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 62D J,f s!TT« SS } HOUSE OP REPRESENTATIVES { D No?1470 T 
 
 U.S. 2 ' 2. 
 
 JAMES POLK LATTA 
 
 (Late a Representative from Nebraska) 
 
 MEMORIAL ADDRESSES 
 
 DELIVERED IN THE 
 
 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND THE SENATE 
 
 OF THE UNITED STATES 
 
 SIXTY-SECOND CONGRESS 
 
 Proceedings in the House 
 May 26, 1912 
 
 Proceedings in the Senate 
 March 1, 1913 
 
 PREPARED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF 
 THE JOINT COMMITTEE ON PRINTING 
 
 rf^fe 
 
 WASHINGTON 
 1913 
 
 /// 
 
» J C r \3F^ t 
 
 D. OF D. 
 
 1913 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 
 
 Page. 
 
 Proceedings in the House -. 5 
 
 Prayer by Rev. Henry N. Couden, D. D 6 
 
 Memorial addresses by — 
 
 Mr. Stephens, of Nebraska 9 
 
 Mr. Collier, of Mississippi 20 
 
 Mr. Rainey, of Illinois 23 
 
 Mr. Sharp, of Ohio 26 
 
 Mr. Kopp, of Wisconsin 29 
 
 Mr. Foster, of Illinois 32 
 
 Mr. Cullop, of Indiana 34 
 
 Mr. Stephens, of Texas 39 
 
 Mr. Maguire, of Nebraska 43 
 
 Mr. Kinkaid, of Nebraska 47 
 
 Mr. Norris, of Nebraska 56 
 
 Mr. Sloan, of Nebraska 59 
 
 Mr. Lobeck, of Nebraska 63 
 
 Proceedings in the Senate 67 
 
 Prayer by Rev. Ulysses G. B. Pierce, D. D 68 
 
 Memorial addresses by — 
 
 Mr. Hitchcock, of Nebraska "0 
 
 Mr. Brown, of Nebraska 73 
 
 Biographical sketch by Mr. J. R. Sutherland 14 
 
 Funeral services at Tekamah, Nebr 17 
 
 [31 
 
: I E S P. L ■ 
 
DEATH OF HON. JAMES POLK LATTA 
 
 Proceedings in the House 
 
 Monday, December 4, 1911. 
 
 Mr. Lobeck. Mr. Speaker, just after the close of the last 
 session we received the sad news that the Hon. James P. 
 Latta, a Member from the State of Nebraska, had passed 
 away to the great beyond. I had known Mr. Latta for 
 over 30 years, and I know that he had the love and respect 
 of every Member and colleague of this House. I send to 
 the desk the following resolution, and in the future, at 
 the proper time, I wish to speak about my honored friend 
 and colleague. 
 
 The Speaker. The Clerk will report the resolution. 
 
 The Clerk read as follows: 
 
 House resolution 310 
 
 Resolved, That the House has heard with profound sorrow of 
 the death of the Hon. James P. Latta, late a Representative from 
 the State of Nebraska. 
 
 Resolved, That the Clerk of the House be directed to transmit 
 a copy of these resolutions to the Senate. 
 
 The resolution was agreed to. 
 
 The Speaker. The Clerk will read the other resolution. 
 
 The Clerk read as follows: 
 
 House resolution 312 
 Resolved, As a further mark of respect to the memory of the 
 the Hon. Edmond H. Madison and the Hon. James P. Latta, the 
 House do now adjourn. 
 
 The resolution was agreed to; accordingly (at 2 o'clock 
 and 18 minutes p. m.) the House adjourned until to-mor- 
 row, Tuesday, December 5, 1911, at 12 o'clock meridian. 
 
 [5] 
 
Memorial Addresses: Representative Latta 
 
 Monday, April 22, 1912. 
 
 Mr. Stephens of Nebraska. Mr. Speaker, I ask unani- 
 mous consent that Sunday, May 26, 1912, at 12 o'clock m., 
 be set apart for addresses upon the life, character, and 
 public services of the Hon. James P. Latta, late a Repre- 
 sentative from the State of Nebraska. 
 
 The Speaker. The Clerk will report the order. 
 
 The Clerk read as follows: 
 
 Ordered, That Sunday, May 26, 1912, at 12 o'clock m., be set 
 apart for addresses upon the life, character, and public services 
 of Hon. James P. Latta, late a Representative from the State of 
 Nebraska. 
 
 The Speaker. Is there objection to the present consider- 
 ation of the order? [After a pause.] The Chair hears 
 none. 
 
 The question was taken, and the order was agreed to. 
 
 Sunday, May 26, 1912. 
 
 The House met at 12 o'clock noon, and was called to 
 order by Mr. Lobeck as Speaker pro tempore. 
 
 The Chaplain, Rev. Henry N. Couden, D. D., offered the 
 following prayer: 
 
 O Thou who hast called us into being and filled our 
 souls with longings, hopes, and aspirations which time 
 nor space can measure, our wisdom, strength, and love 
 are but reflections of Thy wisdom, power, and goodness. 
 Thou knowest the beginning and the end; we are Thine, 
 dependent upon Thee. Increase our faith and confidence, 
 and awaken in us the brightest hopes, that we may lean 
 on Thee and look forward without fear, since Thy love 
 encircles all. It were not more difficult for Thee to extend 
 our being into some one of Thy many mansions than to 
 have called us into existence. Thou hast taught us to 
 love life; to think of annihilation is overwhelming. When 
 
 [6] 
 
Proceedings in the House 
 
 our friends are taken from us our hearts are rent and 
 torn with sorrow and grief, but the angel of love whispers: 
 
 Be still, sad heart, and cease repining; 
 Behind the clouds is the sun still shining. 
 
 We can not think our friends out of existence; they 
 remain a part of us. Be this our solace as we here gather 
 on this quiet, peaceful Sahbath day in memory of one who 
 served his State and Nation as a legislator under the 
 Dome of this great Capitol, chosen for the high station by 
 the people who knew him and had confidence in his in- 
 tegrity and ability to serve them. May his bereaved wife 
 and children cherish his virtues and look forward with 
 the brightest anticipations to a reunion beyond the con- 
 fines of this transitory existence, where they will dwell 
 with him forever, and everlasting praise be Thine through 
 Him who taught us Thy love and the immortality of the 
 soul. Amen. 
 
 The Clerk began the reading of the Journal of the pro- 
 ceedings of yesterday. 
 
 Mr. Stephens of Nebraska. Mr. Speaker, I ask unani- 
 mous consent that the further reading of the Journal be 
 dispensed with. 
 
 The Speaker pro tempore. The gentleman from Ne- 
 braska asks unanimous consent to dispense with the 
 further reading of the Journal. Is there objection? 
 
 There was no objection. 
 
 The Journal was approved. 
 
 Mr. Stephens of Nebraska. Mr. Speaker, I offer the 
 resolution which I send to the Clerk's desk. 
 
 The Speaker pro tempore. The gentleman from Ne- 
 braska offers a resolution, which will be reported by the 
 Clerk. 
 
 [7] 
 
Memorial Addresses: Representative Latta 
 
 The Clerk read as follows: 
 
 House resolution 552 
 
 Resolved, That the business of the House be now suspended 
 that opportunity may be given to pay tribute to the memory of 
 Hon. James P. Latta, late a Member of the House from the State 
 of Nebraska. 
 
 Resolved, That as a particular mark of respect to the memory 
 of the deceased, and in recognition of his distinguished public 
 career, the House, at the conclusion of these exercises, shall stand 
 adjourned. 
 
 Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions to the 
 Senate. 
 
 Resolved, That the Clerk send a copy of these resolutions to 
 the family of the deceased. 
 
 The resolution was unanimously agreed to. 
 
 [8] 
 
MEMORIAL ADDRESSES 
 
 Address of Mr. Stephens, of Nebraska 
 
 Mr. Speaker: We have gathered here to-day to pay 
 tribute to the memory of one of the grand old men of this 
 country, the Hon. James P. Latta, late Member of Con- 
 gress from the third Nebraska district. He was born near 
 Ashland, Ohio, October 31, 1844, and died at Rochester, 
 Minn., where he had undergone a surgical operation, on 
 September 11, 1911. He was, therefore, nearly 67 years 
 of age at his death. He spent the early part of his life in 
 eastern Iowa, and when he was 18 years of age he set 
 out for the Territory of Nebraska, traveling alone and on 
 foot the 400 miles across Iowa to his future home in Rurt 
 County, where he took up a homestead and where he 
 lived the remainder of his life. His homestead at his 
 death consisted of 3,000 acres of rich Nebraska land lying 
 in the valley at the foot of the Missouri River bluffs. On 
 the slope of the bluffs he built his first home, overlooking 
 the endless miles of rich land untouched by the hand of 
 man. From his doorstep he could see the tall wild 
 grasses glinting and billowing in the sun for 25 miles 
 lying spread out at his feet in a panorama of beauty. It 
 was truly a land of magnificent distances and of great 
 promise of rich reward to those who would subdue it. 
 And to this home he brought his young bride, and there 
 in that beautiful environment they reared their two 
 splendid sons and have materially aided in the develop- 
 ment of a great Commonwealth. 
 
 [9] 
 
Memorial Addresses : Representative Latta 
 
 Men partake of the character of the country that 
 produces them, and it naturally follows, as day follows 
 night, that our friend should have been a man of large 
 parts. He saw everything in a large way in its relation 
 to the country as a whole, rather than how it might affect 
 him personally at the time. He was never petty either in 
 politics, religion, or business, and never separated his 
 interests from that of the community. He grew so rapidly 
 in business because of the responsiveness of that 
 hospitable land to intelligent effort that in a very short 
 time he became a large factor in the county and State, 
 not only in business but in politics as well. From a 
 farmer, stockman, and beef producer on a large scale he 
 became a banker, and later on a member of the house 
 and senate in the State legislature. In fact he became the 
 financial backbone of his county in times of drought and 
 panic when the small men took to cover to protect them- 
 selves. In 1893, after a few years of drought, when the 
 faith of the hard-pressed farmers was about all oozed 
 out, the panic came on to cap the climax. Mr. Latta had 
 already about exhausted his resources in backing up his 
 faith in the country's future, and this final blow would 
 have completely discouraged and driven to cover all but 
 the bravest and best. But he never wavered in his faith 
 or turned aside in his course. He simply gathered up 
 another bunch of farm mortgages and started East on a 
 hunt for more money with which to save the farmers 
 from utter ruin. By pledging his honor and credit to the 
 last dollar he always came back smiling with succor for 
 the needy. When the broken and totally discouraged 
 farmers, battling against the vicissitudes of nature and 
 the cowardly fear of money lenders, would come to him 
 he put heart into them and sent them back with the 
 assurance that as long as he could hold out he would 
 stand by them. No man knows what a friend like that 
 
 [10] 
 
Address of Mr. Stephens, of Nebraska 
 
 means to him until he has been pressed to the very brink 
 and is being pushed off, as were those poor drought- 
 stricken farmers in the panic of 1893. 
 
 He was a benefactor to his people and for years after, 
 as liquidation was extremely slow, it took all the courage 
 he could muster to keep hundreds of discouraged men 
 from abandoning their lands and giving up the fight. 
 Here is where the devil took our friend up in the moun- 
 tain top and showed him an empire he could take posses- 
 sion of by the mere acceptance as a gift, what all these 
 men wanted to give, to get rid of further struggle against 
 what seemed to them great odds. They wanted to turn 
 over their lands and cancel the debts. The real test of 
 manhood does not come when men are holding positions 
 of trust under the public eye. It is easy enough to be a 
 man when the band is playing a triumphant march and 
 the world is applauding, but it is quite another thing to 
 do your duty when you are hard pressed and no one but 
 God and yourself are looking on. In such cases even God 
 is sometimes forgotten. Yet I am glad to record that our 
 friend whose memory we revere to-day stood the test. 
 With the mere act of acceptance he could have taken the 
 titles to thousands of acres of the richest land in the 
 world, but instead he gave these broken-spirited men 
 hope to work on, and in a few years the tide turned in 
 their favor. 
 
 Caesar put aside the crown offered him by his country- 
 men, but the plaudits of the multitude were ringing in his 
 ears. But here our dead friend put aside great wealth 
 that was being thrust upon him because he believed in the 
 Golden Rule and practiced it in his business. He knew 
 these broken-spirited men could not get a fair view of 
 their situation because of their distress, and he was too 
 big to take advantage of them. 
 
 [11] 
 
Memorial Addresses: Representative Latta 
 
 As the years went by and prosperity returned these 
 men baptized in the fires of hard times and misfortune 
 of every kind began to come into their own, and one by 
 one they redeemed their homes and got back their titles 
 and never paid a cent of tribute for the splendid service 
 this grand old man of Nebraska rendered them. So it 
 leads me to say that after all it matters little when a man 
 was born or when he died or what station he reached 
 in life, but it matters greatly how he lived. The history 
 of northeastern Nebraska is largely a history of the life 
 and work of Mr. Latta, and when the end came and we 
 all gathered around his bier it was largely a gathering of 
 those seasoned pioneers who had felt the grip of his 
 friendly hand in times of stress — men who had carved 
 an empire out of the wilderness and made it into the 
 garden spot of the world. 
 
 He was just the sort of man required for the work of 
 conquering a new land. He was big and brawny in body 
 and clear of mind. Having been born and raised on the 
 frontier he had little school advantages, yet, in spite of 
 this handicap, he was one of the best-educated men I have 
 ever known, according to my own standards of what the 
 word education means. If that man is best educated who 
 can do the most useful things, then, according to that test, 
 our friend had no peer in the West. He has a record of 
 accomplishments that very few men possess. He has 
 demonstrated his ability to successfully perform every 
 class of work from that of a farm hand to that of a legis- 
 lator in Congress. There was not a single occupation fol- 
 lowed by our people of the West that Congressman Latta 
 did not master and could not do better than his fellows. 
 He knew the secrets of nature better than any schooled 
 scientist knew them, and he knew how to wrest from 
 the kindly old earth her glad tribute to those who 
 understand her ways. 
 
 [12] 
 
Address of Mr. Stephens, of Nebraska 
 
 It was a most remarkable gathering of pioneers who 
 assembled around his bier when we laid his body away 
 on an eminence overlooking the great Valley of the 
 Missouri. There he had stood as a boy and viewed the 
 splendid prospect with much satisfaction, and there we 
 laid his body nearly 50 years afterwards, where the first 
 rays of the morning sun would silver the grasses over 
 his grave. 
 
 The tribute to his memory paid him by these neighbors 
 and friends was the most touching and beautiful I have 
 ever witnessed, and it proved beyond a question of doubt 
 that the rewards of an honest and unselfish life of service 
 are beyond human understanding. It inspired me to 
 hope that I might live long enough to be as useful and 
 well beloved by my neighbors and countrymen as was he. 
 
 But the finest tribute of all was paid him daily by his 
 two splendid sons, in their loyalty and admiration of 
 him. These boys, now grown to be busy men of large 
 affairs, up to the day of their father's illness were his 
 constant companions, and every day of their lives, if 
 circumstances permitted, they spent an hour or so with 
 their father talking over their affairs, their hopes and 
 ambitions. I have never known greater appreciation 
 shown a father than these boys showed for theirs. It is 
 a touching proof of the great and kindly intelligent soul 
 of the man who could command the love and admiration 
 of his grown sons in such a manner. 
 
 We can not prove by scientific data what the condition 
 of life is on the finer planes of matter where men go after 
 they have laid off their earthly garments, but by analogy 
 we can approximate it, and it is reasonable to assume 
 that the conditions there are closely related to the condi- 
 tions here, and that the process of growth continues in an 
 unbroken line. That would seem to be a universal law, 
 and we need have no fear of crossing this line of 
 
 [13] 
 
Memorial Addresses: Representative Latta 
 
 demarcation. The God of the universe only puts us to 
 sleep while the crossing is being made, and I anticipate 
 that our dear old friend has found plenty to do in that 
 new land across the border. I hope he has found work 
 befitting his great strength and courage, and that his life 
 will be as useful there as it has been here. 
 
 Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to have incor- 
 porated in my remarks a biographical sketch of Mr. 
 Latta, written by a close personal friend of his and 
 published in the Burt County (Nebr.) Herald, and also 
 an account of the funeral services. 
 
 The Speaker pro tempore. The gentleman from Ne- 
 braska asks unanimous consent to print in the Record 
 a biographical sketch and account of the funeral of the 
 late Representative Latta. Is there objection? 
 
 There was no objection. 
 
 The biographical sketch and description of the funeral 
 of Mr. Latta are as follows : 
 
 In Memory of Congressman Latta 
 
 [By J. R. Sutherland, editor Burt County Herald] 
 
 " Congressman James P. Latta died at 7.20 this evening," was 
 the Associated Press dispatch flashed over the wire from Roches- 
 ter, Minn., Monday evening that brought deep sorrow into many 
 a home in Tekamah, the home town of the deceased. 
 
 It was here where he came when a boy of 18 years. It was 
 here where he began life by working by the month, chopping 
 wood, breaking prairie, or teaching school. It was here where 
 he bought his first 40 acres and built his first cabin. He com- 
 menced farming and raising and feeding cattle, at which he was 
 very successful. He kept on increasing his land holdings until 
 now he owned nearly 3,000 acres. It was here where he engaged 
 in the banking business in 1877 and in 1890 organized the First 
 National Bank of Tekamah, of which he continued to be presi- 
 dent until his death. It was here where he was married Decem- 
 ber 29, 1870, to Miss Libbie Jonas, of Jackson County, Iowa, and 
 reared and educated their two sons, Ed and Bur, in our schools. 
 
 No man could be held in higher esteem by the people whom 
 he associated with all these years than was Mr. Latta. He had 
 
 [14] 
 
Address of Mr. Stephens, of Nebraska 
 
 their confidence and respect to such an extent that they loved 
 to honor him in every way possible. He served the city as 
 mayor, councilman, and treasurer; he served the county in the 
 legislature in the session of 1887; he was elected State senator 
 in 1906, and was a member of that reform session of 1907. It 
 was Mr. Latta who introduced the first bill for the present 2-cent 
 passenger fare. In public matters he knew no party lines; with 
 him it was what is best for the public welfare. He assisted in 
 the passage of all reform measures in that memorable session. 
 It was his record in the senate that singled him out for his party 
 as a winning candidate for Congress in this third congressional 
 district in 1908. He was again reelected in 1910 by the largest 
 majority ever received by a Congressman in Nebraska. In the 
 Masonic order, of which he was an early member of the local 
 lodge, he was master for several terms, and he was past high 
 priest of the Royal Arch and past commander of the Jordan 
 Commandery of Knights Templar. 
 
 We have no gift of eloquence or command of language with 
 which to grace a splendid eulogy, ours is the simple tribute of a 
 friend — a friend who knows no words commensurate with the 
 mighty flood of feeling that surges through his breast. Why 
 eulogy? Are not his own life and character his most eloquent 
 eulogy? 
 
 When we remember how he succeeded in every field that he 
 engaged his interests in and to which he gave his endeavor, when 
 we remember bis unswerving loyalty to every cause that he 
 espoused, to every promise that he made, to every friend that he 
 had, we begin to appreciate his true worth — he was a man made 
 to be loved, and he was loved. To-day the world seems to be 
 lonesome without him. We miss his kindly face, his cordial 
 handclasp, his genial companionship, his helpful counsel. To 
 those who knew him as we knew him for more than 40 years, 
 he was an unusually lovable man. He was bright, cheery, kind, 
 strong, and ever ready to lend a helping hand. Combined with 
 these characteristics, he was blessed with good intellectual en- 
 dowment, a powerful physique, and a pleasing personality, an 
 agreeable voice, and an absolute freedom from affectation. His 
 conceptions were quick and remarkably accurate. His judgment 
 was uncommonly good of both men and measures. He had a 
 wonderful faculty of approaching men, although at times almost 
 
 [15] 
 
Memorial Addresses: Representative Latta 
 
 bluntly, in such a manner as to prepossess them favorably both 
 as to himself and his object. Few men have been favored with 
 such a rare combination of faculties and powers as he possessed, 
 and yet lacked qualities ordinarily deemed indispensable to 
 success. 
 
 He was not a scholarly man, nor a student in the ordinary 
 sense. At the age of 2 years he came to Jackson County, Iowa, 
 with his parents in 1846, which was then the frontier, and his 
 education was limited to a few terms in a log schoolhouse. His 
 training and experience as a business man enabled him to com- 
 prehend accurately and appreciate fully every problem that 
 confronted him. He did not pretend to have the powers of the 
 college bred; he belonged to an altogether different class of 
 men. Although a pleasant and agreeable speaker, capable of 
 presenting his views in a logical manner, he made no attempt 
 at oratory and did not seek to mold audiences by the persuasive 
 powers of eloquence. In Congress he directed his energy in an 
 effort to obtain relief from extortion practiced by the eastern 
 manufacturer on the western farmer. He was only in Congress 
 14 days when he engaged in a spirited debate for the reduction 
 of the cost of wire fence. Being a new Member, an effort was 
 made to ignore him, but his keen sense of what was right spurred 
 him on until he won his point and secured him recognition that 
 proved much to his advantage through the entire session. He 
 was also very successful in securing increased pensions for old 
 soldiers, and at the close of the session the Record showed that 
 he had more special pensions allowed than any other Member of 
 Congress, and had the honor of being the only Member who 
 added an amendment to the Payne-Aldrich tariff bill. He ab- 
 horred unfairness; nothing could swerve him from the course 
 that his sense of justice and right marked out for him. It was 
 this splendid side of his character that so endeared him to his 
 fellow men, regardless of political afliliations, and enshrined him 
 in their affections. 
 
 The world is better because he lived. So exalted was his 
 character, so noble and unselfish were his ambitions, that life 
 gave him up reluctantly, and death was proud to take him. But 
 death can not take from us the memory of what he was and 
 what he did. Men come and go; he alone lives in the hearts 
 of his countrymen who truly loves and serves his brother man. 
 Though dead, this immortality, this endless life of human heart 
 and history, is the supreme, the sovereign reward of James P. 
 Latta. 
 
 [16] 
 
Address of Mr. Stephens, of Nebraska 
 
 FUNERAL OF THE LATE CONGRESSMAN LATTA 
 
 The following report of Congressman Latta's funeral 
 is reproduced from the Omaha Daily World-Herald, of 
 September 16, 1911, whose special reporter was present 
 at the obsequies: 
 
 By the rugged rock of granite that marks the family burial 
 lot on the highest point of Tekamah Cemetery the body of Con- 
 gressman James P. Latta was buried this afternoon — a place 
 typical of the rugged character which had chosen the place in 
 years gone by. 
 
 It was after a funeral service such as Tekamah has never known 
 before, because Congressman Latta belonged not alone to Teka- 
 mah, but to all Nebraska, and from far and near his old friends 
 came with sorrowing hearts. The early train from the south 
 brought many; two coaches attached to an early afternoon 
 freight from the north brought large delegations from Bancroft, 
 Lyons, Oakland, and other points; by automobile and carriage 
 they arrived by the hundred. 
 
 The funeral service was at the Latta home, where, on the 
 large lawn were arranged hundreds of seats and where those 
 for whom seats had not been reserved remained standing while 
 Canon Marsh, of Blair, said the Episcopal service. A quartet 
 composed of Miss Irene Sutherland, Mrs. Neil Cameron, Balph 
 D. Colliding, and N. W. Preston, the private secretary of Mr. 
 Latta, sang sweetly, " Softly the Day Fades," " In the Hour of 
 Trial," " Abide With Me," with Miss Adelaide Thomas at the 
 piano. 
 
 The body had rested in the parlor of the old home during 
 the day, surrounded by a wondrous gift of flowers and guarded 
 by Knights Templar in uniform, while thousands passed by to 
 view for the last time the face of their beloved old friend. As 
 the hour approached for the funeral service the casket was 
 borne to the lawn, where the deceased Congressman had passed 
 many happy hours with his family and friends, now meeting 
 again to weep where once all had been joy and laughter. 
 
 After the service was taken up the long march over the hills 
 to the cemetery, located on the crest of one of them. The Ma- 
 sonic fraternity at this moment took charge of the services, 
 Tekamah Lodge, No. 31, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, of 
 
 93009°— 13 2 [17] 
 
Memorial Addresses: Representative Latta 
 
 which Mr. Latta had been a member for 32 years, of which he 
 had been master for two terms and of which he had been treas- 
 urer for many years up to the time of his death, Fred Wixer 
 now being master. Jordan Commandery of Knights Templar, 
 of Blair, of which Mr. Latta was past eminent commander, and of 
 which all the Knights Templar are members, was the escort. 
 The active pallbearers were: T. A. Minier and Oscar Samson, 
 of Oakland; C. A. Darling, of Lyons; E. A. Hansen, of Decatur; 
 John Harrington, of Wayne; E. C. Houston, C. Jeep, and L. D. 
 Phipps, of Tekamah. The honorary pallbearers were Col. Wel- 
 lington Harrington, J. R. Sutherland, R. A. Templeton, sr„ and 
 S. T. Story, of Tekamah; Dr. J. B. Whittier, Decatur; Dan V. 
 Stephens, Fremont; Charles P. Mathewson, Walthill; James Parry, 
 Jackson; Watson Tyson, Blair; J. B. Garland and H. A. Garland, 
 who were boyhood friends of the late Congressman, from Jack- 
 son County, Iowa. Col. John P. Cameron was marshal. 
 
 The order of march consisted of Jordan Commandery of 
 Knights Templar; Tekamah Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted 
 Masons; the hearse and pallbearers; relatives and friends in car- 
 riages; relatives and friends in automobiles. 
 
 At the cemetery the Masonic burial ritual was observed with 
 all of the pathos and impressiveness and tender sentiment pos- 
 sible. Robert E. French, grand custodian of the Grand Lodge of 
 Nebraska, was in charge of the ceremonials committing the body 
 to earth. 
 
 Official recognition of the dead Congressman was given by 
 the presence of the entire congressional delegation of Nebraska, 
 consisting of Congressmen C. O. Lobeck, of Omaha; John A. 
 Maguire, of Lincoln; Charles H. Sloan, of Geneva; Moses P. Kin- 
 kaid, of O'Neill; and George W. Norris, of McCook; and Philip 
 P. Campbell, of Pittsburg, Kans.; and I. D. Young, of Beloit, Kans., 
 appointed members of the House committee by Speaker Clark; 
 and by the presence of Nebraska's two United States Senators, 
 Norris Brown and G. M. Hitchcock. 
 
 Other men prominent in public life present were: Acting 
 Gov. John H. Moorehead, of Falls City; Speaker John Kuhl, of 
 Bandolph; Senator George W. Wiltse, of Randolph; Willis D. Reed, 
 of Madison; Senator Fred Volpp, of Scribner; Dan V. Stephens, of 
 Fremont; Judge W. L. Stark, of Aurora; Gen. John C. Cowin, Wil- 
 liam Wallace, B. K. Robison, Robert Robison, Herman Peters, and 
 Thomas J. Nolen, all of Omaha; Rev. John F. Poucher, of Stanton; 
 
 [18] 
 
Address of Mr. Stephens, of Nebraska 
 
 Editors Don C. Van Dusen and Thomas Osterman, and Judge 
 Clark O'Hanlion, of Blair; Senator Philip H. Kohl, of Wayne; Col. 
 John A. Ehrhart, of Stanton; Col. J. C. Elliott and P. Moodie, of 
 West Point; C. E. Bardwell, of Lincoln; Judge Walton and Charles 
 Selleek, of Blair; besides many other friends from over the 
 county and State. 
 
 The relatives and intimate family friends from abroad were: 
 Mr. and Mrs. John Harrington, Mr. Chris Astor, and Mr. and 
 Mrs. Dan Harrington, of Wayne; Miss Margaret Latta, Mrs. Byan, 
 and Miss Powell, of Omaha; Ed Callery and P. T. Flynn, sons-in- 
 law of the late John Latta, of Duncomb, Iowa; J. B. and H. A. Gar- 
 land, of Cranston, Iowa; Mrs. Bectol and Mrs. Goza, of Tama, 
 Iowa; Dr. N. P. Hansen, of. Elk Creek, Nebr. 
 
 Among the elegant gifts of flowers was a huge shield done in 
 colors, the offering of the United States Congress, besides lodge 
 offerings and many from friends near and far. 
 
 It was just such a funeral in just such a place as would pull 
 the hardest on the heartstrings of the members of the family who 
 are left to mourn, as it would bring more vividly to memory the 
 tender moments that had been spent on the same spot with the 
 deceased in his life. Yet there was something about it — the deep 
 shade of the trees, the songs of the birds, the music selected for 
 the occasion, the words of the minister, the sorrowing friends, 
 the solemnity of the scene — that seemed to designate it as the 
 funeral of the deceased and made to be just the kind of a funeral 
 he himself would have desired had he been able to plan it for 
 himself. 
 
 Those of the immediate family who survive him are: His 
 wife and two sons, Ed and Bur; a sister, Miss Louise Latta; and 
 a brother, George C. Latta; also a cousin, W. W. Latta, who .has 
 during all these years been as a brother, so close have been their 
 associations. 
 
 [191 
 
Address of Mr. Collier, of Mississippi 
 
 Mr. Speaker: It was my good fortune to become inti- 
 mately acquainted with Mr. James P. Latta. We entered 
 Congress at the same time, and for nearly two years we 
 lived at the same hotel. Notwithstanding the difference 
 in our ages, a warm and lasting friendship sprang up 
 between us. Living under the same roof, seeing him 
 nearly every day, I had an opportunity to know his worth 
 and appreciate his merits. 
 
 Mr. Latta was a self-made man. He many times re- 
 counted to me the hardships and trials of his early life. 
 "When a mere boy, he followed the star of empire west- 
 ward and, unaided and alone, " exacted from the grasp 
 of reluctant fortune " that success which characterized all 
 his efforts. 
 
 Prudent, resourceful, painstaking, and honest, it did 
 not take Mr. Latta long to acquire what men call a com- 
 petency. He was not a brilliant man, nor a great orator, 
 but he was rich in that great gift which, for want of a 
 better name, is called common sense. When some ques- 
 tion would arise in the House affecting the interest of the 
 people of his district or that of the people of the entire 
 country, I have seen Mr. Latta rise in his seat, and in ear- 
 nest tones, and with eloquence born of the justness of 
 the cause he was advocating, become convincing, forceful, 
 logical, and persuasive. 
 
 He was at all times armed with the courage of his con- 
 victions. His pioneer training gave him that self-confi- 
 dence with which he met and vanquished the difficulties 
 which so often confronted him. 
 
 [20] 
 
Address of Mr. Collier, of Mississippi 
 
 His fearless nature, his rugged honesty, his independent 
 spirit, his plain matter-of-fact manner, his industrious 
 habits, his cordial greeting, his genial disposition, his 
 innate modesty, his sterling worth, and true merit were 
 recognized by all who knew him, and the possession of 
 these qualities not alone endeared him to his friends, but 
 gained for him an enviable position in the House of Rep- 
 resentatives. 
 
 Faithful, conscientious, true to himself and his friends, 
 in the fullness of his strength he accomplished his daily 
 tasks and performed well his work in this busy world of 
 ours. 
 
 He left behind him as a heritage to his family an 
 " honest name, the memory of earnest deeds well done." 
 
 Death had no terrors for James Latta. He was firm in 
 that faith which is founded upon the Rock of Ages. He 
 believed with the poet who said that — 
 
 Death is but an angel, who to man at last his freedom brings; 
 And the grave is but a nest in which the soul shall find its wings. 
 
 James P. Latta fought a good fight; he kept the faith; 
 he was affectionate to his family; he was true to his 
 friends; he was devoted to his country; he was faithful 
 to his party and conscientious in his convictions. 
 
 His colleagues sincerely mourn his death, and though 
 these historic Halls will echo no more with the sound of 
 his voice, and his pleasant smile, his cordial greeting, and 
 his hearty handclasp have gone forever, yet he is not 
 forgotten. 
 
 Death is a mystery which all the intellectual forces of 
 mankind have vainly endeavored to solve. 
 
 The lips of the young inquiring " whence " and the old asking 
 " whither " are alike unanswered. 
 
 Why some are called in the early morning of youth and 
 some fall asleep in the evening of their days we know' 
 not; we can but wonder. 
 
 [21] 
 
Memorial Addresses: Representative Latta 
 
 When childhood, tender childhood, meets the dread 
 messenger, though our hearts may be torn with grief, 
 yet we are comforted by the thought that, safe from life's 
 trials and temptations and hardships, ignorant even of 
 the knowledge of evil, the little ones sleep secure in the 
 Master's arms. When death halts the faltering steps of 
 old age, we draw some comfort from the knowledge that 
 threescore years and ten is the allotment for usefulness 
 here on earth. But when the bitter stroke descends un- 
 expected, unannounced, upon vigorous manhood, we 
 stand appalled, our hearts are troubled, and we wonder 
 why this should be. But in this hour of doubt and trouble 
 and grief there comes to comfort the aching heart " the 
 divine assurance that He doeth all things well." 
 
 For 'tis idle to talk of the future, the sad might have been mid 
 
 our tears. 
 God knew all about it, yet took him away from the oncoming 
 
 years. 
 God knows all about those that love Him; how bitter this parting 
 
 must be. 
 And yet through it all God is loving and knows so much better 
 
 than we. 
 
 [22] 
 
Address of Mr. Rainey, of Illinois 
 
 Mr. Speaker: We have assembled here to-day to do 
 honor to one who in all the affairs of life in which he 
 participated discharged his full duty as a public servant 
 and as an honest man. James P. Latta was born 68 years 
 ago on a farm near Ashland, Ohio. He came from a race 
 of sturdy pioneers. He belonged to that class of our 
 citizens which pushed sturdily forward ahead of the 
 march of civilization, which for a hundred years came 
 down our rivers in flatboats and through our long forest 
 avenues in oxcarts, pushing always forward toward the 
 undeveloped sections of the great West. While he was 
 yet a child, his parents yielded again to the call of the 
 West, and in the old, primitive way which characterized 
 the westward march of the early settlers, moved across 
 the States of Indiana and Illinois, then being rapidly 
 settled up, across the great river which flows through the 
 center of the country, and found a home on its western 
 bank in the State of Iowa. They were among the very 
 earliest pioneers in that section of the country. 
 
 Here young Latta grew to manhood, working on a 
 farm during the spring and summer and fall — and farm 
 work in those days was the hardest kind of toil — acquir- 
 ing in the winter time, in a district school, the rudiments 
 of the education which he afterwards developed in the 
 hard school of practical everyday life. When he attained 
 the age of 19 years, the call of the West came again to 
 him. The section of Iowa in which he lived had rapidly 
 settled up. He started out on foot and traveled alone 
 across the great State, having in view, as he often told me 
 himself, but one definite object — the finding of a new 
 
 [23] 
 
Memorial Addresses: Representative Latta 
 
 country with fertile soil and those natural advantages 
 which could be developed by the population he felt sure 
 would settle there. 
 
 An old friend of his in a Mississippi River town had 
 given him this advice : 
 
 If you ever go farther west, travel until you reach a river and 
 then settle on its western bank. The most important towns and 
 cities in the interior of the country along the rivers which flow 
 south are on the western banks of those rivers, and the most 
 valuable land is there. 
 
 With this advice to guide him, before he attained his 
 majority, with no money in his pockets, with no capital 
 except his own buoyant spirits, his own hopeful dispo- 
 sition, his splendid, vigorous health, and his hard com- 
 mon sense, he started on his long inarch toward the West, 
 until finally he reached the Missouri River; and, following 
 the advice of his old friend, he crossed the river, and 
 on the other side, in the Territory of Nebraska, he made 
 his home. 
 
 He took up a homestead and commenced to develop it. 
 Seven years later he married an Iowa girl, who stood by 
 his side during the years that followed, fighting with him 
 the hard battle of life on a Nebraska farm. Prosperity 
 came to them as the years passed. He accpiired more and 
 more land; the land he acquired increased in value under 
 his skillful methods of development, until finally, at the 
 time of his death, he had accumulated for himself and 
 his wife and his children a comfortable fortune. He 
 organized the First National Rank of Tekamah, now one 
 of the strong financial institutions of that section of 
 Nebraska. He represented his district in the State 
 legislature and in the State senate, and was finally elected 
 to Congress. 
 
 He journeyed toward the West across the State of Iowa 
 ahead of the railroads. He lived long enough to see the 
 
 [24] 
 
Address of Mr. Rainey, of Illinois 
 
 Territory in which he settled grow into one of our 
 greatest States. He saw the section which he selected as 
 his home develop until on every hand there were culti- 
 vated farms, thriving villages, towns, and cities, and a 
 happy, cultured, prosperous, contented population. 
 
 He discharged his full duty in all the walks of life — 
 loved by his family and the citizens of the community in 
 which he lived, respected by all who lived within his 
 adopted State. I knew him during the entire period of 
 his service in Congress. Early in our acquaintance I 
 learned to admire his rugged honesty and his keen 
 perception of the duties of the high office he filled so 
 well. I knew him better than most Members of Congress, 
 and I profited many times by his judgment in important 
 matters of legislation. 
 
 He belonged to that type of men who have made this 
 Nation great. He served courageously, honorably, and 
 honestly the people of his State. He was a good citizen, 
 a faithful, honest public servant, a kind husband and 
 father, a true friend. He discharged with honor to 
 himself and his family and neighbors and friends all the 
 duties imposed upon him in the many years of his active, 
 useful life. He possessed the confidence of men; he 
 never betrayed those who believed in him. He was my 
 friend; I desire to add my tribute to his memory. 
 
 [25] 
 
Address of Mr. Sharp, of Ohio. 
 
 Mr. Speaker: During the past four years, which meas- 
 ure the length of my service in this honorable body, the 
 hand of death has visited with unusual frequency its 
 membership. In looking over the personnel of those who 
 have been taken from among us we have been made pain- 
 fully aware of the fact that those whose services to their 
 country in these legislative halls could be least spared, 
 and whose association with their colleagues has been 
 most helpful, have been conspicuous. Though on account 
 of the brevity of his service he was not so prominent as 
 some of those whose deaths we have come to mourn, yet 
 James P. Latta, even in the brief period of his member- 
 ship in this House, not only endeared himself to his asso- 
 ciates but left upon them his impress as a man of sterling 
 worth and unusually good judgment. Assiduous and con- 
 scientious in the discharge of his duties, he reflected the 
 highest credit upon his constituency. 
 
 Early attracted to him by his genial manner, I had an 
 added interest in his career from the fact that he was 
 born in Ashland County, Ohio, which forms a part of the 
 district which I have the honor to represent. While the 
 element of environment has necessarily an important 
 influence upon the career of all men, yet to that of 
 heredity must still be credited the greatest force in giving 
 vent to and shaping that career. I think this must have 
 been essentially true of the one whose death we mourn 
 to-day, for the Lattas of Ashland County, and the branches 
 of that family tree, were people of sterling worth and 
 character. The stock from which he descended was, I 
 take it, typically representative of the so-called Pennsyl- 
 
 [26J 
 
Address of Mr. Sharp, of Ohio 
 
 vania Dutch families who have eontrihuted so much to 
 the prosperity and good name of that splendid county. 
 Though he moved, with his parents, to the West early in 
 life, yet it is easy to imagine that the sturdy characteristics 
 of such people well fitted him for the hardy undertakings 
 which confronted the western settler of 60 years ago. 
 Indeed, we could hardly expect any other result from the 
 life work of such a man than the achievements which 
 were his and which were so signally recognized by the 
 people among whom he lived. 
 
 While it is difficult, in a comparative sense, to measure 
 the value of the work of Members of this House, yet there 
 can be no such thing as relativity in those traits which 
 make for integrity of character and personal honor. It 
 is a wise dispensation of Providence which endows men 
 with different abilities and varied attributes. The varie- 
 ties of the fields of usefulness could hardly take a wider 
 range than is exemplified by the services of the Members 
 of this House, and perhaps in no other assembly of men 
 is the value of such service more accurately gauged than 
 by its membership. To some are given that power of 
 fluency of speech sufficient to exert a potent influence in 
 shaping important measures which come up for discus- 
 sion upon the floor of the House. With the keenest logic 
 and most forceful rhetoric, fallacious theories are ex- 
 posed, while to others to whom such endowments have 
 been denied are left the more plodding but not less useful 
 work of framing the essentials of legislative work in the 
 committees. It is in this latter field that our late friend 
 and associate must have been of much practical service, 
 for his experience in agricultural pursuits and wide 
 acquaintance in that work which still has to do with the 
 consideration and treatment of the rights of our Indian 
 population was intimate and accurate. 
 
 [27] 
 
Memorial Addresses: Representative Latta 
 
 There is another phase to be considered in connection 
 with men in public life beyond that of mere capacity for 
 usefulness. Is it too much to say that fundamentally in 
 the appreciation of a Member's work lies that element 
 of genuineness of character and integrity of conduct? 
 Judged by this criterion, our friend who has gone before, 
 whose death we mourn and in whose praise we speak 
 to-day, stood very high in the estimation of his colleagues. 
 With him, even in this day, when party ties bind so lightly 
 and partisanship is almost a thing of the past, his attitude 
 upon all public questions was singularly free from bias 
 and prejudice. His was truly a high conception of the 
 duties of his office. The membership of this House never 
 had a more faithful coworker nor American citizenship a 
 higher standard of fidelity to its best interest. Though it 
 was not vouchsafed to him to occupy a conspicuous place 
 in our country's affairs — for he was rather a private in the 
 ranks of duty — yet in all the essentials that constitute the 
 warp and woof of manhood's structure none possessed 
 them in a higher degree. Truly, in his death not only the 
 people of Nebraska have lost a faithful Representative, 
 but his colleagues a kindly friend. 
 
 [28] 
 
Address of Mn. Kopp, of Wisconsin 
 
 Mr. Speaker: James P. Latta, in whose memory we 
 have assembled to-day, was born in Ohio in 1814. Ohio 
 at that time was of the older civilization. When but a 
 child of 2 years his parents moved to Iowa and became 
 pioneers in that Territory. As the settlers increased and 
 the land went under the dominion of man's labor the 
 spirit of the pioneer moved James P. Latta, then a boy of 
 18, to again turn his face toward the setting sun. It was 
 during the dark days of the great War between the States, 
 when the land was stirred with civil strife. With in- 
 domitable courage and a determined perseverance this 
 boy started for the Territory of Nebraska, walking the 
 entire distance. The pioneer will always do his part 
 when he has nature's heritage — 
 
 Stout muscles and a sinewy heart, 
 A hardy frame and a hardier spirit; 
 
 King of his two hands, he does his part 
 In every useful toil and art. 
 
 The spirit of the pioneer has been the motive power of 
 our civilization. It seems to have been an instinct in the 
 Caucasian race. We know not what developed it in the 
 centuries past, but we do know that it led our people from 
 their original home in Asia across mountains and sea, over 
 river and plain, ever and ever to the westward. Meeting 
 every obstacle, enduring every hardship, overcoming 
 every impediment, it reached our Atlantic seaboard; from 
 thence, with renewed determination, it again moved to 
 the westward; heeding not the war cry of the savage, the 
 stealth of the wild beasts, nor the hardships of nature, 
 it went on and on to the rolling Pacific, leaving in its wake 
 
 [29] 
 
Memorial Addresses: Representative Latta 
 
 fertile plains, beautiful cities, and happy homes. The 
 pioneer sowed the seed. Those of us who are so fortu- 
 nate as to live in this century are reaping the harvest. In 
 the State of Nebraska James P. Latta was a pioneer. 
 
 Here he lived and here he died; here he married and 
 reared his family; here he received the bountiful return 
 of nature for his hard labor and accumulated a compe- 
 tency; here he received the plaudits of his neighbors and 
 was repeatedly honored by them in being sent to both 
 houses of the State legislature and the Sixty-first and 
 Sixty-second Congresses. This tells the general story of 
 his span of life. 
 
 One of the greatest blessings of our system of govern- 
 ment is that an open door and a free field is constantly 
 before all our sons and daughters. The humblest, the 
 lowest, may ascend to the highest field of usefulness and 
 success. The poorest boy with a clear conscience, a rug- 
 ged body, a vigorous mind, and a stout heart has no limi- 
 tations. Merit — intrinsic merit — is what finally prevails. 
 Mr. Latta possessed these qualities of heart, of soul, and 
 of mind. He made a success of everything he undertook, 
 because to him failure was unknown. In his lexicon there 
 was no such word as "can't." 
 
 It was my good fortune on coming to Washington at the 
 opening of the Sixty-first Congress to be thrown in close 
 touch with James P. Latta and his devoted wife. While 
 he was my senior by many years, we became close friends. 
 1 grew to love him as a father, and when I learned that 
 the angel of death had summoned him it seemed as 
 though one of close kin had been taken away. Death is 
 always an unwelcome guest, and to James P. Latta an 
 unannounced one. Strong and vigorous of stature, it was 
 little dreamed by those who knew him best that a dreaded 
 malady had fastened upon him its poisonous fangs. He 
 was hurried to the greatest hospital in the world, but 
 
 [30] 
 
Address of Mr. Kopp, of Wisconsin 
 
 there told that life was his hut a few weeks longer. With 
 that fortitude which had characterized the every act of 
 his life he prepared for his departure to the unknown 
 world from whose bourn no traveler returns. He had 
 lived his life well; he had performed every duty to the 
 best of his ability and went to the future with no dread, 
 save that dread of parting from those who were near and 
 dear to him. 
 
 Our congressional life has many joys and pleasures, 
 many sorrows and vicissitudes. Most that we say here 
 will never be heeded; much that we do here will soon be 
 forgotten; but one thing will never — no, never — perish — 
 sweet friendship, the most delightful relationship of life, 
 will remain like the evergreen and leave us only when 
 body and soul are parted. James P. Latta has gone, but 
 the memories of his friendship will be with us forever. 
 
 Farewell : A word that has been and must be 
 A word that makes us linger — yet — farewell. 
 
 [31] 
 
Address of Mr. Foster, of Illinois 
 
 Mr. Speaker: I am honored by being able to say some- 
 thing of the life and character of Hon. James P. Latta, 
 formerly a Member of this House. 
 
 On Mr. Latta's entrance into Congress it was my for- 
 tune to become acquainted with him immediately, and I 
 lived in the same house with him during his entire service 
 in the House of Representatives. 
 
 Mr. Latta was of that pioneer, rugged stock that knew 
 what it was to fight for what you get in life. He was 
 deprived of an education, except what he could secure at 
 the public schools of that early time. His education, 
 though, was the learning of good common sense, honesty, 
 industry, and integrity. 
 
 When a young man, scarcely 19 years of age, he left his 
 home in Iowa and all that was dear to him then, and 
 started across the country afoot, traveling several hun- 
 dred miles, settling in the Territory of Nebraska, there to 
 seek his fortune and make his way in the world. 
 
 We who have not had that experience little realize 
 what it means to go out into a new country and make a 
 home. I have always felt that those who go into the 
 wilderness, go into a new country, and blaze the way, 
 deserve great credit. It is an easier thing to follow the 
 trail after it has been blazed than it is to start out and 
 make the trail. Mr. Latta, having industry, integrity, 
 and character and force of determination to win, did win 
 in his new home and became one of the prominent citi- 
 zens of that great State. He was honored by the people 
 of his State by being elected to the lower house of the 
 legislature, and on his election to Congress he was then a 
 
 [32 
 
Address of Mr. Foster, of Illinois 
 
 member of the State senate of Nebraska. In these posi- 
 tions he showed his worth as a man. He stood for the 
 right of the people; he knew what it was to struggle. He 
 knew what it was to be poor, and when he became inde- 
 pendent, so far as this world's goods are concerned, he 
 did not forget those less fortunate, and his sympathy was 
 always with them. 
 
 As a Member of this House he discharged his duties 
 with great credit, which was reflected upon his district, 
 upon the State, and upon the Nation. He took an interest 
 in public affairs and was always at his post of duty, 
 ready to discharge whatever duties might be necessary 
 to be performed as a Member of this House. I feel that 
 the Nation has been honored by the election of such a 
 man as James P. Latta to Congress. It is to be regretted 
 that he did not live long enough to serve his term and pass 
 to higher honors in the State and the Nation, where he 
 might be of even greater service to the people. 
 
 His domestic life was of the happiest. He was a devoted 
 husband and father and took great delight in the com- 
 pany of his family, and he was happy when he was with 
 them. He always tried to make the life of his devoted 
 wife one of pleasure, and she was his constant companion. 
 
 And so, my friends, we can offer but little comfort to 
 the sorrowing family in the loss of this dear man, but we 
 can offer them the hope that when they look above and 
 beyond this life they will some day meet the husband and 
 the father there; because we read in the Good Book that 
 it is said, " I will go and prepare a place for you," and I 
 believe that James P. Latta's spirit rests with his Maker 
 above, and that when his spirit ascended on high was 
 received, it was said, " Well done, thou good and faithful 
 servant; enter thou into the joy of the Lord." 
 
 93009°— 13 3 [33] 
 
Address of Mr. Cullop, of Indiana 
 
 Mr. Speaker: The frequency of such occasions as has 
 called this House together to-day admonishes us of the 
 uncertainty of life and the irrevocable fate of all hu- 
 manity. Travel as man may and the same fate is his 
 ultimate destiny, from which there is no rescue. 
 
 James P. Latta, whose memory we have convened to 
 honor, has traveled the great highway of life from one 
 terminal to the other, and entered into the enjoyment of 
 his well-earned reward. His was an unusual life, full 
 of the experiences which few men have enjoyed. Twice 
 a pioneer on the western frontier, he bore witness to the 
 marvelous development which has transpired in the last 
 half century in a great and growing section of our country. 
 
 Born in the State of Ohio, at the age of 3 years his 
 parents moved with him to the far distant Iowa, then the 
 western limit of civilization, and there began the life of a 
 pioneer. He was reared among the hazards and dangers 
 of frontier life until he was about 20 years of age, when he 
 resolved to move westward and become a pioneer on his 
 own responsibility. Not a single mile of railroad or tele- 
 graph had been built west of the Missouri Rivei*, and the 
 prairie schooner and stagecoach on the old National Trail 
 were the only means of transportation which invaded that 
 boundless territory, with its inexhaustible resources, 
 awaiting the advent of a civilized people to open nature's 
 great storehouses. 
 
 Before he had attained his majority, armed with daunt- 
 less courage, supported by stalwart manhood and a fixed 
 determination, he started for the frontier in northern 
 Nebraska to found a home and carve out a fortune for 
 
 [34] 
 
Address of Mr. Ctllop, of Indiana 
 
 himself. He had been educated in the great school of 
 human experience, with limited facilities to cultivate his 
 mind and but few opportunities to apply the fragmentary 
 rudiments of the meager education afforded the old set- 
 tlers. For 200 miles he penetrated the West on foot, 
 seeking the place of his future home, where he lived until 
 he died. He was one of the first settlers who carried the 
 flickering lamp of civilization into that land where the 
 painted and plumed barbarian held undisputed sway, that 
 its feeble rays might radiate over the expansive prairies 
 and announce the beginning of a new era. He built his 
 home with the hostile Indians as his only neighbor, where 
 the moan of the buffalo, the howl of the wolf, and the 
 scream of the eagle alone broke the silent vigils of the 
 long weary nights. 
 
 His pioneer cabin was home, and around it the winds 
 which swept the broad untamed prairies sang requiems 
 to break the monotony of slowly speeding time. But 
 time worked its weary way, and the civilization, of which 
 he was the advance guard, came trooping along in its 
 westward march, and the uncivilized red man reluctantly, 
 like the Arab, folded his tent and moved along toward 
 the setting sun. As the processes of a never-ceasing 
 evolution unfolded its progress before him for review, 
 he saw the Indian villages disappear, and towns and 
 cities — hives of human industry and thrift — erected on 
 their ruins; he saw the wigwam decay and the home of 
 the sturdy settler take its place; the schoolhouse and the 
 church builded for the diffusion of knowledge and 
 civilization, and the arts of peace supplant the habits and 
 customs of barbarism. He saw the great prairies over 
 which herds of wild beasts had fed and roamed reduced 
 to cultivation and produce beyond the sanguine expecta- 
 tions of the most optimistic; he saw the dry and parched 
 desert drink of the living waters of the streams flowing 
 
 [35] 
 
Memorial Addresses: Representative Latta 
 
 along their borders and become rich and fertile lands, 
 teeming with products to supply the wants of the people 
 at home, and furnish a surplus to swell the markets in 
 distant sections and aid the ever-growing commerce of a 
 mighty people in the greatest country on the globe. 
 
 All these occurred within his time, passed under his 
 review like a panorama, and in their marvelous growth 
 he had been a potent factor, and in the important part he 
 had played in this wonderful transformation, this great 
 and good work, his people recognized his merit, his real 
 worth, and confided greater responsibilities to him. They 
 elected him to represent them in their State legislature, 
 where he acquitted himself so satisfactorily that they 
 chose him to represent them in the State senate, and for 
 his faithful attention and splendid work they called him 
 twice to serve them in the United States Congress, which 
 he was doing when his untimely end came. In every 
 public capacity he was the same true and faithful public 
 servant and never betrayed their confidence or forfeited 
 their esteem. 
 
 His experience, covering the many stations he had 
 occupied from a pioneer homesteader to the position of 
 a man of wealth and influence and high public position, 
 enabled him to understand the various wants of the 
 people engaged in various vocations, and his sturdy char- 
 acter and unflinching integrity made him a positive force 
 in advocating the cause of his constituency, which he ably 
 and faithfully did as a Member of this body. 
 
 The pioneer is rapidly passing from among us; soon, 
 ah, much too soon, we will know him no more. Their 
 places will not be easily filled. They were heroes whose 
 virtues should be extolled. Their contribution to civiliza- 
 tion, to the country's progress, deserves particular atten- 
 tion, and their characters, standing out boldly among the 
 
 [36] 
 
Address of Mr. Cillop, of Indiana 
 
 most useful the country has produced, should be im- 
 pressed upon posterity as great, good, and patriotic. But 
 few, if any, can excel them; their work speaks for itself, 
 and we are forcibly reminded of their wise endeavors 
 in every institution in our common country as the product 
 of their handiwork. 
 
 Their work, unaided by example or experience from 
 which they could pattern, dedicated to the foundation of 
 a new civilization, the organization of society, and the 
 creation of a new Government, called for the exercise 
 of the best faculties of the head and heart, and the truest 
 wisdom with which man could be endowed, the highest 
 order of integrity and patriotism the world could fur- 
 nish, in order that what they created might meet the 
 requirements of succeeding ages and measure up to the 
 responsibilities which the future would demand of them. 
 Imbued with this great responsibility, penetrating the 
 darkness in which the future was veiled, estimating with 
 almost mathematical certainty the marvelous progress 
 which would follow their endeavor, they accomplished 
 their work with such wonderful accuracy, with such un- 
 selfish patriotism and untiring devotion to public welfare, 
 that it has adequately performed every purpose to which 
 it was dedicated, and as time unfolds the secrets hidden 
 from view, their wisdom and capacity is the more firmly 
 established and revealed. 
 
 We venerate the names of our military heroes and 
 great statesmen by the erection of monuments and statues 
 to show our appreciation of their great services to their 
 country; we signalize their achievements in story and 
 song; we glorify their virtues by emulating their ex- 
 amples, but we have failed to pay the proper amount of 
 attention, I fear, to the sturdy characters of our pioneers, 
 who, amid the dangers and hardships formed settlements, 
 
 F37] 
 
Memorial Addresses: Representative Latta 
 
 established civilization, and founded social government 
 among hostile foes and conquered the enemies of 
 progress. 
 
 To them the country's posterity for all time owes a debt 
 of gratitude which it can never pay. The sturdy pioneer 
 performed a work which redounds to his glory, erected 
 for himself a monument in the hearts of the people which 
 will endure long after monuments of marble and statues 
 of brass have crumbled to dust and have perished from 
 the minds of men. His work was dedicated to the uplift 
 of humanity, and an appreciative posterity will regard it 
 as the greatest heritage ever bequeathed to the human 
 race. Time will not diminish its importance, the people 
 can not underestimate its value, and the future will keep 
 secure their fame and revere their precious memories. 
 In the demise of our lamented colleague a pioneer has 
 fallen and the country suffers because of his removal, 
 but his example is left as a precious legacy to his family 
 and friends. " Peace to his ashes." 
 
 [38] 
 
Address of Mr. Stephens, of Texas 
 
 Mr. Speaker: The Members of this House are once 
 more called upon to mourn the loss of one of its most 
 useful Members — Hon. James P. Latta, of Tekamah, 
 Nebr. — near the close of the Sixty-first Congress. He 
 represented the third congressional district of Nebraska, 
 having received 26,832 votes to 24,865 cast for his Repub- 
 lican opponent, Hon. John F. Boyd, in a district that had 
 for many years been a strong Republican district. Mr. 
 Latta was a member of the State senate at the time of 
 his election to this House. Who has not observed the 
 wonderful, although undefinable, power some men 
 possess over their fellows? Is it personal magnetism or 
 electricity, or is it to be found in what we sometimes hear 
 called electrobiology or mesmerism? Is it the mysterious 
 force of the human will? Is it a secret or unknown power 
 which the human mind can not understand? Whatever 
 it may be, this power was possessed by Congressman 
 Latta in a remarkable degree. He drew men to him by 
 his earnest, direct, and convincing manner. It has been 
 truthfully said that an honest man is the noblest work 
 of God. The honesty and integrity of Mr. Latta were 
 unquestioned, and impressed themselves on the voters of 
 his district and his associates in this House in so convinc- 
 ing a manner that they regarded him as one of God's 
 noblemen. And for this reason we who knew him best 
 as a Member of this House reverence his memory the 
 most. Mr. Latta was a good father, husband, friend, and 
 legislator, and always so impressed himself on his 
 associates. I served on the same committee — the Com- 
 mittee on Indian Affairs — with him, and he was my close 
 
 [39] 
 
Memorial Addresses : Representative Latta 
 
 personal friend and party associate, and there was no 
 man on the committee for whom I had a higher personal 
 regard. He possessed a remarkably clear judgment on 
 all business affairs, having been a very successful man 
 himself. He very readily grasped the many business 
 matters coming before our committee relating to Indian 
 affairs. He was regarded as one of the safest and best 
 legislators on the committee. 
 
 Mr. Latta was born near Ashland, Ohio, and when 2 
 years old his father removed to eastern Iowa, being one 
 of the earliest pioneers of that country. His father was 
 a farmer, and young Latta worked on the farm during 
 crop seasons, and attended school during the winter 
 months, where he acquired his limited education. In 
 1863, at the age of 19 years, he emigrated to Nebraska, 
 where he lived at the time of his death. He walked 
 several hundred miles in making this change of resi- 
 dence. There were no railroads in this country at that 
 time, and Nebraska was then a Territory'. Mr. Latta was 
 a pioneer and an original homesteader of Nebraska, and 
 grew up and prospered with his State. Mr. Latta is the 
 only Congressman I ever knew who moved to strike from 
 a bill under consideration in the House an appropriation 
 of money to be expended in his State. Yet this is exactly 
 what he did on February 1, 1910. Page 1345 of the 
 Congressional Record shows that the Clerk read the 
 following clause in the Agriculture appropriation bill: 
 
 Nebraska National Forest Reserve, §18,250. 
 
 Mr. Latta rose and said: 
 
 Mr. Chairman, I move to strike out the last word. I have 
 listened yesterday and to-day to this discussion about the ap- 
 propriations for these national forest reserves. In my State 
 of Nebraska you appropriate $18,000 for the maintenance of a 
 national reserve. You can buy all the timber on that reserve for 
 less than §5,000. You can not propagate timber there, because 
 
 [40] 
 
Address of Mr. Stephens, of Texas 
 
 the reserve is leased to sheepmen, and the sheep eat off every 
 bush that grows. I agree with the gentleman from Wyoming 
 [Mr. Mondell] that these appropriations seem extravagant, 
 unreasonable, and uncalled for. We commenced in 1901 with 
 an appropriation of $90, 000. In nine years we have increased it 
 to $5,000,000. Now, what have we got for it? Are we making 
 parks or pleasure reserves, or are we trying to propagate and 
 increase the growth of timber? If we are trying to increase the 
 growth of timber, we are also leasing these reserves to men 
 who are grazing sheep, goats, and cattle and horses on them, 
 and thereby destroying every small tree and bush. Now, the 
 two things do not work together. It is unwarranted extrava- 
 gance and misjudgment, in my opinion. I am not criticizing 
 the members of this committee, but are the people getting value 
 received for the money expended? It looks to me as though 
 they are not. 
 
 Mr. Latta then offered an amendment to strike out this 
 Nebraska appropriation, but his amendment was defeated 
 by other Members of Congress from Nebraska. But this 
 incident shows the self-denial and honesty of purpose of 
 our deceased friend. Refusing this needless, in my judg- 
 ment, appropriation of public funds places Mr. Latta in 
 a class by himself. 
 
 Mr. Latta did not believe in landlordism and was op- 
 posed to large landed estates, and believed that some 
 equitable means should be devised of dividing them up 
 into small holdings, so that the tenants on large farms 
 and ranches and Indian and other land reservations could 
 become the owners of small tracts by making small 
 annual payments therefor. He said that he would be 
 glad to divide up his own large farm and ranch property 
 in the same way, and that he had often advanced money 
 to young tenants on his ranches to pay for their land on 
 the annual installment plan. The members of our com- 
 mittee valued very highly the advice given us by this 
 excellent business man and kind-hearted philanthropist 
 
 [41] 
 
Memorial Addresses: Representative Latta 
 
 in regard to the best disposition of the large Indian landed 
 estates of the West. 
 
 Mr. Latta was born, lived, and died on the outskirts of 
 American civilization, where he helped to settle and civi- 
 lize one of the best States in the Union. All honor to this 
 old sturdy pioneer, statesman, loving husband, kind and 
 indulgent father, safe adviser, and faithful friend. This 
 fast-fading school of old pioneers may well be de- 
 scribed as — 
 
 Tall and strong, and swift of foot were they, 
 
 Beyond the dwarfing city's pale abortions; 
 
 Because their thoughts had never been the prey 
 
 Of care or gain: the green woods were their portions. 
 
 No sinking spirits told them they grew gray; 
 
 No fashion made them apes of her distortions. 
 
 Simple they were, not savage; and their rifles, 
 
 Though very true, were not yet used for trifles. 
 
 Motion was in their days, rest in their slumbers, 
 And cheerfulness the handmaid of their toil; 
 Nor yet too many nor too few their numbers, 
 Corruption could not make their hearts her soil. 
 The lust which stings, the splendor which encumbers, 
 With the free foresters divide no spoil. 
 Serene nor sullen were the solitudes 
 Of this unsighing people of the West. 
 
 [42] 
 
Address of Mr. Maguire, of Nebraska 
 
 Mr. Speaker: We have laid aside the usual routine 
 of public business and assemble here this afternoon to 
 pay a brief tribute to the life and services of a late 
 Member and our lamented colleague, Hon. James P. Latta. 
 
 He was born near Ashland, Ohio, October 31, 1844, and 
 when a child of but 2 years of age he moved with his par- 
 ents to the eastern part of the Territory of Iowa. He grew 
 to manhood with much the same training and surround- 
 ings as other boys of his time — working on his father's 
 farm and attending district school during the winter 
 months. In 1863, before overland railroads were con- 
 structed, he traveled across Iowa and into Nebraska Ter- 
 ritory, where he located on a Government homestead in 
 Burt County, near the Missouri River and close to the 
 present town of Tekamah. He lived on this farm, which 
 has been enlarged to 3,000 acres, and in the town of Teka- 
 mah till his death on September 11, 1911. A few weeks 
 before his death he sought relief for stomach trouble and 
 underwent an operation, from which he never recovered. 
 He leaves in his immediate family a widow and two sons 
 to mourn his loss. 
 
 While we are eulogizing the memory of Mr. Latta here 
 in this House more particularly from the point of view of 
 his public service, still I can not fail to recall the more 
 realistic and vivid story of his life as told by his friends 
 and neighbors at his home on the day of his funeral, 
 which I attended as one of the official congressional party. 
 The people had gathered there not only from among his 
 neighbors and fellow townsmen, but also from many parts 
 of the State to pay their respects to a departed friend. 
 
 [43] 
 
Memorial Addresses: Representative Latta 
 
 Each one in that gathering felt a personal loss in Mr. 
 Latta's death. The simple but eloquent story of his 
 everyday life was in the minds and upon the lips of the 
 thousands of those who knew almost his every deed and 
 act and thought. To them his life was an open book, 
 and in it they prided themselves in having a part. Friends 
 vied with each other in relating his many acts of charity, 
 kindness, and early sacrifice. The people of his district 
 had implicit confidence in his honesty, his industry, and 
 his ability. To travel with him over his large district 
 seemed like going through his own neighborhood, where 
 each one had a personal interest in his welfare and all 
 knew him as " Uncle Jim Latta." 
 
 Mr. Latta was a man of simple tastes and democratic 
 in manner and sympathy. Because of his companionable 
 disposition, large experience, and good judgment it was 
 indeed a pleasure and a profit to accept his hospitality. 
 Entering Congress at the same time and living at the 
 same hotel, I found it a privilege to have the advantage 
 of his association. Although a man of strong convictions, 
 still he was tolerant and charitable in thought and 
 accorded to others the right to follow their own stand- 
 ards of right living. His long experience gave him a keen 
 insight into the problems and trials which multiply 
 around the average man. When there was conflict of 
 ideas among men he saw and understood how honest 
 differences of opinion might arise among many minds 
 and diversity of environment. He did not fail to take the 
 larger view of life. He was an optimist and had unfalter- 
 ing faith in the future. Courage and hope rather than 
 fear and despair characterized his attitude toward life. 
 Integrity of word and action made him understood by all, 
 and you always knew what he meant by what he said. 
 Physically he was large, strong, and rugged, and con- 
 served to the last his energies. Temperate in all his per- 
 
 [44] 
 
Address of Mr. Maguire, of Nebraska 
 
 sonal conduct and habits, he was able, therefore, to lead 
 an active and strenuous life to the very close. While he 
 directed most of his efforts to the building up and 
 development of the new country and to the care of his 
 increasing properties, still he had been the recipient, 
 more particularly in later years, of many public honors, 
 which he modestly accepted. In 1887 he represented 
 his district in the lower house of the Nebraska State 
 Legislature and in 1907 was a member of the State 
 senate. In 1908 he was elected as a Democrat from the 
 third Nebraska district to the Sixty-first Congress and 
 was reelected to the Sixty-second Congress. Where he 
 played the larger part, I believe, was as a pioneer and 
 Nation builder. He was contemporaneous with the last 
 and greatest epoch of our history which compre- 
 hended our industrial and civic expansion and growing 
 nationality. 
 
 The rounded character of the man made it possible 
 for him to become a potential force in our industrial 
 expansion, while his constructive nature helped in the 
 organization of political society. When he reached 
 Nebraska Territory he found the Indian and buffalo in 
 possession, with only a few scattered settlements of white 
 men. Natural obstacles in the new country yielded 
 slowly at first. The blizzards, droughts, grasshopper 
 pests, and hard times made up some of the conditions 
 which tried the courage of men, and many were the 
 pioneers who were compelled to surrender the heroic 
 struggle. But with Mr. Latta he refused to yield and 
 ultimately reaped a comfortable reward, but not more 
 than he deserved. He was a man who was not satisfied 
 with meeting simple situations, but insisted on over- 
 coming great obstacles. When he had passed from the 
 stage of poverty and hardships he did not forget nor 
 cease to help those who still suffered through misfortune. 
 
 [45] 
 
Memorial Addresses : Representative Latta 
 
 He gave freely to those in need and without any assur- 
 ance or guaranty of return. While he lived his later 
 years in the new surroundings, still he felt the early spirit 
 and sympathized with the old conditions. When he was 
 called into the larger activities of life and the complex 
 problems of expanding business he never forgot the joys 
 and sorrows of his friends and neighbors. While his 
 congressional career was not long, still it was an enduring 
 one of splendid service. He was a constant attendant at 
 his committees and in the House and to all his congres- 
 sional duties up to the time of his last illness. His large 
 fund of information and practical experience were 
 brought to bear in the examination of every question, 
 and in the material and economic development he spoke 
 with some authority. He held a high conception of the 
 public service and left the impress of his life and 
 character as a contribution to the parliamentary history 
 of his country. He ceased to act and laid down life's 
 activities only when the ministering angel of death 
 approached. When the soul of this man passed to its 
 Creator and the earth closed in upon all that was mortal 
 of James P. Latta, then ended the career of a Christian 
 soldier, a true man, and an honorable public servant. 
 
 [46] 
 
Address of Mr. Kinkaid, of Nebraska 
 
 Mr. Speaker: As a Member from the great agricultural 
 State of Nebraska, which sent James P. Latta to Congress, 
 I desire also to acid tribute to his memory. My remarks 
 will not be based upon a long and intimate personal 
 acquaintance. Though I had been a resident of Nebraska 
 for nearly 30 years, I had not actually become personally 
 acquainted with Mr. Latta until I met him here in Wash- 
 ington as Member elect of the third Nebraska district. 
 But, Mr. Speaker, energetic and enterprising men, who 
 for years have helped to build up and advance their com- 
 munities, their home towns, counties, and States, become 
 known for their citizenship; they gain a reputation which 
 makes them known farther and wider than it is prac- 
 ticable, even, to one with much travel to extend his 
 acquaintance. A man may do so little as never to be 
 heard of beyond the confines of his small community. 
 On the other hand, he may achieve so much as to become 
 widely and favorably known for his great value as a 
 citizen, by reputation merely, throughout a great country 
 like ours and even beyond the seas. Latta was so much a 
 part of his part of Nebraska that its history could not be 
 written without making him, among its other strong 
 pioneers, one of the principal factors. 
 
 Thus it was that for nearly 30 years before I met him 
 here as a Representative of his district I had known him 
 well by his well-earned reputation as one of the leading 
 men and citizens, not only of his home county, but of 
 the territory which comprises the congressional district 
 he so ably and faithfully represented. We had seldom 
 caught sight of each other in Nebraska from the circum- 
 
 [47] 
 
Memorial Addresses: Representative Latta 
 
 stance that we lived on different railway lines which car- 
 ried ns to the metropolis and to the capital of the State 
 and, in a measure, that we were not both Democrats. 
 It was on account of what Mr. Latta was doing as a busi- 
 ness man — a large landowner and farmer, a breeder of 
 pure-bred and high-grade live stock, a leading, active, 
 and popular banker, and a Democratic political factor — 
 that, incidentally, I came to know him by reputation. If 
 prominent farmers and live-stock raisers were being 
 talked of, Latta was one of them. If popular bankers 
 were the subject, Latta was sure to receive favorable 
 mention. If a Democratic district or State convention 
 was being discussed, " Jim " Latta, of Burt, was sure to 
 be taken into the reckoning. So, while I had not really 
 become acquainted with Latta before his coming here, 
 I knew him as you may know parts of your State or 
 country you have never seen — by learning its geography 
 from a map. 
 
 Latta was so much a part of the business, citizenship, 
 and political geography of his part of the State; he had 
 put himself on the map of northeast Nebraska so con- 
 spicuously in its upbuilding that he became, in the county 
 of Burt, in particular, one of its early landmarks, and so 
 he remained during life. Latta grew as the country grew. 
 Every time a new map had to be made, on account of the 
 development and advancement of his section of the State, 
 such as the formation of new counties and new political 
 divisions, his prominence as a landmark thereon became 
 increased. His progress and development kept pace with 
 that of the new and rapidly developing country which 
 he had chosen as his home. He made good the advice of 
 Greeley, " Go west and grow up with the country." He 
 helped to develop and advance his section of the State 
 and by so doing developed and advanced himself. 
 
 [48] 
 
Address of Mr. Kinkaid, of Nebraska 
 
 But, Mr. Speaker, it is due mutually to Latta and north- 
 east Nebraska as a section to observe that his section was 
 not lacking in strong men, successful men — successful in 
 business, prominent as citizens — some who were entitled 
 to be considered as financiers in a great State, others 
 prominent for their citizenship. In fact, the county of 
 Burt, his home, can boast of a number of men who be- 
 came conspicuous for their ability and achievements in 
 commercial and in public life. The county-seat town of 
 Tekamah, where he made his home for nearly 50 years, 
 produced, noticeably, a number of men who distinguished 
 themselves in official life. As a consequence, the favor- 
 able estimate to be placed upon Latta is increased rather 
 than diminished by the character of his environments. 
 It was necessary that he be found worthy in comparison 
 and in proportion with his surroundings in order that he 
 should become politically honored, and it is to his credit 
 that he was found thus worthy, with the standard of the 
 citizenship of his town and county so high. 
 
 Taking a wider view, going away from his home to the 
 other counties of his congressional district, the estimate is 
 legitimately increased by the fact that situated therein 
 are some of the best towns and foremost men of Nebraska, 
 men who, like Latta, distinguished themselves as busi- 
 ness men and financiers and, at the same time, for their 
 high qualities and attainments in the best citizenship — 
 political and official honors included. 
 
 Mr. Speaker, observation and reflection have convinced 
 me that two particular qualifications contribute largely 
 to exceptional or extraordinary success. From the prac- 
 tical business standpoint, one possessed with the faculty 
 to perceive opportunities, coupled with the ability to 
 improve them, to turn them to his advantage, such 
 a man becomes a capitalist by the possession of these 
 qualities alone. A scholar who was a world-wide traveler 
 
 93009°— 13 4 [49] 
 
Memorial Addresses: Representative Latta 
 
 declared, having the United States particularly in mind, 
 that " America " was another name for " opportunity." 
 The history of our country, its rapid growth in popula- 
 tion, in development, and wealth, and its relative standing 
 with the civilized nations of the world, together with the 
 attainments and achievements realized by persons of 
 humble beginnings, abundantly prove the declaration to 
 have been true. Our United States, over all its broad 
 domain, has been a country of unusual opportunities, 
 and the newer and less developed part has all the 
 time afforded, according to the popular idea, the best 
 opportunities for making a start. 
 
 The star of empire has all the time moved from the 
 East westward into the new and undeveloped West. 
 Young men have emulated the example set by their 
 pioneer fathers by leaving their old homes and going 
 West to grow up with the country. It would seem likely 
 Latta inherited this predilection, his parents having 
 removed from Ohio to eastern Iowa, and this inheritance, 
 Mr. Speaker, proved a rich legacy to Latta. He was 
 possessed of a practical turn of mind. To him was given 
 the clear vision to recognize opportunities large and 
 small, and he was possessed of the qualifications to make 
 each his own. In his make-up he was not lacking in 
 confidence; neither was he overconfident. A good, sound 
 judgment secured for him about the right balance. Many 
 men perceive opportunities to be good, but have not the 
 ability or confidence or courage to improve them. Others 
 pass opportunities by for want of the faculty to perceive 
 them. It is the few who both perceive and avail them- 
 selves of the advantage of the better or best opportunities. 
 It is easy enough to look backward and see the numerous 
 valuable opportunities we have passed, but this consti- 
 tutes only observation and experience; thus we see what 
 we have lost or missed. It is the foresight which makes 
 
 [50] 
 
Address of Mr. Kinkaid, of Nebraska 
 
 for success, Mr. Speaker. Hope pictures the future better 
 than the past or present and sees the distant land superior 
 to the home neighborhood. Distance lends enchantment 
 to the imaginative view, and the farther away the more 
 alluring. 
 
 Thus with delight we linger to survey 
 The promised joys of life's unmeasured way. 
 Thus from afar each dim discovered scene 
 More pleasing seems than all the past hath been. 
 
 Young Latta might have done well at that period, 1863, 
 to have remained near the parental homestead in eastern 
 Iowa. It is certain that on his journey across the State 
 for the Missouri River he passed through much virgin 
 country, affording opportunities equal to what he found 
 in eastern Nebraska, but the imagination of the son of the 
 pioneer parents brought to him the view of the country 
 west of the Missouri as a promised land, where it appeared 
 to him his success might become equal to that of the 
 most successful within the limits of his hitherto limited 
 observation. At this time — 1863 — the Missouri River 
 Valley did abound in great opportunities — chances com- 
 mensurate with the work and worth of industrious and 
 virile men. 
 
 New communities were to be established; towns, cities, 
 and a capital and metropolis were to spring up in Ne- 
 braska; but the new and fertile farm lands were the infal- 
 lible investment. They were certain to reach a value 
 tenfold, if not a hundredfold or two hundred fold more 
 than then could be realized. Latta saw this, and he pro- 
 ceeded to make the most of it. He acquired lands and 
 live stock, and continued to expand in these until he had 
 become one of the leading men of business and wealth 
 in his community. Finally, his surplus of money being 
 adequate, he embarked in a bank. When drought, grass- 
 hoppers, and, as a result thereof, depression came, he did 
 
 [51] 
 
Memorial Addresses: Representative Latta 
 
 not lose faith, but persevered, maintaining his faith in the 
 future of the country and the people as well. He banked 
 on his faith in the future of the country; one less far- 
 sighted, resourceful, courageous, and magnanimous might 
 have viewed it that he even banked his bank on risks 
 taken with his patrons in their financial exigencies; but 
 Latta's never-erring business prescience reassured him 
 and he firmly adhered to it. When the patrons of his 
 bank were confronted with executions and mortgage fore- 
 closure, chattel and real, he did not forsake them, even 
 when their holdings, judged by their selling value at the 
 time, did not warrant the risks which he took. 
 
 But Latta looked beyond the exceptional conditions; 
 he reasoned that the country possessed a sure foundation 
 for a prosperous future. He reasoned that the crop fail- 
 ures caused by drought would be followed by a succession 
 of abundant crops, and that grasshoppers might never 
 return again, and his faith was vindicated. The risks his 
 bank took, which in some cases caused his wisdom as a 
 banker to be challenged, turned out to be bread cast upon 
 the waters to bring him an hundredfold. Prosperity re- 
 stored, business men and farmers, who had been borrow- 
 ers of his bank, with a few years of good crops and good 
 business became themselves money lenders and deposit- 
 ors, with the result that the deposits of Latta's bank were 
 greatly augmented. I have not heard that Mr. Latta in 
 his young manhood aspired to a political career, and 
 infer that his going into politics, being elected first as a 
 representative to the Nebraska State Legislature, and 
 afterwards to the State Senate, was the result of his suc- 
 cessful and popular business and citizenship reputation. 
 I deem it probable this was the evolution of circum- 
 stances. He had proven, even vindicated, his faith in the 
 country and his confidence in his fellow men, and how 
 could they better return the compliment than by showing 
 
 [52] 
 
Address of Mr. Kinkaid, of Nebraska 
 
 their confidence in him by choosing him, first as their 
 State legislator and thereafter as their Congressman? 
 With two terms in Congress, his political ambition was 
 fully gratified. 
 
 For some time previous to receiving any warning of 
 his affliction which proved to be fatal, he had declared 
 his intention to not be a candidate for renomination or 
 reelection. He had also stated to friends that he would 
 not entertain the thought of a candidacy for governor, for 
 which he had received favorable mention. He regarded 
 his two terms in Congress as a testimonial, a reward, of 
 his previous career, the merits of his citizenship, business 
 and otherwise, including, also, his two terms in the State 
 legislature. Politically, his cup was full, and it was his 
 desire to go back to the sunlit prairies, to his large farm, 
 and behold the broad acres, heavy with grain, to hear the 
 low of countless cattle grazing on green pastures, the 
 industrious rattle of the mower and reaper, to scent the 
 clover and apple blossoms, enjoy the songs of birds, and 
 watch his herd of deer and antelope race and gambol 
 over the hills of the ample park they feel they own. 
 
 Mr. Speaker, for his locality Latta was a man of large 
 wealth, and his constituents had conferred a well-earned 
 distinction by several times choosing him as their law- 
 maker, State and National. He was fortunate in his do- 
 mestic life. He could not have wished for more. He is 
 survived by a most estimable wife, with sons who have 
 already become successful and prominent and promising 
 in business spheres. One of them has been honored by 
 being elected mayor of the home town, which office, I 
 think, he now holds. These worthy young men are sure 
 to conserve and add to the property not only they inherit, 
 but as well the good name of their distinguished father. 
 
 Mr. Speaker, with other Congressmen I was present 
 at the funeral of Mr. Latta. The capacity of the town 
 
 153] 
 
Memorial Addresses: Representative Latta 
 
 to accommodate even for the daytime the thousands of 
 friends and admirers who came to pay their last tribute 
 of respect to the deceased was taxed to its limit, if not 
 overtaxed. During my stay of 24 hours it was my pleas- 
 ure to converse with many who had known Mr. Latta 
 for years and had known as well the people of Burt 
 County by whom Mr. Latta was so well known, and I was 
 deeply impressed by the numerous expressions volun- 
 tarily made of the high esteem in which he was held. 
 The personal popularity of which I was so strongly con- 
 vinced he had enjoyed and deserved to enjoy explained 
 fully to me why it was and how it was that Mr. Latta, a 
 Democrat, in a county which was normally Republican 
 by seven or eight hundred, had been able in his several 
 campaigns to carry the county by so large a majority. 
 
 In the throng that assembled at the tomb on the green 
 tableland which overlooks the peaceful Missouri Valley 
 were men of every calling and every variation of political 
 faith. Settlers who had been carried through depression, 
 pioneers whose faltering courage had been sustained in 
 seasons of distress, and business men who had found help 
 in periods of panic came to mourn the loss of the man 
 who was ever a vitalizing force in the community where 
 he had established his home. And while older men 
 remembered many a kindly act, the young looked away 
 from the quiet resting place, there in the State which had 
 been the land of promise to the Iowa boy of long ago, 
 and felt within them the power to make much of their 
 opportunities. 
 
 Surely, the value of a man's life, the true meaning of 
 his span of years, shall be measured not in material pos- 
 sessions or even in special achievements, but in his rela- 
 tions to his fellow men. If he shall have in him the spirit 
 which recognizes the universal brotherhood, and if he 
 shall be guided by that spirit, then he is to be numbered 
 
 [54] 
 
Address of Mr. Kinkaid, of Nebraska 
 
 among those whose sojourn in the world has made the 
 world better. By this measure James P. Latta is to be 
 remembered as one of the Nation's builders, a man who 
 labored conscientiously in a small way at first, because 
 he could cheerfully accept as his task whatever was near- 
 est to his hand. With a large faith in humanity, as well 
 as in opportunity, he held himself loyally to the work 
 of developing his part of the country, and thus he con- 
 tributed liberally to the general welfare — thus he set the 
 example of noble citizenship which prepares wisely and 
 abundantly for future generations. 
 
 In the years that are coming the influence of James P. 
 Latta will remain potent. The love and gratitude which 
 he kindled in the hearts of all who knew him will stimu- 
 late effort and preserve high ideals which will be passed 
 on. This is the rich heritage that he left, and all who 
 contemplate it must bow in reverence to the name that 
 will stand in Nebraska for all the sterling virtues, the 
 kindly sympathies, the unselfish traits, and the exalted 
 ideals which combine to make a man the representative 
 of the highest type of American citizenship. 
 
 [551 
 
Address of Mr. Norris, of Nebraska 
 
 Mr. Speaker: When the history of the great West is 
 written and the story of the development and the ad- 
 vancement, the civilization, the progress of education on 
 the Great Plains is told it will be found that James P. 
 Latta, late Member of this body, and to other men like 
 him, is due more than to any other class of people the 
 wonderful development of that country, the wonderful 
 progress of education, of civilization, and of advance- 
 ment. 
 
 Born of humble parents, living, as I understand it, a 
 life of poverty, he struggled along through life learning 
 from his own experience every one of the trials and diffi- 
 culties that beset the pioneer. That he was successful in 
 his life financially and politically and in every other 
 honorable respect only goes to demonstrate that he was 
 made of the stuff that constitutes the truest and the 
 noblest manhood. 
 
 In our great Commonwealth Congressman Latta took 
 a prominent part in every one of its steps of advance- 
 ment. He was there at the beginning; he saw it develop 
 into a great garden spot. He came into the country when 
 it was uninhabited, save by the red men; he saw it pass 
 through all its trials and its troubles, and finally develop 
 into one of the greatest agricultural sections of the 
 country, if not of the entire civilized world. He lived in 
 the midst of its greatest development. He was part and 
 parcel of the advancement that it made. He was moved, 
 Mr. Speaker, by no great personal ambition; he had no 
 particular desire for honor or achievement, but he did 
 every day what he believed was his duty to perform. 
 
 [56] 
 
Address of Mr. Norris, of Nebraska 
 
 Many are the incidents that could be recounted, in 
 addition to those that have been spoken of, that showed, 
 during his life and the development of his great State, 
 the wonderful tenderness of his heart as well as the 
 ability of the man in a business direction. He never 
 sought public office. He had decided, long before it was 
 known either to him or to his friends that his days were 
 numbered, that he would not again be a candidate for 
 election to the House of Representatives. When this 
 announcement was made in the newspapers of Nebraska 
 there was immediate mention of his name in connection 
 with the governorship of our State, but he promptly 
 stated through the public press that at the expiration of 
 his term he would never again seek or accept public 
 office. 
 
 He had led an eventful life, marked by honorable 
 deeds all the way through. He had been successful in 
 business, and he desired to put in the balance of his days 
 in living a quiet life in his own home, enjoying the well- 
 earned competency that his efforts had brought to him, 
 and therefore he declined all further political honor. If 
 he had consented to the use of his name as a candidate, it 
 is my judgment that there would have been but little if 
 any opposition to his nomination for that office. His 
 life is emblematic of what comes to the life of the higher 
 class of pioneers. They are courageous, honest, and 
 tender-hearted. The many deeds of kindness that 
 marked his pathway through this world would be an 
 honor to the heritage of any man, and if at his funeral, 
 around his open grave, every man to whom he had done 
 a favor or a kind deed would have thrown upon the coffin 
 a rose of recollection his grave would have been filled 
 with the fragrant flowers of remembrance. 
 
 Mr. Speaker, I believe in an immortality. I believe that 
 beyond this life there is an existence better, higher, and 
 
 [57] 
 
Memorial Addresses: Representative Latta 
 
 happier than the life we live here — a life of everlasting 
 peace, of eternal hliss. We can not brush away the tear 
 from the aged widow's cheek; we can not banish the 
 sorrow from the hearts of loving children and loyal 
 friends, but we can, even in this hour, reach a condition 
 of satisfaction, almost of joy, at the thought that he 
 whose loss we now mourn, while he was among us, 
 planted along the thorny pathway we must all tread 
 flowers that are blooming for our benefit, for our happi- 
 ness, and for the comfort and pleasure of those who 
 follow. Mr. Speaker, the Kingdom of God is not meat 
 and drink, but it is love, peace, and joy. Into that 
 kingdom Congressman Latta has entered, and that peace 
 he now enjoys. We can confer no greater honor upon 
 his memory than to practice the virtues that the story of 
 his life has taught us. We can do nothing greater or 
 grander for the upbuilding of humanity than to remem- 
 ber the example of his everyday life from the time he 
 was a penniless boy walking across the plains of Iowa 
 to his pioneer Nebraska home up to the time of the close 
 of his eventful career. Believing in the life he led, having 
 faith in his honesty, in his integrity, recognizing the 
 benefit that his life has been to humanity, to a broader 
 belief in the Fatherhood of God and the fraternity of 
 humanity, I want to say: Honor to his memory here, 
 peace to his ashes now, rest and repose to his soul beyond. 
 
 [58] 
 
Address of Mr. Sloan, of Nebraska 
 
 Mr. Speaker : A stalwart member of our Nebraska dele- 
 gation in his late sixties has fallen. The affliction which 
 wasted his vigor and drained his life was brief. 
 
 Few men of his age came to this House with form so 
 erect, carriage so virile, and such goodly physique as 
 James P. Latta. His name, personality, and presence 
 would trace his ancestry near unto the channel which 
 divides the land of Moore and Burns. His facial dress 
 and courteous bearing favor an earlier ancestral strain. 
 So, I believe, we had in him a mingling of the Celt and 
 Gaul. 
 
 He was a distant neighbor of my parents in eastern 
 Iowa. He left that place the year I was born. His span 
 of life and activities covered two pioneer periods; one of 
 these in a forest county bordering the Mississippi, the other 
 a somewhat similar county in Nebraska bordering the 
 Missouri. Before his life ended the Nebraska pioneer 
 period had passed; its boundaries had inclosed as fair 
 a field, subdued and adorned by the arts of genius and 
 industry, and its people registered as great an intellectual 
 and moral advance as any part of this superb Union. 
 
 I visited his farm home and saw his devotion to the 
 tree planters' cause in the care of the natural forestry as 
 well as the magnificent trees of his own early planting. 
 He was an advocate of tree planting, for which our State 
 is named and famed. Among these sported the herds of 
 deer and antelope — forest denizens, which he kept and 
 for which he cared. It was a devotion to the lessons and 
 memory of his youth to love the trees, to preserve and 
 build the forest, and so follow the motto of Nebraska's 
 
 [59] 
 
Memorial Addresses: Representative Latta 
 
 great secretary, who, in season and out of season, bade the 
 world " Plant trees." 
 
 So I thought of my friend Latta's untimely taking off 
 in figure and imagery of trees. His fall from the appear- 
 ance of health and strength was the fall of the oak. In 
 the country where he and I spent our respective youths 
 there grew the bending willow, the swaying birch, and the 
 monarch oak. I have seen all of these lashed by the 
 storm. I have seen the droop and disfigurement of willow 
 and birch, but the oak, in all its sturdy grandeur, stood 
 defiant. I have seen a later storm further wound and 
 disfigure willow and birch which still stood to live a weak- 
 ened life and a delayed dissolution; but the oak, once 
 betraying a weakened heart, defective body, or decayed 
 root, under the blast of the elements fell with mighty 
 crash, there prone to lie in sublime humility where the 
 shadow of its once proud form had rested. So the human 
 willow or birch oft becomes the scriptural trespasser of 
 fourscore years, while the human oak is not permitted its 
 span of threescore and ten. 
 
 There are men who strive for the unattainable and 
 expend their energies in vain though perhaps laudable 
 pursuit; there are those whose faith would move 
 mountains; and there are those whose ideals, pressed 
 with industry and vigor, inspire the living and genera- 
 tions to come. Congressman Latta was not one of these. 
 There are those who, attempting to move no mountains, 
 lift from the human path obstructing stones; there are 
 those who see the immediate problems of life and solve 
 them; and there are those w T ho see a present task and 
 hasten to perform it with what diligence and ability they 
 possess. Of this latter class was the Congressman. 
 Through a useful and active life he met with resolution 
 and industry the tasks and problems which confronted 
 him. He did not pause to regret yesterday's lost oppor- 
 
 [60] 
 
Address of Mr. Sloan, of Nebraska 
 
 tunity or dream of to-morrow's mighty achievement. He 
 did the homely duty of to-day. He was a type of Ne- 
 braska pioneer; one of that class who came and stayed; 
 the class that inconvenience of frontier life did not fret, 
 frowning nature did not frighten, pestilence did not dis- 
 hearten, and poverty did not present itself as a tarrying 
 guest. 
 
 He had faith in the Golden West, but he looked not for 
 metal in Pikes Peak slope or California gulch. He looked 
 to his steps and saw beneath his feet more gold in the 
 rich and fecund soil of Nebraska plains than all the 
 Rocky Mountain yield or added coasts' production or yet 
 the product of the Klondike or South Africa's golden 
 store. In this he saw not wealth in lucky strike or deep 
 and devious vein. That, to be pursued, meant leaving 
 the sunshine and pure air of heaven to dig and delve in 
 darkened pit where nauseous gases are. He saw, in pros- 
 pect, reasonable wealth to be had by stirring seasonably 
 the rich surface, seeding with scientific purpose, cultivat- 
 ing with the art of an engineer, garnering with care, 
 and marketing like an economist. Good results and fair 
 reward for him and those about him of his bent and 
 energy followed, so that Mr. Latta, in building up himself 
 and fortune, drew his community measurably with him. 
 
 In the economy of sentiment and practice " neighbor " 
 is a great word. From a neighborhood there can not be 
 banished envy, jealousy, unwarranted grudge, or even 
 hate. But the man who can overstep these, reduce each 
 of them to a minimum, and command the respect, obtain 
 the support of not only friend and ally, but those of 
 different political faith or business affiliation, has not 
 lived his life in vain. That man has achieved one of 
 earth's sweetest, if not most commanding, distinctions. 
 
 James P. Latta was a neighborhood man. His business 
 associates depended on his ripened judgment. His com- 
 
 [61] 
 
Memorial Addresses: Representative Latta 
 
 petitors respected his methods and admired his ability. 
 His fellow citizens, overlooking party ties, supported most 
 liberally his political aspirations. His church valued 
 highly his membership, his lodge esteemed his fraternal 
 support, and his family saw in him the qualities of which 
 devoted husband and worthy father are composed. 
 
 I had met him casually in Nebraska and found him 
 friendly and courteous. When I first came to Washing- 
 ton we talked about many practical matters touching a 
 new Congressman's work. Of these he seemed to have 
 a special grasp and freely communicated many helpful 
 suggestions. As I saw more of him I learned more of why 
 he stood so well at home. His bent of mind and corre- 
 sponding course of action followed practical lines. He 
 talked with a calm and modest pride of his district, its 
 people, and its resources. I assume that, thinking of 
 these, talking of these, and acting concerning these, in 
 his everyday intercourse and relation with his neighbors, 
 inspired a confidence in his honesty and rectitude, which, 
 after all, goes a long way to supplant ultrapartisanship. 
 So it was, whenever he appealed to the people of his 
 count}' their response was generous and whole-hearted. 
 
 Our friend Latta has answered the question of his 
 being — " whither? " We do not know what message he 
 would return if the question of time should be submitted 
 to him in regions eternal. We are taught the equality of 
 action and reaction, and the unerring relation of cause 
 and effect. Every lesson of well-founded faith indicates 
 the life to come to be a realization of the feeble sugges- 
 tions read in the acts of this life. If doing well the tasks 
 of earth is warrant for fitting compensation when time 
 shall cease, then Congressman Latta is enjoying his 
 reward. 
 
 Mr. Maguirc of Nebraska took the chair as Speaker pro 
 tempore. 
 
 [62] 
 
Address of Mr. Lobeck, of Nebraska 
 
 Mr. Speaker: We meet to-day to pay tribute to the 
 memory of our friend and colleague, the Hon. James P. 
 Latta. 
 
 For over 30 years it was my great privilege to know, 
 personally, Congressman Latta, and from the first day I 
 became acquainted with him I realized I was in the 
 presence of a manly man, a strong, noble character, 
 whose word was as good as the safest bond, and who 
 commanded, by his daily life, the respect and confidence 
 of his neighbors in every avenue of life's activity. 
 
 During life he was actively engaged in the banking 
 business, also attending to and supervising his farms near 
 Tekamah. Being a keen observer of events, with great 
 foresight he acquired much land near his home, which 
 has since become very valuable. His great success in 
 life, in all his undertakings, may be attributed to the 
 uprightness and honesty which he displayed in all his 
 dealings with his fellow man, observing in his daily 
 practice the golden rule — doing unto others as he would 
 be done by. 
 
 Congressman Latta was a strong man of the common 
 people. His ability to use common sense, his knowledge 
 of men, and his foresightedness were keen and his judg- 
 ment clear on all matters that confronted him. These 
 characteristics made him a giant among all men, and his 
 opinion and judgment were eagerly sought and accepted 
 as coming from one clothed with authority. 
 
 In his dealings with the pioneer settlers of north- 
 eastern Nebraska he was kind and fair; he knew their 
 struggles in developing that new country; he held out 
 
 [63] 
 
Memorial Addresses: Representative Latta 
 
 to them a helping hand; and many well-to-do, aye, even 
 wealthy, farmers in his region owe a large measure of 
 their success to the kindness of James P. Latta. No 
 better corroboration of this statement can be made than 
 the high respect in which he was held by these pioneer 
 settlers. They showed their devotion for him throughout 
 his political career. No office in his State, had he desired 
 it, would they have withheld. They gave further evidence 
 of their love and respect for him when, with the great 
 men of their State, they gathered from near and far to 
 pay their last loving tribute in accompanying his remains 
 to their last resting place. 
 
 I met him first when I was a commercial traveler. 
 Often, and on nearly every trip, it was a pleasure to me 
 to go into his bank and visit him. He was so strong, yet 
 so kind and cheerful, that when I left him the world 
 seemed brighter for having met him. The greatest 
 inspiration to our fellow men is to scatter sunshine as we 
 pass by with a happy smile, a cheerful word, kindly 
 advice, and by lending a helping hand. This was one 
 of his strong characteristics. The Master, the gentle 
 Nazarene, understood kindness, taught it, and it has ever 
 been so and will be until the end of time. 
 
 I knew Congressman Latta in public life as a member 
 of the lawmaking bodies of the State of Nebraska. He 
 commanded, while serving in this capacity, the respect 
 of his fellow legislators and his opinion was eagerly 
 sought by his colleagues and his votes always cast on the 
 basis of equal justice to all. It was my pleasure to cam- 
 paign in his district at his first election to Congress. 
 Everywhere I went the pioneers knew " Jim Latta," and 
 every one loved and respected him. When, later, my 
 people honored me by electing me a Member of this Con- 
 gress, among the first to congratulate me was James P. 
 Latta. 
 
 [64] 
 
Address of Mr. Lobeck, of Nebraska 
 
 Upon coming here he personally gave me the benefit 
 of his experience; to me he was as a brother — nay, more, 
 a wise counselor — and was so kind in helping me in every 
 way that I at once felt at home in my new work and new 
 associations. 
 
 When his illness came he could not understand it. To 
 me it seemed so strange to see this strong, rugged man 
 feel weary; but it was the final call. When he left for 
 his home to rest, as he hoped for, we waited for good 
 news. Every day the Members would ask me, " How is 
 Mr. Latta?" They knew him, respected and loved him. 
 We hoped and wished for a speedy recovery and watched 
 for news from the sick room, until one day the news 
 flashed over the wires, " James P. Latta is no more." 
 
 It was my sad privilege to attend the funeral of my 
 friend. A great concourse of neighbors were present to 
 pay final tribute, thus showing the esteem in which he 
 was held. Gentle hands laid him away on a great hill 
 overlooking to the east the State of Iowa, to the north 
 and south the great Missouri River, and to the west the 
 beautiful farms of Nebraska. 
 
 James P. Latta loved his country, his flag, and the 
 Nation. He loved, too, his adopted State of Nebraska. 
 He had known the State for nearly a lifetime. He and 
 his beloved companion knew by experience the struggles 
 of the pioneer. He had seen his great State grow. He had 
 helped develop it to become one of the greatest agricul- 
 tural lands, and it was fitting that at the close of his busy 
 life he should be laid away along the banks of the great 
 Missouri, overlooking the fairest of lands, the States he 
 loved best. 
 
 No language or words of mine could do justice to the 
 strong character and upright manhood of James P. Latta. 
 His daily life is his best eulogy. In his passing away his 
 
 93009°— 13 5 [65] 
 
Memorial Addresses : Representative Latta 
 
 city, his State, and the Nation lost a noble, true-hearted, 
 and upright citizen. 
 
 To me it was a personal loss. He was my counselor and 
 my friend, and 1 accord it a high privilege to pay tribute 
 to his memory here to-day. 
 
 Mr. Stephens of Nebraska. Mr. Speaker, a number of 
 the Members of the House who desired to speak to-day 
 are necessarily absent, and I ask unanimous consent that 
 those who wish to do so may have the privilege for five 
 days of extending remarks in the Record upon the life, 
 character, and services of the late Hon. James P. Latta. 
 
 The Speaker pro tempore (Mr. Lobeck). The gentle- 
 man from Nebraska [Mr. Stephens] asks unanimous con- 
 sent that Members wishing to extend their remarks may 
 have that privilege. Is there objection? 
 
 There was no objection. 
 
 adjournment 
 
 In accordance with the resolution previously agreed to; 
 and as a further mark of respect to the memory of Mr. 
 Latta, the House (at 2 o'clock and 9 minutes p. m.) 
 adjourned until to-morrow, Monday, May 27, 1912, at 11 
 o'clock a. m. 
 
 [66] 
 
Proceedings in the Senate 
 
 Tuesday, December 5, 1911. 
 
 The President pro tempore (Mr. Curtis). The Chair 
 lays before the Senate resolutions from the House of Rep- 
 resentatives, which will be read. 
 
 The Secretary read the resolutions, as follows: 
 
 Resolved, That the House has heard with profound sorrow of 
 the death of the Hon. James P. Latta, late a Representative 
 from the State of Nebraska. 
 
 Resolved, That the Clerk of the House be directed to transmit 
 a copy of these resolutions to the Senate. 
 
 Mr. Brown. Mr. President, I offer the following resolu- 
 tions and ask for their adoption. 
 
 The President pro tempore. The resolutions submitted 
 by the Senator from Nebraska will be read. 
 
 The resolutions were read, considered by unanimous 
 consent, and unanimously agreed to, as follows: 
 
 Resolved, That the Senate has heard with deep sensibility the 
 announcement of the death of Hon. James P. Latta, late a Rep- 
 resentative from the State of Nebraska. 
 
 Resolved, That the Secretary communicate a copy of these 
 resolutions to the House of Representatives and to the family 
 of the deceased. 
 
 Mr. Brown. Mr. President, as a further mark of respect 
 to the memory of the deceased Member I move that the 
 Senate adjourn. 
 
 The motion was unanimously agreed to, and (at 3 
 o'clock and 12 minutes p. m.) the Senate adjourned until 
 Thursday, December 7, 1911, at 2 o'clock p. m. 
 
 [671 
 
Memorial Addresses: Representative Latta 
 
 Tuesday, February 11, 1913. 
 Mr. Hitchcock. Mr. President, I should like to give 
 notice that on Saturday, March 1, I will ask the Senate 
 to consider resolutions commemorative of the life and 
 public services of the late James P. Latta, a Member of 
 the House of Representatives from Nebraska. 
 
 Saturday, March 1, 1913. 
 The Senate met at 10 o'clock a. m. 
 
 The Chaplain, Rev. Ulysses G. R. Pierce, D. D., offered 
 the following prayer: 
 
 Almighty God, our heavenly Father, we thank Thee 
 for the gracious Providence which brings us to this day 
 of solemn and reverent memory. As we recall the life 
 and public service of him whom we this day commemo- 
 rate, we pray Thee to inspire our minds and to give 
 utterance to our lips that we may fitly honor the life 
 which Thou hast called to Thy nearer presence and to 
 Thy higher service. 
 
 We pray Thee, our Father, to comfort those that mourn. 
 Uphold them by Thy heavenly grace and grant that 
 neither height of remembered joys nor the depth of 
 sorrows that can not be forgotten, nor the present with 
 its burdens nor the future with its loneliness may be able 
 to separate them from the love of God which is in Christ 
 Jesus our Lord. • 
 
 In the name of Him who abolished death and brought 
 life and immortality to light, hear Thou our prayer. 
 Amen. 
 
 Mr. Gallinger took the chair as President pro tempore 
 under the previous order of the Senate. 
 
 The Secretary proceeded to read the Journal of yester- 
 day's proceedings, when, on request of Mr. Smoot and by 
 unanimous consent, the further reading was dispensed 
 with and the Journal was approved. 
 
 [C8] 
 
Proceedings in the Senate 
 
 Mr. Hitchcock. Mr. President, I ask the Chair to lay 
 before the Senate resolutions of the House of Representa- 
 tives on the death of my late colleague in that body, 
 James P. Latta. 
 
 The President pro tempore (Mr. Gallinger) . The Chair 
 lays before the Senate resolutions from the House of rep- 
 resentatives, which the Secretary will read. 
 
 The Secretary read the resolutions, as follows: 
 
 In the House of Representatives, 
 
 May 26, 1912. 
 
 Resolved, That the business of the House be now suspended, 
 that opportunity may be given to pay tribute to the memory of 
 Hon. James P. Latta, late a Member of the House from the State 
 of Nebraska. 
 
 Resolved, That as a particular mark of respect to the memory 
 of the deceased, and in recognition of his distinguished public 
 career, the House, at the conclusion of these exercises, shall 
 stand adjourned. 
 
 Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions to the 
 Senate. 
 
 Resolved, That the Clerk send a copy of these resolutions to the 
 family of the deceased. 
 
 Mr. Hitchcock. Mr. President, I offer the resolutions 
 which I send to the desk and ask for their adoption. 
 
 The President pro tempore. The Senator from Ne- 
 braska submits resolutions, which will be read. 
 
 The resolutions (S. Res. 494) were read, considered 
 by unanimous consent, and unanimously agreed to, as 
 follows : 
 
 Resolved, That the Senate expresses its profound sorrow on 
 account of the death of the Hon. James P. Latta, late a Member 
 of the House of Representatives from the State of Nebraska. 
 
 Resolved, That the business of the Senate be now suspended, in 
 order that fitting tribute may be paid his high character and dis- 
 tinguished public services. 
 
 Resolved, That the Secretary communicate a copy of these 
 resolutions to the House of Representatives and to the family of 
 the deceased. 
 
 T691 
 
Address of Mr. Hitchcock, of Nebraska 
 
 Mr. President: The life of James P. Latta was typical 
 of our country's recent progress. Born in Ohio in 1844, 
 during his childhood he went with his parents to Iowa, 
 then in her first development There he remained until 
 18 years of age, when, a mere boy, becoming ambitious 
 to find for himself a new home in the farther West, he 
 secured the consent of his father, and alone, on foot, 
 started across the State of Iowa to seek a home in the 
 State of Nebraska. I say this is typical of our American 
 progress, for the tide of population has flowed from the 
 East toward the West in a never-ceasing stream, and 
 ambitious men, like Representative Latta's father and 
 like Representative Latta himself, have turned their faces 
 to the westward and sought their new homes in the 
 " promised land." 
 
 Mr. Latta's life was also illustrative of our American 
 development. Beginning life as a young man upon a 
 farm on the banks of the Missouri River in Nebraska, by 
 industry and thrift, by intelligence and energy, he gradu- 
 ally acquired a competence, established for himself a 
 home, developed a prosperous farm, and, after 15 years 
 of highly successful farming, was able to enter the bank- 
 ing business, in which he met with equal, if not greater, 
 success. 
 
 Following his experience as a banker, in the riper years 
 of his life he secured the confidence and esteem of his 
 neighbors to such an extent that he was successively 
 elected treasurer of his home town, mayor of the town, 
 later to the legislature, first as representative and then as 
 State senator, and finally, toward the close of his event- 
 
 [70] 
 
Address of Mr. Hitchcock, of Nebraska 
 
 ful life, he was elected a Member of the House of Repre- 
 sentatives from the third Nebraska district. 
 
 I say that in this respect his life has been typical of 
 American development, because this man, with few early 
 advantages, in spite of great obstacles, not only walked 
 to his new western home, but, starting with nothing, made 
 himself a successful farmer, and after being a successful 
 farmer, made himself a successful banker, and stepped 
 naturally into the public service by reason of the great 
 confidence reposed in him by his neighbors and friends. 
 
 James P. Latta was an unusual man, Mr. President. 
 Strong of body and strong of mind, with a great heart and 
 a broad sympathy, he was not content to win success for 
 himself alone, but he became a tower of strength in the 
 community in which he lived. In the times of stress and 
 disaster in 1893, when the whole West was in a condition 
 of depression, when farmers were in distress, when busi- 
 ness men were in embarrassment, James P. Latta, then the 
 prosperous farmer and successful banker, was not con- 
 tent to look after himself alone, for he realized his respon- 
 sibility to the community in which he lived and to the 
 neighbors who surrounded him, and not only exhausted 
 all his own personal resources in assisting them in their 
 distress, but, to my certain knowledge, he took of his 
 good securities, came to the East, and pledged them in 
 order to raise money that he might lend it to his less suc- 
 cessful neighbors. This great act of his saved many from 
 bankruptcy in those days, enabling a great many farmers 
 in his own county to hold the properties which they had 
 mortgaged. And when the clouds had cleared away 
 and prosperity had again come to Nebraska and the West, 
 it was no wonder that those neighbors of his insisted on 
 elevating him to the position of their Representative at 
 Washington. 
 
 [71] 
 
Memorial Addresses : Representative Latta 
 
 He won his success not because he was in political 
 accord with his constituents, but because he had such a 
 hold upon their sympathies and their confidence that they 
 voluntarily sent him to Washington. 
 
 I shall long remember some of the sights which I wit- 
 nessed upon the occasion of his second campaign in that 
 district. He was kind enough to take me through the 
 district and introduce me to his friends, I being then a 
 candidate for the Senate, and I remember how all over 
 that district he was hailed not simply as their Represent- 
 ative in Congress, but hailed as their father and their 
 protector because of the sacrifices which he had made 
 in their interest. 
 
 When, at the end of a long nine days' trip, during 
 which we had stopped at a hundred different towns in 
 his district, on a certain golden afternoon in our won- 
 derful Indian summer we reached his home town for the 
 final meeting in that campaign, the outpouring of the 
 people, his neighbors and his Mends, to welcome him, 
 without regard to party, with closed stores and closed 
 offices, with shouts and huzzas and an enthusiasm rarely 
 equaled in a local candidate, was something I shall long 
 remember. 
 
 He was an unusual man — unusual in his strength, 
 unusual in his sympathies, unusual in his courage, and 
 unusual in the fact that he was able, after a long life of 
 toil in the business world, to enter public life and acquit 
 himself honorably and creditably. 
 
 [72] 
 
 > 
 
Address of Mr. Brown, of Nebraska 
 
 Mr. Townsend. Mr. President, the senior Senator from 
 Nebraska [Mr. Brown] is unavoidably absent, having 
 been compelled to be away from the city this afternoon. 
 He has prepared, however, a loving and sincere tribute 
 to his late colleague in the House, and he has asked me 
 to present it to the Senate for him this evening, which 
 duty I very gladly perform. 
 
 He says: 
 
 I knew Congressman Latta first when he was a State 
 senator in the Nebraska Legislature. At that time, as 
 attorney general of the State, I had necessary occasion to 
 know at first-hand the character of the man. He was true 
 and faithful. His good sense, his business head, and his 
 honest heart made him a foremost factor in that body and 
 won for him the confidence and esteem of all his col- 
 leagues and the appreciative regard and respect of his 
 constituents. His record was clean. Early in that serv- 
 ice he developed a fearless indifference to his own politi- 
 cal fortune. His sole guide and inspiration seemed to be 
 the welfare of the people— all of them. He never divided 
 the people into classes. Whether men were engaged on 
 the farm or on the range, in the store or in the factory, 
 in the banking house or in the railway headquarters, he 
 treated them all alike and stood for a square deal for 
 each and all. He was true to this standard throughout 
 his service in the American Congress. 
 
 In his campaigns Mr. Latta was never known to appeal 
 to class prejudice in order to win votes for himself or his 
 party. He was too patriotic to do that. He was too 
 square in thought and character to resort to this easy 
 
 [73] 
 
Memorial Addresses: Representative Latta 
 
 though crooked method of electing himself to office. He 
 was, therefore, a most wholesome influence in politics. 
 Let me say to the honor of the people of the State who 
 elected him first to the State senate and then to the Na- 
 tional House of Representatives and to the honor of all 
 the people of that rich and progressive State, they, like 
 him, are good and true and square. Their ideals, like his, 
 are high and noble, and they, like him, are devoted to 
 the upbuilding and advancement of American ideals and 
 institutions. If men like Latta, modest and conscien- 
 tious, earnest and vigilant, unafraid of personal political 
 mishap, could always be found to serve in office the future 
 welfare of this country and its institutions would be 
 secure. 
 
 Mr. Latta was steadfast in his devotion and in his 
 service to the people who had elected him. He was a 
 great man in the sense that greatness is measured by 
 sincerity, capacity, and industry. He had the courage 
 and determination of the pioneer. From the day he took 
 a homestead in the State of Nebraska to the hour of his 
 death he stood and fought for his country's welfare and 
 for civic standards of high and noble character. In poli- 
 tics he was partisan, believing in the agency of political 
 parties as the most practical instrument through which 
 to determine and establish State and National policies. 
 As a Member of Congress and as a servant of his con- 
 stituents he talked for good things, and he always voted 
 as he talked. 
 
 In one respect Mr. Latta was a remarkable man; he 
 had the trait of character which in these more recent 
 days is not found too frequently in public men — he did 
 not advertise his own honesty by impugning the motives 
 of others. He never assumed to be the only honest friend 
 the people had in Congress. He had another remark- 
 able trait — he devoted himself to quietly serving the peo- 
 
 [74] 
 
Address of Mr. Brown, of Nebraska 
 
 pie faithfully, and therefore he furnished few headlines 
 for the newspapers. He allowed his service to speak for 
 itself and he left the advertising politician a free hand. 
 Should the days of pretension and hypocrisy ever over- 
 take this country, men of Latta's character would receive 
 scant recognition. 
 
 By every test Congressman James P. Latta was a good 
 man, and this is the highest tribute that can be paid to 
 any man. He hated everything wrong and mean; he 
 loved everything good and right. 
 
 The life that counts must toil and fight, 
 Must hate the wrong and love the right, 
 Must stand by truth by day, by night; 
 This is the life that counts. 
 
 The life that counts must hopeful be, 
 In darkest night make melody, 
 Must wait the dawn on bended knee; 
 This is the life that counts. 
 
 The life that counts is lived with God, 
 And runs not from the cross, the rod, 
 But walks with joy where Jesus trod; 
 This is the life that counts. 
 
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 [75] 
 
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