E ;:«<.".''U«.'i-f.; / s I LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, | » UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. i| ^y/. YOWfY/y^ ^^ /ff/// i(.ii-.-...i. KiiiJmiinii .V rriiilii J D ■f'l 48TII CoNGKKss, i HOKSE OF KEPKKSENTATIVKS. S Mis. Doc. 1st Session. >> ^ ^"- '*"• MEMORIAL ADDRESSES LTFE AND CHARACTER THOMAS ALLEN (A REPRESENTATIVE ri;(>M .MISSOUUI), I>KT.lVKUr.l) IX THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND IN THE SENATE, FOIM V-SKVKXTII CONGRESS, FIHST SESSION IMUMSIIKH MY ORDER OF CONORKSS. WASHINGTON: (loVKKNM KNT I'KlXIINli OFFICE. ISS4, 1 AL AX ACT to print rcrtain oiilnsiea ilL-liveicd in Congress upon tlie late Tlionias Allen. lie it enacted hi) the Senate and Hoiixe of nepresentatives of the rnited Stales of .1 tiierim hi Covgrevs anscmhled, That there be printed of the eulogies dellvcreil in Congress upon tlie late Thomas Allen, a member of the Forty-scventli Con- gress from the State of Missouri, twelve thousand copies of wliich four thou- sand shall be for the use of the Senate and eight thousand for the use of tlie House of Representatives; and the Secretary of the Treasury is hereby di- rected to have printed a portrait of said Thomas Allen to accom))any said eulogies ; and for engraving ami printing said portrait the siuii of five hun- dred dollars, or so much as may be necessary, is hereby aiipropriated out of any money in the TreasMiy not otherwise appropriated. Approved, April Id, lrt84. 2 ADDRESSES ON THE Death of Thomas Allen. PROCEEDINGS IN THE HOUSE. In thk HorsE of Representatives, April 8, 1882. Mr. Frost. Mr. Speaker, the sad duty devolves iiiioii me of an- nouneing to the House the deatli of my colleague, Hon. Thomas Ai,EEN, Representative from tlie second district of the State of Mis- souri. I offer the resolutions wliicii I send to the desk, and ask for their adoption. The Clerk read as follows : Besolred, That the House has heard with sincere regret the aTinouncenient of the death of Hon. Thomas Allen, late a Kepresentative from the Stat« of Missouri. nesolved ht/ the House of Representatives (the Senate eoncurrin;i), That a special Joint committee of seven Members and three Senators he a])pointed to take order for superintending the funeral and to escort the remains of the deceased to their last resting place, and all necessary expenses attending the execu- tion of this order shall he paid out of the contingent fund of the House. Resoh-ed, That the Clerk of the House communicate the foregoing resolu- tions to the Senate. Resolved, That, as a mark of respect to the memory of the deceased, this House do now adjourn. The question being taken on the re.solutious they were unani- iriduslv adopted ; and accordingly the Hou.se adjouriii<. Mr. Speaker: The committee selected by you under the order of this House to attend the funeral ceremonies of our deceased brother, Hon. Thomas Allex, of Missouri, have performed that .solemn dutv. We escorted his remains to liis native town, where they were temporarily deposited in his summer mansion l)uilt on the spot where once stood his grandliither's house, in which he was born. The funeral services were performed in the Congregational church of which his grandflither, Thomas Allen, was the first pa-stor, and we buried him beside his forefathers, in the family lot, in the cemetery of Pittsfield, Ma,ss. This is one of the most striking of the New England towns. Situated on the Berkshire hills, near the headwaters of the Housatonic River, it is 1,100 feet above the level of the .sea, and its air is pure, bracing, and invigorating. There are no rough and precipitous mountains around it sng- 6 LIFE AND CHARACTER OF THOMAS ALI.EN. ge.stivc of Htroiig and uiu;iiltivatt'd mun, but tlio massive liills uiul Greylock Mountain, seen from a distance through the pure, clear atmosphere, are suggestive of calm, peaceful, and dignified man- hood. There are no mountain torrents to break the silence of the surrounding hills, but there are beautiful and pellucid lakes and clear, bold running streams that set the wheels of machinery in motion and send up a mingled hum from the voices of nature and art. To one who saw it thirty -three years ago Pittsfield jiresents the appearance of great improvement, but to one who studies its possibilities for the future it seems but in its infancy, with vast undeveloped resources and power still in reserve. It is a historic town and filled with honorable names and memories. The Aliens, the Larneds, the Pomeroys, and the Merrills were honored names in the days of the Revolution, and these names are preserved with honor by the present generation. We were shown the park beneath whose branching elms the citizen soldiers of Pitts- field assembled to march forth to battle in 1776, in 1812, and again in 1861. Here stood the old church from which Thomas Allen, the fighting parson, led his congregation to the battle of Ben- nington. The old frame building is gone, and in its place stands a massive structure of native granite with a memorial slab in com- memoration of Thomas Allen, the grandfather of our colleague ; and on the opposite side of the park stands the Berkshire Athe- neum, a princely donation to the town from our deceased friend, 'and a lasting monument to his culture, his taste, his liberality, and his ennobling devotion to the home of his childhood. We reached Pittsfield on the day of its annual town meeting, and nothing could more clearly indicate the character of its in- habitants tlian their conduct on this occasion. No man could be more highly esteemed than Thomas Ali.en was esteemed by them. They showed this in every gesture, word, and look. There was no violent demonstration of feeling and no ostentatious parade, but there was manifest ai)pearance (jf deep and heartfelt manly grief; and yet tlie town meeting was not adjourned. It is a day of great political import in New England — a day on which the entire legislative business of the town is to be transacted for Llb-E jyi> rHAltAC'lER "/' TIKlMAS AI.LKN. 7 the next ve-.ir, a.ien tasted the intoxicating draught of political life, he received the plaudits of admiring friends, he heard the prophetic praise from Andrew Jackson, and obtained the entire confidence of a President in power, and yet the cup passed from him without injury and without regret. In 1842, when the administration of his friend, Mr. Tyler, was in full power, he retiretl from the polit- ical arena in Washington, and removed to Saint Louis, Mo., where he married a lovely and wealthy young lady and thor- oughly identified himself with the growing interests of his adopted home. Like Prentiss and Quitman, who were so much honored and loved in Mississippi, he came of the best New England stock, whicli was broadened and liberalized by transj)lanting in South- ern soil. The sudden change from a bare conqK'teiK y tu what was then great wealth, received with his i)ri(le, did not enervate the mind or slacken the energies of Mr. Ali.en, but he made it tributary to LIFE AND CHARACTER OF TJIUMAS ALLEN. 9 an iU'tivf, iiso till, ami suuces.sf'ul business aireer. Tom lienton, the great Missouri Senator, poiutiug across the Rocky Mountaius to the Pacitic Ocean, said : " There is the East." Tom Allkx, witching the inspiration, began the construction of the first of that system of Pacific railroads which has since become the great high- way of commerce between the East and the West. Railroad after railroad, and corporation after corporation, gi'ew and prospered under his successful management, until war came to check the prosperity of his adopted State. When peace was restored he once more entered actively into every enterprise calculated to increase the prosperity o( Saint Louis, and to him more than any other one man is due the liberal system of internal improvements adopted by the legislature (if Missouri, and the construction of the Iron Mountain Railroad, which opened up to the Saint Louis market the richest mineral region of the world. But in the midst of his arduous labors he found time for the intellectual enjoyment of literary and scientific studies and for the pleasing duties of social and domestic life. A cultured companion, a genial friend, an affectionate husband, and a devoted father, he was at the same time a sound lawyer, a strong political thiidver, and wonderful in Inisiness success — not wonder- ful in the rapidity or amount of his accumulations, for there are many who have surpassed iiim in both, but wonderful for the honesty and integrity of his dealings and the gradual and uniform success of his operations. While others have aiuiissed greater fortunes and with more rapidity, their pathway has been strewn with the wreck of thousands upon whose ruinetl fortunes they rose. Mr. Allkn was formed in a different mold. He was no stock- jobber, no speculator, aud no corporation wrecker, i)iit an honest, straightforward worker in the regular channels of business life. His fortune, though large, wa« the result of regular and legitimate profit in regular aud legitimate trade. His moral character was as pure as the air of his childhood's home; his principles were as firm as the granite in his native hills; and his intellectual strength, like the water-power of his native town, seemed to rise 10 LIl'E AND CHARACTER OF TIIOMAH ALLEN. ecjiial tu every (leiiuuul upon it and to ])erf'orm its worii witli an ease that indicated immense power still in reserve. Whether we consider liim toiling in New York as attorney's clerk on a salary of )f300 a year, or successfully conducting a leading political journal in Washington, or shaping the internal- improvement system of Missouri in the State senate, or presiding over great corporations and turning railroad lines to the Pacific and the Southwest, or dying by inches under a painful and iucur- al)lc disease, v,e find him the same self-})oised, nnostentations man, bearing himself with dignity, ability, and courage. He signalized his love of ancestry and his devotion to his birth-place by pur- chasing his grandfather's farm and erecting a princely mansion where the family homestead once stood. He left a granite monu- ment to his cultured taste and his devotion to the cause of educa- tion in the Berkshire Atheneum, erected in his native village at a cost of $50,0(:)(). He left a monument of his liberal views and progressive spirit in the new fire-jjroof Southern Hotel erected in his adopted city, Saint Louis, the most magnificent and liest ajipointed hotel in the world. And in commemoration of his genius, perception, and business success he has left a name to be forever connected with the first of the great system of Pacific railroads and indissolubly linked with the wonderful Iron Mountain of Missouri. In poli- tics he was, like his grandfather, a thoroughgoing Democrat, and a desire to do hfs whole duty to his party impelled him at great risk to be present at the organization of this House; and this per- haps hastened his final dissolution. But the seeds of a fatal disease were clearly developed in his system long before his death, and he knew for many months that he nuist surely and shortly die. His heroic fortitude and (Christ- ian patience under his long and painful suffering and impending death were in perfect liarmony with bis whole character and life. A short time before his death, and when it was known that his end was near, ray attention was attracted by the statue of the dying Xapoleon in the C'orcoran Art Gallery. The cold marble seemed almost to breathe the anguish of the dying hero. His LIl'K AND (HARdVTICH OF THOMAS ALLEN. 11 body swollt'ii witli disease liiid his face pinclied and slinmken witii pain, tells the story of a bursting heart which, like the imprisoned eagle, is beating itself to death against the wires of its cage. It pictured the end of an ambitious and dissatisfied soul ; the end of a man who knew he must die, and yet his untamed and untamable spirit speaks in tones of remonstrance and resistance, and demands one more chance to live and be free. While I gazed on it, I could but think of our patient, suiFering colleague, who was dying but a few short steps away. He, too, knew that he must die, and he was meeting death with the same (juiet Christian resignation that he had met the issues of life. He was not unwilling to die, and yet he expressed to his pastor the desire that he might have been sparal a few years more to do something in Congress for the home of his adoption. He was full of honors, and yet his spirit felt that its full mission had not been filled. He was full of years, and yet older men tiian he bore his body to tlie grave. At the head of his coftin as it lay in the church was a column of sweet-scented fiowers representing a broken shaft. The broken shaft is usually the emblem of a young life cut short in its career. This could not be said of Thomas Allex, and yet in his dying moments lie felt that he had left a portion of his work unaccomplished. When he retired fi-om the political arena in Washington in 1842, the hope and desire that he might some day return, as a member of Congress might have filled his imagination as it did that of many ambitious young men before him. He had now gathered wealtli to the fullness of his desire. He had retired from active Ijusiness Ial)or and prepared for cidtivated enjoyment and political life, but, like Moses on Mount Pisgah, he was only jjermitted to behold the Canaan lie had so long sought. The overtaxed physical system fell beneath the strain imposed on it by a too vigorous mind ; the engine was too powerful for the frame tliat encased it, and the exhausted body perished while the spirit was yet strong. The broken shaft of sweet-scented flowers was a fitting emblem of a life which breathed only the fraai-ance of purity and a death that cut short a labor of usefulness and love. 12 /.//''A' AND CBAUACTER OF THOMAS ALLEN. Ill coiiiiedioii witli tlif iviiiarkrs that I liad propu.sed to siiljiiiit on tlii.s solemn occasion — solemn to every member of the Missouri delegation particularly, and to all who knew Mr. Ali.kn in life — and without consuming the time of the House to read it at this time, I ))ro|)ose to print the able, carefully-prepared, and truthful tribute to the life and worth of Thomas Aij,en, made at his own home upon the occasion of his -burial by his pastor, Rev. J. L. Jenkins. SERMON. "Samuel (lied: aud all the Israelites were gathered together, aud lamented him. aud buried him in his huuse at Kamah." — I Samuel. 25, 1. Not siuce Moses,, who died four hundred ^\ ears before, had there been iu Israel so great a uiau as Samuel. Iu troublesome times he preserved order, administered justice. He cou.solidated the nation, founded schools, served faithfully aud wisely for thirty years in high positions. He died, and dying received the most generous appreciation and homage. The means hy which these were expressed are mentioned. I dwell for a moment upon each in order: First. "All the Israelites were gathered together.'' 8ays Mr. Stanley: "We are told with a peculiar emphasis of expression that all the Israelites, not one portion or fragment only, as might have been expected in that time of division and confusion, but all were gathered together around him who had been the benefactor of all." A time had come when men of all sections and factions were constrained to recognize eminent .services and eminent ability and eminent worth. They .sto))ped their disseusions, forgot party allegiance, put by local prejudices, personal grievances. Men who fbrceil Samuel from office and men who would keep him in it met at his grave and alike V'Dored him. It was a generous tribute, this gathering of all Ihe Israelites at the burial of Samuel. BVom the extremes of the kingdom, from its chief cities, men came to a quiet village that by their i)re.seuce they might express their appreciation of the labors and worth of the man who had died. Second. " They lamented him." Grief sooli becomes conventional. There are prescribed ways for manifesting it, a period fixed dining which signs of sorrow are exposed. When iu Europe a member of a royal family dies, other courts go into mourning for a specified time. Among ns, I believe, there are rules respecting the matter. Black is to be worn so long, displaced so grad- ually. We early find traces of such conventionalities. Aaron aud Moses were mourned for thirty days. Of Samuel it is simply said, "They lamented him." The plain, unqualified statement testifies to the genuineness of the .sorrow; a sorrow superior to ceremonies ami demanding its own free, unre- stricted indulgence! What heartier tribute was possible! "They lamented him." LIFE JNI) rllAllACTKi: "/■' THOMAS ALLEN. V^ Third. "They buried him in his house at Rainah." lu his huusi- uieaus probably in the court or garden attached to his house. We have another account of .Samuel's burial. "All Israel had lamented him and buried him in Raniah, even in his own city." Evidently the great, simple man's prefer- ences were regarded. Sorrow for him was tender, as it was genuine and universal. They buried him in his own house at Ramah, his own city. There were more famous places: Gibeah, the royal residence, was one. Saul, who was fond of processions and display, might h.ave arranged a splendid funeral pageant and brought crowds to his capital. Daring, impul- sive as he was, he could not violate the intrinsic jiropricty which den.anded the burial of the simple, stern prophet in the village where he was born and lived. So he was buried in Ramah, his own city. This Ramah had the power of awakening strong local attachments. Its probable site was a hill-toj), now easily seen from .lerusaleni, looking to the northeast. It commanded line views. Its people were intelligent and good, if Sanniel's )>arents represent them. Here he was born and carefully nur- tured by his wise and pious mother. Here he nnide his own home when a man ; here he located a school of the i>rophet8; "here,"' as Matthew Henry expresses it, " he enjoyed himself .ind his God iu his advanced years:" and here, iu the place he had served and made illustrious, he was buried. The power of awakening strong local attachment long continued to Ramah. A thousand years after Samners death the little village is made famous agaiu by a worthy citizen who could not be tempted from it by all the splendors of a great city and capital. Jo.seph, the honorable councilor, •who went in boldly to Pilate and begged the Lord's body aud fitly buried it, . was known as Joseph of Arimathea, another name for Ramah, a resident, if not a native, of the place where Sanniel was born and lived and was buried. To be lamented as Samuel was by all his countrymen, to be monrned for a very great number of days, to be ])ea(efully buried in his own quiet and loved village, were there not here ample compensations for years of industry and public service. Not till men are gone are they known. Under such condition do we live. Our lives here are such that wh.at is best is seldom most conspicuou,s. Here influences that warp and distort judgments are many and strong. Here occasions for misunderstandings, for conflict, for alienations, are so frequent that perfect concord is impossible. Wise men do not expect it. What is possible, what may be reasonably expected, is that when a man dies, then his fellows will be quick to see and confess his worth and the worth of his services. If, imder the great illumination which death dift'uses, men remain blind aud refuse to see the excellencies made apparent, we are forced to recognize the presence aud power of inveterate prejudice or wicked hate. If, on the other hand, when men die and in their ascension lose the disfigurements and imperfections belonging to the earthly life, and they who are spectators exult in the new clear revelations of truth .and beauty, ami long to abide under them evermore, what worthier tribute to ihe di'ad can there be, and what conduct worthier of the living '. We often hear the homage Jiaid Ihe dead ilisparagcd, undervalued. II is 14 LIFE AND CHARACTER OF TBOMAS ALLEN. called cheap, and a, poor .substitnte for the just treatment of the living. To me it seems very precions. Very precious, for the act euil)odies the best sen- tinients and wise-st judgments of men. Men see clearly and feel rightly at the grave as nowhere else. Here clouds and mists rise and disai)pear, preju- dices are carried off, all the spiritual forces are at liberty to act freely, with- out hinderance. Hence the real, substantial worth of the homage paid the dead. Men do nothing of liner quality. Estimates made at the grave par- take of the clemency and justice of Heaven. It was not cheap aud meaning- less, this gathering of all the Israelites at Ramah, the mourning for Samuel for a very great number of days, and his c[uiet burial in his own city. The whole world held then nothing of greater value. Here were love, gratitude, veneration. No costlier offerings could be. There was almost iutinite worth in them. So when any gr.ave friends and acquaintances gather, when men come from afar to be present, when every available means is used for expressing affection, respect, the homage is not cheap and meaningless. It is precious and significant. That burial in Bamah three thousand years ago, when friends aud fellow- citizens gathered and lamented and buried a faithful, good man, has had innumerable repetitions, is being repeated now and here. Thomas Allen was born in this town August '29, 1813, in a house stand- ing on the site where, in 1858, he built the one from which we have just brought his body. His father was Jonathan Allen. He was named for his gr.andfather, Thiunas Allen, the first pastor of this church. His mother was Eunice Williams Larned, granddaughter of Colonel Israel Williams, of Hat- field. .So that it has been said Mr. Allkn "derived his descent on one side from one of the Revolutionary whigs most noted for his uncompromising zeal, and on the other from one of the stannchest American adherents to the British Crown." His ancestry was not a weak one. The chances were there would be in him a double portion of strength. It is man's first and most lasting advantage to be well born ; to inherit a good body, full of vitality, a sound mind, tirin will, a controlling moral sense. There was once in New England a generation able to transmit these valuable legacies. It could not give children great riches, great honors ; it could and did give what was of greater worth — health, intellect, determination, con.science. Into a large inheritance of these Mr. Allkn was born. His education began formally in the schools of this town, in which he continued till he entered Union College in 182'.». His purposed destination was the law. In 18:!5 he was admitted to the New York bar. His career was not to be that of a lawyer. He began early to write ; wrote so much that it was said of him at twenty-one that no young man in the country of his age had written so much. His vocation seemed found ; he was to be an editor. It proved not to be his calling. He betrayed early a taste for politics. His mind was suited to grave pub- lic questions ; he had the power to influenee by strong, persuasive speech. But his life-work was not to be that of the mere partisan politician. After various es.says iu dili'ereut directions he was guidey him on diftereut subjects. He was interested in and jiromoted the sciences. He was the wise patron of education. His wisdom, his insight, are conspicuous in his gift to his native town. He could do nothing better for it than encourage the habit of good reading among its people. The beautiful building whose doorway is fittingly draped in mourn- ing to-day will not only perpetuate here the memory of his name but will be a testimony to his wisdom. I have not intended any studied analysis of Mr. Allen's character. I think the hasty sketch given reveals him. He was n-ell born; had found a w ork — a work that could be done only by a man rarely gifted. He did his work well. He did a great work well. There were once princes in Europe ruling a smaller territory than Mr. Allen managed, a smaller number of subjects than he had nu'ii under him, handling no such sums of money as he handled. This great work he did, and did well. And it is measure and indication of the rare powers in him. Besides these great executive abilities he had other rare gifts. Not every great worker is a scholar. Mr. Allen was. Not every great worker is a man of large heart. Mr. Allen was. He had two homes. He did the impossible; he served two masters. We kimw he loved Pittsncld. lie lame back when able and bought his birth-place, LIFE AM) CIIMlACTICi: or TffOMAS AT.l.Ey. \T built lirru for himself a home, deliijUtcil fo ci'mc to it. And here he was interested in our local jiftiiirs. Would have our burial place beantitied. Among his last gifts was one toward the improvement of the interior of this church. He attended the meetings of the county historical society, pre- jiared and read papers before it. Was president of the board of trustees of the Atheneuni. And here he is brought for burial that he might rest with his forefathers. Pittstield did not engross all Mr. Allen's affection, inter- est. He loved the city which was his houu'. and whose prosperity he so wisely and successfully promoted. Here he was loved, respected. It did not seem to us a strange thing when his fellow-citizens elected him member of Congress. I think we all rejoiced in their act. Not only that it honored one of ns. bnt because it was an honor most worthily bestowed. Here, where he was known, where the discipline of his life was known; here, where his tinn devotion to the Union was known, here it was felt that a new and strong man was putting his hand uimu the National Government, and that therefore it would be the more stable. To his adopted home Mr. Allex was as loyal as to his birth-place. "I would like," he said in his last sickness, "to live a few years longer. There are some things I would like to do for Missouri." He died in her service. In her loss we share. Our hope for her is that other men, as able, as good, may be found to serve her, and lead her on to greater and greater prosperity. There was in Mr. Allen a strong moral sense. He had that which has beeu in the past rather characteristic of New England. We have not always excelled in fine manners, in many elegancies, but we have had a robust sense of what was right and wrong. Hence reforms have so easily gotten and kept a foothold here. We are growing practical, are being practical in mat- ters of expediency, and yet we believe wrong is wrong and right is right, that they are contrary one to the other, as far apart, as irreconcilable a.s light and darkness, heaven and hell. This New England conscientiousness was in Mr. Allen. He discriminated. He felt the imperative claim of the right. He revolted from the wrong. At the b.ase of his character was this firm rock. Allied to his nuiral sensitiveness was Mr. Allen's faith in God. He had this, not as an inheritance, but as a conviction, and not as a useless conviction. God was an intelligent person to him, a being from whom direc- tion could be received, to whom service was due. Mr. Allen believed in immortality. He may well have believed in it. He could not easily con- clude that a force which had been what his personal will and energy had been should suddenly cease. He never supposed it would. In the long sick- ness which he suftered from his mind was naturally much engaged with the supreme problems of life and death. He was able to think calmly and pro- tractedly. His thoughts were high. He had, he said, during his illness, revelations. Yes, revelations of God, and in many ways. Evidently (iod was in his thoughts much. So in those weeks, months, of pain, of coufine- ment, as he was drawing nearer to God, God drew near to him. And at last he was not, for God had t.ikeu him. 2 AI. 18 LllK JaI) ( HARACTEll OF THOMAS ALLEN. Address of Mr. Robinson, of Massachusetts. Mr. Si'EAKEl! : A'cry few of nil the member.s of this House wlio on the last Easter Sunday assembled to pay their last tribute of resj)ect over the mortal remains of Thomas Allex were able to reeall his presence as that of one of their associates on thi.s floor. The openinj^ of the present session fonnd him .stricken with an incurable disease, and weakness and pain prevented him from participation, except for a day or two, in the important work to which he had been called by his constituents. But, sir, when the committee, acting under your appointment, bore his body to the State that gave him birth, to the town where for so many vears he had been an honored and distinguished citi- zen, thev were received by the companions of his boyhood and the associates ot his mature age, gathering to testify their high regard for his ujiright life and to tenderly commit his remains to the soil of which lie was the otfspring. From his simple home on the Berkshire hills, in the t)ld ( om- monwealth of Massachusetts, he had gone forth, obedient to the mission of duty's call, and half-way across the continent had wrought into the development and destiny of a sister Sfaitc his indomitable energy, his generous culture, his devotetl patriotism; and now, life's toils and trials ended, the sheaves of honor and success garnered in, he was buried where life had been the sweet- est, where his affection had most fondly lingered, where his eyes and his thoughts had yearningly turned in health and in sick- ness — his mo.st coveted resting-place. Other climes and other lands he had enjoyed, but no place was so dear to him as his native town of Pittsfield. Home again ! He sleeps in hallowed ground, on the hill side so precious in his sight, amid scenes that clIAHAirEI! of TIIOMAS ali.ex. iisscrtwl tliL'insL'lves, mikI his lii'u iniglit have drifted away iiiti) tiie too common monotony of pnr])o.seles8 and fiHiUle.ss existence. Lord of liinisi'ir, llioiifjli not of hinds. And Inivinj; nothing, yi't li.id all. In 1837 INIr. Ali,i;x, then i>nt twenty-tliree years old, entered into tlie hroad field of jonrnalisni in the face of obstacles that\\on] ralible, with their thumb-worn creeds, Their large professions and their little deeds. Mingle in seltish strife, lo! I'reedom weeps. Wrong rules the land, and waiting .lust ice sleeps. lAI'lC AND rllAUArTEl: I"' THOMAS AI.I.HS. 2.') Address of Mr. Hewitt, of New York. Mr. Spkakkr: For Thomas .Vllkn Missouri does not mourn iilone. Massachusetts has already laid a wreath upon his tonil.. New York joins with her sister State in the expre.ssion of a coin- mou sorrow. Before he went to :\rissouri, Allkn belonged to New York, and in my own city achieved his first success and gave the evidence of those enduring iiualities which assured a succe.ssfid career in everv portion of this land of intiiiitc possibilities. No better type of "what is styled the American character lias ever ex- isted. Born of the very best New England stock, running back to the advent of the Puritans in the old Bay State; grandson of the " Fghting Parson " imin.ntalized by the classic and sympathetic description of Was'iingtou Irving; one of a large family of chil- dren, with the inheritiince only of good principles, a clear head, and a firm will trained to self-reliance in the midst of honorable and favorable poverty ; educated in a New England academy, and at Union College under the friendly guidance of Dr. Nott, anil l)e- ginniug his career at nineteen years of age, with t2') saved from "he frugal resources of a godly father; coming to a great city in which he was an utter stranger; working for a pittance while waiting for the opportunities wliich youth never fails to find when governed by hope and guided by virtuous resolves, the youthful Ali.EN presents a spectacle alike intenstingand instructive to the young whose career is before them and to the old who arc ncuring the end of the race which is set before us. Others have told the story of his eventful life, full of labor, of hopes, of disappointments, of struggles, of changes of occupation, of public usefulness, of the successful management of great enter- prises, of the final achievement of fame and fortune, not merely without a blemish on his good name, with honor from all who knew liim, crowned at last by the apjiroval of the community in which his best and most active years had been pa.ssed, in his elec- tion to the House as the chosen representative of their interests 24 I-ll'i: -lyjJ (HAUACTER OF THOMAS ALLKN. and their aspiratious fur the pre.-^erviitiuu (if good governiiieiit ;iiif the press were waged witii fierce vigor and unequaled ability ; from Wa.shiugton to Missouri, where he became a power in the land and a tower of strength for all good works. From his dving bed he sent me the draft of a bill on a sub- ject of public importance, and the notes of a speech which he in- tended to delivei-, and wliich I hold in my hand, hoping that I might take up the task wliieli his weary hands were forced to de- cline; but I never saw liim more, and 1 siiall never see again one of the best and purest and ablest of the citizens who iiave ever served the state, and contributed l>y their lives to make this Re- public not only the hope of the poor and oppressed in all lands, biit the wonder ot the world in material, moral, and social prog- re.ss. Such a career as Ai.lkn's; sucii purity and simplicity of char- IJFE AM) CII.IUACTEK OI' THOMAS Al.LIJ.W 25 acter jdineil to siicli rapacity for a<'Ooiiipli?liiiig result.-- ; .--ucli devo- tion to tlie public welfare, without neglecting the interet^t.-i of those wiio were near and dear to him; such firm adherence to the funda- mental principles of eijuity and justice when the temptation of passion, prejudice, and personal interest was presented on every side, is the best answer to the pessimistic spirit which decries the age in which we live and denies to it the possession and the glory of men who, like the fathers of the Republic, are ready to sacrifice life and fortune for the maintenance of the right. Recent events in tliis country have shown that the okl heroic spirit is not dead, l)ut that the "eternal years of God" run on, not for the extinction of truth, but for the exhibition of unselfish patriotism and for the achievement of high and noble resolves such as animated the life and shaped the career of Thomas Allen, to whose meuKjry the House of Representatives now renders reverent and grateful homage. Mr. Hatch. Mr. Speaker, I no^\■ ask the adoption of the resolu- tions which have been read. The resolutions were adopted unanimously, and the House ad- journed. ^^^ I'ROCHHDINGS IN THE SENATE. In the Senatk of thk United States, Aprino, 1882. The 1'iiESiDENT pro tempore. The Chair lays before the Senate rcsohitious from the House of Representatives, which will be read. The Principal Legislative Clerk read as follows : L-esolved That the House has heard Nvith sinceie regret the annouuceineiit ,.f the death of Hon. Thom.^s Ai.i.en, h.te a Representativ.- frou, the State ol Missouri. „ . • \ ti...* ., ne^olved b,i th, House of Ilepre^e,,tatives {the Senate co„c„rru,g). Ihat . special ioi,>teo,umitteeors..veuMeu.l.ers aud three Senators be appo.n ed to take order for superintendins the funeral aud to escort the remains ol he deceased to their last resting place, and all necessary expenses attending the execution of this order shall l-e paid o,.t of the coutiugent fund of the "'Zo/r<.rf, That the Clerk of the House counnuuicate the foregoing resolu- tions to the Senate. ,. „ , 1 ti.i. Itesolved, That, as a u.ark of resp.Tt to the uumory ot the deceased, this House do now adjourn. Mr. Vest. Mr. President, I submit the following- resolutions : Resolved, That the Senate has received with profound sensibility the mes- sage of the House of Representatives announcing the death of Hon. Thomas \LLEX, a Representative from the State of Missouri. nesolved That the Senate concur in the resolutions adopted by the House of Representatives, an.l that the President ,„-o tempore of the Senate appoint three Senators to escort the remains of the deceased, in coi.junetiou with the committee on the part of the House, as provided iu said resolutions. The re,solutions wore unanimmisly agreed to. Mr. Ve,st. Mr. Pre.sident, as a further mark of respect U> tli memory of the deceased, 1 move that the Senate rofession of the law, as I originally contemplated. Knowing that I had to work my passage into the profession, I kept a vigi- lant eye out for employment. In a few days I discovered in the Evening Post an advertisement of "A clerk wanted" in a lawyer's ofiftce, I lost no time iu repairing to the hoped-for haven. Alas! there had been many appli- cauts, and the place was already lilled, and the young man who tilled it looked U])ou me with rather a patroui/.iug air. I resolved, notwithstanding, to present my letters of iutrodnction, and finally obtained ])ermission to re- main in the ortice and read the books, jiaying foi' the jirivilege in clerical labor. Happily for me 1 was not long in discovering that my fellow-student who received the salary soon had a sinecure. My necessity, if nothing else, drove me to industry, and with better chirography I soon won mucli of the busi- ness of the office, and was finally installed in a clerkship in Hatch & Cam- brcleng's office in Wall street, with a salary of $300 per annum. In this sit- uation I continued for three years, learning the practice of the law from the labors thrown upon me, and employing my leisure moments in studying the books. My pay was so small that I had to economize closely to get along. A part of the time I roomed iu an attic apartment with a respectable jour- neyman jeweler in Dn^lU(^ street, but though often for weeks without a penny in my jioiket I did not repine. Hopefully persevering, I increased my little income somewhat by copying for other members of the bar. Some of my letters at this time show an occasional trac<^ of despondency, and sometimes a little disgust with the dry study of the law, which was not half .so pleas- ant to me as holidays in the country. I was not satistied whether New York was my proper place, and frequently had dreams of the West, and even of New Orleans. In 1833 President Jack- son visited New Y'ork, followed a day or two after by the celebrated Indian Black Hawk. I wrote an account of the visit of those chiefs, describing their personal appearance aiul the unusual scenes following them in the city. I wrote now and then a connnent or a criticism upon passing events, which I sometimes published in the newspa))ers. But my time was too much occu pied in obtaining a living to indulge my literary taste. .Seeing that I had an editorial turn, a book-.seller with whom I had become acquainted Joined me in a plan to publi.sh the first penny newspaper ever published in America. While iu the country completing his arrangements others got wind of the design, and bcfiuc thi' pl.-ui conlil be executeil bail issued a p.'iprr on that LJFK JNI> ('HAUACrEi: oF TlinMAS AI.LKK. 31 ,,,,„ , ,„H.rs Huickl.v loll.nv-.l. I Mm- f^avc ,.,, tl,.. icU.=,;uKliu September, 834 beoa.ue tie editov of the Fa.uily Maga.ii.e, a n.onthly .llustrate.l.iou.- "agaziue in s.^h .uon.ents as I couUl «.t fvo.n .ny law ,.„s„,ts for aW a vea^- and a hair. Tin, magazine .ontribut-d materially to ,uy up,,o,t. i^Ltthis ti,nel.as .M.^ased by the l.rinci,al law-book --^1-"- 'j^ New York to assist in eon.piling a digest of the decs.ons of the New ^o.k ^ . rts frou, the earliest tin.es down to that period. Upon tins -''^ ^ "•- over a year. T'or n.y share of labor in that work I reeened a small b„t select law library. The'^e ^trilogies and i)riv:iti<.ns only nerved his arms and strengthened his heart for future triu.nplis. He remembered what iroract^ said : Nil niortalibns ardnnni est; And— Nil sine niagno Vita labore dedit mortalibus.. In 1835 he was admitted to the liar l.y the supreme court of New York, and received hi.s master's degree from his iihm mater, Union College. . In 1836 he visited Washington City and heeame acquainted witli President Jackson and the distinguished i,.d.lic m.>n of tiiat ' "'in 1837 he journevcd to the State of Illinois to inspect lands owned by his uncle, General liipley, in the military reservations of that State. On arriving at Peoria he receiv(Ml letters from friends in Washington urging him to return and establish a new journal. „ , .. ■ Returning bv way of New York, where he conferred with friends, he undertooi^ the establishment of the jonrna], issued the prospectus of the Madisonian, and was soon at his post in Wash- ington with presses, materials, find printers, and began tlie publi- cation of the Madisonian in tiie field of journalisn. then so largely occupied by able and veteran editors. He issued the first number on 4u^ust 16, 1837, holding -among other leading ideas "that a mixed currency is essential to a highly civilized commercial state. Mr. \'an P.ureii having been inaugurated President March 4, 1S37, ,onv(uc.l Congress in extraordinary session on September 1, 32 LIFE .1X1) cnAUAcriil! OF THOMAS ALLEN. l.S:]7. Ill the election (lien Iield t'sition he had taken in the Madisonian, and, in opposition to the administration of Mr. \'an Btn-en, con- ducted tlio discussions in the ]\[adisonian with dignity and abilitv. In the spring of the year 18."]it jSIr. Ar,i,i;N was dangerously ill, and on his recovery prepared for the National Magazine a conipi-e- hensivo and critical review of political affairs, which was widely repultlished. In the summer of that year Mr. Ali.en, being at the Virginia Springs, wrote a seri«s of "I.,etters from a Convalescent," which were much quoted. In the campaign of 1840 he j)referred, as a candidate for Presi- dent, Hon. William C. Rives, of Virginia, but upon the nomina- tion of General Harrison and Mr. Tylei- for President and Vice- President gave them a zealous support, in opposition to Van linren and Johnson. In the midst of the campaign, on Ajiril 11, 1840, the Madiso- nian printing office, with all that Mr. Allen possessed, except his library, wa.s burned. On May 2, 1840, the Madisonian reajv peared under the coTitinned management of Mr. Allen, announc- ing itself — Self lioni, l)egotten by the ]>aveiit flame In which it burned: another, yet the same. The vigor and aliility of the Madisonian wore not diminished by the ordeal of tire, and during this wildly exciting campaign it gained what was then considered a very large circulation, twenty thousand. The efforts of ^Ir. Allen in behalf of Harrison and Tyler were not confined to the columns of the Madisonian, but were also effectivel}' put forth on the rostrum in addn^sses liefore the na- tional convention of young in(^n at I'altimorc, at a public dinner UlT. .l\T> t IIAItAcrKI! or THOMAS AI.IF.S. 33 irivcii liini liv tlic citizens of lii> native town, ami in several States. President Harrison, on his arrival in Washington, aeknowlcduerl the valuable services of Mr. Am.kn, and that he had correctly represented his views. Of the sad oiMup who stood hy the bed- side when the venerable President died Mr. Ai,i.KN was one. On the .sueeession of Mr. Tyler the Madisonian was a medium of executive commnnieation with the public, and Mr. Ai.i.kn had a potent voice in the re<>onstruetion of the Cabinet. In 1842 Mr. Allrx removed to the city of Saint Louis and be- came an a(loi)te(l son of Missouri, and in July of that year was united in marriage to Miss Xnw ( '. I!nssell,a daughter of William C. Russell, esi|.. a wealthy and prominent citizen of that city., Reino- pecuniarilv independent, Mr. .\i,i,KN closed his law office and interested himself in the puiilie attiiirs of his ado]>led city and State, and earnestly engaged in the tlevelopment of tiie great sys- tem of internal improvements in Missouri and the Mississippi Valley. In 184S. at the request of a public meeting held in Saint Louis, he pre]>ared an able address, urging a subscription by the city r>f Saint I^onis in aid of the Saint I>ouis and Cincinnati Railroad. Tn 1849 and 18i")0 Mr. Ai.i.EX earnestly urged the construction of the Pacific Railroad in ^fissoiiri, and was elected president of the companv, which began the work of construction July 4, 1851. In 18o0 he was elected a State senator for four years from Saint I.(Ouis in the general a.«serably of Missouri, and was chairman of the committee on internal improvements, and in co-operation with others, succeeded in securing a loan of the credit of the State for S2,000,(>00 in aid of fiiis road, and in 1 85-2 1n obtaining from Congress a grant of public lands. In September, 18.12, desiring to adopt a system of internal im- provements which would embrace the interests and secure the co- operation of all i)arts of the State, he ]iroposed a plan for the aid of several lines of railway by the State, which, although not accepted as a whole, was afterward substantially adopted, giving a loan of the credit of the State to the original Pacific Railroad, the South- west Branch, the Hannibal and Saint Joseph, and the North Missouri :5 AL 34 hlPli AND CHARACTEK OF TlfoMAS ALLEN. Railroads, witli an assignment to two of tlicni of lands grantoil to the State. In 1854 Mr. Allen resigned li is officeof president and dircftor in the Pacific Railroad, receiving most complimentary reso- Intions from the board of directors. In 1857 he was chosen presi- dent of the Terre Hante, Alton and Saint Lonis Railroad, and re- signed at the end of the year. In 1858 he founded the banking house of Allen, Copp & Nesbitt, in Saint Louis. In 18(50 and 1801, when civil war threatened our fair land, Mr. Allex steadfastly maintained the integrity of the Union and con- tributed $1,500 for the equipment of the Allen Guard, organized in his native town of Pittstield. He rendered valuable services to the authorities of Pittsfiekl in tilling the town's quota of soldiei's for the Union Army. In 1862 Mr. Allen was the candidate of the " Unconditional Union Men " of Saint Louis for Representative in Congress, and was defeated by slanders charging him with disloyalty, notwithstanding his untiring devotion and his valuable and liberal services to the cause of the Union. In 18(37 he again interested himself in railroads. The Iron Mountain Railroad had received large subsidies from the State of Missouri and city of Saint Louis, and was surrendered to or taken possession of by the State unfinished. The Cairo and Fulton Rail- road, extending to Arkansas, was closely connected with the Iron Mountain. Their speedy completion was deemed important. The general assemblv ordered these two roads to be sold to the highest and best bidders. They were sold together. Mr. Ai^LEN purchased these roads from the successful bidders and completed the Iron Mountain road in 1869. In 1870 he began the construc- tion of an extension of the Iron Mountain road to Arkansas, which was completed in 1872. Having, with his associates, purchased the franchise of the Cairo and Fulton road in Arkansas, he con- tinued the extension of the road to Little Rock, Arkansas, and thence to Texarkana, Tex. All these roads were consolidated under the name of the Saint Louis, li'on Mountain and SoutlnTn Kailwav. . LIFE AND CHAliACTEl! OF THOMAS ALLEN. 35 111 tlie rapid construction and <'ride and grati- tude, and now that he is dead, we temler to his afflicted family our hearty sympathy, and desire that this statement may become a part of the records of this town as due not only to the present, but future generations." These public proceedings on the part of citizens of Saint I^ouis and Pittsfield portray the true character of ^Ir. Ai-Lex, and show the friendship and love entertained for iiim l>y those who knew him best. Mr. Allen inherited a sound body, full of vitality, a vigorou.s mind, a clear judgment, a firm will, and a high moral sense — was " well-born." So it has been said Mr. Allex derived his descent on one side from one of the Eevolutionary whigs most noted for his uncompromising zeal, and on the other, from one of the staunch- est American adherents to the British Crown. Mr. Allex was the head of an interesting and -intelligent family circle — a wife and seven children— in whose cultured society and companionship he took great delight. He was a faithful and loving husband, a kind and affectionate father. Mr. Allen was a member of the Congregational C"hurch,anda man of faith and of prayer. In his last illness he said : " I know not how it is with other men, but I have been a man of j)ray('r all 40 LIFE AND CHARACTER OF THOMAS ALLEX. my life. I have always, before iiii|i(irtaiit ilecisicms, souglit guid- auee from God." His pastor, in the eouclnsiuu of the fuiierai diseuurse, portrayed the true (Jhristian eharaeter of Mr. Allen iu these words: " He felt the imperative claim of the rigiit. He revolted from the wroug. At the base of his character was this firm rock. Allied to his moral sensitiveness was Mr. Allex's taith in (iod. He had this not as an inheritance but as a conviction. (Jwd was an intelligent person to him, a being from whom direction could be received, to whom service was due. ^Mr. Allen believed in immortality. He may well have l)elieveil in it. He couhl not easily ('ouclude that a force that liad been what his personal will and energy had l>een should suddenly cease. He never supposed it would. In tlie long .sickness which he suffered from his mind was naturally much en- gaged with the supreme problems of life and detith. He was able to think calmly and protractedly. His thouglits were high. He liad, lie said, during his last illness, revelations. Yi's, revelations of God, and in many ways. Evidently (tO(-I was in liis thoughts nuich. iSo in tiiose weeks, months ot pain, of continement, as he was drawing nearer to God, God drew near to him. And at last lie was not, for (iod had taken iiim." Address of Mr. Dawes, of Massachusetts. Mr. PKEsn)EN r : The late Representative from tlie second district of Missom-i was a native of Massachu.setts. He was born within sight of my own lioiue, and thither a committee of this Congress have recently borne his remains tor l)urial. 1 may be jiermitted. I trust, a few words of tribute to the char- acter and worth of a de|)arted friend and townsman. Thomas Ai^LEX was of tijc sternest Revolutionary stock, mingled with the .stoutest of loyal lilood. His grandfatiier, the Rev. Thoma-s Allen, whose name he bore, the tirst clergyman of Pittsfield, was the sold of the i)atriot cause in iiis native town, and weekly from the pul|)il IIFI-: A^'I) CBAUAiTEli OF THOMAS ALLEN. 41 stii-red the blucxl of his hearers to face danger and make sa. ritiees ill the straggle for national existence, sharing all they dared or snt- fered. Newsof the British niaivli npon Bennington, forty miles distant, reached him in the pulpit -ni Sunday. Dismissing his congregation, he called for volunteers on the church green, and, putting himself ■It tiieir head, hastened to tlie scene of that memorable battle, where his valor earned for him the name of the " Fighting Parson." On the side of his mother, on the contrary, the grandfather ot Mr. Allen was one of a little band of loyalists in a neighboring «)uuty, eqiialh- ^vm in his convictions, and equally ready to en- .vunter peril .'.r make sacrifices for their maintenance. Fidelity to his king was a part of his ivligion, harboring no doui)t and leaving no stain. The rpialities which make up a man si-rnng of -uch stock were sure to be sterling ; and all the conditions under which he entered upon life and es.sayed its work were sure U> make of Inin a robust and aggressive character. The mountains round about the home of his youth were not more lirndy fixed in their abi.ling place than the faith in (iod and His law which came t.> him with his first breath: and tiuir side- were not more rugged or hard to climb than the path along which his early footsteps were led. By the Hresideaud .m the mother's knee and in the school-house- by the n.adside, seaut in comfort and appointments, was begun that tram- i,,.- of faculties in .Mr. Allln. of a .piality and temper sure to develop a force in tiie world. He was the fifth of a Ihmily of ten children, wh.mi his fathei was able oidv bv the ni..st rigid economy to support upon thi products which a small Jierkshire farm reluct:uitly yiel.led to un- remitting toik Little bevond the time spent in attendance upon the distHct school was it in the power of his father to bestow upon l,iu, in preparation for his work in life. But (his time was so well spent that he found others willing to help him build upon the foundation thus laid, and under the preparatory tuition of Cliester Dewev, one of the best of New England teachers, in his native t.,wn 'aiul the tea<'iiing of the celebrated Dr. Xott, oi' I'niou Col- li c 42 J^II'l'^ -iifl) CHARAUTEU OF TUOM.ls ll.LEN. lege, he took witli the honors of the college tiie degree of Bachelor of Arts from tiiat institution before he was twenty years of age. He was admitted to the liar in New York City at twenty-two, and came to Washington in tlie winter preceding the inauguration of Mr. Van Buren, on his way to New Orleans to commence the practice of his profession. He had inherited a taste for politics. Jeffersonism was preached weekly from the pulpit of his grand- father, and Federalism from a neighboring church which liad col- onized from the mother churcii for tlie very purpose of securing political liberty. This natural taste for politics, cultivated from his early youth, had frequently engaged him in contributions for the press. Even before entering college lie was editor of a paper publisiied in the institute at whidi he was a student, and while pursuing his law studies in New York his political writings and literary criticisms not only contributed to his support but attracted the attention of the leading politicians and men of letters in that city. Few, if any, men of his years had written s(j much for the press as had Mr. Ali.ex before he came to this city. He was here caught in that excitement and whirl of politics which ushered in and distracted to the end the administration of Mr. Van Buren. He plunged at once into the tight, and forgot New Orleans. Es- pousing the side of die Conservatives of that day, he sent back to the New York press such sharj) criticisms of men and measures, and such able discusssions of the issues then just Ijeginning to divide the Democratic party, that he was at once recognized as no mean force in the approaching struggle. In August of that yeai-, a month before the extra session called by Mr. Van Buren, in the midst of a i)olitical hurricane, the Madisonian newspaper was es- tablished by the Conservatives as a rival of the Globe, and as the organ of that wing of the Democratic party which refused to follow Mr. Van Buren in the new financial policy that ultimately wrecked his administration. This young man, with no other capital than liis brain, and with no weapon but his pen, was called to the editorshij) and manage- ment of that ]xip( r, and coin]H'llc>'e\t to the founders of States the greatest characters in hi.storv are those who build the institutions, awaken the agencies, and guirccted there an elegant and enduring mansion of stone, which was his summer home tor thirty years. How fit- tintr that his remains, now tiiat liis work here is tinishe(l, shtmld be borne bv Missoiirians back to this resting-place, toward wiiich his tiioughts and heart ever turned, and be deposited i)y tiieni l)e- iieath the root erected i)y him over the spot wliei-c he was born I He was in all respect.s a true Missourian, and was thoroughly identified with the interests of the i^tatc with whose fortunes he had cast his lot for life. But this did not ai)ate one jot or tittle of his love fiir the home of liis nativity. All its best interests were near his iieart, and lie was ever ready to promote its iiighest wel- fare. He erected close by the place of liis birth an elegant anil costlv edifice of ex(|nisitc taste in architecture and design, and donated it to his native town for a library, free to all its jieople, and a museum for tlii' preservation for coming generations of works of art and historical interest — opfiiua sccii/nriiiii In wrulii Kn-nirc — an enduring monument to the true nobility of his nature, and to the clear-sighted comprehension of lasting results, which guided him in all his acts of beneficent generosity as well as in all his business undertakings. ^lissouri was one of the border States during the war of the rebellion, and sutfei-ed terribly from the conflict and dis-sensions which divided its peojile, and arrayed communities, neighbor- hoods, anE.\ was a Union man to the core, firm in his faith, and unyielding in his patriotism. His large infiuence, his zeal, and his fervent voice contributed much to turn the doubtful scale on the side of the Union and to keep his StatT* true to tiie flag and the Constitution. His contri- 46 LIFE AND rnAl;ACTEn OF TnOMA.9 ALLFS. butioiis of money and jicrsuual effort and .sacrifice were not con- fined to Missouri, incalculable as were their value in determining the ultimate status of that State in the conflict. They were also influential in his native State. A military company of Pittsfield, organized before the war under his auspices and bearing his name, marched out of town at the first call, meeting its absent com- mander on the way, and, taking its colors from Mr. Allen's own hand as it passed through New York, entered Washington among the first of the troojjs that reached the capital. The recruiting service, the Army in the field, and the hospital commanded his influence, his mind, and his means till peace was restored. And in the solution of the many difficult and compli- cated problems which at the close of the war confronted the statesman and distressed the patriot, his influence and counsel were ever bent to such an adjustment of discordant elements that peace born of the eternal and unchangeable principles of justice and I'ight might come to stay, and with healing in its wings reha- bilitate the Republic. He lived long enough to see his adopted State yield to such counsel and to early enter upon the enjoyment of the beneficent results which are the compensatory glory of the terrible struggle through which, as through fi-re, this people has been led. Mr. Allen lived and died a Democrat, and the love of polities, of which he had a taste in early life, never abated amid the absorb- ing demands of vast and varied business relations, that engrossed his mind and taxed his strength through the larger part of his life. He occasionally held offices of distinction and responsiliility in Missouri, was more than once a State senator, and at different times was brought before the people for their suffrages as Repre- sentative in Congress ; but the claims of large business enterprises, reaching out into other States and ever growing upon his hands, still unfinished, were long too strong to be disregarded and too important to be neglected. It was only recently that he was able to relieve himself from their burdens and exactions and to seek in the relaxations of leisure and the delisrhts of foreitru travel re- LIFE Ayi> CHMUCTEB OF THO.'ifAS ALLEN. 47 newed l.calth and vi^or. Tlie electors of tl.e seeond Congressional distriet of his State immediately ealled him into the.r service, and he was elected bv a large ma)ority, in November, 1880 to the Forty-seventh Congress. He spent the interval between his elec- tion and the assembliug of Congress, in December, 1881, in seek- in^ to regain his shattered health by rest and toreig.i travel. It was a vain search. , , , e The draft upon his strength had been eoutuuied to.> long toi recoverv, and all effort to regain ground lost proved unavailing. He returned from an extensive tour in Northern Europe m No- vember last oiilv to realize that his work was over. The fatal disease had already so far advanced that he was unable to reach Alissouri and again meet his constituents. He turned with long- in- to his ilassachusetts home, and came to it for the last time feeling with the poet — Where'er I roam, wliatever realms to see, My heart, untraveled, fondly turns to thee. He came to Washington annblic calamity. But such is tlie condi- tion of my throat that 1 must not at present attempt to speak at any length on any subject. Before 1 take my seat, however, I feel it my duty to remark that I had a very j)leasant accjiiaintance with Mr. AlIvEN for a number of years, mostly as a railroad man, in connection with imjwrtant railroad interests. He spent mnoh of the more active portion of his life as such manager on a large scale, conducting some of the most imj)ortrtnt and -extensive enterprises of the country. And I take great pleasure in testifying that in the line of his profession he had few equals. His business tact, quick perce]ition, keen penetration, and executive capacity were remarkable. Mr. AiXEN was always courteous, kind, and considerate of the feelings and wishes of others. In .social life he was a general favorite. He leaves a most interesting family to mourn their irreparable loss; but he leaves them the rich legacy of an irre- proachable character, and the bright example of his useful life as a .safe guide for their future conduct. But, Mr. President, I must leave it to others more able and eloquent, who are in better condi- tion, to do full justice to the life, services, and memory of the dis- tino'uished dead. lAtr. ASH cii.ti.-.K ri:i: of thom.is allex. 49 Address of Mr. Vest, of Missouri. Mr. Prksident : Ni'w England lias .scut many ui' litr .sun.-; to wealtli and h(inor in the West, hnt lier i-ncrgy, wmrage, stwulfast- net<.s of purpose, and intellect liave never been more fully illus- trated than in the life and cluiracteristi(!s of Tho.mas Allkx. The story of his life is peculiarly American, and marked with all the salient points of our j)ushing, aggressive civilization. When nineteen years old young Ar.i.EN left his home at Pitts- field, Mas.s., with $'2.") as his patrimony, a sound constitution, an honest name, and a collegiate eilucation to enter the arena where .so manv fall woundecl and vani[uislic(l and so few are crowned with the laurel wreath. Not for an instant was there anyijuestion of his suece,ss, for, l)esi tlic State senate, and there he originated and organized the svstcni of railways now reaching every portion of Mis.souri. Sub.sci|iicntly he built the Saint T>ouis, Iron ^founlain 4 AL 50 LIFE AND CBAHAVTEH OF THOMAS Al.LUN. and Soiitliern liailroatl from Saint Louis to Te.\ai-i