives. The Senate returned to its Chamber at 11 o'clock and 46 minutes a. m. and Mr. Thornton resumed the chair. Mr. O'Gorman. I move that the Senate adjourn. The motion was agreed to, and (at 11 o'clock and 47 minutes a. m.) the Senate adjourned until to-morrow, Monday, December 14, 1914, at 12 o'clock meridian. [89] TRIBUTES By the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representative s Whereas by Divine Providence, our beloved colleague, Sereno E. Payne, was called from us to his lasting rest on December 10, 1914: Resolved, That we, the members of the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives, of which committee he was chairman for 12 years, express our deep regard for this illustrious man. For nearly a third of a century he was selected by the people of New York to represent them in Congress, where, on account of his long and faithful service, he was known as the " Father of the House." His power of mind and consistent course made him a leader among men. He was strong in his reasoning and clear in his statement, which, with an undaunted courage, commanded the respect and admiration of all. He was upright in character and thoughtful of others, which won him true friendship and lasting affection. Resolved, That we extend our heartfelt sympathy to his bereaved family. Their sorrow is ours. His life was an inspiration to all who had the privilege of witnessing his work and worth; his departure is a severe loss to his friends, his State, and his country, who will long cherish his memory. Be it further resolved, That these resolutions be spread on the minutes of the committee and that a copy be sent to his family, whom he so dearly loved. (Signed) J. W. Fordney. A. Mitchell Palmer. Winfield S. Hammond. [91] By the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York At a term of the District Court of the United States for the Northern District of New York, held at the city of Auburn on the 11th day of December, 1914. Present: Hon. George W. Ray, judge. The court in announcing the death of Hon. Sereno E. Payne offered the following testimonial, which, upon motion, is ordered spread upon the minutes of the court: This court has learned with profound sorrow and deep regret of the death of the Hon. Sereno E. Payne, which occurred sud- denly yesterday in the city of Washington, where he was in attendance upon his public duties. Mr. Payne was not only an honored and respected member of this court, but of all the State courts of the State of New York and of the Supreme Court of the United States. His career at the bar was always honorable and upright. His ability as a lawyer was conceded by all. For 30 years Mr. Payne has been an honored, an able, and a respected Representative in Congress from the Auburn district, and for many years of that period he served as Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee of the House of Representatives, the most important committee in that great body. This fact of itself is a testimonial to his ability and the respect in which he was held by his fellows. It has fallen to the lot of but few men to com- mand the respect, esteem, and confidence of his neighbors and friends to the extent that almost without opposition he has been continued by their suffrages to occupy public office as their Rep- resentative for more than a quarter of a century. The test of his confidence is applied in the case of a Representative in Congress once each two years. Mr. Payne in all kinds of political weather and under all changes, and in the midst of all political storms, has withstood all criticisms brought against him. He always triumphed, and his victories were marked. Mr. Payne was a kind and a courteous gentleman. He was conscientious and honest, and made no pretense to be that which [92] Tributes he was not. He strode along the pathway of public service with the tread of a giant, and wherever he touched legislation he left finger marks which will be noted in the years to come by those who study the history of our Nation and its laws. In the halls of legislation he will be missed; in this city of Auburn, where he was loved and respected, and where he has lived so long, he will be missed; at the bar which he has adorned and among the members of the legal profession he will be missed. . There is a vacant chair, and it will never be filled. It is further ordered that a copy of the foregoing testimonial be forwarded to the son of Mr. Payne, and that this court do now adjourn in respect to his memory. Attest: [seal.] W. S. Doolittle, Clerk. [93] By the Cayuga County Bar Association At a term of the District Court of the United States for the Northern District of New York held at the city of Auburn on December 11, 1914. Present: Hon. George W. Bay, judge. Mr. E. C. Akin, representing the Cayuga County Bar Association, presents the following copy of a memorial adopted by said association, and it is ordered spread upon the minutes of the court and a copy thereof forwarded to the son of Mr. Payne : The members of the bar of Cayuga County record their pro- found appreciation of the life and labors which were brought to a close by the death of Sereno E. Payne. In his young manhood he became the district attorney of this county, which office he held for six years with great ability and success. A larger number of homicide cases were tried during his incumbency than during any similar period in the history of this county. As a ciril practitioner he excelled in the force and power of his appeals to the jury, as well as by the compre- hensive grasp of all the details of a case. Bringing his ripe experience as a lawyer into the service of the Nation, he was, in 1882, elected as a Representative of this district to Congress, a position which he held from that time, with the exception of a part of one term, until his death. In 1889 he was appointed a member of the Committee on Ways and Means, and in that capacity helped to frame the McKinley tariff bill of 1890, the Dingley bill of 1897, and the Payne tariff bill of 1909. He became chairman of the Ways and Means Committee and leader of the House in 1899, and continued in that capacity until 1911. This is said to be the longest period of service, both as a member and as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, in the history of Congress. From this length of service, his hard study, and his great ability it came to pass that no man in the country had so wide and deep a knowledge of the tariff and its effect upon industry as Mr. Payne. [94] Tributes Independent and courageous, he followed his convictions into action and voted against measures which he considered crude, unwise, wasteful, or extravagant. He was by nature conservative, and was one of those who acted as a balance wheel in the great legislative mill of Congress. His character was above reproach. No breath of suspicion ever came to cloud his unsullied reputation. Personally he was most kind, genial, and affable, but these qualities did not detract from his real greatness. His name will live in history, and it will be many years before this bar association will be called upon to do honor to so great a man. Attest: [seal.] W. S. Doolittle, Clerk. [95] By the Common Council of the City of Auburn, N. Y. It is difficult to pay fitting tribute to the late Sereno Elisha Payne — there is so much to be said about him that is good that it is puzzling to know where to begin, and the time at hand forbids such a recounting as his record deserves. To say that he was honest, courageous, capable, and indefatigable only furnishes the leads under which almost endless words might be written. From his early political life down through the long years, as city clerk, supervisor, district attorney, head of the local school board and, lastly, Representative of his district in the lower House of Congress, we find him the same faithful, efficient public servant. Mr. Payne rose to heights it is the lot of few men to attain. To be a Member of Congress is no small honor, but Mr. Payne was of a rare type of his day, a man of exceptional equipment, who never lost sight of the fact that his first duty was to his country, and he applied his tireless energies to the great tasks before him. He became a national figure, almost as well known in any part of the country as he was in his home city. He honored his position rather than the position honoring him. His loss will be keenly felt among his friends, in his home city and county, in his congressional district; his party will miss his wise counsel — but most of all the Nation will lose. Citizens of Auburn and Cayuga County have the peculiar satisfaction that one among them filled such a high office and the greater satisfaction that he was big enough for his big task. It is particularly fitting that this common council should add its feeble word of commendation. Mr. Payne for a [96] Tributes time filled the position of city clerk, and as such was clerk of the then common council, a predecessor of this body. It was his first public office, and it was there that his rare abilities and sterling honesty and faithfulness first came to public notice, and it furnished the stepping stone to a public life that has been a credit to both the man and the community in which he lived and has made his memory a thing imperishable. State of New York, County of Cayuga, city of Auburn, ss: I, J. S. Hanlon, city clerk of the city of Auburn, N. Y., do hereby certify that the annexed is a true and correct copy of a memorial unanimously adopted by the common council of said city at a meeting held December 12, 1914. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the corporate seal of said city this 30th day of December, 1914. [seal.] J. S. Hanlon, City Clerk. 4094°— 16 7 [97] By the Republican State Committee of New York Whereas it has pleased the Divine Ruler of the Universe to remove from his earthly sphere of activity and useful- ness Sereno E. Payne, and Whereas the deceased was one of the foremost states- men of this country, this State committee deems it fitting to take appropriate notice of his death. Sereno E. Payne was born in Hamilton, N. Y., June 26, 1843. He was graduated from the University of Rochester in 1864, was admitted to the bar in 1866, and then began the practice of law. He soon forged to the front in his profession by reason of his industry and activity. Early in life he became interested in politics. He held many positions of honor and trust in his home city and county, and was frequently elected a delegate to Republican State and national conventions. But his most conspicuous pub- lic service was rendered as a Member of the House of Representatives. He was a Member of that body for 30 years. For 12 years he was chairman of the Ways and Means Committee and Republican leader of the House, serving as Republican leader four years longer than any other man in the history of this country. He was a mem- ber of the Ways and Means Committee 24 years, breaking all records as a continuous member of that committee. He was the author of the Porto Rican tariff act, and in 1898 was elected Speaker pro tempore of the House and signed many important bills, including the act annexing Hawaii. He was a member of the Ways and Means Com- mittee when the Mills tariff bill, the Wilson tariff bill, the McKinley tariff bill, and the Dingley tariff bill were all [98] Tributes framed, and he was chairman of the Ways and Means Committee and author of the Payne tariff bill. He was a member of the committee when the present Underwood tariff law was framed, and was still a member at the time of his death. He was an acknowledged expert on the tariff question and one of the most influential Republican leaders in the Nation. Mr. Payne was a striking figure physically and intellectually. Intelligence, honesty, integ- rity, and courage were the corner stones of his character. Upon this magnificent foundation he erected a private and public career that will forever remain a rich legacy to his family, to his friends, and to his country, therefore be it Resolved, That in his death the country has lost one of its most influential and conspicuous statesmen, and the Republican Party one of its great leaders, and be it further Resolved, That we tender our sincere and heartfelt sympathy to the bereaved family of the deceased, and that a copy of these resolutions be inscribed upon the records of the State committee and a copy transmitted to his son. Charles H. Retts, Charles S. Rutler, Rertrand H. Snell, Committee. [99] h > w<7 |: *t«Ww LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 013 744 277 2