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64th Congress)
2d Session J
SENATE
fDoCCMENT
I No. 745
EDWIN CHICK BURLEIGH
( Late a Senator from Maine)
MEMORIAL ADDRESSES
DELIVERED IN THE SENATE
AND THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
OF THE UNITED STATES
SIXTY-FOURTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
Proceedings in the Senate
February 18, 1917
Proceedings in the House
February 25, 1917
PREPARED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF
THE JOINT COMMITTEE ON PRINTING
] 9-^1^13
WASfflNGTON
1917
0. of D.
MAY 16 1918
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Proceedings in the Senate 5
Prayer by Rev. Forrest J. Pretty man, D. D 5
Memorial addresses by —
Mr. Charles F. Johnson, of Maine 9
- Mr. Jacob H. Gallingcr, of New Hampshire 19
Mr. Wesley L. Jones, of Washington 22
Mr. Bert M. Fernald, of Maine 25
Proceedings in the House 29
Prayer by Rev. Henry N. Couden, D. D 31
Memorial addresses by —
Mr. Frank E. Guernsey, of Maine 33
Mr. John A. Peters, of Maine 38
Mr. Halvor Steenerson, of Minnesota 45
Mr. Richard W. Austin, of Tennessee 48
Mr. John L. Burnett, of Alabama 50
Mr. Daniel J. McGillicuddy, of Maine 53
Mr. Julius Kahn, of California 57
[3]
HON. EDWIN C. BURLEIGH
DEATH OF HON. EDWIN CHICK BURLEIGH
Proceedings in the Senate
Monday. June 19, 1916.
The Chaplain, Rev. Forrest J. Prettyman, D. D., offered
the following prayer:
Almighty God, we come to Thee not with costly oblation
or with bleeding sacrifice. We come, we trust, with an
humble and contrite spirit, lifting up our hearts to Thee
for Thy blessing. We remember Thy goodness to us as a
Nation. We acknowledge the infinite debt of gratitude
we are under to Thee.
Since we have riiet together Thou hast called into the
great beyond an honored Member of tliis Senate. We
thank God for the long life of service that he has given
to his country. We thank Thee that in departing he has
left us with the inspiration of a noble and pure life and
that he has left the benediction of faithful service to his
own State. We thank Thee for his faith. We pray that
being dead he may yet speak, and that the influence of a
life unsoiled by contact with the great issues of state may
remain with us as a joy and an inspiration.
We pray Thy blessing upon our country to-day. Lay
Thy hand upon this land. Grant, we pray, that the time
may not come when blood must be shed. Grant that out
of all the turmoil and strife, out of the fire that seems
aflame in all the world. Thou wilt in Thy providence and
grace lead us safely in peace and guide us on to greater
achievement of peace in the future. For Christ's sake.
Amen.
[5]
Memorial Addresses: Senator Burleigh
Mr. Clark of Wyoming. Mr. President, in the absence
of the Senator from Maine [Mr. Johnson], and at his
request, it becomes my sorrowful duty to announce to
the Senate the death of the junior Senator from that
State, which occurred at his home in Augusta, Me., on
Friday last.
At some future time the Senate will be asked to lay aside
its ordinary business in order that tribute may be paid to
the life, character, and public services of Mr. Burleigh.
For the present 1 offer the following resolutions, for which
I ask immediate consideration.
The Vice President. The Secretary will read the reso-
lutions.
Tlie resolutions (S. Res. 214) were read, considered
by unanimous consent, and unanimously agreed to, as
follows :
Resolved, That the Senate has heard with profound sorrow of
the death of the Hon. Edwin C. Burleigh, late a Senator from the
State of Maine.
Resolved, That the Secretary communicate a copy of these reso-
lutions to the House of Representatives.
Resolved, That as a further mark of respect to the memory of
the deceased the Senate do now adjourn.
The Senate thereupon (at 12 o'clock and 5 minutes
p. m.) adjourned until to-morrow, Tuesday, June 20, 1916,
at 12 o'clock meridian.
Tuesday, June 20, 1916.
Mr. Myers. The Senator from Arizona [Mr. Ashurst],
the Senator from New Jersey [Mr. Martine], the Senator
from Kentucky [Mr. Beckham], the Senator from Colo-
rado [Mr. Thomas], and the Senator from Maine [Mr.
Johnson] are absent on official business as the committee
on the part of the Senate to attend the funeral of the late
Senator from Maine, Mr. Burleigh.
[6]
Proceedings in the Senate
Thursday, January 11, 1917-
Mr. Kern. Mr. President, I desire to give notice that on
Saturday, the 17th day of February, 1917, immediately
after the routine morning business, the Senate will be
asked to consider resolutions in commemoration of the
life, character, and public services of Senator Benjamin
F. Shively, of Indiana; of Senator Edwin C. Burleigh,
of Maine; and of Senator James P. Clarke, of Arkansas.
Thursday, February 15, 1917.
Mr. Robinson. Mr. President, some days ago the Senator
from Indiana [Mr. Kern] gave notice that on Saturday, the
17th day of February, 1917, immediately after the routine
morning business, he would ask the Senate to consider
resolutions in commemoration of the life, character, and
public services of the late Senator Benjamin F. Shively,
of Indiana; the late Senator Edwin C. Burleigh, of Maine;
and of the late Senator James P. Clarke, of Arkansas. A
conference has been held by Senators from the States of
Indiana, Maine, and Arkansas, and at the suggestion of
the Senator from Indiana [Mr. Kern] and other Senators,
and for the convenience of Senators I submit a request
for unanimous consent, as follows:
That the Senate convene on Sundaj-, February 18, 1917, at 11
o'clock a. m., to consider resolutions in commemoration of the
life, character, and public services of the late Senator Benjamin
F. Shively, of Indiana; the late Senator Edwin C. Burleigh, of
Maine; and the late Senator James P. Clarke, of Arkansas.
The Presiding Officer (Mr. Beckham in the chair).
Is there objection to the unanimous-consent agreement?
The Chair hears none, and it is so ordered.
[7]
Memorial Addresses: Senator Burleigh
Sunday, February 18, 1917.
{Legislative day of Wednesday, February li, 1917.)
The Senate reassembled at 11 o'clock a. in., on the expi-
ration of the recess.
Mr. Johnson of Maine. Mr. President, in pursuance of
the notice heretofore given, I offer the resolutions which
I send to the desk, and ask for their adoption.
The Vice President. The resolutions will be read.
The Secretary read the resolutions, as follows:
Resolved, That the Senate has heard with profound sorrow of
the death of the Hon. Edwin C. Burleigh, late a Senator from th»
State of Maine.
Resolved, That as a mark of respect to the memory of the
deceased the business of the Senate be now suspended to enable
his associates to pay proper tribute to his high character and
distinguished public services.
Resolved, That the Secretary communicate tlicse resolutions to
the House of Representatives and transmit a copy thereof to the
family of the deceased.
[8]
MEMORIAL ADDRESSES
Address of Mr. Johnson, pf Maine
Mr. President: Hon. Edwin Chick Rurleigh was born
in Linneus, Me., November 27, 1843. His parents were
Parker Prescott and Caroline Chick Rurleigh. His grand-
father, Moses Rurleigh, moved from Sandwich, N. H., to
Palermo, Me., in the early part of the nineteenth century,
and in 1830 moved from Palermo to Linneus, Me. He
was a prominent man in his section and a lieutenant
colonel of the inilitia. In the War of 1812 he was captain
of a militia companj' and represented his district in the
Massachusetts General Court and in the Maine Legisla-
ture.
The father of Senator Rurleigh, Parker Prescott Rur-
leigh, was born at Palermo, May 16, 1812. He was a
farmer and land surveyor, and held many town offices,
was a member of the Maine House of Representatives for
two terms and of the Maine Senate for four terms, and in
1868 was elected State land agent.
Edwin C. Rurleigh was educated in the public schools
and in Houllon Academy, where he took the college
preparatory course, but he early became interested in his
father's calling of surveying, and instead of carrying out
his pui'pose of entering college he studied surveying, as-
sisting himself while pursuing his studies by teaching
school.
At the call for troops in 1861 he enlisted in the District
of Columbia Cavalry, but was rejected by the examining
surgeon and entered the adjutant general's office at
Augusta, Me., as a clerk, which position he filled until the
close of the war. He then followed the occupation of land
[9]
Memorial Addresses: Senator Burleigh
surveying, and in 1876, 1877, and 1878 was State land agent
and during the same years assistant clerk of the house of
representatives. In 1880 he was appointed clerk in the
State treasurer's office, elected State treasurer in 1885, and
governor of his State in 1888, and reelected in 1890.
He was elected to the Fifty-fifth Congress from the third
Maine district, and was reelected to the Fifty-sixth, Fifty-
seventh, Fifty-eighth, Fifty-ninth, Sixtieth, and Sixty-first
Congresses. He was elected United States Senator by the
Maine Legislature January 15, 1913, for the term begin-
ning March 4, 1913, and died at Augusta, Me., June 16,
1916.
A mere recital of the many offices of trust held by Sen-
ator Burleigh proves conclusively that he held the en-
tire confidence of the people of his State, and the record
is in itself a sufficient tribute to his worth and the liigh
character of his public service.
Mr. Burleigh was a man of great industry, who believed
in the efficacy of hard work, and no one among the many
illustrious men whom Maine has honored has accom-
plished more by wisely taking advantage of every oppor-
tunity presented for advancement, and every office that he
filled he did so to the satisfaction of the people of his
State.
No man knew the needs of his State better than he and
no man gave more generously of his services and his
abilities for her upbuilding. In the minor positions of
trust which he held he was an industrious, efficient, trust-
worthy official, and won the commendation of all with
whom he came in contact.
He had the faculty of making friends and attaching
them to him with bonds so strong that they were securely
held. His manner was most courteous and sympathetic,
and no man ever enjoyed doing a kindness for another
more than he or derived greater satisfaction from such
acts.
[10]
Address of Mr. Johnson, of Maine
As a result, at the very beginning of his public career
he had loyal, earnest friends, whose attachment to him
and interest in his advancement were remarkable. He
had all the qualities of a good business man and was
perfectly upright in all his transactions, and his word,
when once given, could be absolutely relied upon. In his
conduct of the offices of State treasurer and governor
these same business qualifications displayed themselves
and largely increased the regard which the people of his
State had for him.
He was not gifted with extraordinary brilliancy nor pos-
sessed of genius, but he used faithfully, persistently, and
honestly the abilities with which he was endowed. His
administration of the State as governor was marked by
his careful attention to all details, and as he was most
democratic in his manner, approachable, and sympathetic,
the people of Maine found in him a public servant whose
doors were always open and to whom the most humble
could apply.
Under his administration an attempt was made to re-
move the capital of the State from Augusta to Portland,
which he strongly resisted, with success. A large appro-
priation was made for the enlargement of the statehouse,
and he was made the chairman of the commission which
gave to Maine a finely equipped and commodious State
capitol.
His attention was attracted to the needs of the militia
of Maine, and he advocated and, by the influence of his
great office, obtained the purchase of a permanent militia
ground in the capital of the State, where the citizen sol-
diery could meet once a year.
He observed the needs of the State for larger accom-
modations for the unfortunate insane and strenuously
advocated the building of another asylum for them in
tlie eastern part of the State, and as a result of his efforts
[11]
Memorial Addresses: Senator Burleigh
the Eastern Maine Hospital for the Insane, at Bangor,
was established.
It had become apparent that there was a great discrep-
ancy between the valuation of property in our State for
the purposes of State taxation and the valuation placed
upon it by agents of the Federal Government. He there-
fore advocated the creation of a valuation commission,
which should study the question of valuation in the State
of Maine, and strongly advocated the appointment of a
board of State assessors, whicli should take xnider con-
sideration values in the State and report to the State leg-
islature the results of their investigation. He strongly
advocated the passage of the Australian ballot system,
although many in his party opposed it.
During his administration as governor, by his wise busi-
ness administration, the public debt of Maine, which had
borne interest at 6 per cent, was refunded at 3 per cent
and a large saving made to the taxpayers of Maine. His
inind was alert and filled with the sense of his obligation
to the people who had intrusted him with a responsible
position, and his conduct of the affairs of his State with
which he, as the supreme executive of the State, was con-
nected was entirely satisfactory to her citizens.
He was always a sincere friend to the old soldier, and
under his administration as governor the appropriations
of the State for their relief were increased to nearly twice
their previous amount.
His administration of the various State offices to which
he had been appointed and elected so inspired his people
with confidence in his integrity and ability, and they had
become so attached to his democratic manners and care-
ful attention to their varying needs that the people of his
district, although ably represented in Congress, called for
his candidacy for the nomination for Congress in 1892.
He was defeated in this contest but gave loyal support to
the nominee, Hon. Seth L. Milliken.
[12]
Address of Mr. Johnson, of Maine
His loyal support of Mr. Milliken after this heated con-
troversy won for him the commendation of the members
of his party, and at Mr. Milliken's death, in 1897, he was
nominated and elected as his successor. He was now
chosen to represent the district so singularly represented
by Mr. Blaine for many years, the old third Maine district.
He had won his way by hard work, loyal support of its
friends, and a clean public record.
He came to Washington a man but little past middle
life, of splendid physique and unlimited capacity for
work. He was not an orator, but he gave his great energy
and his unlimited capacity for work to the service of his
constituents. Maine has had many brilliant men to serve
Jier in the Halls of Congress, but never one who surpassed
Senator Burleigh in his capacity for work and in his de-
sire to serve the humblest of his constituents.
I think he gained greater satisfaction from being of
service to one of his constituents than the recipient ever
experienced in the enjoyment of what was obtained for
him. He assiduously cultivated his acquaintance with all
of his constituents and encouraged their frequent com-
munication with him. As a result he had most firmly the
attachment of all the members of his party in his district,
and by his broad generosity he had attached to himself
the support of many of his opponents.
And thus, through a long congressional career, which
began in 1897 and did not end until the close of the Sixty-
first Congress on March 4, 1911, he held the people of his
district in most loyal support, not by the brilliancy of his
career, but by his honest, earnest, and sincere attachment
to their interests.
In 1910 he suffered the first defeat he ever experienced
at the polls; but it came when his party in Maine met, the
first time since 1880, a defeat in their State election. The
result was not a defeat of himself individuallj% but it was
a defeat of the whole party; and as a loyal member of it
[13]
Memorial Addresses: Senator Burleigh
he went down with it. None of his friends and very
few of his opponents expected his defeat; hut under the
form of ballot which Maine had adopted party defeat
meant individual defeat.
He had to such a degree won the confidence of his party
in the State that when it became necessary to nominate
in the State-wide primary for the first time a candidate
for the United States Senate, in 1912, he won easily in the
contest, although opposed by men of great attainments;
one of them an ex-justice of the supreme court of liis
State and the other a lawyer whose great ability as an
eloquent advocate and also as a man of broad sympathies
and the highest intellectual development had marked him
as one of the leaders of thought and directors of public
opinion in the State.
Having won his nomination for the Senate, he entered
with his usual vigor upon the conduct of his campaign,
directing his efforts to carrying the close congressional dis-
tricts of his State. He was successful; and although the
legislature which was elected, in its political complexion,
was the closest in the history of the State, he won the elec-
tion to a seat in this body by the narrow margin of one
vote.
The energy and persistency with which he conducted
liis candidacy for his election have never been equaled
in a political contest in the State, and without the supreme
loyalty of most sincere friends he could not have been
elected.
He came to the Senate a sick man. The great contest
through which he had passed had paralyzed his magnifi-
cent bodily energies, for he had given to liis candidacy the
best that was in him, and nature must have her way. Of
this he had thought little, because in his splendid equip-
ment he had known nothing of disease or of sickness.
Work had been liis pastime; success had been his reward.
[14]
Address of Mr. Johnson, of Maine
I saw him when he came to take his oath of office in
1913. My acquaintance with him had been limited,
although my home from birth had been only 20 miles from
the capital where he had long resided, but 1 had been a
lawyer, devoted to my profession, and of another politi-
cal faith. Consequently we had not been brought in
contact with each other, but I saw him close to when he
had come with his devoted wife and daughters, who so
affectionately followed his footsteps, to take upon him-
self his oath of office in this Chamber.
I gladly went to him when I learned of his presence in
this city, and found him in intense suffering. He had
come here feeling that he must be present to have the
oath of office administered to him at the commencement
of his term on March 4, 1913, and had arranged to submit
to a surgical operation as soon as he had received his oath.
My first acquaintance began with him then, when he
lay upon his bed of sickness, but the first hand grasp
between us disclosed that we had an intimate bond of
connection. 1 admired his courage, his high sense of
public duty, and his determination in spite of physical
disease to discharge the duties which he believed he had
assumed. I attempted to make easy for him the assump-
tion of these duties, and I never received greater satisfac-
tion in my public life than I did from his sincere ac-
knowledgment of his gratification at what he termed my
courtesy.
He went from the Senate Chamber, after taking his
oath, to a bed of sickness and pain and hovered between
life and death for several weeks, cared for by his devoted
and loving wife. I heard from him often, and when he
rallied and was able to leave the hospital where he had
been treated the people of my State rejoiced that one who
had served them so faithfully and long had been restored
lo their service.
92437°— 17— 2 [15]
Memorial Addresses: Senator Burleigh
He came back to assume his duties here, but disease and
inexorable fate had placed their stamp upon him. With
indomitable courage and a high sense of duty he at-
tempted to discharge what his conscientious regard for
service had always taught him, that there should be a
return for what was rendered him. I grew to have a most
affectionate regard for him as I observed his fine traits of
character, the breadth of his mind, and his consideration
for others, including myself.
His service here was too short for Senators to learn his
lovable disposition, his ability for public service, and his
loyal devotion to the interests of his country. Fate had
made me his senior in this Chamber although I was inex-
perienced as compared with his larger participation in
public affairs, but he most readily accorded me full sup-
port in all measures which concerned our State.
That energy and physical health which had enabled
him to be of such important service to his State while a
Member of the lower House of Congress had failed him,
but his desire to be of service, his loyalty to his State, and
his interest in the welfare of both State and Nation, were
still the guiding, controlling influences of his life.
Thus I saw him and grew to love him and I believe that
my atiection was reciprocated. I come now to pay the
honest tribute of a sincere friend who has had an op-
portunity to see the inner life of a conscientious public
servant.
No tribute to Senator Burleigh would be complete with-
out mentioning that supreme test of a man's life — the ver-
dict rendered upon him in his home and among those
bound to him by ties of blood. He was most fortunate in
having chosen as liis companion for life a woman of re-
markable energy, strength of character, and traits which
go to make up the wife and mother. In her, nature had
joined all these, and she was to him a helpmeet indeed.
[16]
Address of Mr. Johnson, of Maine
Her great intellectual ability supplemented his, and to-
gether they fought the battle of life on fully equal terms,
and if ever man had reason to thank heaven for having
blessed him with a loyal wife Senator Burleigh was un-
der that obligation.
She entered with him into all his political contests and
with the acumen of a woman's judgment weighed every
political exigency. She was a true wife. Her heart was
with her husband and with him it went with a loyal, lov-
ing devotion that sustained and strengthened him in every
contest. She was of the best type of our New England
women, reliant, strong, trustworthy, and loyal, and to a
great measure his success was due to her ennobling in-
fluence.
The sons and daughters who grew up about them were
splendid examples of New England's civilization. It has
been my good fortune to know them all and to know that
the heritage that they received from an honorable father
and a loving mother has been most meritoriously pre-
served.
Senator Burleigh had achieved success in the political
arena and in business life as well. He bore upon him-
self the honors of an old State, conservative in her grants
of favor. About him he had gathered, by his industry and
his business sagacity, the fruits from a long life with
troops of friends, the loving, affectionate service of a dear
companion, and the most filial regard of sons and daugh-
ters, whose cliildren looked to him for endearing phrase
and were ever the subject of his tender solicitation. Life
had brought him in abundance of her treasures, and when
he seemed most ready to enjoy them the inexorable call
of fate called him, as it will each of us, to sever every tie.
The wife who had been the companion at his side, who
had planned with him, who had rejoiced with him at his
successes, and who at his defeat had soothed him with her
assurances of a deep regard was called from his side, and
[17]
Memorial Addresses: Senator Burleigh
when that summons came I knew the end was not far off
for hhn, because nature had so linked their lives together
that one could not long survive the other.
He did not long survive her death, but dwelling in the
gloom with gathering darkness over him death came to
him on June 16, 1916, but a short time after that of his
wife. We laid him at rest in the capital of our State,
where he had so many friends, beside her broad, rolling
Kennebec, in the city he loved, and near the capitol, the
scene of so many political contests in which he was con-
cerned. There came to mourn his loss not only the high
and influential, but I marked those of lowly position and