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 *^r LIFE AND CHARACTER \fi 
 
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 GEORGE w. HOUK 
 
 JULY 14, 1894-MARCH 1, 1895 
 
 
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MEMORIAL ADDRESSES 
 
 LIFE AND CHARACTER 
 
 GEORGE W, HOUK 
 
 (LATE A REPRESENTATIVE FKOM OHIO) 
 
 r>F,l,IVKRKI> IN THE 
 
 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND SENATE, 
 
 FIFTY-THIRD CONGRESS. 
 
 PUBLISHED BY ORDER OF CONGRESS. 
 
 WASHINGTON: 
 
 GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFKICE. 
 I8 9S . 
 
 WITHDRAWN 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 Page. 
 
 Proceedings in the House _. $ 
 
 Memorial address by 
 
 Mr. BAKER of Kansas. $o 
 
 Mr. BLACK of Illinois. . 17 
 
 Mr. BRYAN __. 28 
 
 Mr. CURTIS of New York 14 
 
 Mr. DONOVAN 67 
 
 Mr. HARE. _ $8 
 
 Mr. LAYTON 36 
 
 Mr. McKAic 21 
 
 M r. PATTERSON __ 70 
 
 Mr. RICHARDS 64 
 
 Mr. RITCHIE 47 
 
 Mr. SORG 8 
 
 Mr. SPRINGER .. cj. 
 
 JT 
 
 Mr. STORER 33 
 
 Mr. WILSON of Ohio . 73 
 
 Proceedings in the Senate . . 77 
 
 Memorial address by 
 
 Mr. BRICE 82 
 
 3 
 
DEATH OF GEORGE W. HOUK. 
 
 PROCEEDINGS IN THE HOUSE. 
 
 FEBRUARY 10, 1894. 
 
 Mr. OUTHWAITE. Mr. Speaker, it has become my painful 
 duty to announce to this House the sudden death of my 
 esteemed colleague, GEORGE W. HOUK. I do not intend 
 at this time to make any remarks of a eulogistic charac 
 ter, but will merely submit the resolutions which I send to 
 the Clerk s desk, stating that at some future period we shall 
 ask the House to take suitable order for commemorating the 
 life and services of the deceased. 
 
 The resolutions were read, as follows: 
 
 Resolved, That the House has heard with profound sorrow the announcement 
 of the death of Hon. GKORCK W. HOUK, late a Representative from the State of 
 Ohio. 
 
 Resolved, That a committee consisting of seven members of the House, with 
 such members of the Senate as may be joined, be appointed to take order for 
 superintending the funeral and to escort the remains of the deceased to their 
 place of burial ; and that the necessary expenses attending the execution of this 
 order be paid out of the contingent fund of the House. 
 
 Resolved, That the Sergeant-at-Arms of the House be authorized and directed 
 to take such steps as may be necessary for properly carrying out the provisions of 
 this resolution. 
 
 Resolved, That the Clerk communicate the foregoing resolutions to the Senate, 
 and that as a further mark of respect to the memory of the deceased the House 
 do now adjourn. 
 
 The resolutions were agreed to; and the Speaker named 
 the following as the committee: 
 
 Mr. Hare, Mr. Springer, Mr. McKaig, Mr. Hulick, Mr. 
 
 Bryan, Mr. Ritchie, and Mr. Ellis of Oregon. 
 
 5 
 
6 Proceedings in the House. 
 
 And then, in accordance with the terms of the resolution, 
 the House adjourned until Monday, February 12, 1894, at 12 
 o clock noon. 
 
 MAY 24, 1894. 
 
 Mr. OUTHWAITE, by unanimous consent, submitted the 
 following- resolution; which was read, considered, and 
 adopted : 
 
 Resolred, That Saturday, the 2y\ of June, next, beginning at 2 o clock p. m., 
 be set apart for eulogies on the late GEORCE W. HOUR. 
 
 JUNE 23, 1894. 
 
 Mr. OUTHWAITE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent 
 that the order heretofore made, setting apart this day, from 
 the hour of 2 o clock, for eulogies on the late Hon. GEORGE 
 W. HOUK be changed, so that Saturday, the yth day of July, 
 at the same hour, shall be set apart for the same purpose. 
 
 The SPEAKER. The gentleman from Ohio asks unani 
 mous consent that the special order setting apart this day, 
 from 2 o clock, for eulogies on the late Representative 
 HOUK be vacated, and that Saturday, the yth day of July, 
 beginning at 2 o clock, shall be set apart for the same pur 
 pose. Is there objection? [After a pause.] The Chair 
 hears none. 
 
 JULY 6, 1894. 
 
 Mr. OUTHWAITE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent 
 that the order setting apart to-morrow for eulogies on the 
 late GEORGE W. HOUK be postponed for one week. 
 
 There was no objection. 
 
MEMORIAL ADDRESSES. 
 
 JULY 14, 1894. 
 
 Mr. OUTHWAITE (at i o clock and 35 minutes p. m.). Mr. 
 Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the special order 
 fixed for to-day at 2 o clock begin now. 
 
 The SPEAKER pro teinpore. In the absence of objection 
 that order will be made. 
 
 There was no objection. 
 
 The SPEAKER pro teinpore. The Clerk will report the 
 special order. 
 
 The Clerk read as follows: 
 
 Resolved, That Saturday, the I4th clay of July next, beginning at 2 o clock p. m., 
 be set apart for eulogies on the late GKORGK W. HOUK. 
 
 Mr. OUTHWAITE. I offer the resolutions which I send to 
 the desk. 
 
 The Clerk read as follows: 
 
 Resolved, That the business of the House be now suspended, that opportunity 
 maybe given for tributes to the memory of the Hon. GKORGE W. HOUK, late a 
 Representative from the State of Ohio. 
 
 Resolved, That as a particular mark of respect to the memory of the deceased, 
 and in recognition of his eminent abilities as a distinguished public servant, the 
 House, at the conclusion of these memorial proceedings, shall stand adjourned. 
 
 Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these proceedings to the Senate. 
 
 Resolved, That the Clerk be instructed to send a copy of these resolutions to 
 the family of the deceased. 
 
 The SPEAKER pro teinpore. The question is on the adop 
 tion of the resolutions. 
 
 The resolutions were unanimously agreed to. 
 
 Mr. OUTHWAITE. I now yield to my colleague, Mr. Sorg. 
 
 7 
 
Address of Mr. Sorg of Ohio. 
 
 ADDRESS OF MR, SORG. 
 
 Mr. SPEAKER: As I rise to make a tribute of respect to 
 the memory of the late GEORGE W. HOUK my mind reverts 
 to the evening when the people whose Representative he 
 was, and who loved him for his personal worth, received 
 the sad intelligence that he had passed into the shadows. 
 
 Could I now give utterance to the expressions of sympa 
 thy that welled up from the hearts of the people that night, 
 the memory of the deceased would be embalmed in the 
 rarest garlands. The tenderest sentiments expressed now 
 in the choicest of rhetorical gems are inadequate to con 
 vey the sorrow felt at that moment, when the very mantle 
 of death hung darkly over us. In the anguish of sincere 
 grief those who had felt the influence of his friendship sent 
 up a prayer for the soul of the dead and the comfort of his 
 loved ones. 
 
 GEORGE W. HOUR was born in the mountains of Cum 
 berland County, Pa., September 25, 1825. His mother was 
 a lady of intellectual rather than romantic inclinations, and 
 was ambitious for a more inspiring location in which to rear 
 her children. When the youngest child, GEORGE, was but 
 two years old the family crossed the mountains and came 
 to Ohio, locating at Dayton, where Mr. HOUK always lived. 
 His alertness of intellect gave him preeminence in school 
 life. An academic training and the study of law enabled 
 him to equip himself with such a fund of legal knowledge 
 that he was admitted to the bar of his county when he was 
 but twenty-one years old. 
 
Life and Character of George W. Houk. 9 
 
 Early in life he was elected a member of the Ohio legis 
 lature, and though associated with many leading political 
 figures, his intellect shone with an effulgence that was not 
 dimmed by his surroundings. Despite his youth he was 
 made chairman of the judiciary committee, which position 
 he filled with honor to himself and credit to his county. 
 
 With the expiration of his legislative term he retired from 
 public life and its attendant cares. 
 
 In 1856 he married happily, his wife being Miss Eliza 
 Thurston, and in the congenial duties of his chosen pro 
 fession and the quiet pleasures of a country home he looked 
 back to his public life with no thought of regret that he 
 had severed from it. 
 
 In 1860 Mr. HOUK was sent as a delegate to the Charleston- 
 Baltimore convention, remaining throughout its delibera 
 tions a strong adherent of Stephen A. Douglas. In 1876 
 he was a delegate to the national Democratic convention 
 held at St. Louis. In 1884 he was chosen a district elector. 
 In 1890 he again entered public life by his election to Con 
 gress, and in 1892 he was returned by an abnormal majority. 
 
 Prior to his Congressional life he ranked as one of the 
 leading practitioners of his State in his profession. For 
 nineteen years he was associated with John A. McMahon, 
 that gifted orator of the Miami. His life in Congress, 
 though brief, as compared to the extended services of some 
 of my distinguished colleagues, was not without feature. 
 The bold, incisive fight made by him for the soldiers during 
 the life of the Fifty-second Congress has endeared him to 
 their hearts forever. The attempt to have the pension of 
 every inmate of a soldiers home reduced to $5 a month 
 will be easily recalled by those familiar with Congressional 
 matters. 
 
io Address of Mr. Sorg of Ohio. 
 
 Soon after the measure was reported to the House Mr. 
 HOUK secured a record of the disabilities of the veterans 
 at the Home near Dayton, Ohio, and so vigorously did he 
 combat the bill that it was defeated. For years the Gov 
 ernment had shown grateful appreciation, and it would 
 have been cruel and unjust in the very evening of life to 
 cloud their last days with such evidences of ingratitude. 
 Grateful wives and children of helpless soldiers looked 
 upon him as their protector, and thanked Heaven for a 
 life such as his. With the soldiers of Ohio to-day the mem 
 ory of GEORGE W. HOUK stands as a monument erected by 
 his grateful beneficiaries. 
 
 It was my pleasure to form the acquaintance of Mr. 
 HOUK during the fall of 1890, and though the affiliation 
 grew out of political contact, the character of the man 
 commanded my profound admiration at once. Always 
 manly, with a pronounced contempt for chicanery and 
 sinister methods, he won the esteem of even those whom 
 he opposed in political warfare. During all of his public 
 career, in the heat of contests when the character of man 
 is often seared before the fires of partisan animosity, there 
 was never a chapter of his life unfolded which drew out a 
 blush from the man who had molded it. 
 
 In personal appearance Mr. HOUK was commanding and 
 distinguished, he having been blessed with a tall, massive 
 form, within which were those characteristics which dis 
 played a nature as warm as heaven s own sun rays. His 
 cordiality of address, his warm greeting, his sympathetic 
 and cheerful companionship made him a favorite with all. 
 He loved his friends, and none was fonder of his home and 
 its social environments than he was. His hospitable hearth 
 
I jfe and Character of George W. Hoi(k. ir 
 
 was a favorite rendezvous for those he loved. With an in 
 exhaustible fund of anecdote and illustration and the grace 
 and suavity of a polished gentleman, he entertained on 
 these occasions as few could. Underlying every thought 
 and expression was a vein of humor, and without him 
 social gatherings at his home city were lacking in one of 
 their most pleasant features. He was a vital adjunct to the 
 very life of his native place; the bar regarded him as one 
 of its patriarchs and pillars; his party looked to him as 
 the nucleus of their organization, and the city honored him 
 for his worth and integrity as a citizen. 
 
 As a scholar Mr. HOUK took rank with the foremost, and 
 would have attained greater preeminence had his love for 
 books been less. In later years, when the fires of youth 
 ful ambition had grown low, he buried himself in his library, 
 and with his books he wandered back through blissful chan 
 nels with his seeming friends the authors and historians of 
 other days. There in his home, which towered sublimely 
 above the busy city, he feasted on the beauties of nature 
 as presented by the panoramic scenes of the famous Miami 
 Valley and enjoyed the fond companionship of his books. 
 
 Indeed, it has often been said that he sat in his library as 
 contented as a civic or military hero, and viewed the selfish, 
 remorseless struggles of mankind with the contemptuous- 
 ness of a philosopher. He had a passionate fondness for 
 poetry, philosophy, and history, and the heroic figures asso 
 ciated with the life of the world found him almost their wor 
 shiper. The memory of Lincoln he regarded as one of the 
 tenderest of America s treasures, and his lecture on the life 
 of the first martyred President was a forceful effort. As a 
 speaker he was commanding, but his genius shone greater 
 
12 Address of Mr. Sorg of Ohio. 
 
 as a writer. With a capacious mind replete with beautiful 
 thoughts, and with a skillful command of language, he 
 rounded up his sentences with fascinating beauty and 
 euphony. 
 
 When but a mere boy he attacked the leading actors of 
 political life, not with the diffidence of an untrained oppo 
 nent, but with the skill of a veteran premier; not with the 
 trepidation of a boy, but with the incisiveness of a finished 
 statesman. He diagnosed the questions a few years prior 
 and subsequent to the Mexican war, and criticised some of 
 the Whig leaders with such effect that old Governor Ander 
 son, of Ohio, said: 
 
 To think of a boy just out of his teens detecting the animus of that contro 
 versy and seeing the points upon which Bob Schenck and I split. 
 
 Mr. HOUR S state papers are held as the efforts of one 
 familiar with every epoch of American history. All con 
 temporaneous questions elicited from him opinions and 
 criticisms which tended to mold public sentiment in his 
 district and in other parts of the country. As a private 
 citizen he did much for the promotion and advancement 
 of his State. He was a member of the convention to 
 frame for it a new constitution, and was one of the incor- 
 porators of the public library at Dayton. 
 
 When at last his political party was brought from a 
 helpless minority in his district and he was sent to this 
 body, he came with mature thought and experience; and 
 conservatism rather than ostentation attended his career 
 in Congress. His high character as a man you all know, 
 and his integrity of purpose is seen from his attitudes on 
 absorbing questions. 
 
 Mr. HOUK had no premonition of death. 
 
Life and Character of George IV. Houk. 1 3 
 
 During the morning of his last dav on earth he sent to 
 
 o o ^ 
 
 Western friends messages of that felicitation ever charac 
 teristic of him. The last week, when he was treading in 
 the very shadows of another world, he was laboring with 
 a tariff speech which had been well-nigh completed. On 
 the afternoon of February 9, 1894, he left his .desk with the 
 remark that excessive labor was telling on his vitality and 
 that he would grant himself a respite. A half hour later 
 and the death angel had brought that decree from Heaven, 
 and he had passed the breakers of another shore. 
 
 He died in the service of his country, rich in triumphs 
 and good deeds, beloved by his friends and admired by his 
 enemies; and though dead, his memory will remain as a 
 strong, sweet perfume, forever to be cherished by those to 
 whom he was endeared. 
 
14 Address of Mr. Curtis of New York. 
 
 ADDRESS OF MR. CURTIS OF NEW YORK. 
 
 Mr. SPEAKER: I rise to support the resolutions of un 
 friend from Ohio, and to pay tribute to the memory of 
 Judge GEORGE W. HOUK, whose acquaintance I made in 
 the early days of the Fifty-second Congress. 
 
 In the progress of legislation I had frequent occasion to 
 appear before the Committee on Interstate and Foreign 
 Commerce, of which Judge HOUK was a member in the 
 Fifty-second Congress, and in presenting arguments for and 
 against bills considered by that committee I soon learned 
 to regard him as one whose opinions carried great weight. 
 He gave to the members appearing before the committee 
 patient attention, and by intelligent inquiry he sought to 
 bring out important facts, thereby assuring them that the 
 merits of their bills would be fully considered. 
 
 In his appearance before committees on which I served 
 his clear and concise statement of the bills he came to 
 advocate won the respectful consideration as well as the 
 entire approval of their members. I found him an indus 
 trious and painstaking member in performing the work of 
 the committee on which we both served. It was, how 
 ever, in the House, in the Committee of the Whole, that 
 he appeared best. 
 
 In running debate, or in the set speech, he disclosed a 
 strong understanding, comprehensive knowledge, and care 
 ful research, so that he enlightened the House by his argu 
 ments, which were always clothed in words expressive, 
 clear, and strong. He interested the House by his rich 
 
Life and Character of George II 7 . Honk. 15 
 
 store of information, and won its attention by his easy and 
 graceful style, unaffected by studied ornaments of oratorical 
 art, and was never wanting in that unfailing courtesy which 
 characterized his intercourse with others. He was a mas 
 ter of correct, concise expression. His sentences were 
 clear, his arguments direct, and all his speeches furnished 
 convincing proof of his great learning, as shown in his 
 remarks on all important measures before the House. 
 
 There was no member in his first term who spoke on 
 more of the leading measures before the House or discussed 
 them with greater vigor and intelligence than did Judge 
 HOUK, whether it was the adoption of the rules, the silver 
 question, the Navy, Army, Post-Office, or sundry civil ap 
 propriation bills; the rivers and harbors; the Soldiers 
 Home; the Columbian Exhibition; public printing; street 
 railroads in the District; the regulation of the sale of 
 tobacco by the producers; the statistics of the colored race 
 and its upward progress in acquiring cultivation and wealth, 
 or the tariff. In all his efforts he illustrated the advantages 
 of a thorough knowledge of law. In every public effort he 
 gave convincing proof of his intimate acquaintance with 
 that science which, it has been said, does more to 
 quicken and invigorate the understanding than all the 
 other kinds of learning put together. 1 He practiced law 
 at the bar of his own State for nearly fifty years, rising to 
 the front rank. Here he quickly came to be recognized as 
 one of the ablest lawyers of the House. 
 
 It was not my good fortune to have known Judge HOT T K 
 in other relations than those pertaining to membership in 
 this body, and I knew him only as I met him in committees 
 and on the floor. Upon all the great political questions we 
 
16 Address of Mr. Curtis of New York. 
 
 differed, but outside of those questions upon which parties 
 divide I counted myself fortunate in agreeing with him, for 
 I knew he had brought to their consideration large experi 
 ence, sound judgment, and great legal acumen. He had a 
 marked and interesting personality, a thorough acquaint 
 ance with public affairs, and a happy combination of those 
 qualities of head and heart which made him a safe adviser, 
 an agreeable companion, and a valued friend. 
 
Lije and Character of George W. Honk. 17 
 
 ADDRESS OF MR. BLACK OF ILLINOIS, 
 
 Mr. SPEAKER: Thousands of years ago the man of Uz 
 said, "I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall 
 stand at the latter day upon the earth; and though after 
 my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I 
 see God." 
 
 It was the declaration of humanity s longing for immor 
 tality. And the wisest and best of the race have never 
 departed from the belief that this was a probationary state, 
 and that immortality awaited those whose career here was 
 well run. 
 
 If any other view obtained; if there was conviction that 
 with the end of what we call life would come absolute ces 
 sation of all intellectuality and of spiritual existence; if we 
 believed that all there was of Caesar was in the ashes shut 
 up in his urn; that all there was of Bonaparte was under 
 the dome of the Invalides in Paris; if all there was of the 
 Man of Sorrows was that which had been laid away in the 
 sepulcher; if all that is of those we have known and loved 
 is a clod in the valley, a handful of unrecognizable dust 
 such ceremonies as these we are now indulging in would be 
 the idlest and most mocking of performances. 
 
 But as certainly as the influences of men go abroad and 
 dwell after them, so surely it seems to me that we who are 
 indulging in these mournful rites do so in the presence of 
 an assemblage which has marched over the stage of human 
 action, and which from its proper abode is observing that 
 which we say and do here; and with that belief, what we 
 say here of our departed companion and friend should be 
 H MIS 82 2 
 
i8 Address of Mr. Black of Illinois. 
 
 truthful and wise and kind. I hardly know why I should 
 have been designated to speak of him from among the 
 many who have served with him longer than I have, unless 
 it is because of the fact that our lives have been together 
 outside of this Hall to a certain extent, and that I am able 
 to bear some testimony of the quieter life of the man. 
 
 I met him in the busy scenes of his own city, and after 
 that in the lovely home which has been adverted to by 
 the gentleman who succeeded him. Occupying as it did a 
 commanding place upon the bluffs of the Miami, from its 
 windows and doors the city of Dayton stretches beneath, 
 with its hundreds of industries and its teeming thousands of 
 population, with its smoke and its roar and its ceaseless activ 
 ities; and yet, although a great figure in that community, 
 within the doors of his home it appeared as if everything 
 was shut out except the life of the family and the man. 
 
 It seemed as though one had stepped into the sylvan 
 abodes of the past, and that there was no envy, no conten 
 tion, and no bitterness possible where he sought his retreat. 
 A wife who loved and adored him, and children who fol 
 lowed him into his quiet, were there, perpetually making 
 the music and the sunshine of happy life within his abode. 
 And through and over it all, in its shadows and its sun 
 shine, there was the undoubted evidence that the spirit of 
 amity, of affection, and of mutual regard inspired the domes 
 tic life. There could be no more beautiful scene than that 
 exhibited in the abode of the deceased. 
 
 Following him to Washington, his wife and they wert 
 both stricken in years dwelt with him in all of the trials 
 and labors and triumphs of his honored service in his Con 
 gressional career. I was walking through Judiciary Square 
 one day, and, turning one of the bends, caught sight of the 
 
Life and Character of George IV. Honk. 19 
 
 lengthening vista of a path just being shadowed from the 
 sun by the budding foliage. At a distance that did not en 
 able me to recognize the figures I saw a man and a woman, 
 in lover fashion, sitting on one of the benches, too much 
 engaged with each other to notice my approach. 
 
 As I came nearer I recognized Judge HOUK and his wife, 
 and, jesting with them about their engagement, they told 
 me that they had been reviving the associations, the mem 
 ories, and the happiness of their youth, and were courting 
 again as they had done before cares came and the triumphs 
 of a public career had intervened. I went away from that 
 place feeling that I had seen a good man and a good woman 
 and the heads of a happy household. 
 
 Almost the last time that he spoke to me in this House 
 was when we were discussing something of a public nature 
 which had occurred, where the service of the Episcopal 
 Church had been recited in part, and he said to me and 
 afterwards it seemed like a prophecy ; we do not know why 
 these things come into the minds of men he said to me : 
 "I have for twenty years omitted from my prayers that 
 part which says, Deliver us from sudden death. When 
 my Master wants me I hope He will take me quickly." 
 I had a little talk with him as to why. He told me he 
 thought that it was well, when a man s work was done, 
 that he should be called without the intervening troubles 
 which hang about the sick bed. And yet the incident had 
 scarcely passed from my mind when we received the sud 
 den and shocking intelligence of the fact that in the pres 
 ence of the friends of his wife and himself he had instantly 
 fallen to rest. 
 
 What he has clone, Mr. Speaker, belongs to the world. 
 I have seen a star shoot from the firmament, "pass away to 
 
2O Address of Mr. Black of Illinois. 
 
 darkle in the trackless void," and yet philosophy teaches, 
 and it is true, that the radiance enkindled by that meteor is 
 added to the stores of beauty and luminousness of the world, 
 and never will pass away. The influence of a life that is 
 spent in <"he service of the country, in the cause of good 
 politics, or in the practice of true law can no more die out 
 of existence than the enkindled radiance can pass the con 
 fines of the universe. 
 
 Some one sent me the other day a little bit of poetry, one 
 of those gems called u Pearls of the Faith," which Edwin 
 Arnold, in studying the literature of the oriental nations, 
 has written into the enduring form of our poetry and given 
 to the world. It has the formulation of some of the best 
 thoughts of that great and dusky race whose myriad mil 
 lions pass as grains of sand with scarce -a permanent figure 
 in all the years, and yet which grains of sand are making 
 up the continents of humanity upon which beat the long, 
 rolling, ceaseless waves of time; and it seems to me in the 
 study of the quiet, loving life of GEORGE W. HOUK, and 
 in his quick departure to other spheres, you find this con 
 solation, the consolation of the far-away seer and of all 
 the loving and hoping world: 
 
 One.morning in Medinah walked our Lord 
 Among the tombs : glad was the dawn, and broad 
 On headstones and on footstones sunshine lay ; 
 Earth seemed so fair t was hard to be away. 
 " O people of the grave ! " Mohammed said, 
 " Peace be with you ! Your caravan of dead 
 Hath passed the defile, and we living ones 
 Forget what men ye were, of whom the sons, 
 And what your merchandise and where ye went; 
 But Allah knows these things! Be ye content 
 Since Allah is aware. Ah ! God forgive 
 Those that are dead and us who briefly live." 
 
Life and Character of George U\ Honk. 21 
 
 ADDRESS OF MR. MCKAIG. 
 
 Mr. SPEAKER: To the members of the House the intel 
 ligence of the death of the late distinguished gentleman 
 from Ohio came like a flash of lightning out of a clear sky, 
 as it occurred but a few hours after he left his seat appar 
 ently in good health and spirits. I met him at the east 
 door as he was leaving the House, and received a kindly 
 nod and a pleasant smile in response to my salutation, and in 
 an exceedingly brief period of time the news of his sudden 
 demise came as a striking commentary upon the unstable- 
 ness of human life. 
 
 An eloquent Senator, who died with equal suddenness, 
 in a memorial address upon a deceased colleague, said: 
 
 When those of us who have been here for a series of years bring to our minds 
 the many occasions when we have been called upon to pay the last tribute of 
 esteem and affection to brethren who have fallen by the wayside, we may well 
 pause and consider whether the ends which we pursue here or in other fields of 
 activity are worth the toil, energy, and anxiety which we contribute to them, es 
 pecially when even the largest successes bring transient satisfaction, and the joy 
 of triumph and eagerness of struggling controversy are alike ended with sudden 
 extinguishment. 
 
 Although I feel that I can add nothing to the wealth 
 of eulogy paid to our deceased associate, my long acquaint 
 ance with and warm friendship for him urge me to pay a 
 brief tribute to his memory. 
 
 I first met him during the winter of 1865, when visiting 
 my relations in Dayton, Ohio, \vhere he was a member of 
 the law firm of Houk & McMahon, and even then a prom 
 inent figure in the legal and political circles of the county 
 and State. Mv association with him at that time enabled 
 
22 Address of Mr. McKaig of Maryland. 
 
 me to discern and appreciate not only his genial social 
 qualities and generous, affectionate nature, but also the 
 strong mental powers that enabled him to occupy a com 
 manding position in his Congressional district, which could 
 boast of such men as Vallandigham, Gunckel, Schenck, 
 McMahon, and Campbell. 
 
 The salient features of his personality were his clear 
 sense of right, his hatred of all shams, his simplicity and 
 candor, fidelity to every obligation, and his strong common 
 sense. A marked characteristic was his kind though^ful- 
 ness to the younger men of the legal profession and a ready 
 appreciation of the many difficulties they had to overcome 
 in struggling up the ladder of life, and they could always 
 rely upon his ready and efficient aid when difficulty over 
 took them. 
 
 Combined with marked legal ability were scholarly attain 
 ments and interests that led him to indulge as a pastime in 
 the broad fields of literature and journalism. 
 
 Mr. HOUR was born in Cumberland County, Pa., Sep 
 tember 25, 1825, but his father moved to Dayton, Ohio, 
 in 1827; so hi s ^fe fr m early youth was closely iden 
 tified with the social, commercial, and political interests 
 of his adopted city and State. From the time he taught 
 school, studied law, and formed a partnership with his pre 
 ceptor, Peter P. Lowe, in 1846, until he entered the Fifty- 
 second Congress, his life was full of activity. In 1852-53 
 he was elected to the State legislature from Montgomery 
 County, and as a testimonial to his legal ability he was 
 selected as chairman of the judiciary committee, although 
 a young member serving his first term. 
 
 His party, recognizing his unswerving Democracy, sent 
 him as a delegate to the celebrated Charleston-Baltimore 
 
Life and Character of George IV. Honk. 23 
 
 Democratic national convention, where he was an ardent 
 supporter of Mr. Douglas for the Presidency. He was 
 unanimously nominated for the circuit judgeship for the 
 second district, but was defeated. His love for the beau 
 tiful city in which he spent his life and won legal and 
 political honors was strong and abiding, and he always 
 had its welfare at heart. Prominent in the councils of his 
 party, he never neglected an opportunity to advance the 
 material interests of his State and county through legis 
 lative avenues, and was never such a partisan that he was 
 willing to aid or abet political action that might result in 
 party advantage and yet work a detriment to the State. 
 
 Mr. Speaker, I feel that I could not better discharge my 
 duty to our dead colleague in this behalf than to incorpo 
 rate in my remarks the eloquent and beautiful memorial 
 address of the members of the bar of Montgomery County, 
 of which he was an honored member: 
 
 The members of the bar of Montgomery County, assembled to do honor to the 
 memory of their deceased brother, Hon. GEORGE W MOUK, with melancholy 
 pleasure place upon record this brief summary of his life, with their sincere testi 
 mony to his talents as a lawyer, his integrity in public life, his exalted character 
 as a citizen, and his genial qualities as a man and companion. 
 
 It is unfortunate that on this occasion we shall sadly miss the ready and glow 
 ing pen that has recorded, on so many similar occasions, for so many others the 
 story of their lives and the sympathy of their fellow-members of the bar. But 
 our accomplished friend is dead, and to inferior hands the sad but pleasing task 
 must be committed. 
 
 It is pleasant to he able to say with truth that from his early youth to his latest 
 manhood Mr. rloUK was in every way a model for young men. He was always 
 moral, upright, temperate, and honorable in his conduct ; so much so that in a long 
 and active life slander nver temporarily perched upon his nams, nor did partisan 
 rancor ever breathe a suspicion upon his honesty or his motives or the purity of 
 his life. 
 
 lilessed by nature with a commanding form and a most striking presence, he 
 looked, as he was in fact, one of nature s noblemen. In this outward garb of manly 
 beauty there was inclosed a strong intellect, a genial heart, and an unbounded love 
 of beauty, culture, and knowledge that would have made him one of the foremost 
 
24 Address of Mr. McKaig of Maryland. 
 
 men of our country had his ambition been as restless and as eager as his capacity 
 was great. But ambition seemed to have few charms. He loved above all other 
 things his lovely and hospitable home upon the hilltop, and the wife and children 
 and grandchildren by whom he was there surrounded, and to whom he was a most 
 devoted, indulgent, and affectionate husband and father, and the numerous friends 
 in whose society he always delighted ; and his rugged physical and intellectual 
 vigor never sought that field for display in his earlier days that would have given 
 him his proper stand among his fellow-men. 
 
 Xo doubt his life was happier. But much may have been lost to his country. 
 There were few men better read in the history of the world, better versed in the 
 Constitution of our nation, or fuller of the knowledge of its political events, or 
 more studious of their philosophical bearing. And still fewer men possessed the 
 rare gift of expression upon paper that would have advanced him at once to the 
 front rank of literary eminence had he chosen that field. He did not love his pro 
 fession as some men do, although for many years he was a steady worker in it, and 
 he had a wide, varied, successful, and honorable practice. He was not fond of 
 the narrow rules and apparent technicalities of a jurisprudence largely built upon 
 established and sometimes contradictory precedents and sometimes at variance 
 with our instincts of natural justice. He often felt fettered in his search for what 
 was right and just by the arbitrary decision of a system instead of the resolution 
 of what was just in the case before him. And the most loyal among us can not 
 but admit that we sometimes share in his feeling. 
 
 The law was only a secondary mistress with our friend. It is true she kept his 
 house. But literature adorned, embellished, and inhabited it as his prime favor 
 ite. He loved philosophy, history, literature, and poetry with a fervent love, as 
 his well-selected and well-thumbed library plainly shows, and his wonderful talent 
 and passion for developing his own ideas with a pen that was remarkable for its 
 attractive and gorgeous style found but little vent in the preparation of petitions, 
 answers, or stately and formal briefs. Vet he possessed the qualities that would 
 have made him a great lawyer, if that had been the inclination of his mind. He 
 was logical, he was just, and he was of even temperament and possessed of a 
 well-balanced mind. His judgment was always good. He knew by intuition 
 what was right. But with all these qualifications, we all know that if the pursuit 
 of the law is only a duty and nut a pleasure the brightest intellect will fail to 
 reach the highest culture. 
 
 Mr. HOUK S great delight was in his home. Few men in active life have spent 
 so many years in the bosom of their family. He loved to spend his hours in his 
 library, surrounded by his loving and gifted wife and children; and in the midst oi 
 those dumb yet speaking companions of all ages and nations who rested upon the 
 shelves of his bookcase, inviting him to constant communion with their lofty souls, 
 and never tiring of his congenial society, he would look down upon our smoky and 
 restless city, and its tireless schemes of vanity and ambition, with the dignity and 
 almost the contempt of a philosopher. 
 
 Such a life, with such surroundings, could not but leave a stamp upon his 
 character. It emphasized the qualities that he already possessed. It made him 
 
Life and Character of George IV. Houk. 25 
 
 contemplative and strengthened the balance of his mind. It gave him time for 
 self-inspection and room for thought before action. In his partial retirement he 
 cultivated all the good qualities with which he entered upon life. He was inca 
 pable of a mean, dishonest, or doubtful action, and he especially despised such con 
 duct in all others. He became independent in thought and action; so much so as 
 to dissent, in a marked manner, upon several notable occasions from the majority 
 of his political friends. He was always outspoken, and when meanness or trickery 
 or dishonesty crossed his path, whether at the bar or in politics or in private life, 
 his tongue was ready to expose or denounce it. 
 
 But it is as a brother at the bar and a daily companion and friend that we who 
 knew him the best love most to remember him. He did not seek popularity with 
 the methods of the handshaker, or "mixer," as he is styled by his admirers; and 
 to those who think this insincere outgrowth of modern politics the ideal of a warm 
 hearted man, he might seem cold or haughty. But with those who were congenial, 
 or with whom he was thrown by business or pleasure, he was a most genial and 
 entertaining companion. His fund of anecdote, whether of the higher character 
 of biography or the ordinary, now so popular, was unlimited and ever ready, and 
 he was scarcely equaled in the narration of what was witty and humorous. His 
 own pleasure was as great as that of the listener; and w hile many of us may best 
 recall him in the different scenes of life, all of us can see him now with his hale, 
 hearty manner, and his joyous laugh, full of life and life s enjoyment, as if care 
 had never laid her heavy hand upon his head, and existence was in itself the sum of 
 happiness. 
 
 When the time and opportunity came for him to be promoted to the halls of the 
 National Council too tardily, it is true it is no wonder that his friends, without 
 regard to politics, rejoiced that in his declining years he should be honored in a 
 manner so pleasing to himself and so satisfactory to his friends and constituents. 
 He appreciated and enjoyed the honor most heartily. 
 
 The most striking feature in his service in Washington was his devotion to the 
 interests of the pensioners at the Home at a time when his care for them could not 
 but be disinterested. There grew up among the inmates of that institution an affec 
 tion for him that was touching, and it is a lasting monument to perpetuate, as an 
 element of his character, that his sympathy was with the poor and the needy, or the 
 unfortunate, and that his regard for the brave defenders of the nation was not 
 actuated by interest, but by the goodness of his heart. 
 
 Mr. Speaker, the leisure hours of his life being devoted 
 to general study, his mind necessarily became broadened 
 and in touch with the great world that lies outside of the 
 limits of a professional life. This, together with travel, 
 fostered the social side of his nature. 
 
 He built a commodious residence on a splendid elevation 
 overlooking the beautiful city of Dayton and commanding 
 
26 Address of Mr. McKaig of Maryland. 
 
 a striking view of a part of the rich and famous Miami Val 
 ley, where, surrounded by his children and grandchildren, 
 he could cultivate his domestic and social tastes. Here 
 he delighted to retire and indulge in his favorite occupa 
 tion writing and studying ; however, never unmindful of 
 his hosts of friends, who always found the latchstring of 
 his door ready for their touch, and to whom he ever gave a 
 warm and appreciative welcome. 
 
 Although beyond the prime of life when he entered the 
 Fifty-second Congress, in December, 1891, he took up the 
 duties belonging to the high position and discharged them 
 with fidelity and efficiency. He was constant in his attend 
 ance upon the sessions of the House, and was uniformly 
 present at committee meetings, and never in any way per 
 mitted personal action to delay the public business. He 
 took an active part in the debates upon leading questions 
 before the House, and at all times seemed to feel a strong 
 interest in the routine business of the session when the 
 pending work frequently failed through lack of a quorum. 
 
 A grateful constituency, fully appreciating his diligent, 
 painstaking, and efficient work in the Fifty-second Congress, 
 gave substantial recognition of the same by reelecting him 
 to the Fifty-third Congress by a largely increased majority. 
 
 Stricken at his post of duty by an enemy which never 
 yet was conquered, our late associate surrendered in obedi 
 ence to the dictates of an inscrutable Providence, and his 
 spirit passed across the silent river. 
 
 Mr. Speaker, when his mortal remains were conveyed to 
 his native city for interment a great concourse of citizens 
 met the train at the station and accompanied the body to 
 the church, which was beautifully draped in mourning, and 
 
Life and Character of George W, Honk. 27 
 
 where the solemn services were witnessed by hundreds of 
 mourners. Great crowds of people thronged the streets as 
 the funeral cortege moved from the church to the ceme 
 tery, striving in every way to make known the high esteem 
 in which they held their late honored Representative. He 
 was buried at a point in the cemetery not far distant from 
 his beloved home and overlooking the city he loved so 
 much, and the last solemn burial rites were performed 
 amid thousands of sorrowing friends. 
 
 As an eminent Senator said of a deceased associate : 
 
 He has departed. His term has not expired, but his name has been stricken 
 from the rolls of the House; his credentials remain in its archives, but an hon 
 ored successor sits unchallenged in his place. He has no vote or voice, but the 
 consideration of great measures affecting the interests of every citizen of the 
 Republic is interrupted with the concurrence and approval of all, that the Repre 
 sentatives of forty-four Commonwealths may rehearse the virtues and commem 
 orate the career of an associate who is beyond the reach of praise or censure, in 
 the kingdom of the dead. 
 
 Can we not rest in the belief that after a life well spent, 
 with its duties faithfully performed, the soul of our deceased 
 associate has at last found eternal rest amid the scenes of 
 its creation, in the presence of its God, for hath He not 
 said, "He that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet 
 shall he live, and whosoever liveth and believeth in Me 
 shall never die." 
 
28 Address of Mr. Bryan of Nebraska. 
 
 ADDRESS OF MR. BRYAN. 
 
 Mr. SPEAKER: GEORGE W. HOUK was my friend, and 
 though no words of mine can add peace to his ashes or 
 sweetness to his sleep, I beg to place on record my tribute 
 of affection and esteem. He was one of the first members 
 of the Fifty-second Congress whom I met after my own 
 election, and the acquaintance which we formed while 
 crossing Lake Superior together in the summer of 1891 
 ripened into an attachment which I enjoyed during his 
 life and which I cherish in memory now. 
 
 He was a well-rounded man one of the most complete 
 men I ever knew. Some are specialists and excel in a par 
 ticular line of work, or become famous because of some fac 
 ulty abnormally developed. Not so with Mr. HOUK. He 
 was not a one-sided man, nor a man with but one idea or 
 one virtue. He so blended graces and good qualities, so 
 combined the traits and characteristics which distinguish 
 men as to be worthy of Antony s compliment to Brutus: 
 
 His life was gentle, ancl the elements 
 
 So mixed in him, that Nature might stand up 
 
 And say to all the world, " This was a man ! " 
 
 He found his inspiration at his fireside, and approached 
 the ideal in his domestic life. He and his faithful wife, 
 who was both his helpmeet and companion, inhabited as 
 tenants in common that sacred spot called home, and needed 
 no court to define their relative rights and duties. The 
 invisible walls which shut in that home and shut out all 
 else had their foundations upon the earth and their battle 
 ments in the skies. No force could break them down, 
 
Life and Character of George }V, Honk. 29 
 
 no poisoned arrows could cross their top, and at the gates 
 thereof love and confidence stood ever upon guard. 
 
 In such a home the devoted parents reared a loving and 
 dutiful family, and lived to see each son and daughter set 
 tled in life; and fortune had so smiled upon the children that 
 the father was as far removed from anxious care concern 
 ing them as his beautiful estate, Runnymede, overlooking 
 the Miami Valley, was removed from the noise and turmoil 
 of the busy city with whose history his achievements were 
 entwined. He did not leave to his children that doubtful 
 blessing, a large fortune, but he left that priceless heritage 
 which money can not buy a name without a stain, a repu 
 tation without a blemish. 
 
 He was a man of surpassing geniality, and his cheerful 
 face shed its radiance on all around him. It was my good 
 fortune to sit by him during both terms of Congress, and 
 I learned to look for the friendly salutation with which 
 he greeted me every morning. He was a boon companion, 
 and allowed no humor to escape him. He abounded in wise 
 proverbs, in stories and in fables, and in all the affairs of 
 life mingled with an artist s skill the lively colors with the 
 grave. 
 
 He was, perhaps, not a great lawyer, in the sense of win 
 ning national reputation at the bar, and yet he had a legal 
 mind and the habits of a practitioner. He clearly compre 
 hended the principles involved in a case, weighed evidence, 
 and balanced with more than ordinary skill the arguments 
 on either side. He knew not only the law, but the reason 
 thereof; and if he did not outstrip his competitors in foren 
 sic contests, he possessed the sturdy virtues which won and 
 retained the confidence of the community and a prominent 
 place at the bar. 
 
30 Address of Mr. Bryan of Nebraska. 
 
 He was a scholar, and a writer of rare ability; in fact 
 many, charmed with his graceful sentences and ornate 
 style, have believed that this was his special gift. He was 
 an omnivorous reader, and possessed the bee s instinct of 
 finding the honey in the flower. One is amazed at the 
 amount of writing and public speaking which he did, and 
 at the facility w r ith which he grasped every subject and 
 analyzed every question. His mind, like the refiner s fire, 
 separated the pure metal from the dross. It is not strange 
 that such a man should be in frequent demand, for his 
 active interest in all public questions, the high esteem in 
 which he was held, his methods of thought and felicity of 
 expression, all combined to fit him for a prominent place 
 in his community. 
 
 With him citizenship was a sacred trust as well as a 
 privilege, and in the discharge of its responsibilities he 
 exercised the most conscientious care. He was a politician 
 in the sense that he was a student of the science of govern 
 ment, and a successful legislator in that he wrought into 
 effective law the principles in which he believed. He 
 possessed all the characteristics of the statesman. He rea 
 soned out each proposition that came before him with a 
 singleness of purpose and a desire to know the right. 
 
 He was industrious. Not only did he study all public 
 questions, but he responded to every call made by indi 
 vidual constituents, and did it gladly, for he was himself 
 one of the common people, and his sympathy went out to 
 all who were in need. Ever in his place, ever ready for 
 work, he gave to the public service the full measure of 
 his devotion. 
 
 He was honest, both with himself and with others. Not 
 only was he incorruptible so far as pecuniary influences go, 
 
Life and Character of George W. Houk. 31 
 
 but he was true to his own convictions. His fidelity to 
 others was insured by strict adherence to the injunction 
 
 To thine ownself be true; 
 And it must follow, as the night the day, 
 Thou canst not then be false to any man. 
 
 He was a brave man, and dared to follow his own judg 
 ment, even when it led him into disagreement with his 
 party associates. His moral courage was developed to a 
 high degree, and he was willing to assume responsibility 
 for his every act, conscious of the rectitude of his purpose. 
 His ability was recognized by his associates in Congress, 
 and his opinions, based upon extensive research and wide 
 experience, illuminated and ornamented by quotations from 
 history, fiction, and poetry, were sought after more and 
 more as men knew him better. 
 
 His life was one long journey upward, without a halt or 
 backward step. His success was not meteoric; he won his 
 way step by step, and pitched his tent on higher ground at 
 the end of each day s travel. For more than sixty-five years 
 his home was at Dayton, Ohio. There he attended school, 
 taught school, read law, and practiced at the bar. There 
 he spent the days of his boyhood and manhood, and there, 
 after he had almost completed his three-score years and ten, 
 he rests from his labors. The sorrowing multitudes who 
 attended his funeral testified as no language can to the 
 character of the man. Their expressions of tenderness and 
 affection and their gentle ministrations fitly crowned the 
 career which they had watched with pride and love. Truly, 
 "The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth 
 more and more unto the perfect day." 
 
 I will not believe that even now his light is extinguished. 
 If the Father deigns to touch with divine power the cold and 
 
32 Address of Mr. Bryan of Nebraska. 
 
 pulseless heart of the buried acoru, and make it to burst 
 forth from its prison walls, will He leave neglected in the 
 earth the soul of man, who was made in the image of his 
 Creator? If He stoops to give to the rosebush, whose with 
 ered blossoms float upon the breeze, the sweet assurance of 
 another springtime, will He withhold the words of hope 
 from the sons of men when the frosts of winter come? If 
 matter, mute and inanimate, though changed by the forces 
 of nature into a multitude of forms, can never die, will the 
 imperial spirit of man suffer annihilation after it has paid a 
 brief visit, like a royal guest, to this tenement of clay? 
 
 Rather let us believe that He who in His apparent prodi 
 gality wastes not the raindrop, the blade of grass, or the 
 evening s sighing zephyr, but makes them all to carry out 
 His eternal plans, has given immortality to the mortal, and 
 gathered to himself the generous spirit of our friend. 
 
 Instead of mourning, let us look up and address him in 
 the words of the poet: 
 
 Thy day has come, not gone ; 
 
 Thy sun has risen, not set; 
 
 Thy life is now beyond 
 
 The reach of death or change, 
 
 Not ended --but begun. 
 
 O noble soul! O gentle heart ! Hail, and farewell. 
 
Life and Character of George W. Honk. 33 
 
 ADDRESS OF MR. STORER. 
 
 Mr. SPEAKER : In the death of Mr. HOUK the State that 
 you and I honor and love so much has lost as its Repre 
 sentative here one of those men in whose hands its pros 
 perity was sure and its reputation always safe. It has lost 
 a good lawyer, a man who had a reputation equal to that 
 of the ablest on the bench ; it has lost a wise, conservative, 
 and courageous representative; and it has lost an honest, 
 Christian gentleman as its citizen. Judge- HOUK was one 
 of the few of my colleagues when I came here in the Fifty- 
 second Congress whom I had known before. 
 
 When I was but a boy at the bar in Hamilton County 
 he and his firm were towers, of strength in that part of the 
 State, which, without conceit, we consider to be the garden 
 spot, both for soil and in intellect and jurisprudence, of the 
 State of Ohio. The firm of Houk & McMahon, twice hon 
 ored by seats in this. House of Representatives, was the 
 leading practicing firm in the whole Miami Valley. It 
 was confined in its practice not to one county or to one 
 Congressional district. I have seen them both, even looked 
 at them with wonder and delight, practicing before my 
 own home courts; and I felt that I was at home in Con 
 gress and in the committee to which I was assigned when 
 I found Judge HOUK was there too. 
 
 I sat with him in committee, knowing him as fellow- 
 committeemen in Congress do know their associates; and I 
 say, in my judgment he was as wise, as judicious, as con 
 servative, as courteous, and as courageous a man as ever 
 
 H Mis 82 
 
34 Address of Mr. Storer of Ohio. 
 
 sat in that committee, whose history is second to none in 
 this House. The estimation in which he was held in that 
 committee I think everyone I see will unite in. I trust I 
 remember aright, in saying that he and I never differed on 
 any question of any moment that ever came up there, and 
 many times have we conferred, being both from the same 
 State, on matters outside of the committee room. The 
 estimation in which he is held by his comrades on that 
 committee may best be shown, Mr. Speaker, by the resolu 
 tions which were unanimously adopted by that committee, 
 copied upon its minutes, and which I am requested to offer 
 to this House- to have read at the desk, so that they may be 
 made a part of my remarks and become a part of the 
 permanent record, of this day s proceedings. 
 The Clerk read as follows: 
 
 Your committee appointed to prepare a suitable memorial in honor of the mem 
 ory of the late GEORGE W. HOUK, of Ohio, late a member of the Committee on 
 Interstate and Foreign Commerce, respectfully report the following : 
 
 We, the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce of the House of Rep 
 resentatives of the Fifty-third Congress, have heard with deep regret the announce 
 ment of the death of our associate, Hon. GEORGE W. HOUK, of Ohio. 
 
 Pursuant to action of this committee heretofore taken it is hereby 
 
 Resolved. That this memorial be entered on the minutes as a mark of enduring 
 respect to the memory of a courteous associate, whose character, abilities, and 
 devotion to his duties on the committee have earned for him the respect of his 
 associates, while his kindness of manner and of heart have inspired them with 
 personal regard and affection, and as a tribute to a distinguished and laborious 
 Representative, an upright and God-fearing gentleman whose death has been a 
 lasting loss to his fellow-members in this committee and the House, to his constit 
 uents whom he served justly and faithfully, and to his country. 
 
 And further resolved, That this memorial and resolutions be reported from this 
 committee by its chairman to the House on the day set apart by special order for 
 eulogies on Hon. GEORGE W. HOUK, in order that they may form a part of the 
 permanent record of the proceedings on that occasion. 
 
 Mr. STORER. Mr. Speaker, the career of Judge HOUK is 
 not one that has struck this House with its wonderful elo 
 quence and its control of the floor and with its command in 
 
Life and Character of George IV. Honk. 35 
 
 the business of the House. But none of us who remember 
 the few occasions upon which he addressed this House or the 
 Committee of the Whole I hope none of us, at least but 
 remember the dignity of his thought, the precision and ele 
 gance of his language, and the courage of his opinions. 
 We all know at times he differed from the majority of his 
 own party. I also know that no man believed more thor 
 oughly in the principles of his party or was more convinced 
 they were the ones which should control this Government 
 than he. 
 
 Though I have felt that I could not agree with him, feel, 
 ing that the principles of the party to which I belong are 
 those which should fitly govern this country, nevertheless 
 I can not let this occasion pass without bearing my testi 
 mony to the honesty and courage with which he always 
 supported the convictions of his heart, the principles of his 
 party, and the course of that party whenever he thought 
 it coincident with those principles. 
 
 His district lay close to mine. We were neighbors in the 
 real.sense of the term. That district, sir, as you know as 
 well as I, is one that has marked characteristics. It is one 
 of the individual districts of our State. It has been repre 
 sented here with almost unequaled strength during the last 
 twenty-five or thirty years. It has had as its Representative 
 General Schenck; it has had Judge HOUK S own law part 
 ner, the peer of any man at the Ohio bar, John McMahon; 
 it has had James E. Campbell; and it has had Judge HOUK. 
 And I say that in conservative thought, in integrity of pur 
 pose, in solidity of -character, in fidelity to convictions of 
 truth, that district has never been better or more strongly 
 represented on this floor than it was in the person of him 
 whose death we are now deploring. 
 
36 Address of Mr. Lay ton of Ohio. 
 
 ADDRESS OF MR. LAYTON. 
 
 Mr. SPEAKER: "In the midst of life we are in death." 
 
 Never was the reality of these solemn and oft-repeated 
 words more sorrowfully exemplified and impressed upon my 
 mind than when, on the morning of the gth of February 
 last, the startling information was communicated to me that 
 my beloved colleague and old friend, GEORGE W. HOUR, 
 late a member of this House from the Third Ohio Congres 
 sional district, had been suddenly stricken down by that 
 grim destroyer Death, from whose embrace there is no 
 escape; for it was but about three hours something less, 
 perhaps before this most sudden and unexpected blow 
 that took him from among us forever that I saw him pass 
 out of this Hall smiling and nodding pleasantly to me as 
 he passed by, as was his wont, whenever and wherever he 
 chanced to meet me. He appeared to be in his usual .good 
 health and spirits, and hence little did I dream that in less 
 than three short hours this world should know him no 
 more forever. 
 
 I had the pleasure of knowing Mr. HOUK, not intimately 
 but fairly well, for several years. He was indeed a man 
 among men, always dignified, yet always affable and pleas 
 ant. He was from principle a true and sincere Democrat 
 in politics. 
 
 But it was not so much my purpose to-day, Mr. Speaker, 
 to occupy the time of the House in endeavoring to pay 
 a feeble personal tribute to the memory of our departed 
 friend as it was to place upon record and call attention 
 
Life and Character of George W. Honk. 37 
 
 to just how he was regarded at home by those who had 
 known him long and well during his whole life as neigh 
 bor, lawyer, and statesman, knowing full well that their 
 opinions, spontaneously expressed, will much more fully 
 impress your minds than anything I could or might say. 
 
 And to this end I will first call your attention to an arti 
 cle published in one of the leading newspapers (of opposite 
 politics) of his beloved city of Dayton, under date of Feb 
 ruary 10 last, being the next morning after the news of his 
 untimely death had reached the city: 
 
 Last evening the citizens were startled and shocked at the report that the Hon. 
 GEORGE W. HOUK, representing the Third district in Congress, had died sud 
 denly in Washington while on his way from the Capitol to his home on Connecti 
 cut avenue. At first the news was received with doubt, but about half past 7 the 
 Journal confirmed the news by communicating with Washington. The rumor, 
 which sadly turned out to be too true, had spread through the city, and a number 
 of the deceased s friends congregated at the Journal office to have the report con 
 firmed and to learn the details of the sad death. 
 
 In the hotels and at the Dayton Club groups of gentlemen stood about discuss 
 ing the news and recalling the splendid qualities of the deceased Congressman. 
 
 The large family connection were informed later in the evening directly, the 
 wife telegraphing the sad news of her sudden bereavement. His loss will cast a 
 gloom over them that will not easily be dispelled. 
 
 The portly, erect figure, genial face, and graceful, gallant manner of Mr. HOUK 
 were familiar to every Daytonian, and there were none but who enjoyed his pres 
 ence and associations. At the time of his decease he was serving his second term 
 in Congress, sent from the Third district. He has lived in this city, or just with 
 out its limits, since 1827. 
 
 His delightful home, Runnymede, has long been the synonym for hospitality 
 and for all that is beautiful and delightful. 
 
 Here he used to hasten as soon as he could close his law office on Third street, 
 where he found the secluded, restful place where he spent the happiest hours of 
 his life, ret respecting, reading, and digesting the various thoughts that occupied his 
 mind continually. 
 
 His home commanded a most superb view of the city, and on an immense 
 veranda he was accustomed to sit, or lie in his hammock, watching the sun sink 
 down into the Miami in the western-distance, and the smoke of the busy furnaces 
 partially clouding the city give way to the gloaming. The lights begin te sparkle 
 and the stars to shine a restful, happy period in which any troubles of the day 
 which had annoyed him gave way to his innate love for mankind. In those hours 
 
38 Address of Mr. Lay ton of Ohio. 
 
 his mind carefully weighed both sides of all questions, and the next day he could 
 return to the busy scenes of city life with that genial urbanity and universal 
 courtesy which were so characteristic of him. 
 
 He loved to read, to study history, and follow pastoral pursuits. Nothing 
 delighted him so much as a tramp over the farm, watching the development of his 
 crops and the increasing of his herds. Amid such pleasant home scenes as these 
 he reared the splendid family which he now leaves to sorrow. 
 
 In politics the deceased was allied heart and soul with the principles of the 
 Democratic party, though he put aside his love of party if he saw his duty clear 
 to oppose its movements. This he demonstrated in a signal manner when he 
 repudiated the late Hon. Samuel J.Tilden. 
 
 The Hon. GEORGE W. HOUR was born in 1825, in Cumberland County, 1 a., 
 of which his father, Adam Houk, was a native, and his grandfather, Adam Houk,sr., 
 became a resident about the middle of the last century. 
 
 In 1827 Mr. Adam Houk moved to Dayton with his family, and GEORGE was 
 educated in the schools here, finishing his school education at the Dayton Academy, 
 under the instruction of the late E. E. Barney. He selected the profession of 
 law, of which he became such a distinguished member. 
 
 He studied in the office of Peter P. Lowe, esq., and when admitted to the bar, 
 in 1847, went into partnership with his instructor. A year or so after he dissolved 
 this partnership he entered into partnership with the Hon. George B. Holt. Later, 
 in 1860, he formed a partnership with the Hon. John A. McMahon, which lasted 
 twenty years, ceasing in 1880, since which time he has conducted his practice by 
 himself. 
 
 In 1852 Mr. HOUK was sent to the legislature, though only twenty-seven years 
 old. He was distinguished by being made chairman of the judiciary committee, 
 through which passed all the important legislation necessary to conform the laws of 
 the State to the new constitution. 
 
 lie was sent in 1860 to the Democratic convention, which was held in Charles 
 ton, at which Stephen A. Douglas was nominated. In 1876 he was sent to 
 the St. Louis convention, at which Samuel f- Tilden was nominated, and whose 
 nomination he could not sustain. 
 
 On December 25, 1856, Mr. HOUK married Eliza P. Thurston, the daughter 
 of Robert A. Thurston, and granddaughter of Horatio G. Phillips She is also 
 the sister of Gen. Gates P. Thurston, of Nashville, Tenn. The lives of these 
 two people have been particularly beautiful, and the deep sympathy of everyone 
 goes out spontaneously to the stricken wife from whom he has so suddenly been 
 called. 
 
 He leaves three children Mrs. Harry E. Mead, Mrs. Harry Talbot, and Mr. 
 Thurston Houk and nine grandchildren. Mr. David Houk, of South Ludlow 
 street, is his brother. Mrs. Mary Ramsey was his sister. Mrs. John G. Lowe, of 
 South Maine street, the widow of the late John G. Lowe, is the mother of his 
 wife. 
 
 In literary attainments the deceased was a writer of fine, forcible, elegant 
 English, and in this had few superiors. Through much and careful reading he 
 
Life and Character of George W. Honk. 39 
 
 had stored in his mind a fund of information upon which he could call at all times 
 to the benefit of his hearers and readers. He contributed much to the press, and 
 his articles were read with more than general interest. He was for a time the 
 editor of the Morning Times of this city, but his genial nature rather rebelled 
 against the rough contact with the world that this duty often forced upon him. 
 The hours, also, which the editor of a morning newspaper must spend at his office 
 were those which Mr. HOUK most loved at his Runnymede; so he gave up this 
 pursuit. However, since his busy life in politics, he has often contributed articles 
 on the questions of the day that clearly expressed his convictions and those of his 
 party. He contributed to the magazines occasionally, and wrote the history of 
 the Dayton bar. 
 
 He was a forcible speaker, and eloquent. He preferred at all times to talk on 
 topics of vital interest to his hearers, and avoided speechmaking for the sake of 
 making a speech. 
 
 At all times he was a graceful, agreeable gentleman, genial and gallant. 
 
 In the history of the city of Dayton there is the following paragraph : 
 
 " The Hon. GEORGE W. HOUK has attained distinction through his literary labors 
 and acquirements as well as in his profession of the law. His literary labors, how 
 ever, have been performed mainly for the sake of diversion and of pleasure derived 
 therefrom rather than for the sake of gain or fame, and what he has achieved in this 
 kind of labor has not been done at the expense of the legal profession." 
 
 Within the last few years Mr. HOUK conceived an ambition for political honors, 
 and expressed the desire to be sent to Congress from this district. The first nomi 
 nation resulted in defeat, Mr. H. L. Morey, of Hamilton, being sent by the Repub 
 lican party. 
 
 Two years later, at Franklin, Mr. HOUK was renominated in a most enthusiastic 
 manner, a great many of his personal friends who had never taken any interest in 
 politics going in a body to that convention to give personal testimony to their con 
 fidence in and respect for the candidate. It was a spirited convention, but Mr. 
 HOUK was handsomely nominated, and at the election which followed received a 
 big majority. Two years subsequent Mr. HOUK was again a candidate, and was 
 nominated without opposition, th? Hon. John A. McMahon presenting his name in 
 the strongest terms at Hamilton. 
 
 At the election in the fall of 1892 he went through with a sweeping majority, 
 and was one of the members of this Congress, whose political complexion is so 
 overwhelmingly in accord with his own convictions. 
 
 The many questions of great interest to the country which have come up 
 during his connection with Congress were all carefully investigated by him, and 
 he was thoroughly informed on every side of each. 
 
 Those opposed to him politically may have objected strongly to his vote on dif 
 ferent questions, but none have ever thought that he ever voted but at the dictate 
 of his conscience and in the absolute belief that his convictions were based on 
 that which was right and proper. 
 
 And as of a more impressive character still I will next 
 invite your attention to an eloquent and just tribute to his 
 
40 Address of Mr. Lay ton of Ohio. 
 
 worth and character, written and published on the same day 
 in the same journal by his old friend and neighbor, Maj. 
 W. D. Bickham, who, by the way, was himself suddenly 
 stricken down by the cold hand of Death within a few days 
 thereafter, much in the same manner as his friend Mr. 
 HOUK, prefacing it by stating, as indicated in the article, 
 that Mr. Bickham was of opposite politics: 
 
 The startling intelligence came to this office yesterday afternoon of the sudden 
 death at Washington of Hon. GEORGE W. HOUK, Representative in Congress from 
 this Congressional district. 
 
 It is needless to say that the woeful news caused widespread and sincere sorrow 
 among all the acquaintances of Mr. HOUK, of whatever age, sect, or political 
 party they might be. 
 
 Mr. HOUK was a man among men, a gentleman of the old school, of splendid 
 character, fine personal presence, dignified bearing, noble sentiments, and warm 
 affections. He was the very soul of honor ; and during his long professional and 
 political life in this city and vicinity, and as our representative in the legislature 
 and in Congress, he was never charged with or even suspected of any unmanly or 
 dishonorable conduct. He thoroughly hated and despised falsehood and pretense, 
 and regardless of political or personal consequences never hesitated to so declare 
 himself upon all occasions that seemed to demand it. 
 
 This paper has had occasion many times to criticise Mr. HOUK S political 
 expressions and votes, but never his personal conduct. Indeed, during all the 
 years of our political differences, which sometimes were very warmly discussed in 
 public, Mr. HOUK and the editor of the Journal have been upon the best personal 
 relations. 
 
 He was a man to tie to under all circumstances; solicitous of the public wel 
 fare as he understood its needs; ready with his pen and voice, both of which were 
 able and far above the average, for every good word and work; a public-spirited 
 citizen in the fullest and best sense of that term. 
 
 His mind, like his face and forehead, was broad and high, rather than sharp 
 and cunning. 
 
 Though an able lawyer and a pleasing and eloquent public speaker, his forte 
 was probably with his pen. He wrote with great readiness and ease and had a 
 natural instinct for euphony and harmony in his use of words. 
 
 There was-alvvays a lofty character about his language that commanded atten 
 tion and admiration, and he had a way of rounding out his sentences with a 
 majestic sweep, like the essays of Macaulay. 
 
 If he had devoted his life to literature instead of the law, Mr. HOUK would 
 undoubtedly have been upon the list of prominent American writers. 
 
 No man in Dayton was more versatile and adaptable. He could make a speech, 
 try a case, write an essay, relate an anecdote, or enter into the lighter pleasures of 
 a social circle with zeal and success. 
 
Life and Character of George W. Houk. 41 
 
 By the bar he was universally respected. On all memorial occasions he was an 
 active and sincere participant, and by common consent was selected as the proper 
 person to draft resolutions and make an address. In such duties he seemed to 
 take a melancholy pleasure, and his zeal and interest were not measured by the 
 social or professional prominence of the subject of his pen. 
 
 In fact his legal brethren declare that the most carefully prepared and beautiful 
 tribute that he ever wrote was upon the occasion of the death of one of the hum 
 blest members of the bar; a man of indifferent success in life, so far as the world 
 views success, but greatly beloved among his fellows for his modesty and sincerity 
 of life. 
 
 To some Mr. HOUK appeared haughty and unapproachable. But no man was 
 more affable or genuinely democratic in his feelings. 
 
 He was always ready to listen to the story of a pensioner or to lend a helping 
 hand to any worthy man of his acquaintance. He was a man of large heart, cul 
 tivated mind, generous spirit, and noble impulses, and he will long be missed and 
 sincerely mourned in this community. 
 
 Mr. Speaker, from the time Mr. HOUK arrived at years of 
 manhood until he entered Congress he was an able, active, 
 honorable lawyer, enjoying a large and lucrative practice, 
 and held the respect and confidence of all the members of 
 the bar with whom he was thrown in contact. But let 
 them speak for themselves. 
 
 I now read to you the proceedings of the Montgomery 
 County Bar Association, of which he was an old and hon 
 ored member, at a meeting held on the morning of Febru 
 ary 17 last: 
 
 A largely attended meeting of the Montgomery County Bar Association was 
 held in Judge Elliott s room yesterday morning, at which final action was taken 
 relative to the death of Hon. GEORGE \V. HOUK. Judge Elliott presided, and 
 Charles W. Dustin, esq., acted as secretary. 
 
 The committee appointed to draft memorial resolutions submitted its report, 
 pending the adoption of which touching and eloquent remarks eulogistic of the life 
 and character of the deceased were made by a number of the members. These 
 were Hon. L. B. Gunckel, Cyrus H. Baldwin, Elihu Thompson, O. M. Gottschall, 
 John M. Sprigg, Hon. Wickliffe Belville, George R. Young, E. P. Matthews, Hon. 
 John A. McMahon, Judge Dennis Dwyer, and Henderson Elliott. Following is 
 the memorial: 
 
 " The members of the bar of Montgomery County, assembled to do honor to the 
 memory of their deceased brother, Hon. GEORGE W. HOUK, with melancholy 
 
42 Address of Mr. Lay ton of Ohio. 
 
 pleasure place upon record this brief summary of his life, with their sincere testi 
 mony to his talents as a lawyer, his integrity in public life, his exalted character 
 as a citizen, and his genial qualities as a man and companion. 
 
 " It is unfortunate that on this occasion we shall sadly miss the ready and glow 
 ing pen that has recorded on so many similar occasions for so many others the 
 story of their lives and the sympathy of their fellow-members of the bar. But 
 our accomplished friend is dead, and to inferior hands the sad but pleasing task 
 must be committed. 
 
 "Mr. HOUK was born in Cumberland County, Pa., on the 25th of September, 
 1825. His family removed to Dayton in 1827, where his home has always been. 
 He was educated at the academy at Dayton, taught school, studied law, and 
 was admitted to the bar of this county when he was b ut twenty one years of 
 age. He then entered into partnership with Hon. Peter P. Lowe in the practice 
 of law. After a few years of successful practice, he was elected to the legislature 
 in 1851, and, though a very young man, was made chairman of the judiciary com 
 mittee of the house. In 1860 he was a delegate to the Charleston-Baltimore con 
 vention, adhering most loyally to the caus<3 of Hon. Stephen A. Douglas, and in 
 1876 he was a delegate to the national Democratic convention, held in St. Louis. 
 In 1884 he was chosen district elector, and in 1890 he was elected to Congress, 
 and reelected in 1892. 
 
 " He was a candidate upon many other occasions for high honors, when he 
 failed of success only because his party was in a hopeless minority. 
 
 " During all the time preceding his election to Congress he was actively engaged 
 in the practice of the profession, and for nineteen years was a member of the firm 
 of Houk & McMahon. 
 
 " It is pleasant to be able to say with truth thit from his early youth to his latest 
 manhood Mr. Hone was in every way a model for young men. He was always 
 moral, upright, temperate, and honorable in his conduct; so much so, that in a 
 long and active life slander never temporarily perched upon his name, nor did 
 partisan rancor ever breathe a suspicion upon his honesty or his motives or the 
 purity of his life. 
 
 " Blessed by nature with a commanding form and a most striking presence, he 
 looked, as he was in fact, one of nature s noblemen. In this outward garb of 
 manly beauty there was inclosed a strong intellect, a genial heart, and an unbounded 
 love of beauty, culture, and knowledge that would have made him one of the 
 foremost men of our country had his ambition been as restless and as eager as his 
 capacity was great. But ambition seemed to have few charms. He loved 
 above all other things his lovely and hospitable home upon the hilltop, and the 
 wife and children and grandchildren by whom he was there surrounded, and to 
 whom he was a most devoted, indulgent, and affectionate husband and father, and 
 the numerous friends in whose society he always delighted; and his rugged 
 physical and intellectual vigor never sought that lield for display in his earlier 
 days that would have given him his proper stand among his fellow-men. Xo 
 doubt his life was happier. But much may have been lost to his country. 
 
 " There were few men better read in the history of the world, better versed in 
 the Constitution of our nation, or fuller of the knowledge of its political events, or 
 
Life and Character of George IV. Honk. 43 
 
 more studious of their philosophical bearing. And still fewer men possessed the 
 rare gift of expression upon paper that would have advanced him at once to the 
 front rank of literary eminence had he chosen that field. He did not love his 
 profession as some men do, although for many years he was a steady worker in it, 
 and had a wide, varied, successful, and honorable practice. He was not fond of 
 the narrow rules and apparent technicalities of a jurisprudence largely built upon 
 established and sometimes contradictory precedents, and sometimes at variance 
 with our instincts of natural justice. 
 
 " He often felt fettered in his search for what was right and just by the arbitrary 
 decision of a system, instead of the resolution of what was just in the case before 
 him. And the most loyal among us can not but admit that we sometimes share in 
 his feeling. T.he law was only a secondary mistress with our friend. It is true 
 she kept his house. But literature adorned, embellished, and inhabited it as his 
 prime favorite. He loved philosophy, history, literature, and poetry with fervent 
 love, as his well-selected and well-thumbed library plainly shows, and his wonder 
 ful talent and passion for developing his own ideas with a pen that was remarkable 
 for "its attractive and gorgeous style found but little vent in the preparation of 
 petitions, answers, or stately and formal briefs. Yet he possessed the qualities 
 that would have made him a great lawyer, if that had been the inclination of his 
 mind. 
 
 " He was logical, he was just, and he was of even temperament and possessed of 
 a well-balanced mind. 
 
 " His judgment was always good. He knew by intuition what was right. But 
 with all these qualifications, we all know that if the pursuit of the law is only 
 a duty and not a pleasure the brightest intellect will fail to reach the highest 
 culture. 
 
 " Mr. HOUK S great delight was in his home. Few men in active life have spent 
 so many years in the bosom o-f their family. He loved to spend his hours in his 
 library, surrounded by his loving and gifted wife and children; and in the midst 
 of those dumb yet speaking companions of all ages and nations who rested upon 
 the shelves of his bookcase, inviting him to constant communion with their lofty 
 souls, and never tiring of his congenial society, he would look down upon our 
 smoky and restless city, and its tireless schemes of vanity and ambition, with the 
 dignity and almost the contempt of a philosopher. 
 
 " Such a life, with such surroundings, could not but leave a stamp upon his char 
 acter. It emphasized the qualities that he already possessed. It made him con 
 templative and strengthened the balance of his mind. It gave him time for 
 self-inspection and room for thought before action. In his partial retirement 
 he cultivated all the good qualities with which he entered upon life. He was 
 incapable of a mean, dishonest, or doubtful action; and he equally despised such 
 conduct in all others. He became independent in thought and action ; so much so 
 as to dissent in a marked manner upon several notable occasions from the majority 
 of his political friends. He was always outspoken, and when meanness or 
 trickery or dishonesty crossed his path, whether at the bar or in politics or in 
 private life, his tongue was ready to expose or denounce it. 
 
44 Address of Mr. Lay ton of Ohio. 
 
 " But it is as a brother at the bar and a daily companion and friend that we who 
 knew him best love most to remember him. He did not seek popularity with the 
 methods of the handshaker, or "mixer," as he is styled by his admirers ; and to 
 those who think this insincere outgrowth of modern politics the ideal of a warm 
 hearted man he might seem cold or haughty. But with those who were congenial, 
 or with whom he was thrown by business or pleasure, he was a most genial and 
 entertaining companion. His fund of anecdote, whether of the higher character 
 of biography or the ordinary, now so popular, was unlimited and ever ready, and 
 he was scarcely equaled in the narration of what was witty and humorous. His 
 own pleasure was as great as that of the listener, and while many of us may best 
 recall him in the different scenes of life, all of us can see him now with his hale, 
 hearty manner and his joyous laugh, full of life and of life s enjoyment, as if care 
 had never laid her heavy hand upon his head, and existence was in itself the sum 
 of happiness. 
 
 " When the time and opportunity came for him to be promoted to the halls of the 
 national councils too tardily, it is true it is no wonder that his friends, without 
 regard to politics, rejoiced that in his declining years he should be honored in a 
 manner so pleasing to himself and so satisfactory to his friends and constituents. 
 He appreciated and enjoyed the honor heartily. 
 
 "The most striking feature in hisserviceinWashington was his devotion to the 
 interest of the pensioners at the Home at a time when his care for them could not 
 but be disinterested. There grew up among the inmates of that institution an 
 affection for him that was touching; and it is a lasting monument to perpetuate, as 
 an element of his character, that his sympathy was with the poor and the needy 
 or the unfortunate, and that his regard for the brave defenders of the nation was 
 not actuated by interest, but by the goodness of his heart. 
 
 "The committee submit the following resolutions : 
 
 " Resolved, That in the death of Hon. GEORGE W. HOUK the bar has lost 
 an able, upright, and cultured member; the State a conscientious and faithful 
 legislator; our people an honorable, high-toned, and valuable member of com 
 munity; his associates a warm-hearted, genial friend, and his family a devoted, 
 indulgent, and affectionate husband and father, to whom we tender our profound- 
 est sympathy. 
 
 " Resolved, That the judges of the court be requested to place this memorial 
 upon the minutes of the court, and that a copy be transmitted to his family. 
 
 " Respectfully submitted. 
 
 " JOHN A. MCMAHON, 
 " WARREN HUNGER, 
 " E. THOMPSON, 
 " THOMAS CORWIN, 
 " JAMES H. BAGGOTT, 
 
 "Committee" 
 
 The resolutions were unanimously adopted, and the meeting adjourned. 
 
 Mr. HOUK was the ever-faithful and devoted friend of the 
 Union soldier, and the news of his death was received at 
 
Life and Character of George W, Houk. 45 
 
 the Soldiers Home (located near Dayton, in his district) 
 with genuine and widespread feelings of sorrow and regret. 
 And here I will let the old soldiers speak for themselves also : 
 
 William Lowell Putnam Command, No. 24, Union Veterans Union, of the Sol 
 ders Home, held a meeting in the Grand Army of the Republic hall, and took 
 action relative to the death of their friend, comrade, and benefactor, the Hon. 
 GEORGE W. HOUK. The following resolutions were adopted : 
 
 " Resolved, That William Lowell Putnam Command, Union Veterans Union, has 
 heard with profound sorrow of the death of their honored comrade, GEORGE W. 
 HOUR, wiio was stricken down in the midst of a useful life; and, as a mark of 
 respect to his memory - 
 
 " Resolved, That it extends to his afflicted family its sincere sympathy in their 
 bereavement, and that the adjutant of the command be instructed to transmit to 
 the family of the deceased a certified copy of the foregoing resolution; and be it 
 further 
 
 " Resolved, That as an additional mark of respect members of the command and 
 all other veterans be requested to pay the last sad tribute to his memory by follow 
 ing the remains to their last earthly resting place. 
 
 "Resolved, That in the death of the Hon. GEORGE W. HOUK the veterans of 
 the Soldiers Home have lost their warmest friend, and one who has always 
 advocated their cause wisely and persistently, and with a moderation that always 
 carried with it a conviction of the justness of their claims." 
 
 As a further evidence of the high esteem in which he 
 was held by those who knew him best I may mention the 
 fact that the city council, which was in session at the time 
 the news of his sudden death reached the city, immediately 
 appointed a committee of their number to draft appropriate 
 resolutions of regret, which were unanimously adopted, fol 
 lowed by the adjournment of the council out of respect to 
 his memory. 
 
 But what more need be said, Mr. Speaker, in addition to 
 all this of the life and character of our departed colleague? 
 Surely nothing, save perhaps that we, his fellow-members, 
 those of us at least who knew him best, do most sincerely 
 unite with his neighbors and constituents in bearing like 
 testimony to his goodness and worth. 
 
46 Address oj Mr. Lay ton of Ohio. 
 
 We also bear witness with them to his generous qualities 
 and genial character, which made him popular here as well 
 as at home. For nearly three years he was a useful and 
 distinguished member of this body, serving with painstak 
 ing care and promptitude as a member of the Committee 
 on Interstate and Foreign Commerce and of the Commit 
 tee on Pensions. He was always found at his post, prompt, 
 careful, and conscientious in the discharge of his official 
 duties. With them, his friends, his neighbors and con 
 stituents, we bear witness that in his death this House 
 and the country sustained the loss of a most valuable and 
 useful member. And with them we most sincerely mourn 
 his loss, with the earnest hope and belief that our late col 
 league is now at rest in that better land. 
 
Life and Character of George IV. Honk. 47 
 
 ADDRESS OF MR. RITCHIE. 
 
 Mr. SPEAKER: In Ohio, where the greater portion of his 
 life was spent, our late colleague, Hon. GEORGE W. HOUK, 
 stood high in the esteem of his fellows. He possessed the 
 reputation of being an honorable, amiable, and affable man. 
 By this reputation I knew him well for years; but it was 
 not until the closing day of the Fifty-second Congress, of 
 which he was a worthy member, that I formed with him a 
 personal acquaintance, which soon ripened into a friendly 
 intimacy, that was as instructive as it was pleasant and 
 as lasting as it was strong. At the commencement of the 
 present Congress, new member as I was, and wholly untu 
 tored as to the practice and the rules of its procedure, the 
 
 i 
 
 necessity oft arose to seek information from others who 
 were older and more experienced than myself. 
 
 In all the membership of this House no one possessed 
 upon such matters a richer mine of knowledge, or imparted 
 it to others with more generous accuracy, than did the gen 
 tleman to whose memory to-day we gladly, though sadly, 
 pay our unworthy tribute of reverence and of love. In this 
 body there are two classes of members. There are those, 
 first, who deem it not only proper, but necessary, to address 
 the House upon every subject that comes before Congress 
 for its consideration, and with them the more trivial the 
 matter under discussion the greater the necessity for talk. 
 
 There is still another class, who prefer to listen to others 
 rather than to talk themselves, and who, by silent devotion 
 to duty and by indefatigable labor on committees, fashion 
 
48 Address of Mr. Ritchie of Ohio. 
 
 pending legislation into law. To the first class belong the 
 so-called "record-makers," but the other class embrace the 
 real lawmakers of the land. While the former too often 
 talk without thinking, the latter generally think without 
 talking. To this latter class belonged our late colleague 
 from Ohio. 
 
 While the Congressional Record may not shine resplen 
 dent with brilliant orations delivered by him, his constant 
 attendance upon the House, his arduous labors upon com 
 mittees, his fidelity to his people, and the correctness of his 
 votes as cast speak far more eloquently in his behalf than 
 could any mere empty words he might have uttered. 
 
 Mr. HOUK was an excellent lawyer, and before he became 
 a member of this House practiced his chosen profession at 
 Dayton, Ohio, with an ability and zeal that gave him high 
 rank at his local bar. He practiced law upon the plane of 
 honor. He used none of the law s quiddits, nor its tricks. 
 He cared not for the withered branches of technicality, but 
 chopped rather at the very root of a legal proposition that, 
 in his judgment, was unsound. If I were asked what traits 
 of character most predominated in him, it would be difficult 
 to answer. He was generous and kind, yet steadfast and 
 firm. While he had respect and toleration for the opinions 
 of others, he still possessed those of his own. These he 
 formed himself by his own methods of reasoning, and, hav 
 ing done so, these opinions became convictions, which he 
 dared express with the fearlessness of a knight. 
 
 In all my intercourse with him I never heard him speak 
 a single unkind word of a fellow-member, for his tongue 
 was chained except in praise." Hypocrisy, insincerity, and 
 sham were foreign to his nature. Simplicity of inannei 
 
Life and Character of George W. Honk. 49 
 
 and naturalness of character possessed him, for he followed 
 no pattern. He was himself, alone. In his social life he 
 was a prince. That he was popular here is evidenced by 
 the many tributes of respect that have been paid to his 
 memory to-day. That he was popular at home was shown 
 by the thousands of people who followed his dust to the 
 silent tomb. Let his epitaph, in golden, glittering charac 
 ters, proclaim of him that he was a loving husband, an 
 indulgent father, a wise legislator, a faithful friend, a good 
 lawyer, and an honest man. 
 Hail, and farewell! 
 
 H Mis 82 
 
50 Address of Mr. Baker of Kansas. 
 
 ADDRESS OF MR. BAKER OF KANSAS. 
 
 Mr. SPEAKER: It is said that some men are born great, 
 that some have greatness thrust upon them, while others 
 by their individual efforts carve out their own destiny. 
 
 The latter seems to have been true of Judge HOUK. 
 
 I have been assigned the privilege of bringing my gar 
 land and placing it upon the tablet to his memory. 
 
 We entered upon our duties on the floor of this House 
 at the same time, and as we took the oath of office w r e real 
 ized that we were entering upon new duties duties which 
 carried with them grave responsibilities. 
 
 Both born in the same State, of a hardy and earnest pio 
 neer stock, while he was surrounded by and reared under 
 different influences from myself, I could see in his out 
 growth and development the sturdy and inflexible will 
 of the early pioneer of Pennsylvania. With such a char 
 acter the call of duty was one to be implicitly obeyed. 
 
 As our acquaintance began with the commencement of 
 the Fifty-second Congress, I shall speak of him as I knew 
 him in our committee room, and as he revealed his charac 
 ter to me as a member of this House. 
 
 I found that on many questions there was a great diver 
 sity of opinion between us; those differences I soon learned 
 were differences of convictions. It became evident to my 
 mind that he was a man of very strong character, possess 
 ing a philosophical mind, and seeking to establish every 
 truth by a course of logical reasoning. 
 
 As in life through our social intercourse we learn to 
 respect our friends, so in death let us cherish their memo 
 ries and keep ever in mind their good deeds. 
 
Life and Character of George IV. Honk. 51 
 
 We are like the waves upon the seashore; we come and 
 we go; we are here to-day, we may be on the other shore 
 to-morrow. 
 
 The present only is ours. How soon we may be called 
 to realize the mystery of the life beyond no one can tell. 
 
 Before the sun of life sets for us let us strive to do some 
 deed that will make the world the wiser and the better for 
 our having lived in it. 
 
 The mystery of life is not yet unfolded to any of us. but 
 we are turning over leaf by leaf the book of life from day 
 to day, and sooner or later the end will come, and we will 
 be consigned to our narrow home; but ere the volume of 
 life closes to us let us strive to live so that we may have a 
 brighter awakening in the world beyond. 
 
 Like the giant oak, man has a small beginning; but, un 
 like the oak, he has a great mission to perform in the battle 
 of life. His mission is as broad as humanity itself; it is to 
 lift up, and not tear down. We sow that others may reap. 
 If it is true, as has been said, that every thought and act 
 reveals the character of an individual, it is ours to know 
 the motives that actuate the man. His nobility of charac 
 ter is seen in his endeavor to elevate society, in broadening 
 the sphere of human action, in teaching by precept and 
 example our duties to the state and to humanity. 
 
 Mr. Speaker, in Judge HOUK S death the nation has lost 
 a loyal public servant, one who possessed rugged honesty 
 of purpose, was modest and unostentatious, broad-minded, 
 and yet who never posed for display or effect. To me he 
 seemed, while quiet in demeanor, straightforward in action. 
 I regarded him as a man who would submit to no dicta 
 tion, one who would acknowledge no master. 
 
52 Address of Mr. Baker of Kansas. 
 
 As I see him now in my mind, plowing his way up the 
 rugged hill of science in his academic course, we see him 
 possessed of those higher ambitions which lead to great 
 attainments in life. 
 
 Scarcely has he completed his academic course until we 
 find him engaged in the profession of teaching; but his 
 mind seemed to grasp far broader fields of thought. He 
 turned his attention to law, entering upon that profession 
 at the age of twenty-one. 
 
 At the age of twenty-seven he entered upon his duties as 
 a legislator in the State of Ohio, and, although so young, 
 we find he was made chairman of the judiciary committee 
 of the house. 
 
 When we examine his history as an individual, whether 
 as a schoolboy, a student at law, as a legislator, or as a 
 member of this House, we see the same inflexible purpose. 
 
 His history shows that with age he grew in the confi 
 dence of his constituents. 
 
 He may not have been a polished scholar, but I regarded 
 him as a deep thinker. 
 
 In the rugged school of practical life his mind seemed to 
 expand with age, which well fitted him for his new sphere 
 of action in the political arena. He seemed to possess an 
 unusual degree of strong common sense. In my inter 
 course with him I found him a strong partisan, but it was 
 with him the outgrowth of positive conviction. 
 
 His patriotism was not bounded by State lines. He pos 
 sessed the courage of his convictions in all places and under 
 all circumstances. 
 
 He seemed to possess in a preeminent degree faith in his 
 own party; and yet at times we see him rise above all party 
 
Life and Character of George W. Honk. 53 
 
 considerations, and act in a way that he conceived to be for 
 the good of all the people regardless of party. 
 
 Perhaps no member of this House drank deeper at the 
 fountain of Democracy in his early youth than did Judge 
 HOUK. 
 
 He was not a dreamer, but an actor in the drama of life; 
 and, owing to his age and full manly development, he was 
 one of the most striking links between the mighty past and 
 the living present. 
 
 His loyalty to his party and friends was not momentary, 
 but enduring. 
 
 The people love a man whom they can trust; such a man 
 was Judge HOUK. A conviction to him was a living truth. 
 
 While I could not always agree with him, I did admire 
 his sincerity and honesty of purpose. 
 
 In his death Ohio has lost an able and a faithful servant. 
 
54 Address of Air. Springer of Illinois. 
 
 ADDRESS OF MR. SPRINGER. 
 
 Mr. SPEAKER: I will not attempt a biographical sketch 
 of the life and character of GEORGE W. HOUK. Others 
 better qualified by long personal acquaintance will point 
 out the special incidents and acts in his life. My acquaint 
 ance with him began with his election to the Fifty-second 
 Congress. On one occasion I had the pleasure of enjoying 
 the hospitality of his home. It is the home life of one that 
 most marks and illustrates personal characteristics. Mr. 
 HOUR S residence was two or three miles from the business 
 center of the city of Dayton, which is the most beautiful 
 city in the Miami Valley. At this point the upper plateau 
 spreads out for two or three miles on either side of the 
 river. The plains are level and the soil is rich, and highly 
 cultivated farms and gardens are spread out on every hand. 
 
 Skirting this fertile plain are the high hills which form 
 the outer banks of the river and separate the valley from 
 the uplands. Mr. HOUK selected one of these hills, over 
 looking the city, as the place of his homestead. Many of 
 the original forest trees are still preserved. Beautiful walks 
 and drives have been laid out, and a plain but substantial 
 building has been erected as the family residence. A 
 large covered porch was built upon the side of the house 
 overlooking the city. The view from this porch was one 
 of rare beauty, and presented a landscape full of interest 
 and fascination. Below lay the busy city. The tall chim 
 neys, rising like monuments, pointed out the location of the 
 great manufacturing institutions which have contributed so 
 much to the wealth of the State and which furnish employ 
 ment to so many people. 
 
Life and Character of George W. Houk. 55 
 
 The tall spires of the churches indicate a high state of 
 Christian civilization, and the broad and fertile plains, cov 
 ered with farms and gardens, give assurance that ample 
 food supplies are near at hand. On a distant elevation was 
 located the National Home for Disabled Soldiers, erected 
 and supported by the National Government. The build 
 ings accommodate with all home comforts from three to 
 four thousand veterans of the late war, and the grounds are 
 ornamented and kept in a manner which reflects credit upon 
 the Government, and rival in magnificence the historic 
 parks of the Old World. 
 
 It was this city, this valley and scene, which were spread 
 out to the view of those who visited Mr. HOUK S residence. 
 He was accustomed, at the close of each day s work, to re 
 pair to his home, take his seat on this porch, and enjoy this 
 beautiful panorama. His family vied with each other to 
 contribute to his comfort and happiness. His was indeed a 
 happy home, comprising within it all the rest, quiet, and 
 comfort of the country and all the luxury and elegance 
 of the city. This charming home life contributed greatly 
 to the molding of his character, and especially fitted him 
 for the career of usefulness and honor for which he was 
 distinguished. 
 
 As a lawyer he was painstaking, studious, and faithful 
 to the interests of his clients. He was not brilliant, but 
 he was forceful in manner and strong in argument. As a 
 legislator he was constantly at his post, fearless in the dis 
 charge of every duty, and always able and conscientious. 
 As a member of the Committee on the World s Columbian 
 Exposition in the last Congress he contributed greatly to 
 the legislation which rendered that great enterprise a suc 
 cess, and the people of Illinois and of the whole country 
 
56 Address of Mr. Springer of Illinois. 
 
 will forever hold him in grateful remembrance for his val 
 uable services in this matter. As a citizen he was ever 
 awake to the interests of the people, and in all respects 
 acquitted himself as an able defender of the rights of the 
 humble, and as an ardent advocate of the supremacy of 
 the law. As a friend he was ever true, faithful, and hon 
 orable. When his purpose was formed he adhered to it 
 with tenacity, and never faltered in fealty. He was one 
 of nature s noblemen, and his loss is deplored by all who 
 knew him. 
 
 I was one of those appointed to accompany his remains 
 to his home, and I performed this sad duty as one who fol 
 lows to the grave a near and dear friend. The services 
 at the grave were the most impressive that I have ever wit 
 nessed. When the funeral dirge was chanted one of his 
 daughters, the wife of a prominent citizen, joined in the 
 singing. Her voice was lifted far above the voices of all 
 others, and her face was illumined with such a halo of 
 light that it seemed as if we were listening to the voice 
 of an angel coming from above. 
 
 Before the last sad rite was performed his faithful and 
 beloved wife addressed a few words to those assembled at the 
 tomb. She did not appear as one stricken with grief, lean 
 ing on the arm of a relative and convulsed with anguish; 
 but she stood erect, with her face upturned to heaven, and 
 assured those present that to Her there was no such thing 
 as death. That which seemed to many a dreaded monster 
 was to her a welcome messenger to summon to a higher 
 and better state of perpetual existence. Her faith took hold 
 on immortality. She believed implicitly, and carried that 
 belief into practical consolation, that what we call death was 
 
Life and Character of George IV. Houk. 57 
 
 but a summons from earthly cares to heavenly bliss. She 
 could see beyond the tomb; could with her eye of faith 
 pierce the veil that separates us from the world to come, 
 and see the spirits of the departed enjoying the felicities 
 of a home in heaven. 
 
 The members of this House have in his death lost a most 
 useful coworker, his State has lost one of her best and most 
 distinguished citizens, and his wife has lost a faithful hus 
 band and his children a kind and indulgent father. 
 
58 Address of Air. -Hare of Ohio. 
 
 ADDRESS OF MR. HARE. 
 
 Mr. SPEAKER: GEORGE W. HOUK was a man whom to 
 know was to admire and esteem. Although he had passed 
 the sixty-ninth milestone in the journey of life, time had 
 dealt so kindly with him that he did not even in appear 
 ance seem old, and the exuberance of his health and the 
 keenness of his enjoyment of the companionship of his 
 fellow-men made him always a welcome associate in every 
 circle he chose to join. 
 
 His naturally genial disposition had not been soured by 
 the experiences of a long and active career in a profession 
 which perhaps more than any other affords opportunity for 
 frequent insight into the meaner phases of human charac 
 ter and brings its members into frequent contact with the 
 baser motives that too often constitute the springs of human 
 conduct. 
 
 With all these exhibitions of character, motive, and con 
 duct he was undoubtedly familiar, as every lawyer must 
 become whose practice has extended over a period of more 
 than forty years; but instead of making him at all misan 
 thropic or distrustful of mankind these very experiences 
 seemed to render him more charitable in his judgments, 
 readier to palliate the offenses of others, more careful to see 
 that he did not himself offend. 
 
 Accustomed as he was to deal with serious problems and 
 to consider questions of grave importance, these were not 
 permitted to engross his thoughts to such an extent as to 
 render him unobservant of or oblivious to the lighter and 
 
Life and Character of George M T . Honk. 59 
 
 brighter incidents which go so far to relieve the profes 
 sional life of the lawyer from what would otherwise be an 
 exceedingly somber and unattractive coloring. On the con 
 trary, these were incidents and features of his experience 
 which he treasured most, and from a seemingly inexhausti 
 ble fund of anecdote and reminiscence he was able to draw 
 at will for the embellishment of an argument or the enter 
 tainment and pleasure of his friends. 
 
 He was a man of serene disposition and temperament, 
 always taking the most cheerful view of a perplexing or 
 discouraging situation, and capable of imparting to his 
 associates the influence of the philosophy which so thor 
 oughly dominated and controlled his own actions. Hence 
 he was seldom confused as to the policy to be pursued in an 
 emergency; his impulses were under the constant restraint 
 of his judgment, and even the edicts of the caucus had but 
 little effect in controlling his course when he had once 
 determined for himself what his duty required him to do. 
 
 He was not, in the ordinary sense of the word, a poli 
 tician; but in the broader, better, and truer sense of the 
 term his title to that distinction was beyond question. He 
 believed that "he serves his party best who serves his 
 country best," and that party organization, discipline, and 
 methods are only valuable as agencies for the recognition 
 and the establishment of certain principles of government 
 through certain policies of legislation and administration. 
 
 The Democratic party, more nearly than any other, 
 represented the essential political principles in which he 
 believed; and so, always reserving to himself the exercise of 
 the right of individual judgment, he became and remained 
 a faithful adherent of that party, and in the councils of this 
 
60 Address of Mr. Hare of Ohio. 
 
 body during his comparatively brief membership here he 
 was one of its wisest, most intelligent, and prudent coun 
 selors, a thoughtful, sagacious, and trusted champion of 
 the interests committed to his charge. 
 
 At the age of twenty-six years he became a member of 
 the general assembly of Ohio, and by reason of his recog 
 nized ability, learning, and fitness was made chairman of 
 the judiciary committee of that body, which position he 
 held during the period immediately following the adoption 
 of the present constitution of Ohio, and while that instru 
 ment was receiving its original interpretation and construc 
 tion at the hands of a supreme court of which Allen G. 
 Thurman and Rufus P. Ranney were members, one of the 
 ablest courts that ever adorned the bench of any State. 
 
 That so distinguished an honor should have been con 
 ferred upon so young a man must be accepted as evidence 
 not only of his high character and sterling worth, but of 
 the recognition by those who knew him of the exceptional 
 talents and sound learning afterwards exhibited by him 
 during his long career at a bar as eminent as any in the 
 United States. 
 
 He was not merely a successful lawyer, but a scholarly 
 one; not simply the trained advocate and inquisitor familiar 
 with the methods of the courts and the details of judicial 
 procedure, but a diligent student, not alone of books, but 
 of men, finding in the one not merely an unfailing source of 
 recreation and entertainment, but the means of pursuing 
 with added zest the absorbing study of the other, and both 
 contributed to make him what he was the broad-minded, 
 conscientious, painstaking legislator and lawyer, the patri 
 otic, public-spirited citizen, the capable man of affairs, the 
 
Life and Character of George W. Honk. 61 
 
 wise statesman, the entertaining and instructive companion, 
 and the loyal, tins-elfish, and unfaltering friend. 
 
 Naturally such a man would become the idol of his own 
 household, and his beautiful home overlooking the city of 
 Dayton, and surrounded by the equally attractive homes of 
 his children, bore evidence of his love for those to whom 
 he represented so much of all they were accustomed to love 
 and revere. 
 
 To that home and the idols that were templed there his 
 thoughts were almost constantly recurring. It had been 
 prepared, with all the care he could bestow, to become the 
 retreat of his old age, as it had been the scene of his labors 
 and enjoyments during the later years of his active business 
 life; and to that end he had not only embellished it with 
 whatever could add to its. attractiveness and comfort in a 
 physical sense, but he had assembled in- its. library, as his 
 permanent guests, the kindred spirits with whom he had 
 been accustomed to commune and whose companionship 
 had been to him a solace and an inspiration from youth. 
 He loved to talk of his home, he longed to return to it, and 
 it is exceedingly doubtful whether he could have been per 
 suaded aofain to leave it, unless in response to a most imper 
 ative call of public duty. 
 
 Daring his service here he was never obtrusive. He sel 
 dom occupied the time of the House, and never did so unless 
 the occasion was such as to require an expression of his 
 views upon a matter of pending legislation. But he was at 
 all times keenly alert to whatever was transpiring upon the 
 floor or in the committee rooms, and no man could have 
 been more attentive to the interests of his constituents. 
 
 The largest soldiers home in the United States is located 
 in his district, and his attention to the welfare and interests 
 
62 Address of Mr. Hare of Ohio. 
 
 ot the inmates of that great institution was incessant and 
 unfailing. No comrade could have been more solicitous 
 in behalf of his companions than he was in guarding the 
 rights of this class of his constituents, the great majority 
 .of whom were his political opponents, but all of whom, 
 I believe, were his personal friends. If they were not so 
 the fault was not his, for no proposition that he believed 
 might even remotely prejudice their interests was ever suf 
 fered by him to pass unchallenged. 
 
 He was a man of commanding presence and apparently 
 in the enjoyment of robust health, destined to many years 
 of usefulness. I parted from him on this floor only a few 
 hours before his death, the news of which came to all of 
 us as a surprise and was received with expressions of incre 
 dulity and amazement, but proved, alas, too true. The 
 strong man had fallen, the firm grasp which he had seemed 
 to have upon life had been suddenly loosened, and without 
 other preparation than every man should at all times have 
 he had been summoned to stand in the presence of the 
 King of all kingdoms. 
 
 On the following day, upon the announcement of his 
 death, this House took such action as is customary and 
 appropriate. Every token of sorrow for his death and of 
 respect for his memory was manifested by his late associ 
 ates, an unusual number of whom accompanied his body to 
 its place of sepulture near the home where he would doubt 
 less have preferred to die; and then the stream resumed 
 its course, members again became intent upon the problems 
 that daily challenge attention here, and all that remained 
 of our brother was the impress he had made and left upon 
 all who knew him. 
 
Life and Character of George W. Honk. 63 
 
 When the circumstances of his own death are recalled I 
 .1111 reminded strongly of the brief but beautiful address 
 delivered by him in this Hall the day when tributes were 
 being paid to the late Governor Warwick, in the course of 
 which, speaking of the changes so frequently wrought in 
 the membership of this House by death, he said: 
 
 How forcibly are we reminded, by this ever-shifting scene, of the sublime 
 apothegm of Burke, uttered by that great orator when, during a speech on the 
 hustings, he was informed of the sudden death of his competitor. He at once 
 cut short his speech, gathered up his papers, and exclaimed with touching pathos: 
 "What shadows we are, and what shadows we pursue! " 
 
 The address delivered by Judge HOUK on that occasion 
 was evidently unwritten and extemporaneous, and that this 
 illustration, so singularly appropriate to be recalled to-day, 
 should have occurred to him, may serve to prove that he 
 was not wholly without warning of the peril in which he 
 was even then standing and which he was not long to 
 escape. But whether so or not is of small moment when 
 we reflect how impotent must be every device of man to 
 guard himself against the fate reserved for all the living. 
 He has paid the debt so many are struggling to postpone, 
 and whatever may have been his frailties or his faults, he 
 has left behind him the record of a life filled with good 
 deeds; to his surviving associates the recollections of an 
 intercourse always agreeable and instructive; to his family 
 the memory of a loving and indulgent husband and father; 
 to his country the lasting benefit of the devotion of a faith 
 ful public servant. 
 
 May he rest in peace. 
 
64 Address of Mr. Richards of Ohio. 
 
 ADDRESS OF MR. RICHARDS. 
 
 Mr. SPEAKER: That eloquent and pathetic sentence, "In 
 the midst of life we are in death," has been abundantly 
 illustrated in this House during the last year. One of my 
 first duties was as a member of a committee to go to a 
 neighboring State and assist in paying the last sad tribute 
 of respect to a fellow-member, and from time to time our 
 ranks have been thinned, two falling from my own State. 
 
 Statistics prove that the average length of human life is 
 increasing, but not the average life of a member of Con 
 gress. This is not merely because many advanced in years 
 or in feeble health are elected, for during the past year we 
 have buried some who were men of vigorous constitution 
 and robust health at the beginning of their term of service, 
 and only a few days ago was buried one of the youngest 
 members of the House. 
 
 We have had no epidemic among us, nor has contagion 
 depleted our number. Our duties and requirements are not 
 conducive to longevity. The faithful member, whether in 
 his temporary home in this city or in his real home in his 
 own State, finds his work a constant grind. 
 
 GEORGE W. HOUR, to whose memory we to-day pay trib 
 ute, was a man of the people. He carried with him no tra 
 ditions of superior ancestry, boasted no descent from some 
 important personage, but was content that he was an Amer 
 ican citizen from the rank and file; proud that he lived in 
 a land where opportunity is afforded to even the humblest 
 to carve his way to exalted station. 
 
Life and Character of George W. Plonk, 65 
 
 As school-teacher, lawyer, statesman, he ever sustained 
 himself with credit, bearing evidence of a well-balanced 
 mind that weighed well and, having considered, had capac 
 ity to act. No egotism marked his intercourse with his 
 fellow-men, but he was as modest as he was learned, as con 
 siderate as he was earnest. 
 
 He was not beset by vanity, and there was nothing dreamy 
 or extravagant about him. He did not spring to his feet to 
 speak upon every occasion, but carefully and calmly went 
 about his work. He studied every question and voted upon 
 it intelligently; and when he arose to speak there were no 
 fanatical outpourings, no effort to convince by loud decla 
 mation, but his logical arguments showed that he had mas 
 tered his subject. 
 
 To him the chief office of a member was not how often 
 bis name might appear in the Record or be printed in some 
 newspaper, but how he could best serve his constituents 
 and his country by a careful performance of duty according 
 to convictions born of earnest study. 
 
 With such Representatives as he in Congress legislation 
 can never be prostrated by the arts and influences of dem 
 agogues, but will be guided by that cardinal principle, 
 "The greatest good to the greatest number." 
 
 We are facing a peculiar epoch in our history; a feeling 
 of discontent is creeping over our hills and along our val 
 leys, breeding in some instances lawlessness and crime. 
 
 The worshipers of Mammon are increasing, and too often 
 the man of millions takes precedence over the patriot of 
 brains. The arrogance of men who live in luxury some 
 times drives the poor to almost desperate measures; and 
 while the law must be respected and enforced and the 
 
 II Mis 825 
 
66 Address of Mr. Richards of Ohio. 
 
 rights of property protected, it is our duty to ever keep in 
 view the cardinal principle of the great Declaration, "We 
 hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created 
 free and equal." This is the keystone which supports the 
 very fabric of our Government, which itself is supported 
 by constitutional liberty, and which will be protected by 
 Representatives whose hearts beat for the great masses of 
 our people; and such a one was he to whose memory we 
 to-day pay tribute. 
 
Life and Character of George W. Houk. 67 
 
 ADDRESS OF MR. DONOVAN. 
 
 Mr. SPEAKER: When the sable and unwelcome messen 
 ger, Death, served the summons of Heaven s high chancery 
 on GEORGE W. HOUK he made no plea to the jurisdiction. 
 No pretense or excuse of mortal avails to alter the decree 
 of Him who speaks worlds into existence and to whom a 
 thousand years are as a day. In the exalted plan of cre 
 ation it is as necessary that men die as that they be born, 
 but it is only the apathetic disciple of Zeno who does not 
 feel the pangs of poignant sorrow when an associate and 
 friend unexpectedly departs from a life of usefulness and 
 honor. 
 
 It was my good fortune to be personally well acquainted 
 with our deceased colleague, although I did not know him 
 prior to his coming here as a member of this House, which 
 was contemporaneous with mine. 
 
 Mr. HOUK was born in Cumberland County, Pa., Sep 
 tember 25, 1825. He moved to Ohio while very young, 
 and settled with his father at Dayton, which city was his 
 home at the time of his death. He encountered the obsta 
 cles and surmounted the difficulties which beset the peda 
 gogue, the law student, and the young attorney. He was 
 admitted to the bar at the age of twenty-one, and made the 
 practice of the law the work of his life. He was a profi 
 cient, earnest, and successful lawyer, and took such an active 
 interest in public affairs that he was elected as a member 
 of the Ohio legislature in 1852, in which body his ability 
 was fittingly recognized, as evidenced by his appointment 
 as chairman of the judiciary committee of the house. 
 
68 Address of Mr. Donovan of Ohio. 
 
 By his sincerity, courage, and ability he had won and 
 retained the confidence and esteem of his party associates, 
 who proved their appreciation of the high qualities of his 
 mind and heart by selecting him to fill many important 
 places of trust and honor. I served with him on one of 
 the committees of this House, and at a meeting of that 
 committee held two days prior to his death he seemed to 
 be in excellent health and spirits; and although his years 
 were nearly three-score and ten, none of us who met and 
 conversed with him at that meeting thought that he, with 
 his majestic bearing and magnificent physique, would be 
 called so soon to pay his tribute to the King of Terrors. 
 
 The victories of William the Conqueror and of all the 
 other sovereigns of the English dynasties, from Egbert to 
 the present, are mere bagatelles compared with the ravag 
 ing conquests of this arch enemy of life; but as a man is 
 not omniscient, who can say that death is not a disguised 
 blessing, by which we are translated to the regions of the 
 immortal, where paradisiacal pleasures are omniprevalent 
 and sorrow is unknown. 
 
 The progress and invention of this age are marvelous, 
 but with all our astonishing discoveries and all our phe 
 nomenal progress, our efforts to make human life perpetual 
 are as futile and as evanescent in their results as were the 
 efforts of Ponce de Leon in his search for the fountain of 
 youth. 
 
 We can whisper across the sea and converse with the 
 inhabitants of other continents, but we have no telephone 
 communication with the grave. We can measure correctly 
 the distances of the planets and describe minutely their 
 every motion, but we can not trace the flight of the depart 
 ing soul. 
 
Life and Character of George IV. Houk. 69 
 
 In coming years, long after they shall have passed from 
 earth, we can reproduce the voices of our friends and the 
 sermons and speeches of our preachers and statesmen, but 
 nature will exhaust herself in vain to produce a mortal with 
 genius to discover media by which communication could be 
 established with those beyond the tomb. 
 
 We may illuminate the world with arc lights and incan 
 descent lamps, but we can not make a search light to pene 
 trate the least perceptible distance into the darkness of the 
 mystery of death. In spite of the futility of human effort 
 and the inconsequence of any mortal, GEORGE W. HOUK 
 did not live in vain. He carved out of hard conditions a 
 monument to his memory of which his family and his 
 friends may well be proud, and set an example which the 
 youth of this favored land may well afford to emulate. 
 
 He is dead, but his good works and their beneficent in 
 fluence will never die, but will be appreciated and remem 
 bered by the beneficiaries of his kind acts and good example, 
 who will ever bear witness that the world is better for his 
 having lived. 
 
70 Address of Mr. Patterson of Tennessee. 
 
 ADDRESS OF MR. PATTERSON. 
 
 Mr. SPEAKER: The late GEORGE W. HOUK and I entered 
 Congress at the same time, and were assigned to the Com 
 mittee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce. Our daily 
 official intercourse on that committee soon ripened into per 
 sonal friendship. I have met no man in public life who 
 has impressed me as possessing more sterling qualities of 
 head and heart. Leaving to others who knew him longer 
 than I did to speak of his personal hist6ry and the felicity 
 of his social and domestic life, I desire to call attention to 
 one or two characteristics of his public career that reflected 
 honor on him while living, and which are worthy of emu 
 lation by those who live after him. He was in the fullest 
 acceptation of the term an honest man. 
 
 I do not mean that he was merely honest in the sense 
 that he avoided wrongdoing. I mean that he had an hon 
 est mind, and courageously did his duty on all occasions 
 according to the lights before him. He had none of the 
 instincts of a demagogue or a time-server. If he believed 
 a measure to be right, and that it would result beneficially 
 to the country, he had the courage to advocate and support 
 it, without regard to its effect on his personal fortunes; and 
 if he believed it to be wrong and hurtful in its results to 
 the country, he would oppose it, notwithstanding in doing 
 so he might run counter to a misguided public sentiment 
 in its favor. 
 
 A man of education, a student of books, and an observer 
 of current events, he possessed varied information, and was 
 thoroughly trained for the public service. Thus equipped 
 
Life and Character of George W. Hoiik. 71 
 
 and endowed, he necessarily took high rank among his as 
 sociates. Modest and unobtrusive, it required time and 
 opportunity to know him at his worth. It was in the 
 committee room where legislation is considered and per 
 fected that he appeared to the greatest advantage. The 
 highest meed of praise that can be bestowed on the mem 
 ory of any man is to say that when living he was most 
 respected and loved by those who knew him best, and this 
 can truthfully be said of our lamented friend. 
 
 He possessed another quality in a preeminent degree. 
 He was a patriot. He loved his country and his whole 
 country. Its history, its traditions, and its achievements 
 were all familiar to him and swelled his bosom with pride. 
 He contemplated its future growth and development with 
 enthusiasm. I do not recall that he ever addressed the 
 House when his country was not his theme. He was a 
 robust American. No "pent-up Utica" contracted his 
 patriotic aspirations. Neither faction nor section had at 
 tractions for him. It .required his country and every part 
 of his country to fill the measure of his patriotism. He 
 loved American institutions as an inestimable heritage from 
 a patriotic ancestry, and guarded the Constitution which 
 vouchsafed them to posterity as the Israelites guarded the 
 ark of the covenant. 
 
 The stalwart patriotism of such a man is worthy of com 
 ment and emulation in these latter days when American 
 ism is dimmed and discredited by the propagation of ideas 
 which have been transplanted from foreign countries to 
 our shores. It is the example of such men as GEORGE 
 "W. HOUK which gives assurance of a broader, a deeper, 
 and a more enduring national life, and justifies the belief 
 
72 Address of Mr. Patterson of Tennessee. 
 
 that we are approaching a period of national glory when 
 sectional pride and differences will no longer exist, when 
 the enemies of social order and good government will 
 nowhere be tolerated, and the Republic, its flag, and its 
 institutions will everywhere be cherished by the American 
 people as the title to happiness and prosperity. 
 
Life and Character of George W. Honk. 73 
 
 ADDRESS OF MR. WILSON OF OHIO. 
 
 Mr. SPEAKER: My limited acquaintance with GEORGE 
 W. HOUK does not qualify me to speak of him except in 
 relation to his professional and public life. Ever since I 
 have been a practicing lawyer I have had some knowledge 
 of Mr. HOUK, who was an attorney residing in the city of 
 Dayton, in Montgomery County, Ohio. His reputation as 
 a lawyer and a citizen was not limited to his immediate 
 locality. There were few men more highly esteemed than 
 he for devotion to truth. He was free from the cunning 
 and trickery which are sometimes the principal weapons of 
 successful lawyers. 
 
 The fact that Mr. HOUK was able to achieve a very high 
 standing at the bar of Montgomery County is proof of his 
 ability and perseverance. He was a member of the general 
 assembly from Montgomery County in 1853, and was three 
 times the Democratic candidate for Congress in the Third 
 district, and was twice elected. 
 
 The city of Dayton is located in the beautiful and fertile 
 valley of the Great Miami River. Long before the organi 
 zation of the State of Ohio the Indians had settled in the 
 Miami Valley, and because of the superior advantages of 
 that locality they long resisted all efforts of the whites to 
 invade their territory. But eventually the superior civili 
 zation of the white race in its westward course overcame 
 the obstacles interposed by the Indians, and the rich valley 
 became the abode of a very intelligent and enterprising peo 
 ple. Some of the most talented representative men of this 
 country resided in the city of Dayton. 
 
74 Address of Mr. Wilson of Ohio. 
 
 It was here that Hon. Clement L. Vallandigham lived, and 
 from which place he was sent to Congress. It is scarcely 
 necessary to mention the characteristics of this great Dem 
 ocratic leader, especially during the exciting period of the 
 war. He was the champion of that faction of Ohio Dem 
 ocrats who were opposed to a vigorous prosecution of the 
 war for the suppression of the rebellion. He was arrested, 
 tried, and convicted by court-martial, and sentenced to 
 imprisonment during the war; but Mr. Lincoln commuted 
 his sentence to banishment into the enemy s lines. Not 
 withstanding his opposition during the war, Mr. Vallandig 
 ham was one of the first to declare in favor of accepting the 
 validity of all the amendments to the Constitution. Having 
 made a determined fight against the policy of Mr. Lincoln 
 during the war, he had that independence of character 
 which made it easy for him to acknowledge defeat and 
 frankly recognize the duty of all people to accept the results 
 as conclusive of the issues involved in the war. 
 
 From the city of Dayton also came to Congress another 
 of Ohio s greatest public men Hon. Robert C. Schenck. 
 I think I shall not transcend the truth when I say that it is 
 doubtful if any district was ever represented in Congress 
 by an abler man than General Schenck. He was a Repub 
 lican, and took part in the debates during the reconstruc 
 tion period, displaying great thought and statesmanship. 
 
 In the county of Montgomery, near the city of Dayton, is 
 located the Central Branch of the National Home for Dis 
 abled Volunteer Soldiers. It is the largest of its kind in 
 the world. Here the disabled and helpless veterans of the 
 wars of the Union are provided with food, clothing, and 
 shelter. The inmates of that institution are a part of the 
 
Life and Character of George IV. Honk. 75 
 
 constituency of the district represented by GEORGE W. 
 HOUK. 
 
 Mr. Speaker, I have referred to the foregoing facts for 
 the purpose of affording some information concerning the 
 people whom Mr. HOUK had the honor to represent; and I 
 think I may safely say that Mr. HOUK was well qualified to 
 represent that district, and fully sustained himself as one 
 of the most efficient and useful members of Congress. He 
 was always conservative and safe. He seldom took part 
 in debate, but when he spoke his remarks were clear and 
 candid. He was a careful listener and a good judge of 
 the merits of all measures. He was not disposed to follow 
 extremists of his own party beyond the bounds of reason 
 and justice; and when party dictation compelled him to 
 yield support to doubtful measures he did it reluctantly 
 and with regret. 
 
 In my personal relations with Mr. HOUK I found him 
 to be possessed of the qualities and demeanor of a gentle 
 man. He was inclined to be quiet and unobtrusive in his 
 intercourse with his fellow-members, but was never dis 
 agreeable or unsocial when approached by anyone. The 
 success which he attained as a lawyer, the excellent char 
 acter which he bore among his people at home, and his 
 high standing as a member of this and the last Congress 
 are sufficient tributes to his worth and character. 
 
PROCEEDINGS IN THE SENATE. 
 
 FEBRUARY 12, 1894. 
 
 A message from the House of Representatives, by Mr. 
 T. O. Towles, its Chief Clerk, conveyed to the Senate the 
 intelligence of the death of GEORGE W. HOUK, a Repre 
 sentative from the State of Ohio, and communicated the 
 resolutions of the House thereon; and the message also 
 announced that the Speaker had appointed Mr. Hare, Mr. 
 Springer, Mr. McKaig, Mr. Hulick, Mr. Bryan, Mr. Ritchie, 
 and Mr. Ellis of Oregon as the committee on the part of 
 the House provided for in the resolution. 
 
 Mr. BRICE. I ask that the resolutions of the House of 
 Representatives be read. 
 
 The ViCE-PRESiDENT. The Chair lays before the Senate 
 the resolutions of the House of Representatives, which will 
 be read. 
 
 The Secretary read the resolutions, as follows: 
 
 Resolved, That the House has heard with profound sorrow the announcement of 
 the death of Hon. GEORGE W. HOUK, late a Representative from the State of 
 Ohio. 
 
 Resolved, That a committee consisting of seven members of the House, with 
 such members of the Senate as may be joined, be appointed to take order for 
 superintending the funeral and to escort the remains of the deceased to their place 
 of burial; and that the necessary expenses attending the execuiion of this order 
 be paid out of the contingent fund of the House. 
 
 Resolved, That the Sergeant-at-Arms of the House be authorized and directed 
 to take such steps as may be necessary for properly carrying out the provisions of 
 this resolution. 
 
 Resolved, That the Clerk communicate the foregoing resolutions to the Senate, 
 and that as a further mark of respect to the memory of the deceased the House 
 do now adjourn. 
 
 77 
 
78 Proceedings in tJie Senate. 
 
 Mr. BRICE. Mr. President, I submit the resolutions which 
 I send to the desk. I shall at a later day ask the Senate 
 to fix a time at which fitting- tribute may be paid to the 
 memory of my deceased colleague in the other House. 
 
 The VICE-PRESIDENT. The resolutions submitted by the 
 Senator from Ohio will be read. 
 
 The Secretary read the resolutions, as follows: 
 
 Resolved, That the Senate has heard with deep sensibility the announcement of 
 the death of the Hon. GEORGE W. HOUR, late a Representative from the State of 
 Ohio 
 
 Resolved, That the Senate concur in the resolution of the House providing for 
 the appointment of a committee of each House to escort the remains to the place 
 of burial. 
 
 Resolved, That the Secretary communicate these resolutions to the House of 
 Representatives. 
 
 Resolved, That as a mark of respect to the memory of the deceased the Senate 
 do now adjourn. 
 
 The VICE-PRESIDENT. Before putting the question on 
 the adoption of the resolutions the Chair will state that, in 
 anticipation of the passage of a resolution providing for the 
 appointment of a committee to attend the funeral of the 
 deceased, he appointed on Saturday last as members on the 
 part of the Senate Mr. Brice, Mr. Sherman, Mr. Dubois, Mr. 
 Hunton, and Mr. Martin. The question is on agreeing to 
 the resolutions of the Senator from Ohio [Mr. Brice]. 
 
 The resolutions were unanimously agreed to; and the 
 Senate adjourned until Tuesday, February 13, 1894, at 12 
 o clock m. 
 
 JULY 1 6, 1894. 
 
 Mr. BRICE. I ask the Chair to lay before the Senate the 
 resolutions of the House of Representatives. 
 
 The VICE-PRESIDENT. The Chair lays before the Senate 
 the resolutions of the House of Representatives, which will 
 be read. 
 
Proceedings in the Senate. 79 
 
 The Secretary read the resolutions, as follows: 
 
 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 
 
 July 14, 1894. 
 
 Resolved, That the business of the House be now suspended that opportunity 
 may be given for tributes to the memory of the Hon. GEORGE W. HOUK, late a 
 Representative from the State of Ohio. 
 
 Resolved, That as a particular mark of respect to the memory of the deceased, 
 and in recognition of his eminent abilities as a distinguished public servant, the 
 House, at the conclusion of these memorial proceedings, shall stand adjourned. 
 
 Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these proceedings to the Senate. 
 
 Resolved, That the Clerk be instructed to send a copy of these resolutions to 
 the family of the deceased. 
 
 Mr. BRICK. Mr. President, I wish to state that at a sub 
 sequent time I shall ask the Senate to set aside a day when 
 appropriate tribute may be paid to the memory of my late 
 colleague in the House of Representatives. I move that 
 the Senate adjourn. 
 
 The motion was agreed to; and the Senate adjourned 
 until Tuesday, July 17, 1894, at 12 o clock m. 
 
MEMORIAL ADDRESS. 
 
 MARCH i, 1895. 
 
 Mr. BRICK. Mr. President, I desire to call up the resolu 
 tions of the House of Representatives concerning the death 
 of my late colleague in that House, the Hon. GEORGE W. 
 HOUK. 
 
 The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Chair lays before the Sen 
 ate the resolutions of the House of Representatives, which 
 will be read. 
 
 The Secretary read the resolutions, as follows: 
 
 IN THK HOUSE OK REPRESENTATIVES, 
 
 July 14, 1894. 
 
 Resolved, That the business of the House be now suspended, that opportunity 
 may be given for tributes to the memory of the Hon. GEORGE W. HOUR, late a 
 Representative from the State of Ohio. 
 
 Resolved, That as a particular mark of respect to the memory of the deceased, 
 and in recognition of his eminent abilities as a distinguished public servant, the 
 House, at the conclusion of these memorial proceedings, shall stand adjourned. 
 
 Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these proceedings to the Senate. 
 
 Resolved, That the Clerk be instructed to send a copy of these resolutions to 
 the family of the deceased. 
 
 Mr. BRICE. Mr. President, I offer the resolutions which 
 I send to the desk. 
 
 The PRESIDING OFFICER. The resolutions submitted by 
 the Senator from Ohio will be read. 
 
 The Secretary read the resolutions, as follows: 
 
 Resolved, That the Senate has heard with profound sorrow the announcement of 
 the death of Hon. GEORGE W. Horn;, late a Representative from the State of 
 Ohio. 
 
 Resolved, That tke business of the Senate be now suspended, in order that 
 litting tribute be paid to his memory. 
 
 Resolved, That as an additional mark of respect the Senate at the conclusion 
 of these ceremonies do adjourn. 
 
 81 
 II Mis 82 6 
 
82 Address oj Mr. B rice of Ohio. 
 
 ADDRESS OF MR. BRICE. 
 
 Mr. PRESIDENT: We are again called upon to mourn the 
 departure of an esteemed and honored Representative in the 
 other branch of Congress. It was my sad duty on a recent 
 date to announce to this Chamber the death of GEORGE 
 W. HOUK, a Representative from Ohio, who passed from 
 the arena of public affairs with such startling suddenness 
 that we yet feel the painful shock of that misfortune. On 
 this occasion I desire to address the Senate on the resolu 
 tion which has just been read from the desk, in the hope 
 that I may add a tribute, inadequate though it may be, to 
 his merits, his manhood, and his worth. 
 
 The active duties which throw into immediate associa 
 tion those who are called by their communities to repre 
 sent them at Washington teach us much of our fellow-men 
 which may have previously been overlooked or only faintly 
 observed. Friendships are strengthened, social and polit 
 ical ties are made more binding, and a generous apprecia 
 tion of one another is established by the fact that in public 
 life there is an interdependence among those who are the 
 servants of the people. This is especially true in the rela 
 tions which the members of a State delegation hold to each 
 other, and it is within this circle that the loss of one of the 
 number is most keenly felt. 
 
 GEORGE W. HOUK has passed from us. It is a pleasure, 
 Mr. President, to recall at this time the history of the 
 deceased, who started in life with no exceptional advan 
 tages save those with which nature had provided him, and 
 I will briefly recount some of the chief features of his career. 
 
Life and Character of George W. Honk. 83 
 
 GEORGE W. HOUK was born September 25, 1825, i n Cum 
 berland County, Pa. Three years later the family moved 
 to Dayton, Ohio, and thereafter that community became 
 his permanent home. He was educated in the private 
 schools and institutions of learning located at Dayton, and 
 his excellence in his studies was such that at the early age 
 of eighteen years he became an instructor in the common 
 schools. After a successful experience in this vocation he 
 abandoned teaching for the more ambitious profession of the 
 law. He made the usual preparations, and was admitted 
 to the bar in 1847, devoting himself to the practice with 
 great ability. 
 
 The surroundings in this occupation naturally drew him 
 into politics, and he gathered his first experience in legis 
 lative affairs by being elected to the Ohio house of repre 
 sentatives in 1851. He fully met the expectations of his 
 constituents in this capacity, and he was returned to the 
 legislature for a second term. His legal talents had been 
 so fully demonstrated that he was selected for the impor 
 tant position of chairman of the judiciary committee, a 
 high compliment, considering that he was quite a young 
 man and there were many able lawyers among his older 
 associates. The selection was not an unwise one, as the 
 statutes of Ohio will yet show, many of the existing acts 
 bearing evidence of his broad yet prudent and cautious 
 treatment. 
 
 Upon the expiration of his second term in a legislative 
 capacity Mr. HOUK resumed the practice of law at Dayton, 
 entering into a partnership with Hon. John A. McMahon. 
 This union of interests was so satisfactory that it remained 
 unchanged for a period embracing two decades. 
 
84 Address of Mr. Brice of Ohio. 
 
 As a lawyer and legislator the public had thus become 
 acquainted with Mr. HOUK S marked versatility and ability, 
 and many distinctions came to him unasked and unsolic 
 ited. Twice he was called upon to represent his Demo 
 cratic brethren at national conventions, the first occasion 
 being the Charleston-Baltimore convention in 1860, and 
 later he was made a delegate to the convention held in St. 
 Louis in 1876. It has frequently been the case that the 
 platforms at State Democratic conventions have been the 
 result of his handiwork. On such occasions his good judg 
 ment and literary qualities were invariably valued and ap 
 preciated. His political views from the standpoint of his 
 party were unmistakably sound, and he was also gifted with 
 a wonderful facility of expression, which he had acquired in 
 the broad fields where he had been led by his natural lit 
 erary tastes. Under such circumstances his political asso 
 ciates cheerfully availed themselves of his services in the 
 preparation of declarations of opinion and of future poli 
 cies, a duty in the performance of which he made more 
 evident the depth of his reasoning and the extent of his 
 scholarship. 
 
 The confidence thus bestowed upon him was the out 
 growth of his deserved reputation for integrity and manli 
 ness. Trickery and duplicity were strangers to his nature, 
 and those who once surveyed the sincerity of his motives 
 never had cause for a future doubt. His views in connec 
 tion with political affairs were built on the broad and sub 
 stantial basis of the public welfare, and were not founded 
 in the wavering exigencies of private ambition. 
 
 Outside of the field of politics there were many distin 
 guished honors conferred upon him. As a public speaker 
 
Life and Character of George W. ffouk. 85 
 
 he was frequently designated to address his fellow-citizens 
 on formal occasions, his learning and his fluency combin 
 ing to make him a most pleasing and effective orator, let 
 the event be historical, memorial, or patriotic. 
 
 In 1890 a reapportionment of the Congressional district 
 in Ohio afforded him the opportunity to become a candi 
 date for the national House of Representatives. An active 
 campaign resulted in his election. Returning at a mature 
 age to the duties of a legislator, which he had abandoned 
 in early life, he again fulfilled the confidence placed in him 
 by the people of his district, and in 1892 accepted a re- 
 nomination unanimously tendered, followed by his election 
 to the present Congress. Unhappily the unsparing hand 
 of death interfered to prevent the consummation of this 
 trust. 
 
 Concerning his career in Congress it is needless for me to 
 dwell at length. We are all so recently familiar with his 
 presence here within this Capitol that it is hard to convince 
 ourselves that he is gone. Brought prominently into the 
 service of the country at large, he carried with him to 
 Washington the splendid endowment of education, experi 
 ence, and versatility of which he was possessed. Naturally 
 these qualities could not go unappreciated within the body 
 of which he was a part, and his ripe wisdom, combined with 
 courteous personal manners, won for him the esteem which 
 has been so eloquently voiced by his late associates since his 
 death. 
 
 In the matter of committee work, which is most often 
 the true test of a legislator s value to his country, he was 
 pains-taking, industrious, and thorough. His reputation 
 for clearness and penetration caused him to be placed at the 
 
86 Address of Mr. Brice of Ohio. 
 
 first stage of his Congressional career upon the Committee 
 on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, a position where he 
 would necessarily be called upon to deal with complicated 
 and confusing questions. He was retained in this capacity 
 when the same committee was subsequently reorganized. 
 During the preparations for the World s Columbian Expo 
 sition he was on the committee having that enterprise in 
 charge, and it was in the performance of duties within this 
 sphere that he demonstrated the breadth of his patriotic 
 character by devoting his splendid talents to assuring its 
 success. 
 
 But there is one capacity in which he served his country 
 that it gives me the most pleasure to recite. In the present 
 Congress he acted as a member of the Committee on Pen 
 sions. His natiirally patriotic impulses went unrestrained 
 into the work of securing to deserving veterans the relief 
 which the people of this great Republic desire that they 
 shall have. In the hearts of these old soldiers there exist 
 silent tributes more eloquent than those that we may utter. 
 His life s history is an enduring monument that needs no 
 embellishment by living hands. 
 
 The silent clay of the deceased is insensible to eulogy or 
 panegyric, but he has left to us the pleasant memory of his 
 achievements throughout an honorable and distinguished 
 life. 
 
 The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to 
 the resolutions submitted by the Senator from Ohio. 
 
 The resolutions were unanimously agreed to; and the Sen 
 ate adjourned until Saturday, March 2, 1895, at u o clock 
 a. m. 
 
THIS BOOK MUST BE 
 RETURNED 
 
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