^ ON THE Hv 
 
 ^IFE AND ChARACTEI\ \p- 
 
 ^^^ Life and 
 
 JAMES LAIRD 
 
 April 12, 1890. 
 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 
 
 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 
 
 Cluip._„-: 81ic 
 
 PRESENTED BY 
 
 D BY >^ 
 
iEID^. cJIi^^JIBS 3iAn;RI5. 
 
//•• 
 
 MEMORIAL ADDRHSSES 
 
 LIFE AND CHARAC'lER 
 
 JAMES LAIRD, 
 
 A KEHRESENTATIVE KkOM N'EURASKA, 
 
 DELIVER K.l) IN THE 
 
 House of Representatives and in the Senate, 
 
 FIFTY-FIRST CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION. 
 
 Compiled and edited, under lliu direction of llie 
 Joint ( ommittee on Printing, by 
 
 W. H. MICHAEL, 
 
 Clerk ok Pkinting KiicuKus. 
 
 WASHINCTON: 
 
 GOVK K NM K NT TKlNTINc; OEEICE, 
 1891. 
 

 
 ■o 
 
 71250 
 
 Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
 States of America in Congress assembled, That there be printed of the 
 eulogies delivered in Congi-ess upon the late James Laird, a Representa- 
 tive from Nebraska, ten tliousand copies: of which two thousand five 
 hundred copies shall be for the use of the Senate and seven thousand five 
 hundred copies shall be for the use of the House of Representatives. 
 That the Secretary of tlie Treasury be, and he is hereby, directed to have 
 printed a portrait of the said James Laird to accompany said eulogies, 
 and for the purpose of engraving and printing said portrait the sum of 
 five hundred dollars, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby 
 approi>riated out of any moneys in the Treasury not otherwise appropri- 
 ated. Thai of the quota to the House of Representatives, the Public 
 Printer shall set apart fifty copies, which he shaU have bound in full mo- 
 rocco, with gilt edges, the same to be delivered when completed to the 
 family of the deceased. 
 
 Approved, September 39, 1890. 
 
DEATH AND PUNHRAL CHRBMOMHS OF HON lAMHS 
 
 LAIRD. 
 
 Some Incidents in His Life. 
 
 James Laird died in lii.s own residence iji Hastings, 
 NeLr., at 10:30 a. m., Saturday. August 17, 1889. The im- 
 mediate cause of his death seems to liave been the result of 
 a surgical operation. An autopsy was held, and the physi- 
 cians' report was as follows: 
 
 We, the undersigned, as a result of a post-mortem made upon tlie bo<ly 
 of J.\MES Laird, find Iiis brain normal, heart normal, kidneys norninl, 
 spleen very soft and pliable, parts of small intestines congesteil. rectuni 
 abnormal and in a very unhealthy condition. We find tliat the cause 
 of his death was acute septicasmia. 
 
 Ralph. J. Irwin. 
 
 F. J. SCHAFELBEROER. 
 M. V. B. McKlNNEY. 
 
 T. H. Urquhart. 
 
 The examination was made in the presence of fifteen 
 physicians, under the direction of Coroner Irwin. The ex- 
 amining committee agreed that the septic poison was ab- 
 sorbed in tjie wounds from an operation for hemorrhoids. 
 This operation was performed in Omaha, Wednesday, Au- 
 gust 14, three days previous to his death. 
 
 He breathed his last, without returning to consciou-sness, 
 about forty-eiglit hours after entering a comatose condition 
 
 in 
 
IV Death and Funeral Ceremonies of James Laird. 
 
 tliat presaged the fatal result. When the spirit departed 
 there were gathered about the bedside C. H. Paul, wife 
 and daughter, John Jacobson, Dr. VanSickle, Leopold 
 Halm, Jolin Crans, and H. Lepin. Mr. Laird was not mar- 
 ried, and no kinsmen were i^resent at his death, but there 
 was no lask of tender, loving friends to stand solemnly and 
 tearfully by as the noble soul parted from its tenement of 
 clay and passed into The Beyond. 
 
 His nearest of kin living were Mrs. Isaac Beyeu, aunt of 
 the dead soldier and statesman, and William Beyeu, his 
 cousin, of Gilman, 111. Both were present at the funei'al. 
 Major Laird's parents and a brother, Alonzo, lie buried in 
 the cemetery at Juniata, Nebr. Two brothers were killed 
 in the army battling for the Union, and fell by the side of 
 their beloved brother, "Jim," whose sad death removes the 
 sole surviving member of the family. Some time before 
 his death. Major Laird purchased a lot in Park View Cem- 
 etery, at Hastings, Nebr., intending to have the bodies of 
 his parents and brother removed there, and his wish will 
 be carried out. Here, with the body of his pious father, 
 whom he honored, the body of his devoted mother, whom 
 he loved, and the body of his brother, for whom he cherished 
 the tender affection of a sister, lie entombed tlie mortal re- 
 mains of James Laird. 
 
 Sketch of his Life. 
 
 James Laird was born at Fowlerville, Livingston County, 
 New York, June 30, 1849, and at an early age reoioved with 
 his parents to Michigan. He enlisted as a private in Com- 
 pany G, Sixteenth Michigan Volunteer Infantry, in July, 
 18G1, and served with great bravery, participating in many 
 a hard-fought battle, being wounded several times by mus- 
 
Dealli and luoural ( 'rrcmoii/rs of James Laird. v 
 
 kct l)all and saber, and was left on the firld Un- dead at 
 Gaines Mill. He won honor and distinction for liis conrage 
 and braverj\ and attained tlie rauiv of brevet-major. 
 
 At tlie close of the war he finished liis edncation, and yrad- 
 natcd tVc.iii the law school of the Micliigan University. Ho 
 removed to Adams County, Nebraska, in 1872. and became 
 at once a central figure in tlie pioneer settlement of that time. 
 His energy and ability and natural qualities of leadership 
 placed him in the forefront of all movements of a public 
 character. He was a member of the constitutional conven- 
 tion of his State in 187.'!. 
 
 His career as Congressman began with the Forty-eighth 
 Congress, and he had just entered upon his fourth succes- 
 sive term. His achievements in the national House of Rep- 
 resentatives hav(> been many and notable ones, which gave 
 him prominence there among the strong and influential men 
 of that body. He was especially solicitous for the welfare 
 of the old .soldier, for whom he labored wntli untiring zeal. 
 The demands made upon him from a large and growing dis- 
 trict were even too much for a naturally strong and vigorous 
 nature, both physically and mentally, such as were his. He 
 devoted himself assiduously to the toil imposed upon him, 
 but he was unable to hold up undei- the burden and broke 
 down. 
 
 Before the campaign of 1889 was over he was completely 
 prostrated upon a bed of sickness. He never recovered from 
 that illness, although changes of scene and of climate were 
 tried unavailingly to re.store him again to the full enjoy- 
 ment of health. At times his condition was most hopeful 
 and encouraging, but a relapse would follow and he would 
 become despondent. He was afflicted with hemorrhoids, 
 and thinking no doubt that it was partly the cause of his 
 continued illness he requested an operation to be performed 
 
VI Death and Fiinnal Ceremonies of James Laird. 
 
 for its radical cure. It seems to have been successfully per- 
 formed, but the day after he was taken with a chill, followed 
 by a high fever that the utmost medical skill could not con- 
 trol. He soon went into a comatose state, in which he lay 
 for about forty -eight hours, while life sl<:)wly but surely 
 ebbed away. 
 
 Tribute from his old Commander. 
 
 Gen. Henry A. Morrow, colonel U. S. Army, and during 
 the war major-general of volunteei's, said of Maj. Laird : 
 
 " Mr. Laird was a bi-ave, generous, chivalric, truth- 
 fiil, tender-hearted, brilliant man; one who never turned 
 his back to a foe or deserted a friend or a cause. I knew 
 Maj. Laird from his boyhood — early Ijoyhood— to the 
 hour of his death. His last services as a soldier wereimder 
 my command. Indeed, he was my ordnance officer when I 
 commanded a provisional division in the Army of the Ten- 
 nessee, in the summer of 1805. I knew him well — as well 
 as one man can know another — and I am quite prepared, 
 on my responsibility as an officer and a man, to say that I 
 have met few men in my not short nor uneventful life who 
 made a deeper impression on my mind and imagination 
 than did James Laird. I have said he was a brave man. 
 That was attested in many a hard-fought battle, for he was 
 in many of the great battles of the Army of the Potomac. 
 But his courage — a quality common to all Americans — was 
 almost the least conspicuous of his virtues. He was a man 
 of deep sensibilities, of sterling integrity, of unflinching 
 devotion to his friends, of great tenacity of purpose, of 
 iinswerving adherence to isrinciples, of great acuteness of 
 thought, of rich command of language, of a wide range of 
 ideas on a great variety of subjects, of a luminous and deli- 
 
Dentil and I-'uiural Ccrcmotiics of Javics Laird. \\\ 
 
 (•ate judgment, and of iiii7nital)le grace and tact of conver- 
 sation, fairly bristling with luippy anecdotes and the bright- 
 est and gentlest humor. What his life had been as a soldier 
 was his life as a legislator — free frmn all taint or suspicion 
 of venality m cowardice. His oratory was brilliant, stir- 
 ring, suggestive. I have heard an eminent Nebraska judge 
 (Judge Hamer) say that Mr. Laird's addresses to juries 
 were impassioned, kindling, convincing. At tlieend of on(« 
 of his jury efforts, jurors saw no way of escape except to 
 render a verdict in favor of the elocjuent advocate. 
 
 " My recollections of our friend are all of the most pleas- 
 ant character. He dwells in my minndi-y as a man fairly 
 radiant with health, bright with the glow of intelligence, 
 beaming with humor, brimfull of generous impulses. Maj. 
 Laird served his constituents with fidelity and ability. It 
 is not creditable to the inhabitants of the Second Con- 
 gressional district that no public action has been taken to 
 rear a suitable monument t(j his memory and that no public 
 exercises have been held to pay tributes to the many excel- 
 lent qualities of heart and head that made James Laird, 
 while living, an honest, useful public citizen, an eloquent 
 and influential Congressman, an interesting social com- 
 panion, and a true and incorrui^tible friend. He was the 
 Chevalier Bayard of the bar of Nebraska." 
 
 Some Incidents in His Life. 
 
 Mr. Tate, who i^reached the funeral sermon of Maj. Laird, 
 called on the latter a few weeks before liis death, in the 
 hoj)e of being able to say something that would cheer him 
 M|). Soon after entering the room Maj. Laird said: 
 
 "Tate, what can 1 do for you?" Tiic answer was, "Get 
 
VIII Dcatli and Fitncral Cercuiouies of James Laird. 
 
 we'll, Jim." Laird said: '• I will do anything for you; what 
 do you want?" Tate said: " I want you to get well," and 
 left the room. Laird was so well i:)leased with this that he 
 laughingly said: "When I die I want Tate to preach my 
 funeral. He won't tell any lies about me.*' 
 
 ******* 
 Mr. Tate and Maj. Laird were to speak at a place in miles 
 from Hastings; they missed the road and wandered around 
 for three hours. The people in the country schoolhouse, 
 after waiting half an hour, were going home, but an old 
 widow who sat near the door said : ' ' Don't go ; he will come. " 
 So they waited a while longer and were going to start again; 
 The old lady again said more emphatically, " Stay; he will 
 come."' Whenever they would talk of starting the widow 
 would repeat, "He will come." Laird finally did come, 
 made his speech, and being told that they would all have 
 been at home only the lady, naming her, kept saying "He 
 will come." Laird went to her and asked; " How did you 
 know I would come?" She answered: "Years ago my hiis- 
 band died; left me with three little children. Because I was 
 poor I was left to freeze and starve. You, sir, sent me coal 
 to keep us warm and flour to eat. ' When the pension agent 
 could not get my pension because there was a break in the 
 proof (the mortgage would soon take the farm) I did not 
 know what to do. I wrote to you about it. Instead of an- 
 swering my letter you introduced a bill in Congress, passed 
 it, followed it until signed by the President; then you wrote 
 me I would get S],800 inside of sixty days. I got it. You 
 said you would come, so I knew you would." 
 
 * * * * * 
 
Dcalli and FiDicral Ccroinniics of James Laird. IX 
 
 FROM AN ADDRESS BY E. F. CHITTENDEN, DELIVERED AT THE STATE 
 REUNION OF THE G. A. R., HELD AT GRAND ISLAND, NEBRASKA. 
 
 Ml'. Laird's personal lieroisin as a soldier was early and 
 severely tested in battle, being himself five times wounded 
 and onre a prisoner, and in having his two elder brothers 
 killed in action beside him. Few . indn-d. wri'i- tiie \'olun- 
 teers who, like himself, fouglit their way uj)from the ranks 
 to the position of major before reaching the agi* of seven- 
 teen ; and those who knew him best will readily nnderstand 
 that he did his whole duty as a soldier, as he did in iattn- 
 years as a citizen, and that each step in his deserved jiromo- 
 tion was heroically earned. 
 
 However, what I consider to have been his greatest vir- 
 tue was the filial affection he ever manifested toward his 
 widowed mother. Tlie best rooms and apartments of his 
 home, and the best of everijilniKj which money could pni- 
 cure, he considered scarcely good enough for her. No won- 
 der, then, that she idolized Jmn, and thought there was no 
 one iu all the wide world like " my Jamie." All other hon- 
 ors and excellencies, sink into insignificance compared with 
 this, and will perish and be forgotten, possibly, while this 
 crowning virtue will endure forevei-. All honor to his mem- 
 ory for thus honoring his aged widowed mother while she 
 lived. 
 
 EXTRACT FROM MR. LAIRD'S EULOGY UPON GEN. GRANT AT G. A. R. 
 REUNION, FREMONT, SEPTEMBER, ISS.';), 
 
 I can not close without a word for our great comrade, who 
 was made known to us througli the companionship of suffer- 
 ing and danger. It was a mighty part that this dead gen- 
 eral bore in the daily life of the world. He held his sword 
 in trust for the good of all mankind. By the grace of deeds 
 
X Death and Fimcral Ccronoiiies of James Laird. 
 
 done he is mightier than C»sar, greater tliau Na])oleon. Con- 
 quest guided the conquering feet of the iirst Roman. The 
 bloody dream of glory and the bauble of kingly power edged 
 the great Frenchman's sword. Our hero, our comrade, of 
 all the foremost of the earth, is first to forego conquest, to 
 forget glory, conquering only in the name of freedom, and 
 that for all mankind : shedding human blood only in the 
 name of the Union, and that of all these States. Not unlike 
 all the great warriors of civilizatioii, he is still, in our affec- 
 tionate judgment, incomparably greater than any other in 
 that he was so great as to be unconscious of his greatness. 
 Modest as David, mighty as Saul, how eloquently the great 
 words of the Lamentations apply to liim : "He was stronger 
 than a lion ; he was swifter than an eagle ; from the blood 
 of the slain he turned not back, and from the fat of the mighty 
 his sword returned not emjity."" 
 
 Glorious as was his war record, his after life was not less 
 luminous. Faith, hope, charity: " and the greatest of these 
 is charity." All these he had. and this charity, that is the 
 greatest of virtues, earthly or divine, how greatly was it his — 
 forgiving his adversary upon the very field of battle, bid- 
 ding them to take home their swoi-ds and '"beat them into 
 plowshares." After the strife, so slow to smite, so swift to 
 spare, so great, so merciful, so just! 
 
 FUNERAL CEREMONIES. 
 
 The funeral procession formed at Second street, in front of 
 Mr. Laird's late residence, and moved to the Presbyterian 
 churc'li ill the following order: 
 
 Hastings Cadet Band, Juniata. 
 
 James A. Garfield Post, No. 80, of Red Cloud. 
 
 Geai'V Post, No. SI, of Juniata. 
 
Dcat)i and Fiiinral Ccrinioitics of James Laird. xi 
 
 Strong Post, No. 91, of Miiulcn. 
 
 Geo. O. Oliver Post, No. 43, of Fairfield. 
 
 A. J. Sinitli Po.st, No. 6.5, of Doniiilian. 
 
 FlowiT committee at grave, ecuisistiiigof T. F. I'carl. A. 11. lirown. and 
 
 K. Manclifster. 
 
 Silas A. Strieklaiid Po.st.of llastiiifcs. 
 
 - Post-office employes of Hastings jx)st-office. 
 
 Hon. Geo. W. E. Dor.sey and ex-Govenior Dawes. 
 
 Carriage containing Governor Tliayer, Secretary of Stale Laws, and l)r. 
 
 Stone, superintendent of Hastings Asylum. 
 Wagonette containing the following gentlemen from Lincoln: T. 11. Ben- 
 ton, Auditor: J. E. Hill, State Treasurer: Wm. Leese. Attorney- 
 General: Geo. B. Lane, Superintendent Public Instruc- 
 tion: John Steen, Comrai.ssioner P. L. and B. : C. 
 IL Gere, E. P. Roggen. B. R. Cowdry, 
 S. J. Alexander, R. O. PhiUips, 
 
 L. D. Richards, Fremont. 
 
 Adams County Bar a.ssociation. 
 
 Wagonette containing pall bearei-s composed of Grand .^rmy comrades. 
 
 Hearse drawn l)y four black horses and attended by ten colored pall 
 
 bearers, as follows: A. J. Smith, Jas. Burton, Wm. Purrell, Win. 
 
 Wade, Henry Mosby. John Craig. John Francis, Ed. Early, 
 
 R. S. Fo.ster, and Peter Johnson. 
 
 Carriages containing relatives and friends. 
 
 AT THE CHURCH. 
 
 The interior of tlio large Presbyterian churcli was most 
 elaborately dressed in badges of mourning. Along the 
 railing of the gallery on the south side, red, white, and blue 
 bunting, with drapery and streamers of black, were placed. 
 
 The puljjit was decorated with flowers and plants. To 
 the right of the pulpit was a magnificent cross about 7 feet 
 in height, covered with jflants and blooming flowers. A 
 flag on either side draped with mourning hting above the 
 pulpit, and higher than all and above the organ in a large oval 
 the letters "J. L.," covered with evergreen and dahlia 1)1()S- 
 
XII Death and Funeral Ceremonies of James Laird. 
 
 soms. It was 1:30 o'clock when the procession entered the 
 churcli. The casket when ph^ced in front of tlie pulpit was 
 covered with floral oflferings, one a striking and Ijeautif ul 
 design representing "gates ajar." In the front row sat 
 Mrs. Beyeu, aunt, and William Beyeu. cousin of deceased; 
 C. H. Paul, wife, and two children, and John Jac«bson. In 
 the next row were Governor Thayer, Secretary of State 
 Laws, Treasurer Hill. Auditor Benton. Attorney-General 
 Leese, Congressmen Dorsey and Connell. 
 
 The people flocked into the spacious auditorium and filled 
 every nook and corner of the floor and gallery, while the 
 great organ mournfully toned a funeral service. 
 
 Rev. J. G. Tate occupied the pulpit, and occupying seats 
 on the platform were Kevs. Crissman, Britt, Walters, Mau- 
 pin, Fitch, and English. In the interim of waiting for the 
 audience to get seated, Governor Thayer was called to the 
 platform and took a seat next to Rev. Tate. 
 
 Services opened by the choir singing "Rock of Ages." 
 It was well rendered by the following voices : Mrs. Camp- 
 bell, soprano; Mrs. Rees, alto; Will Jones, base; T. L. Bur- 
 ger, tenor. 
 
 Rev. Maupin read a scripture lesson (I Cor., chap, xv), 
 after which Rev. Britt delivered a most fervent prayer, in 
 which he said that this great, generous, and loving heart is 
 still; his voice will no longer be heard in defense of the weak 
 and for the right. He referred most impressively to the 
 soldier record and public career of the dead, and his pathetic 
 utterances and words of consolation filled many eyes with 
 tears. 
 
 The choir then sang "Passing Away," by L. O. Emerson. 
 Its sentiment and its melody was most appropriate to the 
 solemnity of the hour. 
 Rev. Geo. T. Crissman presided over the meeting and 
 
Death and I'loural Ceretnonies of James Laird. x i ii 
 
 introduced the speaker. Rev. J. G. Tate, chaplain of the 
 State Senate, who delivered the following address: 
 
 The faithful f;iil from among the children of men. — Psalms, xii, 1. 
 
 When we are startled by any sudden or unexpected event, 
 a temporary excitement is produced which unfits us for 
 sound and impartial investigation or mature judgment as 
 to the cause; and it is not until calm is restored tliat we 
 intelligently inquire as to tlie why and wherefore thereof. 
 
 It is so in the case before us. So sudden, so unexpected 
 was the smiting, so startled and alarmed were Laird's 
 friends when news of his sudden and probably fatal sick- 
 ness was announced, that questioning and judgment were 
 lost in mystery and grief. 
 
 This sad providence has lessons to teach. I should be 
 faithless to my trust if I failed to endeavor to point them 
 out. Among the lessons taught is this: 
 
 I. To expect the unexpected. 
 
 Of all men in this Congressional district, or indeed in this 
 State, we looked for any to die rather than Laird. 
 
 Why? Because we had associated him with public affairs 
 ;ind personal friendsliips until these had shut out tlie grim 
 visage of death. Things which we saw hid from view the 
 unseen but no less real things of eternity. A splendid phy- 
 sique, robust health, and unceasing labor did not and could 
 not suggest the near approach of death. The brightness of 
 the sun's shining at noonday is not suggestive of coming 
 night and darkness, and yet the darkness and the night are 
 surely approaching. So the meridian s])len(lor of this brigiit 
 and shining life could not suggest the near approach of the 
 night of death, 
 
 IL That the pet theory of modern science is not true in 
 actual life, viz, "The survival of the fittest," We are told 
 
XIV Death and Funeral CcrcDiiuiics of Janus f.aird. 
 
 that a l:iw in natiiru has been (li.scuvered, tlio oporation uf 
 wliich will eventually destroy all the inferior grades in 
 every form of life and leave only those physically, mentally, 
 and morally superior. This idea is not without some show 
 of trutli. One of its foundation stones is the law of subsist- 
 ence. From the lowest order of insect life, through every 
 grade of existence up to man, we see the superior preying 
 upon and destroying the inferior, maintaining life by feed- 
 ing upon other lives. Another is the desire in every human 
 breast for supremacy and power. A careful observation of 
 the results of the operation of these principles will show 
 that the fittest do not always survive. 
 
 The conflict among animal life has been waged since 
 animal life existed, but vict(jry has always been with the 
 human. Progress has always been with the human. In 
 the animal kingdom there has been no upward tendency, 
 save as the result of human training. No force in nature 
 has been made subservient to tlieir interests, or subject 
 to their use and control. This superiority in man is not 
 acquired, but inherent. He was born to kingship; the 
 image of God indelibly stamped upon him is the seal of 
 his sovereignty among all things earthly. Nor does the de- 
 sire for supremacy among men prove the theory to be true. 
 In this struggle, the base and unprincipled, the shrewd and 
 designing, often reach positions of honor and trust, and 
 live long and prosperous lives, while the truly great and 
 really good are often defeated or die. I admit this is but a 
 human conflict over which the Almighty exercises no arbi- 
 trary control. 
 
 But the operation of divine law does not differ. Death is 
 a power beyond human control and yet the same results can 
 be seen. Intelligence, morality, and religion are not pass- 
 ports to long life, nor to earthly hont)r and fame. If the 
 
Death iDui I'ltiicral Ccrciiioiiirs of James /.and. x\' 
 
 "survival of tin' liltcst" was (ruo in fact, then tlio Second 
 Cuiigressiouarl distiicf. woiiiil not- l)o without a rcprcwcmta- 
 tive, and this service would not be needed. Our hi-othor 
 wouhl be living — living to fill out the measure of a brilliant 
 and useful life. 
 
 III. It teaches the truth of a mature life and a final ad- 
 judication and ju.st arrangement of human events and lives. 
 Mysterious shadows tiit across each scene in the drama of 
 human existence, and in the twilight of reason, and the 
 darkness of skepticism the shadows deejien but in the light 
 of ''immortality" and the Gospel the shadows lift and the 
 inexplicable becomes as clear as the noonday. The Gospel 
 of Christ is to us as is the sun to the earth. Noonday is 
 past; watch the shadows as the sun recedes; they follow, 
 they deepen; and when the sun g(jes down, darkness envel- 
 ojies all things. So shadows of human history and events 
 lengthen and deepen in proportion to the light of revelation 
 that shines upon them, and they Ijecome total darkness when 
 the light is blotted out. Let us look. at Mr. Laird's death 
 in the light of reason and of revelation and see what it will 
 teach. 
 
 Reason: If reason li;id ruled, he had not died. Reason 
 could not have indorsed sncli an event. The liglit of reason 
 enters not the regions that stretch away beyond the tomb. 
 It deals only with the now. Of the future it can only guess. 
 Knowing nothing of the future — reaching not into the be- 
 yond, it could not give indorsement to the smiting of strong 
 and vigorous manhood with the paralysis of death. Heavy 
 are the shadows and gloomy the light which reason sheds 
 on this sad event. Let us try the light of Divine truth. In 
 this liglit the casket still I'cmains. Friends bend beuca.tii 
 the heavy burden of bitter bereavement. Our eyes are tear 
 filled, and our lips quiver as we speak our last " good bye." 
 
XVI Death and Funeral Cercntonics nf James Laird. 
 
 The grave awaits the form we love, and our friend goes 
 from us. So far the shadows still abide; but hark!— in the 
 stillness of this funeral hour, in this quiet, hallowed hush 
 I hear a voice speaking strange and wondrous things: " Thy 
 brother shall rise again." At the sound of that voice the 
 shadows flee away and the soul is filled with a holy and 
 glorious light. That voice is the voice of Jesus, and the 
 light is the light of immortality. No voice but the voice of 
 Jesus and no light but the light of Gospel can relieve the 
 loneliness and solve the mystery of the dark valley. There 
 is one word in our text which exactly expresses our idea of 
 the departed: "faithful." 
 
 His was a rugged nature, so rugged that it could not be 
 taken in at a glance; like mountain peaks, that stretch away 
 until they lift their heads into the clouds and hide the fer- 
 tile valleys between. Between the rugged peaks of his 
 majestic nature there were rich and fertile valleys, seen 
 only by those who were close to him. A superficial observer 
 could note the grandeur but not the quality of his charac- 
 ter. I would offer no fulsome praise, no words of mere flat- 
 tery in tins dead presence. Faults he had, failings and 
 weaknesses marked his conduct in life. Do they not mark 
 ours? Let him that is without fault cast the first stone. 
 Lay them on his grave. They tell that he was human, but 
 are an everlasting monument to the hypocrisy of those who 
 cast them. No judgment of a life is just that does not con- 
 sider all the elements that have made up that life. 
 
 To study a detached element in a character, and found 
 our judgment upon the man therefrom, is very wrong. 
 There has been but one perfect man, Christ. Studied in 
 parts or as a whole, his life is perfect. Not so is it with us. 
 All are marked, more or less, with evil and failui'es. 
 
 There is nothing like political contest to try a man's heart 
 
Dealli aii,i J-iiik ral Circiiionits v/ J cuius I.aini. x\ii 
 
 and cli.-U'actcr. Twice liavt> I canvassi'd fliis district witli 
 luiii. 1 lia\-i' licen (dose to ins motives, near to his heart; 
 his secrets I liave heard, and now in this suhMnii lioni- 1 pivj- 
 claim my friend a "faitiirnl"' man, faithful to his friends 
 and to Ids foes. He escliewed all petty meanness; he fear- 
 lessly announce(l his principles, and calmly awaited the 
 results. He was a faithful friend. A tiaie friend is above 
 price: he can not be valued. P^very element of true friend- 
 ship was united in Mr. Laird. 
 
 He was a faithful servant of his constituents. No task too 
 arduous: no woi-k so trivial but that it commanded liis earnest 
 and prompt attention. This fidelity as friend and servant 
 won many hearts to him. The soldiers and the homestead- 
 ers of western Nebraska loved him; he was their true friend. 
 He has gone from us; we may not see his face again on earth: 
 his voice will no more be heard in the halls of our National 
 Congress. We shall miss him as few men would be missed, 
 and we shall sincerely mourn his loss. He has crossed the 
 valley; he has forded the river: he is with his God. 
 
 SERVICES AT THE GRAVE. 
 
 It was after -1 o'clock when all had taken advantage of 
 the 0|)iK)rtunity to view for the last time the face of the 
 dead friend and comrade: and the procession, re-forming in 
 the same order as at the house, moved from the church to 
 Second street, east on Second to St. Joe aveinie, north on 
 St. Joe to Seventh street, and thence to the cemetery. A 
 hundred carriages or more took the moi-c direct route to tlie 
 cemetery; and wlien the cortege ari'ived theie were two 
 lines of vehicles extending from the cemetery almost to the 
 colleges. The services at the grave were conducted by Silas 
 A. Strickland Post of the Grand Army of the Republic, an<l 
 the beautiful service of that oi'der for dead comrades 
 H. Alis. tm II 
 
XVIII Dia/Ii a//:/ I'liiural Ccrcuioiiics of James f.aird. 
 
 was gone tliroiigii without a liitcli and in a most solemn 
 and imjiressive manner. After the ritualisti(3 service had 
 been completed the Juniata company of militia fired three 
 salutes over the grave, after which a liugler. taking Ins 
 position at the head of the grave, sounded taps, and the 
 large multitude of sorrowing friends reluctantly turned 
 their faces toward the city and left the dead soldier and 
 statesman to his last and undisturbed sleep. 
 
PROCEEDINGS IN THE HOUSE OE REPRESI-NTATIVES. 
 
 ANNOUNCEMENT OF DEATH. 
 
 December IS, ISSO. 
 
 Mr. DoRSEY. Mr. Speaker, it is my painful duty to an- 
 nounce to the House the death of my hite colleague, Hon. 
 James Laird, represeutiug the Second district of Nebraska. 
 I ask the reading of the resolutions which I now send to 
 the desk, but will not ask immediate action upon them, as 
 other gentlemen desii'e to present similar resolutions. 
 
 The Clerk read as follows: 
 
 Resolved, That the House of Representatives has heard with iirofmiiiii 
 sorrow of the deatli of Hon. James Laird, hite member of this House 
 from the Second district of Nebraska. 
 
 Resolved, That the Clerk be directed to notify tlie relatives of Hon. 
 James Laird of the jiassage of this resohition. Also, that the Clerk te 
 directed to send a co])y of tliis resohition to tlie Senate. 
 
 Resolved, Tliat as a further mark of respect tlie House do now adjourn. 
 
 3 
 
Address o/ Mi . Lmcs, of Nebraska, on tJie 
 
 EULOGIES. 
 
 April 13, 1890. 
 Mr. Laws. Mr. Speaker, I nffc^r the following resohxtions: 
 
 Resolivd, That the bushiess of tlie House be now susjiendecl, tliat an 
 opiiortunity may be given for tributes to the memory of James Laikd. 
 late a Representative from the State of Nebraska. 
 
 Resolved, That, as a further mark of respect to the memory of the 
 deceased, at the conclusion of these ceremonies the House shall stand 
 adjourned. 
 
 Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions to the Senate. 
 
 Address of Mr. Laws, of Nebraska. 
 
 Mr. Speaker: Iu asking this House to suspend for a time 
 its usual and appropriate labors, to pay tribute of respect 
 to the memory of a friend, late a member of this body, it 
 is proper that some acknowledgment of this mark of esteem 
 sh(_>uld be extended to this House and Uj those so kindly 
 ccmtributing by their presence and their words to the dignity 
 and solemnity of this occasion. 
 
 The highest honor man can confer upon his fellow-man is 
 the privilege of making laws for tlieir common government; 
 and when that jirivilege has been so used, and the consequent 
 duty discharged with sxich fidelity as to meet the repeated 
 approval of those conferring that high trust, it would seem 
 
Life and Character of Janus Laird. 5 
 
 that the reasonable expectation of friends and a laudahle 
 anil)ition had been fully met, and that such a life, no matter 
 when terminated, had been in an eminent degree honoi'ed 
 and successful. But death comes to most men at an unex- 
 pected inoment, and very often, to our weak judgment, at an 
 uiil"i)rtmiate and inappropriate time, and while our lips are 
 taught reverently to say "Thy will bo done," our hearts 
 reljel in silent anguish and our souls refuse to be comforted 
 by the most ardent faith in the sweetest promises of the life 
 to come. 
 
 J.\MEs Laird, late a member of the Fifty-first Congress, 
 died at his home in Hastings, Nebr., August 17, 1889, aged 
 forty years. He was born at Fowlerville, N. Y., Jime 20, 
 1849; removed with his ])areuts to Michigan, where ho was 
 educated at Adrian College and Michigan University, grad- 
 uating from the law school of the latter in 1871. He enlisted 
 in tile Union Army at the age of thirteen, and served until 
 the close of the war. He was five times wounded, and pro- 
 moted to the rank of major before reaching the age of sev- 
 enteen. Always jjmminent in State afFair.s, he bore a con- 
 spicuous part in forming the present constitution of his 
 adopted State, whence he was three times elected a member 
 of Congress, and by increasing majorities at each succeed- 
 ing election, doubly attesting the fact that his official life 
 was approved by his constituents. 
 
 Endowed with a profusion of nature's choicest gifts — a 
 vigorous and comprehensive intellect, a lively and well- 
 sustained imagination, wit, humor, eloquence, courage, and 
 tender sentiment, a fine physique, health, strength, and 
 manly bearing — he ought to have lived to a round old age, 
 and should have becsn gathered as the shock fully rijiened 
 foi' the harvest. But he was taken at the noontime, when 
 the shadows fell nearest the jjathway; when life was most 
 
6 Address of Air. Laivs, of iVcbraska^ on the 
 
 desirable and life's work most useful; when the summons to 
 one of the youngest and strongest of their fellows was a sur- 
 prise and a sorrow to his friends and to his colleagues upon 
 this floor. 
 
 No extended delineation of his character will be attempted 
 by me. Standing in this presence, to say that he had no 
 faults would be to claim for him that he was not human, 
 and would be as offensive to him living as untruthful of him 
 dead. He despised shams and pretenses in all their forms. 
 What he seemed he was, what he thought he said, what he 
 felt was right he did. He sought the foe in the open field, 
 refused ambush, and practiced no disguise. To achieve suc- 
 cess or promote a personal end he never compromised with 
 an enemy and never betrayed a friend. He feared no man 
 nor hated one. He believed in God and loved his fellow-man. 
 Tlie generosity of his nature was as boundless as the prairies 
 of his home, where the sun sets as on the sea. 
 
 In the softer charities of human weal, in the relation of 
 husband and father, he never lived. Two brothers fell 
 fighting by his side on the battlefield, and another was 
 killed by accident on the Western plains. An aged father, 
 then a widowed mother left him, some years ago, the sole 
 surviving member of his family, "to walk the path of life 
 alone."' 
 
 As a citizen, James Laird was public-spirited, progress- 
 ive, liberal, and wise. As a lawyer, he was able, earnest, 
 industrious, and faithful to the interests of those he 
 served. 
 
 As a soldier, he was ever found at the post of duty, dis- 
 playing the highest form of moral courage, seeing and know- 
 ing a danger, yet daring to meet it. Bold, dashing, and 
 impetuous, he was a born leader of men, inspiring confidence 
 by the exhibition of his own courage, commanding obedience 
 
Life and C liaractcr of James Laird. 7 
 
 by his strong mill unyielding will, .iml winning lulniii-ation 
 by the qiiickness and cdrroctness of his judgment. 
 
 Like every true soldier, the flag of his country was ever 
 the object of his vencu'ation. To him that flag was not sim- 
 ply a few yards of trii'ohjred bunting, but a symbol of 
 majesty and ])()wer. It was the emblem of his country, her 
 greatness, her beneficence, and lier pcnver, her people, her in- 
 stitutions, and her laws, with every rod of territory, wherever 
 might be seen or fell the print nf human foot, the touch of 
 human hand, or the beat of liuman heart, sacredly dedicated 
 to liberty, justice, and right. 
 
 But, Mr. Speakei-, the fires of passion that burned un- 
 ceasingly in his being are quenched. The currents of the 
 rich red blood of healtli tliat coursecl through his veins arc; 
 choked at the foimtain. The warm glow of physical health 
 that literally flowed off his finger-ends is chilled. And dur- 
 ing the long weary months of pain and sickness, when 
 strength failed; when the strong will was bowed and broken; 
 when the bright and powerful intellect was clouded; when, 
 burdened with the weight of public cares and duties undis- 
 charged for want of health, worn and worrieil because of 
 promises yet Tinfulfilled and useful work yet uncomjjleted, 
 friends, in kindness all, could not be made to feel that he 
 whose strong right arm had turned aside the blow not aimed 
 at self, that he who oft had met the storm of battle iindis- 
 mayed, indeed was faint and weak. Under such a strain 
 endurance ceased, the mind was turned, the heart was grieved, 
 and in solitude he .sought relief. He closed his door for rest 
 and peace, and thus to him came death. 
 
 Of him I say what I believe: 
 
 He kept .a faitlifiil l'ririiilslii|i with his friends, 
 
 Whom loyally he served bcfori; himself. 
 
 He locked his lips too dose to tell ;i lie. 
 
 He washed his hands tuo whiti- to touch a bribe. 
 
Address of Mr. Conger.^ of Iowa., on (he 
 
 Address of Mr. Conger, of Iowa. 
 
 Mr. Speaker: Jame.s Laird has gone from our midst 
 forever. 
 
 At the somid of your gavel tlie wliirl and bu.stle and noise 
 of this Hall lias ceased, and we his brothers pay feeling 
 tribute to his memory. 
 
 To the woi'ld such ceremonies as these may seem only 
 formal and perfunctory. But to us they are the earnest 
 tributes of devoted friends, duties saddened by painful loss, 
 and yet hallowed by delightful memories. 
 
 The friendships and associations formed here are akin to 
 those of school-boy days; but are strengthened and broad- 
 ened by the weight of great public trusts and the highest 
 public duties. 
 
 When a trusted link snaps and drops out of the chain thus 
 forged, the loss is severe and felt by all. James Laird was 
 one of the strong men of this House. 
 
 I knew him only as a Representative in Congress, and 
 shall speak of liim only as such, leaving to others more 
 familiar with it to tell the story of his earlier life. 
 
 Our acquaintance began with the Forty-ninth Congress. 
 Upon my arrival here I found liini just entering upon his 
 second term, though already filling the jjlace and taking the 
 rank of an older member. 
 
 I became intimately associated with him on committee 
 and other service, and learned to know, respect, and trust 
 him. He was j'oung in years, yet old in equipment and 
 exj^erience. 
 
 He was a man of .superb physical development, a jDerfect 
 athlete. Intellectually he was a giant; his mind was as 
 
Life and Cliaractcr of James Laird. 9 
 
 strong and as activi; as liis inusclc. He thought rapidly and 
 exhaustively. He came to his coiu-lusions (|uifkly, Imt 
 came to stay. 
 
 He was a man of strong convictions, and fought for them 
 courageously and relentlessly. His oratorj"- was brilliant; 
 he was fiery in del)ate, struck liard. Init always fair, and 
 many of us will rcTnember him lor his keen thrusts and 
 stunning blows, but we will always honor him for the ear- 
 nest, honest, manly* way in which they were given. 
 
 He was fearless as a limi, and having once determined Ids 
 duty, no power could turn him from it. A most notable ex- 
 hibition of this trait was his conduct in the famous Fitz John 
 Porter case. Upon his first arrival here he found his old 
 commanding general again on trial. Hi' immediately rushed 
 to his defense, as when a boy of only thirteen he rushed to 
 the defense of his country and its flag. It mattered little to 
 him what older members thought or advised: he believed a 
 gi'eat wrong had lieen done his old commander, and he de- 
 termined to do whatever was in Ins jiower to riglit tliat wn nig. 
 
 The position which he took, the vote he was abcnit to cast, 
 was not popular among his colleagues or constituents. In 
 fact, he was vigorously pressed by them to take the other 
 side, and threats of jiolitical retribution were made if lie did 
 not do it. He, however, was unmoved, and stood firm as a 
 rock, and I can pay no higher tribute to this sjjlendid trait 
 of his character than to quote his own words on this occa- 
 sion. 
 
 After saying that he should vote '" first, last, and all the 
 time" for the relief of General Porter, he went on: 
 
 And let me remark to the gentlemen who seek to bring the minace of 
 future ])vinishnient to hear upon the discliarge of present duty, that if I 
 knew tliis act of mine wouhl end my bodily existenee. as you say it may 
 end my official one, tlien still would I do it; and I would thank God that my 
 Idvaltv til mv countrv, as I understand her lionor : th.it inv lovuUy lo my 
 
10 Address of Mr. Cutchcon^ of Michigan, oil the 
 
 general, as I uinlerstand my duty: tliat my loyalty to the truth, as I know 
 it to be. was strong enough to lift my conduct above the possibility of the 
 ignt)minious charge to come from cowardly considerations affecting my 
 life or future condition. 
 
 Such courage and such devotion are worthy eniuhition. He 
 hived his friends, and was beloved by them in return. He 
 was not jDerf ect ; none are jjerf ect in tliis world ; and yet lus vir- 
 tues so outweighed and outshone his faults, that liis friends 
 admired him, his State honored him, and his country was 
 devotedly served Ijy him. Now he is dead. Peace to his 
 ashes ! But what is death ? That which endeth all ? No. 
 "Death is nothing but the middle point between two lives — 
 between this and .another." And I have learned to believe 
 that the other is so inucli better, so much brighter in hope, 
 grander in possibility, and more splendid in realities, that it 
 matters little when we pass the middle point. 
 
 We should not too darkly nor deejjly mourn the passage 
 of our friends to the other side, but heroically smothering 
 the grief for our mortal loss, rejoice over their mortal gain; 
 and learning the best possible lessons from their lives, make 
 surest preparation for fit companionship with them when 
 shall come our time to tread — 
 
 The great world's altar stairs, 
 That slope through darkness up to God. 
 
 Address of Mr, Cutcheon, of Michigan. 
 
 Mr. Speaker: I shall not on this occasion indulge in any 
 extensive or elaborate eulogy of oiir deceased colleague. 
 When I first entered this Hall as a member of this House 
 in December, 1883, one of the first members to meet me 
 and to greet me was our deceased friend and colleague 
 James Laird, of Nebraska. Our previous acquaintance 
 
Life and C liaraclcr of James Laini. 1 1 
 
 hail been iioniinal mily. 'I'ln- interest which I took in 
 him ami whicii he took in me ha<l been vieurious rather 
 tliaii personal. 
 
 When, as a yoiuif^ man, in ISo'.i, 1 left the lialls of "my 
 alnid mater, the Univei-sity of Michigan, and became jirin- 
 cipal of a small ac-ailemy in soiitliern Micliiu'an. i foLiiid 
 there two young men by the name of Laird; and before the 
 close of the term there came with them to attend the closing 
 exercises a lad, as small almost as the smallest of these pages, 
 who I afterwards found was their brother. I lost sight of 
 him then, and never to my knowledge met him again pei-- 
 sonally until he came to me in this Chamber and introduced 
 himself as that same lad. James Laird. In the mean time 
 the two lirothers who had lieen under my instruction botli 
 died in the cause of the Union as soldiers in the Army. This 
 trifling circumstance of our first meeting was the slender 
 thread that first bound us; but when we found ourselves a 
 few weeks later in adjacent seats at the same committee 
 table, where we served together continuously side by .side 
 for six years, through three Congresses, this beginning of an 
 acquaintanceshiji ripened into a friendship wdiich lasted as 
 long as life enduied. 
 
 On the very first occasion in whicli I participated in debate 
 upon this floor I found my colleague and myself ujKni oppo- 
 site sides of the question. I discovered on that occasion tlie 
 quality of his steel. It was that debate, now historical, in 
 regard to the restoration to the Array of General Fitz John 
 Porter. Mr. Laird had left his home when a mere boy (I 
 think about thirteen years of age), had enlisted in the Six- 
 teenth Michigan Infantry, had gone to the front, and Ijecame 
 one of the famous Fifth Army Corps, which was then un- 
 der the command of General Porter. So when he found his 
 old chieftain attacked here, with all the enthusiasm of his 
 
12 Address of Mj-. Oitclicon^ of MicJiigan, on the 
 
 boyish admiration and love, and with all the vigor and 
 strength of his manhood, he came to his defense. 
 
 Althongli we differed jjrofoundly in our judgment as to 
 the merits of that case, I never ceased to admire and respect 
 the chivalry, the earnestness, and the enthusiasm Avith 
 which he entered into his view of it. This was character- 
 istic of the man. Wlienever he participated in debate his 
 methods were earnest, direct, and eloquent. There was in 
 his voice the sound of tlie ring of the saber; there was in his 
 utterances the rattle of small arms in battle. In the com- 
 mittee-room we found him always attentive to his diities, 
 always faithful to each trust reposed in him, laborious and 
 careful in the examination of his facts; but when his mind 
 was made ujj, earnest and i^ertinacious in the defense of that 
 which he believed to be right. His career in this body was 
 marked by these characteristics of manly boldness, of direct- 
 ness, of unquestioned ability; by zeal in tlie support or de- 
 fense of whatever measures seemed to merit his support or 
 his defense. 
 
 When we first met here I suppose that if we had been 
 called upon to .select the one of iis all who was apparently 
 marked by a vigorous constitution and by apparent I'ol )ust 
 health for long life and continued usefulness, no one would 
 have been more unanimously selected than Mr. Laird. 
 This perfect soundness of health was first invaded by an 
 accident he met with in this city during his second term in 
 Congress, which confined him for a long jseriod, and later 
 disease fastened upon him. I sliall never forget how on the 
 day after his last election as a member of this body, the 
 morning after the November election of 1888, I received a 
 telegram from Mr. Laird from his home in Nebraska, telling 
 me that he was nervously prostrated and terribly afflicted 
 with insomnia, and asking if I could make any suggestions 
 
Life and Character of James Laird. 13 
 
 for his relief. T gave liim such counsel as I c-tnild. He did 
 uot take his seat as a member of this body after the election 
 in the second session of the Fiftieth Congress, but went at 
 once, I believe, to Hot Springs, in Arkansas, whence he 
 came to this city for tlie piu-pose of taking his seat, but with 
 health too enfeebled to permit him to do so. 
 
 We never met him again in this Chamber, and now his 
 personality is but a memory — a personality marked, indeed, 
 in its characteristics, strong in its patriotism, vigorous in 
 its sense of right and justice. Mr. Speaker, in the fullness 
 of jiowers he has gone the way of all the earth. He has 
 but ]ireceded you and me l)y the span of a few years, mayb(? 
 a few months, possibly a few days. It is not of so mu<']i 
 consequence, Mr. Speaker, when we shall go as it is how we 
 shall go. It is not the future that we should stand in fear 
 of so mvich as the present. Character is destiny. Eacli 
 day comes to us the monition that life's work is rapidly 
 passing beyond oxir grasp, and that the work we have to do 
 must be done speedily. 
 
 Almost hourly, while we unite in these eulogies, we await 
 the intelligence that one of the oldest, most honored, and 
 most useful members that ever sat in this Chamber has left 
 the haunts of living men for the place of the departed. 
 Already during this session two of the oldest in service and 
 most respected members of this body, the gentleman from 
 Pennsylvania, Mr. Kelley, and the gentleman fronr New 
 York, Mr. Cox, have taken their places in the great Ameri- 
 can Pantheon. 
 
 So one after another we shall each take oiir departure, and 
 these halls and corridors shall know us no more forever, 
 and from the life of each may be drawn lessons for the liv- 
 ing which shall be profitable to us and to our children. 
 Thus, from the life of our colleague, for whom we pause 
 
14 Address of Mr. Afais/i, of Pen u sylvan ia.^ on the 
 
 this lirirf moment that we may pay these feeljle tributes, 
 we may <li-aw the lesson of obstacles overcome, of mauly 
 courage, of fervid patriotism, of persevering effort, and 
 liually of useful and honored service to the people whom 
 he represented. 
 
 Address of Mr, Maish, of Pennsylvania. 
 
 Mr. Speaker: Since the late war political preferment has 
 been largely bestowed upon young men who were partici- 
 pants in the contest on one side or the other. The patriotic 
 soldier received, as he merited, tlie confidence of his fellow- 
 citizens, and hence for the last twentj^-five years a large pro- 
 portion of the members of this body had borne a part in the 
 Union Army. Mr. Laird was one of these, and I doubt not 
 it was his gallant services as a soldier that first won the good 
 opinion of his peoj^le. He was well qualified by edi;catiou, 
 experience, and assiduous devotion to public duty to firmly 
 engage the support of the people, and the best evidence that 
 he succeeded in doing so is that he was sent by them to this 
 House for four successive Congressional terms. There can 
 be no doubt that had he lived he would have continued a 
 member of this body many years longer. 
 
 Mr. Laird was a conspicuous member of this House. He 
 frequently participated in its debates, and he always dis- 
 l)layed a clear comprehension of the questions he undertook 
 to discuss. Whilst he was a Eepulilican of the strictest 
 sect, he yet was a man of independent views, as was evi- 
 denced by his address upon the tariff question, delivered 
 in the remarkable debate upon that subject in the last 
 Congress. 
 
 He was scrupulously attentive to the needs of his coustit- 
 
Life and Character of James Laird. 15 
 
 uents and Ms State, iuid wntelu'd with carefid vigilance the 
 j)ut)Uc measures introduced into Congress. The farmers of 
 this country especially always found in him an ardent ad- 
 vocate of their interests. My acquaintance with Mr. Laikd 
 extended over a period of only two years. We were, how- 
 ever, members of the same committee, and I was therefore 
 frequently brought into close contact with -him. Myknowl- 
 edge of him, however, enables me to say without hesitation 
 that the State of Nebraska in his death lost an able, devoted, 
 and most useful representative. 
 
 I last saw Mr. Laird at Atlantic City, N. J., soon after 
 the adjournment of the last Congress. It was, alas, too aj)- 
 parent then that death had already'marked him for his own. 
 His awfulshadow was already u|i(iii him. Howsad thecon- 
 trast. Only a few months before we saw him in these halls, 
 the perfection of manly form and intellectiial vigor. Dis- 
 ease put its dreadful blight upon him, and in a few days the 
 struggle was over. His case, Mr. Speaker, should rci-all to 
 our minds with peculiar emphasis the solemn fact, so aptly 
 expressed by the great Burke, "What shadows we are, and 
 what shadows we pursue." 
 
 Address of Mr. Tarsney, of Missouri. 
 
 Mr. Speaker: As I listen to-day to the eloquent and 
 heartfelt tributes that have been paid by gentlemen on this 
 iloor to the worth and character of him whose memory wo 
 commemorate, it seems to me as if I did but listen to the 
 reading of the liistory of a noble life, in which the authors 
 of such history had, because of limited as.'^ociation, dealt 
 only with a small period of the existence of that life. 
 
 My friends who have spoken of their deceased colleague 
 knew him as a man of mature years or as a legislator while 
 
Ifi Address of Mr. Tarsiicy, of Missouri, on the 
 
 a member of this body only. Well and fitly have they 
 spoken the history of that period of his life, and no tribute 
 to his character and worth as a representative of the people 
 in this House has to-day been uttered that will not meet 
 with loving response from the hearts of all his coimtrynien. 
 
 Brief as was his pu1)lic career, he yet left a record upon 
 the pages of his country's history without which tliat liistory 
 were not well or fully written. Brief as was that career, it 
 was yet of sufficient span to make his name a household 
 word with those who observe with interest the affairs of 
 their country. Such an intellect as he possessed does not 
 require the allotted time of man's life to make its impress 
 irpon the world. 
 
 Mr. Speaker, although it was not my jjrivilege to serve in 
 this Chamlier with oui- departed friend, and therefore I can 
 not speak from association or observation of his legislative 
 work as those can who were his colleagues, yet, sir, during 
 the last years he was a member of this House my interest or 
 attention was never attracted t(_) the proceedings of this body 
 without thoughts of him, for between him and me there 
 existed ties of friendship stronger and more enduring than 
 those ordinarily binding man to his fellow-man. It was not 
 the friendship of an h(jur (u- of a few brief years, but was a 
 friendship strong as brotherly love, binding us together 
 from childhood, that caused me to watch with brotherly 
 interest every act of his public career. 
 
 Mr. Speaker, I would leave to others who were his daily 
 associates and coworkers in shajiing the legislation of the 
 country the friendly task of doing justice to his character 
 and ability as a legislator, but may I not be permitted to 
 refer to one event in the legislative career of my dead friend 
 that marked the strong individuality and manhood of his 
 character? 
 
Life and Cliarciclcr of James Laird. 17 
 
 No imljlic nioasurc lias in recent years atti'acted wider 
 attention or aroused more partisan feeling throughout (hi^ 
 country than a measure presented I'or the consideration oi 
 the Forty-ninth Congress. That was a measure seeking to 
 reverse the action of the Government, by wliidi, if the CJov- 
 ernment had erred, a grievous wrong and injustice had hecn 
 done an innocent man who was a great soldier. 
 
 The measure aroused personal and partisan antagonisms 
 in and out of Congr(\ss. It was a- long a.n<l bitter struggle, 
 and for a tin;e it seemed involved in doubt whether it would 
 be determined by the application of principles of right and 
 justice or by the cohesive principles of party allegiance and 
 party fealty. 
 
 Sir. I observed with no common interest the course and 
 outcome of the struggle over that measure, and I observed 
 with pride and admiration the manly and chivalric course 
 of my friend who. .standing for right and justice as he 
 believed, dared to confront and challenge the piirpose and 
 determination of the great majority of his party associates, 
 and never hesitating, never faltering under the great press- 
 ui'c of the hour, by his eloquence, by the confidence of his 
 associates in the honesty of his convictions, and by his manly 
 and courageous bearing, added measurably to the result. 
 But, sir, it is not of him as a legislator I would speak, for 
 it was not as such I knew him best. 
 
 Mr. Speaker, as I stand here to-day, as it wei'e, over the 
 
 open grave of James Laird, it is not of the lawyer, the 
 
 orator, or the statesman that I am thinking. It is not in 
 
 any of these characters, tliough hi; was great in all. that he 
 
 is recalled to me. I see him now as the playmate of my 
 
 earliest boyhood days, the companion and schoolmate of my 
 
 ri23er youth, and the comrade of the years that followed in 
 
 the field of arms. 
 
 H. Mis. 26G % 
 
lis ylddrcss of Mr. Tarsncy.^ of i\fissoitn\ on the 
 
 James Laird was born in the State of New York, but 
 wlieu a mere child his parents removed to Hillsdale County, 
 Michigan, then almost a wilderness. It was there that I, 
 only slightly his senior, first knew him, and there and then 
 commenced a friendship that death can not sever. His 
 father was a native of Scotland, a minister of the Presbyte- 
 rian faith, a man of strong intellectual powers and of won- 
 derful eloquence of speech, qualities richly inherited by-his 
 son. 
 
 In that semiwilderness, with only the advantages and 
 comforts afforded in a pioneer community, we passed the 
 first years of our lives together in attendance at the district 
 school. Oft have I contested in friendly rivalry with him 
 for the pi'izes offered at that institution wliich is the feature 
 of the pioneer settlement devised for the combined purpose 
 of amusement and intellectual development, the evening 
 spelling school. The village academy, under the tutelage 
 of our distinguished friend from Michigan [Mr. Cutcheon], 
 followed tlie district school, and then came the war, with 
 its tests for separating the gold from the dross of American 
 manhood. In 18G3 we both entered the Army. In one of 
 the first regiments to leave the State at the beginning of the 
 war each of us had two elder bi'others. In this organization 
 I enlisted and joined his brothers and my own; he enlisted 
 in another regiment, but yet we were not separated, for our 
 regiments were assigned to the same division. 
 
 Following every battle in which we were engaged, scarcely 
 would the firing cease when he would come with anxious, 
 loving heart to find how fared it with those he loved. Once, 
 sir, for him there was a sad coming; it was f)n tlie night that 
 followed that dread day of the 2d of July at Gettysburgh. 
 He came to find a lirother dead, a friend he loved missing 
 and his fate iinkuown. Sir, the iron of the sorrow of that 
 
Life and Character of James La mi. 19 
 
 (liciil night entered Ins soul ami never (lei)arto(l. hut re- 
 maiued a hving sorrow to tlie hist ihiy of his life. 
 
 Mr. Speaker, eulogif'S have heeu ^iroiioimced over the 
 graves of tyrants, monunienis liave l)een erected to the mem- 
 ories of maih'd innrdiTcrs i )(■ [)eoplesand of nations, poets have 
 sung of dead orators and statesmen, hut lie of whom I speak 
 was greater than a-ny of these — he was an ohedit'ut son. a 
 kind playmate, a loving friend, an afFectionate In-other. 
 Triie, he po.ssessed the courage that makes hei'oes and mar- 
 tyrs. True, he was a hrave soldier. True, lie had all the 
 chivalry of the most noble knight of the Middle Ages. True, 
 he had eloquence and possessed the elements of statesman- 
 ship. But he had more than all these. He had a manly 
 heart. His affections were as gentle as those of a sister, his 
 friendship as abiding as a niotliei-'s love. With the courage 
 of .strong manhood, in him were combined all the tenderness 
 and gentleness of a sym])athetic woman's nature. 
 
 Mr. Speaker, while I was intimately associated with oui- 
 lost friend from cluldhood to the end of his noble life, while 
 as I stand here to-day seemingly in the presence of him dead, 
 there crowds in upon my memory a long train of incidents 
 connected with his life which to me nia.i-k the graudeui- and 
 nobility of his character, yet there is one incident of our 
 association which preeminently marked the loving and lov- 
 able character of the man. an incident the memory of which 
 shall never fade fi'oni my nnnd while T shall live. 
 
 Wlnle on a visit to this city some three years since my 
 friend invited mo to ride with iiim. We crossed the river 
 and rode over yonder hills, where our camp had l)een pit<h(^d 
 in the days of war. and whei-e now sleep in death so many 
 of our companions in that gi'eat struggle. As we rode along 
 naturally our conversation was of the events of those years 
 of war, and then we .spoke of our parting at Gettysburgh. 
 
'20 Address of Mr. Tarsucy, of Missouri^ on Ike 
 
 He told how, when tlie sun went down and uight brought a 
 lull in the storm of battle, he sought out the remnant of the 
 regiment to which I belonged, and in company with his 
 brother and mine started over the field, each in search of a 
 missing brother; told of moving here and there all night 
 long with torch in hand to light uj) the sulphurous cloud that 
 hiing like a jDall over the dead-covered field, and while groans 
 and shrieks and cries rent the air, they threw the flashings of 
 their torchlights into the uiiturned faces of dead friend and 
 foe, seeking, yet hoping not to find, those for whom they 
 sought; told of the coming of the morning sun and of the 
 finding of one of tliose for whom they so'aght, his brother, 
 dead, where he had f allen.in the midst of the carnage. 
 
 Sir, there are occasions when it is manly for strong men 
 to weep. Though twenty-five years had flown and gone by, 
 the love in his heart for that dead brother was as fresh and 
 green as on the day of the events he was reciting, and as he 
 neared the end of his recital his voice grew husky, his strong 
 frame shook like that of a woman in anguish, and tears rolled 
 down his manly cheeks. Sir, those tears were coined out of 
 the sympathies and love of a heart as noble and grand as 
 God ever set in the frame of man. and to-day I feel more 
 just pride in the memory of my friend, in the nature those 
 tears evidenced, than though I should be able to boast of 
 him that he had ruled empires or led armies to slaughter. 
 
 Mr. Speaker, though James Laird, by his learning, 
 his energy, and his commanding abilities won for himself 
 honor and fame among his fellow -men, yet there have been 
 but few men for whom honors and fame had less value than 
 for him, and few indeed have had less incentive to strive 
 for such prizes than had he. 
 
 His associates who observed his energies, his studious 
 character, his attention and devotion to duty; who admired 
 
Life and Character of James Laird. 21 
 
 liis manly demeanor, his conrteons lioaring, and wlin were 
 the recipients of his clioerful. kindly greetings, did not all 
 know that within that perfect exterior thei-e dwelt a heart 
 burning with volcanic fires of living sorrow; a heart sor- 
 rowing as sorrowed the heart of a Rachel for loved lost 
 ones, mourning '"because they are not."' 
 
 What to him were honors and fame when all who were 
 nearest and deai'est to him. and to whom liis honor and 
 fame might have given joy and gladness, had V)een laid 
 away in the silent gi'ave before such honors or fame had been 
 earned or won ? 
 
 To those who knew him as we who are here to-day knew 
 him it is a sad thought that during all his long and final ill- 
 ness there was at his bedside no wife, no cliild, no parent, no 
 brother or sister to minister to his wants, to sootlu' his jiain, 
 to comfort him with thoughts of love, and at the moment 
 of his death to sustain him with assurance of the truth of 
 the promise that death is the beginning of endless life. 
 
 There is, liowever, consolation in the thought that for 
 him death was not separation from, but reunion with, those 
 he loved best. Mr. Speaker, the winds that fan the prai- 
 ries of the State he honored here never sang requiem over 
 the grave of one who filled better than he all the measures 
 of a good son, loving brother, true friend, \aliant soldiei-. 
 and fearless, honest legislator. 
 
22 Address of Mr. Voder, of Ohio, oi the 
 
 Address of Mr. Yoder, of Ohio. 
 
 Mr. Speaker: Tlie sliadow of a great grief lias again 
 fallen iipon ns. The reaper Death, with dark and heavy 
 hand, has once more entered this Hall, and gathered to his 
 fathers our friend and brother James Laird. We, full of 
 life and vigor, shrink from the thoixght of death, yet ever 
 and anon with cold and iey hand he touches the comrade at 
 our side, and, compelled, we meditate and mourn. Yet the 
 departure of oiir friend is but the presage of what must 
 come to all. Yea, death is the common lot, and with unfail- 
 ing certainty his knoclv will be heard at the door of every 
 household, and every inmate must sooner or later answer the 
 call. Though we often bend over the bier and look on the 
 face of the dead, yet the departure of our friends at an 
 unexpected moment shocks us indeed and overwhelms lis 
 with sorrow. 
 
 Our colleague bade fair to reacli the allotted age to man of 
 three-score years and ten. But it was not so. In full prime 
 he was cut down. For tlie vigorous, the strong, and the 
 active, such as he was, we expect long life, happiness, and 
 joy in full fruition. But such was not the decree. The 
 summons came; it must be obeyed be he king or siibject, 
 jirince or peasant, and our friend met it with a brave heart. 
 and with a courage as unflinching as in li f e. He was prepared . 
 He had trusted not in the world, nor in its fleeting honors, 
 nor in the pleasures and gaieties of the passing moment that 
 quickly fade and die, but as a wise man, had laid up ti'easure 
 where neither moth nor rust corrupts nor thieves break 
 thi'ough and steal. 
 
 The departed was a man of many excellent attributes. 
 
Life and Character of James Laird. 2."> 
 
 Kiml, (•(Uirteoiis, attentive, obliging, lie wuii l>y liis correct 
 antl manly cliaractoi'. Although possessed of a strong phy- 
 sique, firm resolution, and decided convictions, he was ixs 
 tender as a child in affection, ever open to the truth, and 
 (puck to correct an error. To the one who had gained his 
 confidence his fidelity was iinchanging. He delighted in 
 doing good, avoided none, and would go far to confer a 
 favor. S;ich a one. wherever he may be, fills a large sj)ace 
 in a world of instability and change and deceit. 
 
 I knew liim well. We sat side by side in the committee- 
 room, met daily on this floor, and he was always the same 
 gentle, free, amiable character. There was nothing in him 
 of pretense, nothing of deceit, nothing untrue. His industry 
 was unceasing, his energy tireless, his discrimination quick, 
 his judgment good, and his counsel .safe. 
 
 But he is gonel No woi'd that we can speak or thought 
 that we can utter will reach the ear or touch that heart now 
 stilled in death; but his memory we will fondly treasure. 
 Noble man. tliou hast acted well thy part: rest in the joy of 
 tliv full reward. 
 
 ADDRESS OF MR. CONNELL, OF NEBRASKA, 
 
 Mr. Speaker: Once moi-e the busy turmoil of the House 
 is hushed in memory of the dead. All differences, political 
 or sectional, are silenced. Contentions and controversies 
 are forgotten, while with a common sorrow we offer our tiib- 
 utes to the memory of a departed brother. 
 
 In summing \\\) the life and character of my late colleague 
 from Nebraska I would not, if I could, jiaint a picture free 
 from blemish. It would lie out of harmony with the worM 
 an<l all niankind. Frailties are iucident to the most exalted 
 
24 Address of Air. Coiiiicll., of Nebraska, on llic 
 
 characters. Faults and failings are the shadows which na- 
 ture, no less than art, demands for her most perfect work. 
 
 As a new member I had hoped to receive the friendly 
 counsel of my colleague in place of joining in this memorial 
 service. During his three terms as a member of the Forty- 
 eighth, Forty-nintli, and Fiftietli Congresses he was a strik- 
 ing and picturesque character on the floor of this House. 
 He was a remarkable combination of extremes. His char- 
 acter was of the composite type, having in it the ruggedness 
 and grandeur of the mountain, with the genial warmth and 
 beauty of the valley. He was a true child of the prairie. 
 Like a Western cyclone, he carried everything before him 
 with irresistible force. His physique was powerful and his 
 manner intensely dramatic. He was a tower of strength. 
 His strength, however, was his greatest weakness. He 
 seemed to know the laws of nature only to violate them. 
 Like a powerful engine, with steam at double pressure, he 
 failed to heed the warning of the brakes until the collision 
 came. 
 
 After the close of his labors at the last session of Congress 
 he immediately entered upon the work of the jaolitical cam- 
 paign in Nebraska with liis characteristic zeal and earnest- 
 ness. Neither sleep nor rest seemed to l)e required by him. 
 On all sides were his services demanded, and to every call 
 he made response. A few days prior to the election in 
 November, when the work which he had outlined for him- 
 self was well-nigh completed, he was suddenly prostrated 
 and rendered unable to fill his engagements for the last days 
 of the cainpaign. This work was unnecessary so far as his 
 own election was concerned, as the large majority which he 
 received will attest. For a time he seemed to rally, l)ut lie 
 was never again the "Jim Laird"" of old. He returned io 
 Washington, but not to active service. 
 
Life and Character of James Laird. 2') 
 
 The tin' wliicli liad Ininifil willi intensity h;i(l Iwcomo 
 8Tni)l(lcring embers. The li.t;'lit wliicli liad shone witli bril- 
 liancy had become a flickerinj;- Ihinie. ( )nce more he son^-ht 
 his old home in Nebraska, where, witli freedom from care 
 and perfect rest, it was hoped the old Hush of healtli would 
 retui-n. When this hope seemed in fair way of realizati<m, 
 a snrgical operation of supposed slight consecpience was 
 deemed necessary. It was, however, attended witli fatal 
 results. 
 
 On the morning of August 7. 1S89, James Laird passed 
 to his eternal rest. He was born June 20, 1849, at Fowler- 
 ville, Livingston County, N. Y. As a mere boy, when 
 only thirteen years of age, he entered the Army, enlisting 
 as a private in the Sixteenth Michigan Infantry. He 
 served with the Army of the Potomac until the close of the 
 war. Upon receiving an honorable discharge, July 8. 1865, 
 he returned to his home near Hudson, Mich. He soon after- 
 wards entered the Michigan University at Ann Arlior, and 
 graduated from the law college in 1871. The following year 
 he removed to Juniata. Nebr. , where he entered upon the 
 active practice of his i^rofession. He subsecpiently removed 
 to Hastings, Nebr.. which place continued his liome until 
 the time of his death. 
 
 It was my privilege, in comi)any with my colleagues. Con- 
 gressmen Dorsey and Laws, to attend liis funeral. The day 
 was beautiful and the services impressive. In tlic soft twi- 
 light of the afternoon the emaciated form of our departed 
 friend and brother was lowei'cd to its final resting jjlace. 
 His life woi-k on earth is ended. In tlie prime of liis man- 
 hood his cai-eer is cut short. May we not hope that in the 
 world l)eyond will be witnessed the I'oundingof a life so bril- 
 liant, so brief, and so incomplete ? Surely there is a life im- 
 mortal, wherein may be realized the pure ideal which few. 
 
26 Addj^css of Mr. Dorscy, of Nebraska, on tlic 
 
 if any, this side of tlie ocean wliich separates the present 
 from tlie fiiture have ever attained. 
 
 O life ! what mystery thy birtli enshrouds. 
 
 For ages past hath man in vain essayed 
 
 Tliis mystery to solve — thy origin to learn. 
 
 O soul ! my soul ! speak out and tell me clear 
 
 Whence came thou here ■:" Whence thy deep yearning for 
 
 Immortal life ''. Methinks I hear thee say, 
 
 " Be .still and tru.st. In God we live and move 
 
 And have our being ; more we can not know." 
 
 Address of Mr, Dorsey, of Nebraska. 
 
 Mr. Speaker: Again thebitsiness of this Honse has been 
 suspended, and we put aside our cares, we pause in our de- 
 liberations that we may pay a brief trilinte to tlie memory 
 of one who when last seen upon this floor gave promise of 
 many years of useful service to his State. Death has made 
 fearful demands upon the membership of the jjresent Con- 
 gress. Those who were in the prime of manhood as well as 
 those who have passed the allotted three-score and ten have 
 been taken from among us, and now the sad duty devolves 
 of paying due respect to the memory of our deceased friend 
 and colleague. 
 
 My first meeting with Mr. Laird occvirred soon after he 
 had selected for his future home the fertile plains of Ne- 
 braska and casf his lot with the hardy pioneers he found 
 there. He located first at the little town of Juniata, in the 
 county of Adams. This section of Nebraska was at that 
 time sparsely settled and society was in an unorganized con- 
 dition; but this then undeveloped country promised a rich 
 reward to one who was willing to put his shoulder to the 
 wheel and persevere, and here he commenced the practice of 
 
Life and CliaracUr of James Laird. 27 
 
 liis pi-otVssioii. At (Hir lir.st meetinj? I was attracted to him 
 by lii^ fi-auk. mn'ii nuiiiiicr and liis sturdy luaidincss. ami 
 during these intervening years we have Ijeen thrown niucdi 
 tDgetlior. I always found him the same genial, c<jnipanion- 
 at)le man that I lirst met. never cast down in defeat, and 
 never unduly elated in the Imur of success. 
 
 During the last days of his attendance upon the meetings 
 of tliis body he would have been annMig the last selected as 
 the probable subject of a memorial liketliis. Thougli allot- 
 ted but a few brief years among us, his life was tilled witii 
 stirring events. Entering the service of his country when 
 a mere youth, he j^irticipated in all the gi-eat battles fought 
 by the Army of the Potomac. He was a brave and fearless 
 soldier and served the country he loved faithfully and well. 
 His strong arm was one among the first stretched forth to 
 uphold our starry flag in the hour of the nation's dire dis- 
 tress. He was loyal to his country, and not less loyal to liis 
 friends. He was proud of the fact that his name appeared 
 iipoii the rolls of that grand organization, the Army of tlic 
 Potomac, an army more renowned than tliat which followed 
 the great Xapoleon across the Alps or closed about the Iron 
 Duke at Waterloo. And the din of battle, the weary march, 
 and the solemn reverie before the dawn of days whidi had 
 in store for him he knew not what, was the school in whicii 
 he developed, and he came out a man in all that word im- 
 plies. 
 
 At the close of tlie war he I'eturned to his home in Michi- 
 gan and took up again the broken thread of his study, deter- 
 mined to fit himself for life's great struggle and to grapple 
 with such obstacles to his i)rogress as the future miglit dis- 
 close. He graduated from tlic law school at Ann Arbor, and 
 then, like hundreds of tliose who had served witli liim, lie 
 came to the new State of Nebraska, where he at once took 
 
28 Addj-css of Mr. Dorscy, of K'cbraska, on the 
 
 his position as a leader in the new community in which he 
 settled. He was sent to the convention called to formulate 
 a constitution for our State, and there made for himself a 
 reputation as an earnest worker, a ready debater, and a JTi- 
 dieious counselor. He soon attained a high position at the 
 har and was engaged in the trial of many important cases. 
 When the apportionment was made under the census of 18S0, 
 and Nebraska was given three Representatives in this legis- 
 lative Hall, Mr. Laird was elected to represent the Second 
 district in the Forty-eighth Congress, and was reelected to 
 the Forty-ninth, Fiftieth, and J'ifty-tirst Congresses, at the 
 last election receiving the largest majority ever given in his 
 district. He had a very strong hold upon the hearts of his 
 people, and esijecially of the old soldiers, to whom he gave 
 loving and earnest service. 
 
 As a member of this House he was always kindly consid- 
 ei'ate of the rights of others, and anxi(ju.s to do everything 
 that would tend to advance the interests of the Great West. 
 He was a useful member, and served faithfully his State 
 and country. He was assigned to a place on the Committee 
 on Military Affaii's during his entire service in this body, 
 and it was largely through his efforts that the bill was 
 passed making provision for homes for disabled soldiers in 
 every State in the Union. His old comrades in the Second 
 district feel that his loss to them is irreparable. During the 
 tirst session of the Fiftieth Congress, which was prolonged 
 through the heat of summer, Mr. Laird was comi^elled to 
 remain at his post of duty. He was urged by his friends to 
 refrain from work and take the recreation he so much needed, 
 but he refused to do so until tlie measures in which he was 
 interested had been di.sposed of. 
 
 Before the close of the session he returned to his home and 
 threw himself with all the energy of his nature into the polit- 
 
Life and C liarailrr of James Laird. 29 
 
 ical contest tlien I'jigiiiy. He made appointments for meet- 
 ini;s. and <in many days made two addresses at points many 
 miles apart. His strength, greatly impaired, gave way be- 
 fore the campaign was over, an<l he, prostrated from over- 
 work, was compelled to return to his home and place himself 
 under the care of his pliysieian. He rallied from this attack, 
 bnt was not able to again take his seat in this Chaml)er. He 
 fought manfully against the malady that had taken hold 
 iipon him, but was unable to conquer it. 
 
 ]\Ir. Laikd was a man of strong convictions and of great 
 capacity for labor, and had his life been .spared he would 
 undoubtedly have been asked to serve his district here until 
 his State or his country should call him higher; but he was 
 stricken in the prime of life, in the midst of a pul)lic career 
 of which any man might well be proud. When he realized 
 that the sands of iiis life were run, that he was called to face 
 the great unknown, he contemijlated the coming darkness 
 without a tremor, he gazed into the valley of the shadow 
 with the calmness of — 
 
 Ono that \vi-aps the drajiery of his couch 
 About hinj, and Hes (.lowii to pleasant dreams. 
 
 The resolutions were unanimously adopted ; and the House 
 accordingly (at 4 o'clock and 50 minutes p. m.) adjourned. 
 
PROCEEDINGS IN THE SENATE. 
 
 ANNOUNCEMENT OF DEATH. 
 
 December in. 1S90. 
 
 Mr. Manderson. I ask that the Chair lay before the Seii- 
 atvi resohitious received from tlie House of Representatives 
 anuoimciug the deatli of Hon. James Laird, of Nebraska. 
 
 The Vice President. The Chair lays Ijefore the Senate 
 resolutions from the House of Representatives, which will 
 be read. 
 
 The Chief Clerk read as follows: 
 
 Ix THE House of Representatives, December IS. 1889. 
 
 Resolved, Tliat the House of Reitresentatives lias heard with ]irofi)iiiul 
 sorrow of the death of Hon. James Laird, late nieiiiber of this House 
 from the Second district of Nebra.ska. 
 
 Resolved. That the Clerk he directeil to notify the relatives of Hon. 
 .Iamhk T.aird of the jia-ssa^e of this resolution. Also, that the Clerk he 
 directed to send a copy of this resolution to the Senate. 
 
 Resolved, That a-s a further mark of respect the Housedo now adjourn. 
 
 31 
 
32 Pro(Tcd/)/gs In the Senate. 
 
 Mr. Mandekson. 1 offer the following resolutions for the 
 consideration of tlie Senate: 
 
 Resolued, Tiia,t the Senate has lieard witli deep regret the anuounoe- 
 meiit (if tlie death of Hon. James Lauid, late a member of the House of 
 Representative!? from the State of Nebraska. 
 
 Resolved. That as an additional mark of respect to the memory of the 
 deceased the Senate do now adjourn. 
 
 Understanding that there are communications -of a sim- 
 ilar character as to other deceased members of the House of 
 Representatives, I do not ask for action upon the resolutions 
 at 2)resent. 
 
EULOGIES. 
 
 September IS, ISiio. 
 
 The Vice President. The liour of 4 o'clock luivinj^ 
 arrived, the Chair hiys before the Senate resolutions from 
 the Hoiise of Re])resentatives, whicli will be read. 
 
 The Chief Clerk read as follows: 
 
 In the House of Representatives, December 18. iss!». 
 
 Resolved. That the House of Representatives has heard with i)r(>l(iuiiil 
 soiTow of the death of Hon. James Laird, late member of this House 
 from the Second district of Nebraska. 
 
 Re.wlved, Tliat the Clerlv be directed to notify the relatives of Hon. 
 James Laird of the passage of this resolution. Also, that the Clerk be 
 directed to .send a copy of this resolution to the Senate. 
 
 Resolved. That as a further mark of resiject tlie Hou.se do tiow adjourn. 
 
 Mr. Manderson. Mr. President, I offer tlie resolutions 
 which I send to the desk. 
 The Vice President. The resolutions will be read. 
 The Chief Clerk read as follows: 
 
 Whereas the Senate has heanl with profound sorrow of the death of 
 Hon. James Laird, late a member of tlie House of Representatives from 
 the State of Nebraska: 
 
 Resoliyil. That the Imsiness of tlie Senate be now suspemU'd. in order 
 tliat tittiuK tribute l)e i)ai<l to Ids memory. 
 
 Resolred. Tliat as an additional mai-k of resju'ct the Senate, at the con- 
 clusion of these ceremonies, do adjourn. 
 
 33 
 
 H. Mis. 2i}(j :3 
 
34 AM/Tss o/jl/r. A/a/nfrrso//, (7/Ar/>ras/c(7, on tlu 
 
 Address of Mr Manderson, of Nebraska, 
 
 Mr. President: Death, that " sinless, stirless rest— that 
 change which never clianges" — is the common lot of all. 
 ' It is as natural to die as to be born," and yet its hapj)ening 
 seems often the unnatural, and in no case so markedly as 
 when it comes to man at the age when muscular strengtli, 
 mental vigor, and virile cajjacity should be at the maximum. 
 
 To the child, with its undeveloped forces, delicate frame, 
 weak mentality, and slight resisting power, the change 
 comes so easily, that it is almost the expected. To the old 
 man, with emasculated energies, worn-out body, enfeebled 
 physical and mental powers, who has reached the time 
 spoken of by the Preacher, when he is " afraid of that 
 which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the alnK.md 
 tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, 
 and desire shall fail," the great transition comes as a relief, 
 and seems as natural as the fall of some tree in the forest, 
 whose dead toji and bare, specter-like arms, lifted beseecli- 
 ingly towards heaven, tell of the sapless trunk and the dead 
 heart. 
 
 But we expect nourishing shade, the springing of leaf and 
 bud and flower, when root and trunk and branch show the 
 vigor of matui'ity witliout decadence of strength; and when 
 such a tree falls it carries all the sliock of that liappening 
 which is opposed to nature. 
 
 The taking ofl: of James Laird, my friend of many years, 
 my comrade in a gi-c^at cause, and my colleague in official 
 duties, was not only the unexpected, but even after the lapse 
 of so many months since his death it seems the unnatural. 
 Of sturdy frame, impressive personality, great vigor, im- 
 
Life and I lutractcr of Jnvirs f.aird. 35 
 
 pulsivp foroo, aggressive power, \w had tliat makc-tiii. pliys- 
 iral and mental, that seemed to iiniuirt a vitality tliat cdulil 
 conquer all enemies until such time as the resisting energy 
 ■was sapped by the taking on of many years. He was cast 
 in mold so strong that one can not but exclaim — 
 
 Oh! what ha<ist Ihou to ilo witli cnicl Death, 
 Who wast so full of life, or Death with thee, 
 xhat thou .shouUlst die before thou hatlst prowu old ? 
 
 " The (lays of our years are three-score years and ton," 
 eays the Psalmist, but to my friend and comrade, to whom 
 the di'ead siimmous came on the 17th day of August, bSSO, 
 there had been vouchsafed but little over two-score years. 
 
 Jame.s Laird was of Scotch ancestry. His father was a 
 native of Scotland, a Presbyterian minister, a man of strong 
 intellect, high attainments, and an imiiassioned orator. Ho 
 transmitted his keen Scotch sense of justice, intellectual 
 power, and gift of eloquence to his son. 
 
 When James was a small child the family moved to Hills- 
 dale County, Mich. He attended the district .school, and 
 afterwards entered the academy to receive instruction from 
 a teacher who afterwards became his comrade in arms and 
 later his associate in the House of Rej)resentatives and his 
 colleague on the Committee on Military Affairs, General 
 B. M. Cutcheon, of Michigan. The good father died while 
 all his sons were young, and the mother was left with four 
 small children to care for. 
 
 The spring of IS'il ushered in the great war of the rebel- 
 lion. The two oldest boys were promjit to respond to the 
 call to arms, and although so young, the patriotic spirit of 
 the third youth could not long be held in check. He enlisted 
 as a private soldier on the 24th day of August, 18G1, in Com- 
 pany K (Stockton's), Sixteenth Regiment of Michigan In- 
 fantry, but was soon transferred to Company G. In the 
 
-"56 Address oj Mr. Mandcrson, of Nebraska, on the 
 
 autumn the regiment became a 2)art of the Arm_v of the 
 Potomac, and the first battle in whicli the young soldier 
 liad a chance to prove the metal in him was at Hauover 
 Court-House, in May, 1863. 
 
 Excei)t when absent, frcjm wounds received, he did duty 
 at the front until that proud day when, with other partici- 
 pants, he rejoiced over the surrender at Appomattox and 
 the final triumph of the right. 
 
 The story of the military career of this Ixiy reads like a 
 romance, almost challenging belief. While yet in his teens 
 he served for four years of active vigorous war, and achieved 
 the positions of sergeant, second lieutenant, first lieutenant, 
 captain, and brevet major, every i)romotion being given for 
 bravery upon the field of battle. He received four gunsliot 
 wounds and one saber cut, and was for a period a wounded 
 l)risoner of war. 
 
 At the battle of Gaines's Mills he was struck with a, mus- 
 ket liall ill the left breast, which passed through him, coming 
 out under the left shoulder-blade. In this sad plight he fell 
 into the enemy's hands, and was confined in Libby prison 
 for six dismal weeks. On account of his extreme youth and 
 grievous wounds he was then exchanged, and remained in 
 hospital near Annapolis until November, 1SG3, when he re- 
 joined his command. 
 
 He fought at Chancellorsville, and was one of the bravest 
 of the brave who resisted the fierce attacks of the rebel hosts 
 at Gettysburgh. Near the expiration of his first term of 
 service the beardless boy reenlisted and became a veteran 
 Volunteer. 
 
 He was with the fighting columns under Grant in the fierce 
 struggles about RichnK )nd. At Dabney's Mills young Laird 
 was acting as regimental adjutant. At a critical time in the 
 engagement the enemy turned the Federal flank. The regi- 
 
Life and Character of James Laird. 37 
 
 iiicnt bei^an to rctrcul. and licl'nrc a nowalitjinnont could be 
 made a stampede seemed imiiiiiieiit. I (jiiote from a letter 
 received by ine from a captain of the rcLjiment: 
 
 Unilor a galliiis fii'i' L.vniD roilc aloiif; the line enoouraKiiiK tlie \\\\- 
 verint; ami cursing the cmvanlly. His loni; hair tluttorin>;- and I'ye ht 
 with enthusiasm, he aijpeareil tlie ])ers(>nilii-atii>n of war's fiery madness. 
 Tlie entliusiasni of the l>ov awoUe a steady determination in the men. 
 The inijiending stampede stopped, and under liis inspiring leadersliip the 
 regiment took a new position with unhroken ranks. 
 
 A more loyal and devoted soldier to the eaiise for which 
 he foiTght did not wear the blue. His intense naturt^ al- 
 lowed no part iierfornuiuce of duty. His enthusiastic loy- 
 alty and poetic temperament made the fla,"' of his country 
 the symbol of all that was good. His comrades testify that 
 his loving devotion to it was so strong that he seemed to 
 court the utmost danger and the most perilous places in its 
 defense. 
 
 Did time permit I uiight read by the hour from letters re- 
 ceived by me from his army associates, who loved him for 
 his open manliness, pure patriotism, and heroic endeavor. 
 After a sejjaration of a quarter of a century they have not 
 forgotten the youthful hero who won their hearts, and have 
 sent me their tributes to his memory. One says: 
 
 L.\lRn"s miHtary cai'eer was an epitome of young lierf)ism seldom 
 equaled and never excelled. He never allowed the most daring to outdo 
 him. He had a magnetic patriotism so exalted that it kept the wavei-ing 
 steady and lent enthusiasn\ to the strong. He was the jjeer of the bravest . 
 
 Mustered out July 8, 1805, he returned to his home in 
 Michigan a battle-scarred veteran and yet a smooth-faced 
 boy. 
 
 While others of his age had been at school, submitting to 
 the teacher's will, he had been the impetuous, dashing leader 
 of bearded men. He had taken lessons from the great caj)- 
 
38 Address of Mr. Mandnsoii, of Nebraska, on the 
 
 tains in the "big wars tliat make ambition virtue." He 
 had been hai'dened in "the flinty and steel coucli of war," 
 and it was no easy taslv to l)ring his turbulent spii-it under 
 the discipline of the schoolroom and the subjection of the 
 master. 
 
 A short time at the college at Adrian and then a course 
 at the law school of the State University at Ann Arbor 
 and he was ready to begin life's battles on fields more peace- 
 ful. With an associate he became the owner of the Hudson 
 Post, and for about two years wielded the jien of the editor 
 of a co^intry newspaper. It was strongly and aggressi^•ely 
 Republican in politics, and its vigorous editorials evidenced 
 the pugnacious spirit of its young manager. 
 
 In Jiine, 1871, Major Laird was admitted to the bar of the 
 State of Michigan, and for a time practiced law at Lansing. 
 In July. 1873, he turned his face westward, and settled at 
 Juniata, Nebr., removing after a few yeai's to Hastings, 
 where he lived until his death. He was in the active prac- 
 tice of his profession until his election to the Forty-eighth 
 Congress. 
 
 He practiced law as he fought in battle. He attached 
 himself to his client and his cause with a loyalty that knew 
 no shadow of turning. He threw his whole soul into the 
 case on trial. While never a bookish lawyer or a close stu- 
 dent of the law, he had a mind that grasped the legal situa- 
 tion with power, and the staying, fighting quality that wins 
 controversies. 
 
 He was a powerful advocate, armed with eloc^uence so en- 
 chanting that jurors became his captives. Men will speak 
 for many years of his courageous defense in the celebrated 
 Olive murder case. For the thirty days of the trial in that 
 outraged and indignant frontier community tlie lives of the 
 accused murderers were kept in their bodies and Judge Lynch 
 
Life auii Character of James Laird. 39 
 
 held at bay only l)y tlio matchless bravery of their cotmsel, 
 James Laird. 
 
 An eminent man, who now ornaments the hencli in Ne- 
 braska, says of his speech to tlir jury in tlie Olive case: 
 
 It is unsurpassed in the (-(nnaKi'Df its cciiucptir)!!. in the boldness of its 
 outline, and intlic height of its sulilinu-, IdiciCnl. and inipassioniMl decla- 
 mation. 
 
 The same jurist, writina; to me a sliort time aj^^o, snms 
 
 ii]) his characteri-stics as a lawyer in the following forceful 
 
 words: 
 
 Whethor in the courtroom or in the convention, the contest on I.aird's 
 part was one of chivalry. A military atnu)si)here surrounded it. There 
 was the waving of plumes and lianners and lla^;s and the cliarge of cav- 
 alry interspersed with music. 
 
 He abandoned no cause when it lacked numbers. He deserted no 
 friend in the minority. He feared no opposition when he believed him- 
 self right, and he espoused no cause that he believed imjust. 
 
 He won the respect and admiration of his professional 
 brethren by the open fairness of his contests. Giving sturdy 
 blows, he asked no quarter. Chicane and finesse were weap- 
 ons he did not know how to use. His manliness, Ijoldness, 
 and fairness not only won clients, but commanded tlie 
 respect of adversaries, the confidence of judges, and the 
 admiration of the public. Had he lived and continued the 
 practice of law he would have become one of the leaders of 
 the Western bar. 
 
 In 1875 we sat together as members of the convention 
 that framed the constitution of the State of Nebraska, which 
 is to-day its supreme law. His services to the State in that 
 body, composed of the best material in the Commonwealth, 
 were most important. He took front rank as a debater, 
 bringing to the performance of liis duties industrious re- 
 search and much originality. 
 
 Major Laird was an earnest Re]jul)liean, possessed of a 
 
40 Address of Mr. Afai/dcrsim, of Nebraska, on the 
 
 loyalty and sense of fealty tliat ijermitted no departure from 
 its doctrines or disbelief in its leading tenets. 
 
 On the stnmp he was a miglity power, and the people of 
 western Neljraska will speak for many years of the music 
 of his voice and the persuasive force of his oratory. 
 
 After the apportionment based upon the census of 1880, 
 when Nebraska was divided into three districts, Major Laird 
 was nominated by the Eepublicans of the Second district as 
 Representative to the Forty-eighth Congress. This canvass 
 was one of great vigor and force, and he was elected l)y a 
 good majority. He was elected to the Forty-ninth, Fiftietli. 
 and Fifty-first Congresses, and every time he went before the 
 people of his district bearing the standard of his party he 
 inci'eased his majority. 
 
 His Congressional career was signally brilliant, being char- 
 acterized by that fearlessness that was his leading trait and 
 marked by an ability that won for him friends cjn Ix.itli sides 
 of the aisle of political division. He was an active member 
 of the Committees on Military Affairs and on Pensions, and 
 was tireless and constant in liis efforts for his comrades. 
 No ex-soldier ever appealed to him in vain, and his genei'ous 
 nature could refuse nothing to the suffering or dependent. 
 
 He lived so close to his constituents that he felt the warm- 
 est sympathy for and was devoted to the interests of the 
 frontier settlers, avIio witli sucli infinite labor and such ter- 
 rible sacrifice were carving out the great empire of tlie 
 "West. His appeal to Congress to do justice to the settlers 
 on the Knevals lands, who, holding patents from tlie Gov- 
 ernment, were about to be driven from their liomes, S(_)unds 
 like a trumpet call. He said : 
 
 It is difficult for a man having a face-to-face knowledge of the circum- 
 stances surrounding these settlers to speak witli that temperance that 
 befits the language of judgment when discussing the wrongs perpetrated 
 
Life and Character of James Laird. 1 1 
 
 nil ihi'se people now about to be diiisged from tlieir lioiues, after having 
 biiii liarassed and impoverished l)y yeare of fruitless litigation, in which 
 they have been driven from court to court in the name of " jusliee." 
 
 Is there no voii-e that pleads liis cause who bravely holds his wav along 
 the front of civilization, laying deep and strong the foumlations of a 
 niiglity State? From tlie toil and strife of tliese men sjjrang Kansas and 
 Nebraska, the Hr.st anti-slavery .States, even as in the olden time sprang 
 the avenging Marius from the "<lust and ashes." * * * 
 
 Mr. Speaker, these men are my constituents: they are more, they are 
 my neighbors; they are still more, they are my comrades ; for in the 
 heroic days nearly lune-tenth.s of them were Union soldiers. This will 
 not prejudice their cause with you, men of the South, for yon were brave, 
 and must be just and .generous. 
 
 In tlie Forty-iiiiith Congross he niado another heroic and 
 at last a successful effort ou belialf of those settka's, going 
 to the House ou his crutcihes. suffering from a severe acci- 
 dent, from whirli he never fully recovered. 
 
 One of his most notable contests, the conduci of which 
 endeared him to the West, was his attack upon tiie mefliods 
 of the General Land Office during tlie last administration. 
 He repudiated in a vigorous numiiiT (he <'lia.rgc lliat a- great 
 maj(jrity of the entries of the public hinds were fraudulent, 
 and that the great West was made up of land tliicives and 
 perjurers, and was bitter in his denunciation of tiie (mtra- 
 geous spy system that l)ecanie in so nuiiiy instances merely 
 a method of levying blackmail. 
 
 His leading traits were courage and loyalty, and both 
 were fully exemi)litied in his action in the celebrated Fitz 
 John Porter cas(!. He liad served witli (icneral Porter in 
 his youth, and, fortunately perhaps, was absent, wounded. 
 at the time of the battle when his general played the role of 
 a spectator and not that of a participant. His constituency, 
 almost to a man, con<leiiiiif(l th(^ effort to restoi'e the dis- 
 placed commander to tlie army list : but Laikd had a boy- 
 ish luitliusiasm for the chief who led him first into b;ittlc, 
 and espoused his cause with a di^volion so true and ;i 
 
42 Address of Mr. Afatidcrson, of Nebraska., on the 
 
 bravery so marked that criticism upon liis course was almost 
 •lisariued. Before he made his speech upon the Porter re- 
 lief bill many threatened him with political extinction if he 
 continued to stand by the bill. His reply was so admirable 
 that I can not refrain from quoting it : 
 
 Let me remark to the gentlemen who seek to bring the menace of fu- 
 ture punishment to liear upon the discharge of present duty, that if I knew 
 tliis act of mine would end my bodily existence, as you say it may end 
 my t)flEicial one, then still would I do it : and I would thank God that my 
 loyalty to my country, as I understand her honor: that my loyalty to my 
 general, as I understand my duty; that my loyalty to the truth, as I 
 know it to be. was sti'ong enough to lift my conduct above the possibility 
 of the ignominious charge to come from cowardly considerations affect- 
 ing my life or future condition. 
 
 The threatened punishment never came to him. While 
 his constituents condemned his vote, they admired and ap- 
 plauded the courage of his words and his affectionate fealty 
 to his old commander. 
 
 There was a depth in the nature of James Laird sounded 
 only liy a few intimates. He was not one to say: 
 
 I will wear my heart upou my sleeve 
 For daws to peek at; 
 
 and yet to those who had his fullest confidence he would show 
 that under the somewhat rugged exterior there was a love 
 of the beautiful in nature and art that led to gentle deeds. 
 
 The same prompting that taught him with deft fingers to 
 arrange the flowers he loved into beautiful and attractive 
 forms led him to cull out the most tender and delicate of the 
 jjoets for the enjoyment of himself and his chosen intimates. 
 He had exquisite sensibilities of which the many knew noth- 
 ing. 
 
 To me there is something pitiful in the loneliness of the 
 last few years of his short life. He had no near relative 
 living at tlie time of his death. He was the last of his race. 
 The father, the strong preacher, died in his youth. His two 
 
Life and Character of James Laird. \% 
 
 oldest brothers were killed on the field of honor near his 
 side in the early days of the war. His younn-er hrother 
 di(>d of a distressino: accident some yeai's ago. There was 
 left to liini no kin save tlie dear old .Scotch niotlicr, tn whom 
 her "boy Jamie" was all in all. 
 
 How fondly he cherished her. She made her home- with 
 him, and desolation entered the door when her form was 
 carried thmuiJ-h it to the lone conch of her everlastinj? 
 sleep. After her death he seldom spoke of her. but when 
 he did it was with a wealth of rich devotion to her mt'mory. 
 
 Bnt the rennion has come to them and to him. as I be- 
 lieve, full recompense for the losses and deprivations of 
 this transitory life. The gain is his, the loss is onrs. 
 
 His community monrns for a good citizen departed: his 
 State laments for an efficient servant lost; I sorrow for the 
 taking away of a true-hearted, self-sacrificing friend. 
 
 Address of Mr. Paddock, of Nebraska. 
 
 Mr. President: Death innst ever remain to unaided 
 mortal percei)tion a deep and nnsolvable prol)lem. Neither 
 the uninspired musings of the ages nor the discoveries of 
 science have been able to pierce the clouds which shroud the 
 hereafter (n- lift the veil behind which humanity must pass. 
 We know only that we are, that we shall soon cease to be, 
 and that the mystery of existence is scarcely less pi'ofound 
 than that of its extinction. We witness with tearful eyes 
 and lips trend^ling with inexj^ressible affection a transition 
 whose course we can not follow, and gaze with strained 
 vision upon the beginning of a journey whose bourn we 
 can not pi-edicate. Upon the last scene of the di'ama of a 
 life, rich in tlu' associations of cherished fiiemlships and 
 
44 Address of Mr. Paddock, of Nebraska, on the 
 
 ill the sacred ties of family and home, the curtain falls, the 
 lights are extinguished, and we are left alone in the gloom 
 and darkness of death. 
 
 That "the young may die, the old must die," is a truism. 
 In the case of the aged, nature moves slowly in i)reparing 
 us for the inevitable change. The whitening hairs, the fur- 
 rows which time draws in the ground of exj^erience, the 
 halting step, the failing vision — all prefigure " the fate we 
 dread, yet look upon. " 
 
 Hence, when an aged man, decollated with the bright glo- 
 ries of an honorable and useful life, the natural fruitage 
 of a character strengthened and purified by tlie trials which 
 chasten and the successes which renew confidence and hope, 
 l^asses away, we recognize the synonym of nature. 
 
 But when a young man, rich in all manly graces, full pan- 
 oplied for the battle of life, whose brilliant achievements 
 even before the skirmish line is passed presage a triuniplial 
 march to the front in human affairs, is stricken by the angel 
 of Death, the questioning spirit arises and will not down. 
 
 "Life takes an atom and grows it to a world," all)eit 
 we know tliat in the fullness of its time decay and death 
 shall surely come. 
 
 Life takes a child from obscurity and grows him to the 
 l)lace of primacy among his fellows; but why. in the vigor 
 of young manhood, with the harvest ail unripe, he is cut 
 down forever we can not know. We may believe that for 
 him "death is the larger gain, not loss and oblivion," and 
 ill this reflection we may find some assuagement of our 
 grief. But who can measure the loss to the sum of the 
 world's forces, the world's activities, the world's store of 
 manhood, when such a man dies ? 
 
 Such as this was he for whom to-day we mourn, and such 
 the loss sustained in his early death. 
 
 L.o'a 
 
Fjfc and C liarnctcr of James I.aini. 45 
 
 Sjiniti.n- fnmi sturdy Scotch stock, those sterlinj,' chanictor- 
 istics wiiicli distinguishcil tlic iiicii of tlic iiortli wi-iv Mr. 
 Laird's by iulicritancc. His earlii-r life had \iw\\ uw cf 
 those liard strugylos against adverse cii'cuiiistaiices whose 
 stern discipline has made our country sjdeiidid with heroic 
 achievements. Into the brief period allotted for his activi- 
 ties he had crowded the exi)enences of the volunteer sohlier, 
 the intrepid party leader, and the trusted i)ul)lic servant. 
 And yet those who knew him best believed that his strength 
 liail only jiartially developed, and thai in the growing ma- 
 turity of his powers lay the ijromise of a futui'e harvest of 
 great usefulness and renown. 
 
 When the call to arms was sounded foi- the defense of the 
 
 imperiled Union the ardent iiatuiv of young L.\ii;i uld 
 
 not l)e lung restrained, and while yet a mere boy he was 
 ftuuul in the Army of the Potomac bravely fighting for his 
 country. He endured the hardships of a soldiei-'s life, per- 
 forming his full and equal duty a,longsid(> his older and 
 stronger comrades until the close of tlie war. 
 
 He was with that valiant host through victory and defeat 
 on the banks of the now peaceful river from which it took 
 its name: in the swamps of the Chickahominy. on the bloody 
 fields of Manassas and Antietam. and in the trenches l)efore 
 Richmond. Following its standard, he carried the musket 
 of a private soldier, and esteemed it a decoration more to be 
 valued than the baton of authority in the officijxl household 
 of an emperor. 
 
 Mr. Laird's service in the Army, covering nearly the en- 
 tire period of the war, made him always afterwards a zeal- 
 ous, diligent, and useful advocate of the righteous claims of 
 the Union's defenders. To them his heart went out and his 
 actions gave exjjression to his impulses. The feeling of com- 
 radeship which thrilled him in the stern struggle for the 
 
 ^M-;- 
 
46 Address of Mr. Paddock, o/N'cbraska, on the 
 
 nation's unity was not niei'ely a mouthing sentiment, useful 
 for the hustings and useless in the field of practical effort 
 for the relief and betterment of the nation's defenders. He 
 felt that they were bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh, 
 his brothers all, and entitleil to his love, his sympathy, and 
 his assistance. And this they never failed to receive in 
 fullest measure. 
 
 Leaving the Army, Mr. Laird spent several years in pre- 
 paring himself for his chosen profession — the law. Soon 
 after his graduation at the University of Michigan, in 1S71, 
 he removed to the young State of Nebraska and entered 
 upon active practice. He soon fought his way to the fore- 
 most rank in his profession. He was aggressive, vigilant, 
 untiring. To the court he stated a legal proposition with 
 singular precision and force. He marshaled his facts with 
 such skill as almost to carry conviction without proof. He 
 was masterful in analysis and generalization. As an ad- 
 vocate before a jury he was almost irresistible. He seemed 
 at times the very incarnation of elocpience. His voice was 
 a virile but soiilful human nature set to music. 
 
 Mr. Laird entered legislative life as a niemljer of the 
 Forty-eighth, and was reelected to the Forty-ninth, Fiftieth, 
 and Fifty-first Congresses. He was the first Rejjresenta- 
 tive from the Second district of Nebraska, and died in its 
 service. During most of his Congressional career his was 
 the largest ^and most populous district in the State. How 
 manifold, laborioxis, and exacting his duties were none but 
 a Congressman from a new State can understand. 
 
 His was the section which first felt the imjjact of the 
 mighty stream of immigration which during the past dec- 
 ade and a half has peopled our State with an intelligent, in- 
 dustrious, and thrifty constituency. New England and the 
 Middle States, uniting with the great Mississippi Valley, 
 
Life and Character of James FMird. 17 
 
 soul tlirir sturdiest sons aiul daiiu'lilcrs to lay the rouiulu- 
 tioii and roar the snpci-struct tire nl' the new Commouwoaltli. 
 Attracted by our generous land laws and drawn by tJio 
 richness of the unvexed prairies, the ambitious tenantry of 
 Europe swelled the flood of home-seekers and added the fru- 
 gality and industry of their native lands to the elements 
 already engaged in transforming the desert into a garden. 
 
 With few cities, but with numerous thriving towns and 
 hamlets, Mr. Laird's district was essentially agricultural. 
 The schoolhouse, the church, ami the newspaper, those 
 three great educational factors of our Republic, were found 
 in almost every community. It was indeed a high honor 
 to represent such a constituency, and my deceased friend 
 felt it to be such. His Congressional career was charac- 
 terized by the most faithful, industrious, and conscientious 
 performance of duty. The calls upon his per.sonal atten- 
 tion were exhaustive of time and strength. Countless ap- 
 peals to sympathetic effort to remedy wrongs done by de- 
 layed justice came to him. 
 
 But he never complained under necessary bui'dens. In 
 committee he was eflicient and persistent. t)n the Hoor of 
 the House he was always vigilant, and brought the trained 
 mind of a lawyer to the investigation ami discussi(}n of the 
 (juestions 2)resented. He was r(>ady in debaie and fertile in 
 expedients. He was a bin'u combatant. He gloried in the 
 clash of arras, and was always happiest in the storm and 
 stress of c-onflict. His courage rose with opposition, and liis 
 i-esources were at best command when the din of battle was 
 loudest and the cheering of his adversaries was strongest. 
 
 He asked no quarter. He foiight for victory and expected 
 to win it. But luMvas a manly antagonist. He was "one 
 who never turned his back. l)ut marched breast forward." 
 He dealt his blows in the liglit of day full at the guarded 
 
48 Address of Mr. Paddock, of Nebraska, on the 
 
 front I )f opposition. Tlie world admires a manly man. It 
 has never i-ef used its meed of prsjise to tlie man with ronvie- 
 tious and the courage to maintain and defend them when- 
 ever and however assaulted. Popular opinion, all-powerfvxl 
 in its final influence, may for the time, while swayed hy 
 prejudice, withhold its approbation, but it never fails to 
 crown the man of purpose and of courage. 
 
 Mr. Laird had frequent occasion to brave unpopularity 
 for what he considered his duty. Almost alone among his 
 political associates he stood for what he believed to be jus- 
 tice to his old comrade, Fitz John Porter. The clamor of 
 the press of his State and section did not swerve him; the 
 urgent remonstrances of friends 'Jiid not deter him for a 
 moment from his purpose. His voice was heard and his 
 vote was given for the redress of what he believed a griev- 
 ous wrong to a commander and friend whom he honored 
 and loved. 
 
 To Mr. Laird friendship was a sacred word. He made a 
 shrine for it in his heart and sacrificed at its altar. It was 
 at once a mantle to adorn excellence and to conceal frailty. 
 With his colleagues he was courteous and considerate. His 
 word stood like an immovable rock. His promise once given 
 was never qualified or recalled. He was always ready to 
 assume resjDousibility for his actions, and scorned to hide 
 behind an excuse born of expediency. Honest, honorable, 
 and straightforward, he impressed his individuality ui)on 
 others by the very force of these characteristics. 
 
 Mr. Laird had his faults; so have we all; but no man 
 was ever freer from charlatanism and hypocrisy, and no 
 one ever possessed a mcjre th(.)r(.)ugh detestation for the 
 Chadbands and Pecksniffs of society than this frank, sin- 
 cere, able friend of ours. 
 
 Mr. President, many hearts have been left much poorer 
 
Life and Cliarailcr of James [.aird. ~ 49 
 
 hy tlic death ol' James LaIKD. He will nol Sdim hr l'i)rgot- 
 tfii ill tlie home of his a(loi)tioii. 'I'liat luave, geiUTous. 
 manly nature will long be cluu-ishcd in the memory of the 
 multitude of friends iu Nebraska who iiouored and loved 
 him before all others. 
 
 The oliarni of his personality will not be lost. The i-ec- 
 ord of his work will be for him an ever-enduring monument. 
 He will need none other. Even unto the remotest genera- 
 tion, in that beautiful country which he helped to transform 
 from a wilderness, " where the arts of peace wep unknown," 
 into a great Commonwealth, " surrounded by all that adorns 
 and em])ellish('s civilized life," the memory of his great 
 sei'vice shall be borne mdimmed by time to be enshrined 
 evermore. 
 
 The Vice President. The question is on agreeing to the 
 resolutions offered Ity the Senator from Nebra.ska [Mr. 
 Manderson]. 
 
 The resolutions were agreed to unanimously; and (at 4 
 o'clock and 38 minutes p. m.) the Senate adjourned until 
 to-morrow, Friday, September 19, 1890, at 1 1 o'clock a. m. 
 H. Mis. 2GC 4 
 
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