V-'' / Tf 1 M; ^ ' '¦ V GEORGE LEAVENS LILLEY (l)l^ ij,(j GEORGE LEAVENS LILLEY LATE GOVERNOR OF CONNECTICUT MEMORIAL PROCEEDINGS OV THE SENATE AND HOUSE OP REPRESENTATIVES OP THE STATE OF CONNECTICUT IN JOINT CONVENTION MAY 37, 1909 Haktpokd Pcblishbd by the State 1909 JOINT CONVENTION. At the hour of 11.30 o'clock A. M., the Honorable Senate, preceded by the President pro tempore, the Honorable Isaac W. Brooks, and its Clerk, John A. Spafford, entered the Hall of the House and met the House in Joint Convention. The President pro tempore of the Senate presided over the Convention. The Clerk of the Senate and Clerk of the House were secretaries of the Convention. Prayer was offered by the Reverend J. Frederick Sexton, Chaplain of the Senate, as follows: " O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, in whose em brace all creatures live, in whatsoever world or condition they be; we beseech Thee for him whose name and dwelling place and every need Thou knowest; Lord, vouchsafe him light and rest, peace and refreshment, joy and consolation in Paradise, in the companionship of saints, in the presence of Christ, in the ample folds of Thy great love. Grant that his life (so troubled here) may unfold itself in Thy sight, and find a sweet employment in the spacious fields of eternity. If he hath ever been hurt or maimed by any unhappy word or deed of ours, we pray Thee of Thy great pity to heal and restore him, that he may serve Thee without .hindrance. Tell him, O gracious Lord, if it may be, how much we love him, and miss him, and long to see him again; and if there be ways in which he may come, vouchsafe him to us as a guide and guard, and grant us a sense of his nearness in such degree as Thy laws permit. If in aught we can minister to his peace, be pleased of 4 GEORGE LEAVENS LILLEY Thy love to let this be; and mercifully keep us from every act which may deprive us of the sight of him as soon as our trial-time is over, or mar the fullness of our joy when the end of the days hath come. Pardon, 0 gracious Lord, and Father, whatsoever is amiss in this our prayer, and let Thy will be done, for our will is blind and erring, but Thine is able to do exceeding abun dantly above I all that we ask or think; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen." Senator Searls of the Twenty-eighth District offered a resolution concerning the death of the late Governor George L. Lilley, and moved that the resolution be adopted. Senator Searls spoke as follows: Mr. President: It is a remairkable fact that no Connecticut Governor has died in office since the adoption of our Constitution in 1818, so, never since that time, possibly never before in the his tory of the State, has a Joint Convention of the Legislature assembled for the sad purpose which now calls us together. The birth and death of any human being is shrouded in mystery. Our life is ever changing, and yet is changeless. We come from the unknown, and we return whence we came, the mortal part to the embrace of its mother earth, and the immortal to drift out upon that dark and unknown sea that rolls around all the world. This mystery deepens when a man in the strength of his power, known and beloved, hold ing high position in the State, with every promise of many years of important public service, almost without warning lays down his burden and passes beyond the confines, of earth and time. Such a mystery calls us together today. To this mystery is superadded the element of tragedy, I need not weary this Assembly with details which you fully understand ^ and appreciate. Be it enough for me to say that our beloved Governor, after a successful and honorable business career, was induced to accept public office. His rise was rapid. MEMORIAL PROCEEDINGS 5 Elected to the common council of his own city, he later be came a member of the General Assembly, then Congressman- at-Large, and then Governor. Never defeated, he had just fought his greatest fight, had won his greatest victory, and, inspired by the loftiest purpose, had entered upon his high office with the brightest promise of success, and with the good will of a large majority of those who had most bitterly op posed him, when, without warning, in the twinkling of an eye, like a flash of lightning from a clear sky, the bolt fell. His tempest-tossed life was ended, and the State mourns to day the departure of one of its most beloved citizens, its chosen chief magistrate, stricken down in the pride of his intellect, in the vigor of his manhood and in the service of the State. The highest honor that the Roman Senate thought it could bestow upon a citizen was its declaration that he had deserved well of the republic, and the verdict 6£ our people, I believe, will be that our departed friend and honored Gov ernor likewise in his day and generation deserved well of his State. Good men and true who have lived well and served faithfully in the places to which they have been called are beacon lights of our civilization, answering each to each down the illuminated ages. Do these men who have fought a good fight, finished their course, and kept the faith as our lamented Governor has done altogether vanish from the earth when the grave closes upon them ? Apparently, in many instances, " Yes " ; in reality, never. A stone thrown into the ocean makes ripples near the shore as it sinks, and those ripples soon are merged in the wild surges of ocean billows, but that ocean is affected to the farthest shore, although impercepti bly to mortal ken ; so a word is spoken, and is lost tt) human ear, but science teUs us that the vibrations in the ether which they cause expand and expand beyond the confines of this little world, until, passing through illimitable space, they break against the great white throne ; so the worthy life of a worthy man in its results is imperishable. Governor Lilley^s work is done, and well done, and will live after him. Never shall I forget the afternoon when his body was laid to rest (3 GEORGE LEAVENS LILLEY in the beautiful cemetery adjoining the city of his adoption and his love, where most of his life work was done, the immense concourse of people, the hush that could be felt, the last sad rites, taps, the rays of the setting sun falling upon his open grave as if in benediction, and then, sadly departing, we left him alone with his God. There let him sldep with friend and neighbor around till through the air the Angel of the Resurrection flies. Peace to his ashes, honor to his memory, rest to his soul. Representative Knight of Salisbury spoke as foUows: Mr. President: I have never so keenly regretted my inability to make an effective speech as I do at this moment, when, as a personal and a political friend of Governor Lilley I have both the opportunity and the desire to honor his memory. The friends of Governor Lilley have found him scrupu lously honest, direct, courteous, singularly free from sus picion of men or motives, slow in criticism, and without a trace of malice. Even the scorching fire of the contest for the governorship left him without any desire for revenge upon his political enemies. His closest friends, those with whom he talked of the future most frankly knew this for a fact. The fiery ordeal through which he passed seemed to have burned out of him any political dross with which he might have started, and left him with but one purpose — to serve the best interests of the State he loved with his whole heart and to the utmost of his ability. "What that ability was we all know. However we may differ about the man there can be but one opinion about his unusual equipment. A keen sense of justice and a remarkable quality of plain common sense were his distinguishing traits ; added to these were clear insight, boundless energy, untiring industry and a genius for friendship. An enthusiastic student of men and events, he possessed within himself the characteristics which MEMORIAL PROCEEDINGS fj make men natural and successful leaders in any country. The price which he paid for the opportunity for such leader ship among us, fills, and must continue to fill, both his friends and his opponents with unspeakable regret. He lasted till the race was well won and then he succumbed — spent — not by honest competition, nor the length of the course, nor the legitimate tension of the contest, but by the unfair obstacles thrown on the track from the side lines. Every game but the game of politics is, in the interests of fair play, safeguarded by certain rules; even prize fighting has its hard and fast rules of where a man shall be hit, and how. The whole civil ized world has a prejudice in favor of fighting its battles in the open — facing the enemy. Both sides in a confiict deplore guerrilla warfare. Both sides have a contempt for spies and traitors, enemies mas querading as friends, however valuable the information they may bring. It is only in this greatest contest of all — this game we call politics — which should bring into service all the loyalty and patriotism and fair-mindness of which man is capable, that victory at any price, with any weapons no matter how unworthy, is countenanced, and so we have the spectacle of men entering our State service with ideals shattered, with manhood insulted and outraged, with faith in human nature replaced by suspicion and contempt, and if we are to believe the opposition, with characters far better fitted for service in the penitentiary than in the highest offices in the gift of the people. Mr. President, Gentlemen of the General Assembly, when we turned sorrowfully away from the last resting place of Governor Lilley, after days of the most sincere and im pressive tributes ever paid to any governor by any State, we all felt that no further word could be added to those so eloquently spoken, no tribute of honor remained unpaid to one whom the whole State *noumed and many of us loved. But there is one service remaining, which we as a body may rightfully take upon ourselves. As members of the 8 GEORGE LEAVENS LILLEY ' General Assembly we represent the entire State. Our po litical influence for the time being reaches like a network over every city, town and village within its boundaries; we have it in our power to strike a concerted, and therefore an effective blow for clean politics and upright methods from this day forth. Let every man here take the responsi bility of his own section upon himself. Let him insist that the best man with the cleanest record shall be the suc cessful candidate, and then, Mr. President, the members of this General Assembly shall not only have helped bring victory out of calamity, but they will have erected the best and the most enduring monument within their power to the memory of Governor George L. Lilley. Senator Luther of the First District spoke as follows: Mr. Speaker: Sometimes death seems a natural thing, because it ap pears like the gathering in of the harvest. A man has lived a long life, has served his generation. Then, little by little, the power fades away, the body is bent and shriveled, the steps wander slowly toward the grave and we say that a life is complete. Nature provides that the old man shall walk without fear and without repining into the chill shadows that hide whatever may be his later destiny. And again, death may come so early that the mourners, when their keenest grief has been assuaged, think of all the changes and chances of mortal life that have been, escaped, and so they are content. We watch the plucking of the ripened fruit and the fall of spring-time's blossom with something that is an approach to comprehension. Over the old man's grave we write the word " faith," and to the mother,, crying, with her dead baby on her knees, we speak of innocence, of the fairer life that may be hereafter. Not so easy is it to be reconciled when a life is cut off in mid career. A man through great tribulation reaches some point of vantage where there is opportunity for extraordi- MEMORIAL PROCEEDINGS 0 nary service; he squares himself for conflict or for labor; he plans great and useful enterprises for human betterment. Then the call resounds, the soul goes back to God who gave it, the tool falls from the dying hand. With tasks all un accomplished and life not half lived the end crowds the beginning. This, I think, is about the most inexplicable of the dif ficult things in human experience. Why is one taken away when he is apparently entering upon a season rich in ad vancement for himself and for all within his influence ? It is this feeling more than any other that has brought us here today. Many here present are thinking of a close personal friend whose bodily form they shall see no more. All are ready to join in such respectful tribute as is seemly when a chosen leader is taken away. All, also, are full of sym pathy for the mourning widow and her sons. But, dominat ing all else, is there not this greater sentiment of common loss in the removal of a master workman called away from a task but yesterday undertaken. We know, indeed, that the work to which the dead leader set himself is not to remain undone. Another hand carries the flag, another voice is upraised in counsel. Loyally do we who are here today pledge our allegiance and give as surance of our confidence to the man who inherits an un sought task and undertakes unexpected duties in the service of the State. Him do we salute and him we promise fealty. No; the commonwealth will not cease its march nor will the people hesitate because of the deep tragedy of these re cent months. A government of the people is above any person whatsoever. But a government of the people suffers whenever any part of its strength is removed, and specially if one called upon to express the will of the people cannot fulfill his task. Yes ; this is what we are thinking — " The pity of it," " The pity of it." We gave to one of ourselves honor, dignity, the opportunity for splendid service. He accepted his commission and began his work honorably, with dignity, 10 GEORGE LEAVENS LILLEY devotedly. Then his Maker called him away. Were I in a, pulpit rather than in a hall of legislation it would be proper to explain how a religious faith helps us to understand even such an ordering of Divine Providence, As it is, each one for himself thinks and must think of whatever lessons he has learned in studying the mysteries of life and death. We aU believe, I. take it, that this life is not the whole. We can dimly comprehend that service does not cease with death, but that both in this world and in the world to come the life of man works out infinite and in scrutable purposes of good. These intimations of things too great for human wdsdom come to us seldom, perhaps, but surely. Like the fiash of some white-winged bird of the night, flitting out of the darkness and into the darkness; like the sound of a solitary trumpet, startling in the midst of a great silmce; like the gleam of a single star from the zenith of a clouded sky so hopes and aspirations and as surances visit and cheer the sorrowful souls of us all. Thus we learn that all of good in a human life counts for the uplift of mankind to all eternity. Thus we find our con fidence confirmed that man's work (Joes not cease when his activities are transferred to a world invisible. This man whose untimely taking off we mourn had filled and was filling a large place in the political life of Con necticut, And when I use the words " political life " I refer to about the highest expression of the consciousness of human brotherhood. It is of politics through which is achieved and must be achieved every step in human progress. Politics is not a selfish scramble for advantage, it is not an arena for the coatention of the baser elements in human nature, not for the profession of the insincere. It is the opportunity of our best and greatest, it is the divinely ordered progress of evolution. In the world of politics is found indeed much that is base, somewhat that is foul. This because men are sinners. But politics is the one best occupation for lovers of their fellow-men. Our late governor was a politician. He busied himself largely in public af- MEMORIAL PROCEEDINGS H fairs. He concerned himself much with matters that should be of the highest interest to every American and should engage the service of all loyal citizens. His career was stormy. He made bitter enemies and devoted friends. His last year or two of life was spent in the midst of tumult and the shouting of manifold voices. Here in this chamber he proclaimed but yesterday his resolute purpose to lead the people of this commonwealth, if they would follow hini, along what seemed to him the path of progress. He an nounced a purpose to undertake, not that reform which is content with fault-finding, but an effort toward unceasing betterment which is the condition of all healthful life. He died with it all unaccomplished. His aspirations, hopes, ambitions, plans were not to be fulfilled by himself. This is the dark tragedy of today. The brighter side we shall realize if we resolve that whatever of high purpose and resolution animated our leader's soul shall find its expression in our words and acts. We shall best record our sympathy if we consecrate our public service to the completion of great undertakings in the interest of the people who called our governor to lead them. We may think one further thought at least; we may re solve that from this day forward we will be kind in public speech, slow to wrath, unwilling to believe evil. Taking a lesson from the finest feature in George Lilley's stormy life, from the dignity of its last half-year, from his silence when silence must have been difficult, from his unembittered at titude toward all the people, we may begin an era of kind ness toward each other, of faith in each other's sincerity of purpose, which will count mightily in the upbuilding of a loftier standard in all our public life. And may it not be thus a death shall accomplish things too great for life? 12 GEORGE LEAVENS LILLEY Mr. E. S. Banks of Fairfield, Speaker of the House of Representatives, spoke as follows: Mr. President: I am numbered among those who believe that the only fame of any endurance is that which comes from our work, from our deeds, and that such fame cannot be enhanced by 1«he eulogies of our friends. " By their fruits ye shall know them " is a maxim as true today as when spoken nearly two thousand years ago, and yet in this special case it is fitting that these exercises should be held, less in eulogy of the dead than in commemoration of the living, for Governor Lilley's life is a singular example of devotion to duty, and after all, no eulogy, no matter with what beauty of expression it may be adorned, is greater than this : " He did his duty as he saw it." He was a strong man, too, Mr. President, strong and steadfast in his purpose and in his ambition. The chief office of the Commonwealth came to him, not by chance, not by accident, but it came to him as the victory of a strenuous and vituperative political contest. Even, Mr. President, in these days it happens that slander and abuse is the portion of the strong man who enters public life, but Mr. President, he was at all times mindful of his duty, he hearkened to the call of duty and followed wheresoever the still, small voice seemed to him to lead, and without regard to consequences to himself. My acquaintance with George L. Lilley began in 1901, when he and I came as freshmen to this House, and I have often recalled an incident which took place during that ses sion. He was a member of the Committee on Railroads and that Committee had made a unanimous report in favor of a certain measure ; a member of the House in a vigorous speech opposed that report, and during that speech Mr. Lilley was an attentive listener, and immediately upon the close of the speech he said he was convinced that he had been wrong in his decision, and he should be compelled to vote against his Committee's report. That act, Mr. President, without hesitation, without calculation, without consultation, was a MEMORIAL PROCEEDINGS ^3 characteristic manifestation of a kind of courage which im pelled him to admit of the right when he thought he saw it, as on a later occasion he cried out when he saw the right but before he had assembled the evidence to prove it was the right. It seems but yesterday that he was with us sharing our burdens and encouraging our work, but a transition which we call death has taken place and he has gone forth, leaving us the splendid example of his life. Whence he came we know not, whither he went we know not, as we know not whence we came or whither we shall go, but this satisfaction we shall have, he has gone to that place, wherever its loca tion, where go the souls of those who do their duty here. Representative Higgins of Winchester spoke as follows : Mr. President: In support of the resolutions which have, been presented in commemoration of the memory of our late lamented Gov ernor, George L. Lilley, as a member of a different political party from that to which he belonged, I desire to unquali fiedly endorse every sentiment expressed in those resolutions, and to add a few simple words of tribute, based upon a per sonal observation and study of his career in public life dur ing the past decade. I may say at the outset, however, that I realize my own limitations and inability to adequately express the senti ments of esteem and admiration which I hold for the courage and fearless adherence to duty in public office, of the man whose death we mourn and whose memory will be cherished for years yet to come. Possibly no man in public life in this commonwealth has ever had a more strenuous, and I might say, bitter opposition, from the press, the pulpit and the platform than George L. Lilley, yet he lived to overcome it all. In the face of bitter attacks, the electorate of one of the most conservative states in the union elevated him to the 14 GEORGE LEAVENS LILLEY position of its chief executive. After taking the solemn oath of office and donning the robes of power, he, in the short time allotted to him, demonstrated that as a servant of the people, his commendable ambition and purpose was to faithfully discharge the duties of his office, irrespective of powerful contending influences. Mr. Lilley was human, he had his faults, he may have made mistakes, and I do not contend that he was possessed of greater intellectual powers, moral stamina or statesman-^ like ability than many other of Connecticut's illustrious sons, but that which was in him, the finer fibers of his human nature, rose above the petty turmoils of his day, and with the courage of his convictions he manfully stood for those higher ideals of good citizenship which are the great bul warks of our nation's greatness, and against the possibly conscientious but apparently misguided onslaught of bitter attack, won a splendid victory; not merely the victory of office, but the victory of winning many of those who were opposed to him as his ardent admirers, and of gaining the good will and esteem of his fellowmen. President Taft recently stated that one of the most im portant powers of the president was the appointment of good men on the Federal Judiciary; such may be said of the governor of the state, one of the most important duties for him to perform is the nomination of good men for judges of our higher courts, and with eminent fairness to political parties and credit to the State which he loved, Governor Lilley made his judicial nominations and promotions, which were received with universal approval. Governor Lilley was made of clear grit, he possessed the power not only to save himself, but the even greater power to give himself, When he saw something to be done which he knew he ought to do, he did not count the cost, but like a valiant soldier, courageously assumed the task. A man whose activities in life could have engendered such turbulent opposition, and whose death, within a few brief months, could have caused such imiversal sorrow, must, of MEMORIAL PROCEEDINGS 15 necessity, figure in the history of his time ; and as time goes on, and the sunlight of truth reveals the real situation, his name, like the flower whose name he bore, will grow in splendor, and remain on the pages of history as one of Con necticut's noted men. When we listen to all the good things that are now being said of him, and the honest tributes that are now being paid to his memory, it forces upon us a realization of the frailty of human nature which too many times waits until the ears no longer hear and the voice is stilled in death, before speaking that which would gladden the heart and lighten life's burdens. He may have occupied but a short space of time in this transitory life, but life's success is not measured by years. His was a life of strenuous activity, his record worthy of eniulation and an honorable heritage to his descendants; he so lived that he died regretted, and so died that he will live after death. Mr. President, we mourn the loss of a good governor, and I feel that the resolutions should, and will, receive the unani mous support of every member of this General Assembly. Representative Malone of Bristol spoke as follows: Mr. President: " Strange, is it not, that of the myriads who Before us pass the door of darkness through, • Not one returns to tell us of the road Which to discover we must travel too." So wrote the Persian poet centuries ago, and we, with all our learning, all our advancement in science, literature, and art, are today no wiser concerning the mystery of death than when old Omar fell asleep. We are told that the true measurement of the giant oak can best be taken when it is down. So it is with the lives of men. In the presence of death all men are impartial. Then envy has no hope to actuate it, malice has no ambition to support it, ambition sees no genius in its path. History then be- IG GEORGE LEAVENS LILLEY comes an unbiased witness. It is only after life's struggles are over that man can best be judged. In life we often strive for place, power and wealth. They are as fleeting as the shadows. It is only the character that a man builds that he is privileged to transmit as a lasting legacy to posterity. We have assembled today in accordance with legislative enactment to pay another tribute of love and affection, of honor and esteem, to the memory of him who has gone before us into the world of eternal life, and who but yesterday was the chief magistrate of our Commonwealth. The career of George L. Lilley was typically American, for under adverse conditions and with unwearying resolution he worked his way to high estate. He possessed the judg ment to select the right course and never hesitated to pursue it. He feared not to do a public duty at personal hazard. He was an admirer of the high character and splendid type of the men that were instrumental in the early settle ment and development of Connecticut, and of the representa tive form of government which they established and main tained. We honor his memory, and as in the case of other men who have struggled for the right, his career symbolizes the careers of those men who since our national existence began have come to the front to risk everything, even life itself, and to spend the days of their strongest manhood in conflict for an ideal. True to the principles which animated them, we can now appreciate and understand the great injustice that was attempted against him. - Not what men say but what they do measures their useful ness. Principle without practice or example is of little force in the world. The example of a man who walks up right before God and man is worth a thousand sermons from the lips of an eloquent divine. The man on the battlefield who keeps his face to the foe, stands steadfast in the line of battle, and dies, if need be, to maintain it, does more to win the victory than inspiring words of command and encour- MEMORIAL PROCEEDINGS lY agement from all the regimental officers. It is the man who says " Come ! " and then goes, who leads to victory. We should keep steadfastly before our minds the fact that this Americanism which George L. Lilley typified is a ques tion of principle, of purpose, and of character ; that it is not a matter of birthplace, or creed, or line of descent. Here in this country the representatives of many old world races are being fused together into a new type, the main features of which were determined at the time of the Revo lutionary War, for the crucible in which all the new types are melted into one was shaped from 1776 to 1789, and our nationality was definitely fixed in all its essentials by the men of Washington's day. The strains will not continue to exist separately in this country as in the old world. They will be combined in one, and of this new type those men will best represent what is loftiest in the nation's past and what is finest in her hope for the future who stand each solely on, his work as a man, who refuse to submit to wrongdoing themselves, who never fear to fight when fighting is demanded by a sound and high morality, but who hope by their lives to bring ever nearer the day when justice shall prevail within the confines of our common country. If we remember these things the life of George L. Lilley will not have been lived in vain. Representative Bartlett of Bridgeport spoke as follows : Mr. President: In speaking of the resolution and to pay a tribute to the memory of George Leavens Lilley, I realize how futile it is to attempt by words to portray the feelings of the people of this State, whose governor he was and of those who knew him intimately and loved him for his personal worth, when the news came that he had passed into the shadow. The mantle of sorrow hung darkly over all. The tenderest senti ments in the choicest rhetorical gems are inadequate to ex- 3 18 GEORGE LEAVENS LILLEY press the sorrow felt at his passing away. Could I give utterance to the expressions of sorrow and of sympathy for the aged mother, the devoted wife, the three noble sons and for those near and dear to him the memory of their dead governor would be embalmed in the rarest garlands. Could I express the true feelings of men who knew his career in public life and as our governor; of faithful service to the State, rich in triumphs and good deeds, and of death in that service and for his State, it would be the hope that this life might be long remembered and its example the means of inciting others to higher aims and loftier purposes and that the influence of his life might live on and on through the long, rolling, ceaseless waves of time. Could I have looked into the hearts of some I would, I am certain, find a sincere desire to right a great wrong done, and, if it were in their ppwer to recall him, kind words would soothe the brave though tired heart instead of the venomous tongue of slan der being hurled pitilessly against him, " Misunderstanding hurled its venomed dart. The poisoned fang of jealousy struck deep And bruised and pierced the brave and noble heart, Until God's mercy healed the wound in dreamless sleep. The cruel sting of censure and of bitter words, Begot of envy and born of greed Are like the fierce and evil omened birds That perch on every wounded thing and vilely feed. Ingratitude struck hard and did its work too well, And traitorous tongues unearned reproach did speak Until with broken heart the fighter fell. For whom a State , in sorrow bows and weeps." He has passed beyond the effect of our praise or cen sure. What we will remember and cherish must be of his life and as we knew him here, a devoted husband and father, a faithful friend, a true citizen, a God-fearing man, with a splendid life record, true of promise, free of reward, en compassed by all the few years of life allotted him, A life, Mr. President, all too short, but a beautiful life, much of it spent in an unostenatious way, in doing good ; scattering flowers in the pathway of those walking in the dark places of life by giving them the sunshine of human sympathy and MEMORIAL PROCEEDINGS 19 human helpfulness, a perfect example of the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man. It was my great honor to be a member of the military family of Governor Lilley, serving as an aide on his staff as commander in chief. Although fate decreed that the re lation thus created should not long continue, during the short time it did exist his noble character and lovable qualities so endeared him to me that his loss to me is, as I know it is to every member of his staff, the loss of a dear friend, George Lilley was a brave man and died a brave man, and as brave men die. He had no fear of death, yet he loved life, and his chief regret when the end came was the parting with loved ones here and that his life must close with so many things left unfinished. The crisis he has met and passed awaits us all. Can we stand at the open door of an end less future and cast all doubts and fears aside ? No traveler has ever returned to tell us whether the way is dark and dreary or if stars shine. Yet when the final summons came, and George Lilley knew the end was drawing near, he met that crisis without fear, and as the shadows steal at evening over the earth, softly closing the flowers, touching them to sleep silently and lovingly in the promise of a bright awaken ing, he passed to a peaceful sleep and to that glorious horizon of eternal peace behind whose shining drapery exists the great forever where every soul must claim its everlasting home. The resolution was then adopted unanimously by a rising vote. The following is the resolution : State of Connecticut, General Assembly, January Session, A. D. 1909. JOINT CONVENTION. Whereas, pursuant to a joint resolution heretofore unani mously passed by this General Assembly, having for its ob- 20 GEORGE LEAVENS LILLEY ject appropriate legislative action concerning the death of Governor Lilley, the Senate and House of Representatives are in joint convention assembled for the purpose in said resolution expressed. Therefore, Resolved, That we realize, with profound sorrow, the irrep arable loss which Connecticut has sustained in the death of its beloved chief magistrate, Governor George L. Lilley. We are deeply sensible that his removal from us, so soon after his induction into office, and in the maturity of his years, has deprived the State of the invaluable services of one of its most wise, able, and loyal sons. We appreciatively call to mind his solemn pledge that every duty which might devolve upon him as governor would be by him performed without fear or favor and with an eye single to the public weal, and we remember with pride and satisfaction how strong is the evidence presented by his short career that such pledge, had his life been spared, would have been by him conscientiously and faithfully kept, so that his administration would have redounded to his own honor and conserved the highest interests of the State. We voice our abiding conviction that the people of this Commonwealth will ever hold his name in reverent memory. We extend to the wife and family of our late governor the sincere assurance of our sympathy and the sympathy of all the people of the State, whose representatives we are, believing that the grief which they must necessarily endure will be alleviated by the thought that the husband and father has left behind him for their heritage the record of a well-spent life. Resolved, That these resolutions be spread at length upon the Journal of each House, and that an engrossed copy of them be transmitted to the family of Governor Lilley. MEMORIAL PROCEEDINGS 21 Mr. Hayes of Water bury then introduced the following resolution, and moved that it be adopted: Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives in Joint Convention assembled : Whereas, the eulogy delivered by former Governor George P. McLean on the occasion of the funeral ceremonies of the late Governor George L. Lilley most eloquently voiced the tribute of honor and respect paid by the entire State to the memory of our late Governor George L. Lilley, and was a fitting and adequate appreciation of the life and public services of our late Governor. Now, therefore, Be it Resolved : That the eulogy of the Honorable George P. McLean, in the words following, be made a part of the record of this Joint .Convention and be printed in the journals of both Houses of the General Assembly: We are gathered here today, my friends, as men have gathered in the past, and will gather in the future when touched by the sorrow of nature's final and deepest mystery. In all the ways of life; from the proud gates of what men call success, from the humble door of what men call failure, we stand today together, broken and baffled before the veil no human hand can raise, and behind which are the pages no human tongue can read. But yesterday hfe was our living fellow man, bending his body and his brain to the service of the State he loved. With strength far spent, with tired head and tired heart, he thought of neither rest or cure. He lived to vindicate his friends, and to do his duty. This was the single hope of his courageous soul, and in the fulfill ment of this hope, fear of death and love of life have no part. This loyalty to duty was his chief inheritance. He kept the talents that God gave him as far from the napkin of idleness as any man in his generation. In his youth he worked inc^santly for himself and those he loved. Later, 22 GEORGE LEAVENS LILLEY he took an active interest in public matters, first at home, then here, and afterwards in Washington. His efforts in public life ran in complete harmony with his dominant natural characteristics, thrift, economy and honesty in the expenditure of public funds. He knew, as we all know, that money sometimes sits too high and integrity sometimes sits too low in the councils of the nation. He knew, as we all know, that the nation or state or society, however large or ¦ small, that prefers money to character, never can, never has and never will endure. He had the courage always to raise his voice in protest. Once he raised his voice alone in a matter of vital importance to his country, and that voice was drowned in a tumult of censure and abuse. Single-handed he had the courage to try to reach the truth, which never hurts an honest man or honest men, and the only door that led to the whole truth was closed by those that had the power to dose it and defeat his purpose. In the opinion of some men of honest intent he made a grave mistake, and the censure he received was justified. In the opinion of other men, of equally honest intent, this one failure should have been and still may be his crowning achievement. He gladly accorded to his disinterested critics absolute honesty of purpose, and they will now as gladly be as just to him. Two days before his strength failed him he said to me : " I do not expect to live very long, but if God gives me length of days I shall devote them all to the prevention and punishment of chicane and extravagance iii the use of money of the people." Judged by his deeds and words, he gave his life to wisdom and to duty. We mourn today because that life was precious and useful, and we think it ended all too soon for him and us. And yet we know his death was not the sacrifice to self that folly loves. Unworthy ambition falters at the tomb. He saw the grave in time to turn aside. He had hours, days, long months in which to choose between his duty to himself MEMORIAL PROCEEDINGS 23 and his duty to his State and friends. He made the choice that only brave men make, and won as only good men win. And so, my friends, if there be aught but chance in change less law and harmony — if life and love and rounded earth and shining star have other cause than black and shapeless accident, if truth itself be not the mocking spawn of false hood — then his life was long, and this is his hour of victory, complete, eternal victory. Shall we who linger on in cautious comedy, guarding with a miser's zeal our little hoard of human hours, as we con template this life that drew the coward bolts of self and took the path that only heroes take, mingle our tears with pity or envy ? Was not this life long indeed, and will it not give high inspiration to his sons which no temptation can ever weaken? Will not it give love and comfort unspeakable to the wife and mother, and strength to all of us ? Life is a mission, the life that is worth living. Life is measured by what it gives and not by what it takes. The life that lacks an aim, an unselfish ideal, lacks everything, and the man that has a lofty purpose, and lives for it, does well, but the man that has such a purpose and dies for it, does all that can be done in this or any other world. Tnie to his ideal and in triumphant tragedy, he has written his name high in the history of the State and deep in the affection of his fellow men. And now, as we must with sor rowing hearts and loving hands bear away all that is mortal, shall we not with a ' stronger faith cherish that which is im mortal ? Shall we not see with a clearer vision that His wiU, not ours, is done on earth, and that it is in this darkest hour of what we call death He gives his children sight to see the light that never fails ? And be it Further Resolved: That the Clerks of this Joint Convention be instructed to transmit a copy of this resolution, suitably engrossed, to the family of the late Governor. 24 GEORGE LEAVENS LILLEY The resolution was discussed by Mr. Hayes of Waterbury. The resolution was adopted unanimously by a rising vote. Upon motion of Senator Searls of the Twenty-eighth Dis trict, the convention was dissolved. The President then dissolved the convention, and the Senate withdrew. Respectively submitted, ELMORE S. BANKS, Speaker. OCT 15 1908 J GBORGB L. LILLBY^m GONGRBSS. Findings ot eommittee of Investigation : Approved by National House of Representatives May 20, 19O8. After a careful examination and analysis of all the evidence and an exhaii" tive review of all the legal and parliamentary decisions bearing upon tlie questioi.s involved, your committee unanimously find and report: First — That House resolution 255, introduced by Mr.Lilley, was an impotent resolution, and no evidence could have been compelled thereunder, and that this investigation required the adoption of House resolution 388 of the Committee on Rules, under which the inquiry has proceeded. Second — That Mr. Lilley's resolution was not introduced in good faith. Third — That Mr. Lilley had no information to justify his charges made before the Committee on Rules Fourth — That Mr. Lilley acted in bad faith in making his charges before the Committee on Rules. Fifth — That Mr. Lilley acted In bad faith in stating before this committee that he liad made no charge reflecting upon members, of the house before the Committee on Rules. Sixth — That Mr. Lilley allowed himself to be used as an instrument of the Lake Torpedo Boat Co. in its rivalry and attack upon a competing company. Seventh — That Mr. Lilley's real object in introducing his resolution and mak ing his charges was the same as the purpose of the "propaganda" of the Lake Torpedo Boat Co., namely, the defeat of the clause in the Naval committee's bill relating to submarines. Eighth — That Mr.Lilley acted in bad faith in concealing from your committee the re 1 1 parties in interest who were behind this investigation and furnishing him with information and evidence Ninth — That the charge that the four battleships proposition was defeated by the adoption of the submarine clause in the Naval committee's bill was false ; that Mr. Lilley, as a nipmber of tlie Naval committee, knew that the charge was false, and that he refused to maintain the charge before this commiDtee. Tenth — That Representative Loud was made the object of anonymous charges that were without foundation in fact. Eleventh — That Mr. Lilley violated his obligation as a member of this house in, formulating and urging before this committee the groundless charge against Representative Loud. Twelfth — Tliat Mr. Lilley acted in contempt of this house in destroying the forged letter from Webster to Bdinborough instead of.delivering it to this com mittee. Thirteenth — That Mr. Lilley violated his obligations as a member of this house in permitting his clerk to send out letters in Mr. Lilley's name reflecting upon the honor and integrity of members of this house. Fourteenth— That Mr. Lilley acted in contempt of this house in not disavow ing openly upon the floor of the house the letter to Goflf, published over his signa ture, reflecting upon the honor and integrity of members of this house. I^ifteenth— That no official of the navy has been induced by the officers of the Electric Boat Co. , or anyone else, to act in his official capacity from corrupt or im proper motives. Sixteenth — That Mr. Lilley's charge of excessive proflts in the submarine con tracts was based on fictitious figures, composed by an agent of the Lake Torpedo Boat Co. by a perversion of the testimony of Admiral Bowles in 1903. Seventeenth — That the charge that an excessive profit in the submarine con tracts was due to special and exclusive legislation in favor of one company was false, and Mr. Lilley knew that the charge was false when he made it. Eighteenth — That no representatives of the press have been bribed or cor rupted by the Electric Boat Co. Nineteenth — That no member of the committee on Naval aflfaiis ha.s been in duced by the officers of the Electric Boat Co. or anyone else to act in his official capacity from corrupt or improper motives. Twentieth — That no member of this house has been induced by Ine officers of the Electric Boat Co. , or anyone else to act in his official capacity from corrupt or improper motives. Twenty flrtit — That the only two attorneys employed by the Electric Boat Co. in the districts of members of the Naval committee, and remote from tlie busimss of said company, did not exercise a corrupting influence upon either Mr. Lilley or Mr. Loud, in whose districts they lived. Twenty second — That no campaign of other contributions were made by the Electric Boat Co. to any member of this house or to any campaign co.umittee or fund of any political party. Twenty-third — That Mr. Lilley has sworn repeatedly, including his last ap pearance before this committee, that he had no further suggestions, facts, or sources of information, and that he had withheld fi'om the committee notliing that would tend to sustain his charges Henry Sherman Boutell, Frederick C. Stevens, Marlin E. Olmsted, William M, Howard, R. F. Broussard. The highest authority in the United States has certified that the above committee was selected from the best men in Congress. What are the salient points disclosed by the report which make severity of expression justifiable and necessary ? Mr. Lilley after putting forth in various ways his suspicions of the integrity of certain members of congress, suddenly begins a "yellow" journal attack and demands an investigation of the methods employed by the Electric Boat Co. in connection with legislation before congress using this language in part : "The Electric Boat Cg. has been a stench in the nostrils of the country for years, and, in my opinion, it has done more to corrupt legislation than all the other corporations on earth. I think the membership of this house is of the very highest (luality and that they are the best men usually from the districts from which tiiey come, but with a flock of 383 here it would bo strange if there were not wme sheep in it that had the foot-rot or scabies." Crude as this language is, it contains a very grave reflection upon his oolle3.gues^ But as Mr. Lilley said, "I assure you, gentlemen, I am not talking upon hearsay and I know that I can prove these things," the investigation was ordered bef dre a committee of five members of the house, men of great distinction in congress, and none of them implicated in Mr. Lilley's charges. The committee sat nearly two months. "AU witnesses named by Mr. Lilley were summoned, all lines of inquiry suggested by Mr. Lilley were followed out, and all pertinent questions submitted by him were rigidiv pressed upon all of the witnesses. The number of written questions submitted by him to certain witnesses exceeded 200." It developed that Mr. Lilley's "facts" of which he had stated that he was not "talking upon hearsay" were largely "newspaper reports, illogical assumptions, ru mors, suspicions and misstatesments too often stubbornly adhered to," in general, such stuff as small minds prone to innuendo and suspicion feed upon as truth. The charges of corrupt acts or corrupt influences not only were not proved but were shown to be without foundation. For example, note the case of Congressman Loud of Michigan, member of the Naval committee, against whom Mr Lilley avowed his suspicions. His proofs were articles in Michigan papers ba:ed upon anonjmous letters from Wa-hington to a Detroit newspaper, and an anonymous letter of similar import to a man named Edinborough of Michigan, candidate for Congress against Mr. Loud. Edin- borougb also received a forged letter from Washington upon tho same subject. The committee, by clever detective work, discovered the source of these letters and by sworn confessions of their authors it was found that the two anonymous letters were written byan employe and agent of Simon Lake of the Lake Torpedo Co., Lilley's friends and backers, and the forged letter was written by oneWebster, Mr. Lilley's own secretary. When Edinboiough brought his forged letter to Mr. Lilley he destroyed it instead of taking it to the committee and the next day Ed inborough committed perjury when asked about it. The committee comments upon this action as follows : "This committee can not decide which was the most despicable act, Webster's in writing the forged letter, Mr. Lilley's in destroying it or Edinborough 's in swearing that he never received it." And again, "It is characteristic of Mr. Lillty's attitude toward the house and his colleagues through all these proceedings that when he learned his suspicions of Representative Loud were groundless and were created by the secret attack of an unscrupulous schemer, he has never up to the present time, expressed his gratification at the removal of the cloud which hung over his colleague, or made to him any apology." The result of the investigation would be farcical except for the unhealed woundsof those public men unjustly attacked, and except especially for the pit iful expose of the utter lack of high-mindedness and moral sensitiveness which characterized Mr. Lilley's conduct through the whole investigation. In defence of Mr. Lilley and to excite sympathy for him it has been hinted that if the procedure had been difl'erent, or if Mr. Lilley had not been hampered, etc., he would have made a b-tter showing. The committee states that the procedure was the regular procedure established by preceding investigations in congress and that Mr. Lilley wa.s deprived of no right or just privilege. However, the real issue is not what Mr. Lilley might, could or would have discovered. The real issue is the unworthy character of Mr. Lilley as made manifest by his own statements and sworn testimony and that of his backers and friendc. No method of procedure or hampering could make an honorable man deceitful and untruthful, or make him continually inaccurate under oath, as Mr. Lilley was over and over again proved to have been. Nor could they force au honorable man to stab the reputation of colleagues by innuendo, by vague hints in tlie news papers, nnd by letters written in his ofSce by his own secretary and signed with hie own carefully imitated signature (?)— letters of which he had knowledge but only disavowed by him long after their despicable purpose had been accomplished. Read the committee's words: "It is difficult to recontjile the declarations with the acts of Mr. Lilley. Indeed they can only be reconciled by considering the recklessness with which he makes all charges which are calculated to pro^e the particular thing he desires to prove at th« particular moment, or perhaps they can be reconciled through that convenience of his memory which will not permit him to remember anything not in keeping with the particular thing he desires to prove." Again, "It is only necessary in this case to state the facts as Mr. Lilley himself has testified, to show the insincerity and deliberate falseness of his position." Again, "To testify in many instances with the inaccuracy that cannot be explained in any manner creditable to him," Again, "This interview mu,<'««^^T-:-flM»fi-