ously identified with American industrial growth and
commercial expansion. All his life long he was a cotton
manufacturer, and became a recognized authority in all
details of that great industry. His activities, however,
were not limited to the business of cotton manufacturing.
He was an officer and director in many large concerns,
and his directing energj' was felt not only in Massachu-
setts, but in other States of the Union. To the remark-
able development which has come to the South in recent
years he contributed his full share. Indeed, he seemed
to take an especial pride in that part of his work, which
had to do with the splendid industrial progress of that
section. During his business career he showed the same
qualities which we always found in his work here —
patience, painstaking attention to details, thoroughness,
and untiring industry.
But all his hours were not given to details of busi-
ness. During that long, busy life of which 1 have spoken,
he found time to become a diligent and thoughtful student
of public questions, and before his election to Congress
had served two terms in the Massachusetts senate. Eco-
nomic questions naturally attracted him, and to them
he gave most careful attention.
His speeches in this chamber were mainly upon such
subjects, and he was always accorded a respectful hear-
ing, for the Members of the House soon learned that he
addressed them only after careful investigation and ma-
ture reflection, and that what he said was worth listening
to. Mr. Lovering was not one who attempted or desired to
[50]
Ai)i)Ki:ss OF Mit. L\\viu.N(;i;, ui Massacui sinrs
fill much space in the Congressional Uccorcl. lie occu-
pied very little of the time of the House, indeed. 1 think
it may be said that he never participated in debate unless
the topic under discussion was one upon which practical
experience or discriminating study had qualified him to
speak. It is not to be wondered at, then, that his speeches
were eflfective and influenced the actions of his fellows.
And they were doubly effective, because the man who
uttered them was fearless and independent, having at all
times the courage of his convictions.
William C. Lovering was never sensational; he never
played to the galleries; he never sought the limelight. He
was content by patient investigation and hard work to
render such assistance as lay in his power toward a solu-
tion of the difficult problems which are crowding upon us.
He did his work well. He fought a good fight and kept
the faith. We are glad that during his lifetime he had
abundant reason to know that this record of modest and
faithful service was appreciated. Successive reclections
to Congress were accorded to him by majorities larger
than were given to any other Representative from his
State.
I can not bring this brief tribute to a close without re-
ferring to the personal loss which has come to us who
represent Massachusetts in this House of Representatives.
A loyal colleague upon whose judgment we had come to
rely is gone. But he was more than a colleague. He was
a friend, always courteous and considerate. We shall
miss him, and memories of him will ever be for all of us a
most cherished possession.
[51]
Address of Mr. Washburn, of Massachusetts
Mr. Speaker: While I had known Mr. Lovering for
some time before I came to Congress, my more intimate
acquaintance with him began here. He was the oldest
Member in years, though not in service, in the Massa-
chusetts delegation, and belonged to a generation of men
which has accomplished much for Massachusetts, both
in and out of public life.
He began his service in the Fifty-fifth Congress, during
the Speakership of Mr. Reed. His principal committees
were those on Patents, Banking and Currency, and In-
terstate and Foreign Commei'ce. He was peculiarly fit-
ted, both by inheritance and training, for valuable service
on these committees. The son of a successful manufac-
turer, born and bred in New England, and all his life a
manufacturer himself, he naturally was deeply inter-
ested in the industrial interests of the country. Early
in his service he favored legislation making more effi-
cient the administration of the Patent Office, and was
always an enthusiastic friend of our patent system. On
several occasions he delivered instructive addresses on
monetary questions, and was a student of the science of
finance. His service as engineer at Fort Monroe dur-
ing part of the Civil War gave him knowledge of
our military affairs, and he contributed some valuable
[52]
Addkess of Mk. WASiimiRN, or Massaciu setts
suggestions upon this subject. His (icc'iKsl iiilircsl, liow-
ever, was in legislation relating to the textile business, to
which he had devoted his life, and concerning which
his advice was frequently sought. He was particularly
active in advocacy of legislation relating to statistics of
the growing and spinning of cotton, both industries of
such vital consequence to his State.
Mr. LovERiNG, in 1900, was prominent in the creation
of a commission to investigate the commercial and indus-
trial conditions in China and Japan. He was an early
advocate of the building of a canal between the Atlantic
and the Pacific. Originally favorable to the route by
Nicaragua and to its construction by private capital, he
later, when it became apparent that the rights of the
French company could be acquired, favored the Panama
route. Mr. Loverinc, while not a frequent debatei-, always
contributed something of value to any discussion in which
he participated. Early in his congressional service he
made a brief speech upon the appropriation of $50,000,000
for the national defense at the time of the Spanish War
which was quite characteristic of him. He said :
Mr. Speaker, whether this be a war measure or a peace measure
will be determined by the turn of events within a few days. It
â– will remain for a foreign power to decide whether a small part
of this lifty milHons shall be expended or whether hundreds of
millions more shall be appropriated for the defense of honor and
humanity.
Massachusetts has still the spirit of Bunker Hill in her veins.
She seeks not war; but if war is forced upon us she will, as then,
be found in the front ranks of the Nation's defenders.
May this great sum be wisely expended to place our Army and
Navy on the best war footing, and then pray God that a hostile
shot may never be fired.
Mr. LovERiNG was deeply attached to his State and inter-
ested in every movement that tended to mark the great
[53]
Memoriai. Addresses : Representative Lovering
events in her history. This<is well illustrated in his active
participation in the successful effort to secure an appro-
priation for the raising of a monument at Provincetown
in commemoration of the Mayflower compact on Novem-
ber 11, 1620, and of the first landing of the Pilgrims on
Cape Cod.
Dr. Everett Hale has said that " the contract drawn up
at Provincetown is as important as the Declaration of
Independence and is its forerunner." The feelings of
the Pilgrims when thej' landed were described by Gov.
Bradford, who said in his history that they —
fell upon tlu'ir knees & blessed ye God of heaven, who Iiad
brought them over ye vast & furious ocean and delivered them
from all ye perils & miseries thereof, againe to set their feete on
ye firme and stable earth, their proper elemente.
The Pilgrims remained on Cape Cod for a month before
crossing the bay to Plymouth, where the permanent set-
tlement was made. The corner stone of the monument
was laid in August, 1907, in the presence of a distin-
guished company. President Roosevelt, the British am-
bassador, Mr. Bryce, and other distinguished gentlemen
made addresses. From Mr. Lovering's remarks on that
occasion upon the present-day tendency, as he thought, to
the enactment of too many laws and to their too frequent
violation, I make the following brief quotations :
While there is sufTicient reverence in our hearts to bring us to
this honored spot and to move us to raise a monument to com-
memorate the work of those hardy Christian pioneers who
framed that historic compact, the simplest code that was ever
designed to govern a people, yet do we coniplaisantly point with
pride to our modern jurisprudence as being a monument to our
superior intelligence and to all of those virtues that contribute
to the making of a good and great republic. Is this a fair com-
parison? Is this being perfectly true to them and to ourselves?
I think not. Simple as was their code, it sufficed, and they
[54]
AnDRiiss OK Mr. Washiuhn, ok Mass.u.iu sryns
obeyed it in spirit and in lelter. How is it to-day with us? Alas,
we are in too many respects a nation of lawbreakers.
If the monument whose foundation we are laying to-day shall
stand for nothing else, it will certainly remind us and future
generations that respect for the law and the rights of others is
the corner stone of a civil government.
The life-saving service along our nigged New England
coast was always an object of Mr. Lovering's solicitude
and owes much to his fostering care.
The breadth of his views is well expressed in some re-
marks he made in favor of a grant of money in aid of
the St. Louis Exposition. He said:
Great expositions mark great epochs in our history. They
mark the great onward progress in civilization, science, mechan-
ics, art, architecture, and the welfare of the people. Take, for
instance, the exposition of 1876, in Philadelphia. There were
many features of the exposition, either one of which was an
ample warrant for its being held and either one of which has
conferred benefits upon the people worth many times the whole
cost of the exposition. I will cite but one or two features:
Domestic architecture. A great step forward in domestic archi-
tecture of the country dates from this time. The English Gov-
ernment built on the grounds of the exposition a model domestic
house, which was the inspiration of all architects who have since
contrived and designed attractive, beautiful, comfortable, and
inexpensive houses. It was a model of harmony in its lines and
proportions, and it has been many thousand times reproduced in
principle if not exactly on the same plans.
Since that time homes tastefully decorated and well furnished
have been possible for people of small means.
Another great feature in the exposition of 1876 was a revelation
in sanitation. The knowledge diffused throughout the country at
that time was, and has ever since been, of incalculable value to
the people of our country. In this one department alone the
people were benefited to an extent many times more than the
entire cost of the exposition.
[55]
Memorial Addresses: Representative Lovering
So far from their being extravagancies or luxuries, with only a
local value, I believe that they are economic necessities, and to
do them justice we should deal with them not with a niggardly
but a bountiful hand.
Mr. Lovering was a typical gentleman of the old school,
reserved, but extremely courteous; independent in his
judgments, but tolerant of opinions different from his
own; proud of his people and faithful to their interests;
and true to the best traditions of his State.
[56]
Address of Mr. Maguire, of Nebraska
We do well, indeed, to pause a moment, refrain from
the duties of life, and turn from the problems of the
present and the future to recall the memory of an honored
Member of this body, a faithful servant of the people, and
a worthy son of the great Commonwealth of Massachu-
setts. That State has produced many illustrious patriots
and statesmen to whom our common country owes much,
but in all her history Massachusetts has produced no truer
man or nobler citizen than William C. Lovering.
Born in 183.5, in Rhode Island, his early years were
spent as most boys live. Educated and reared in Massa-
chusetts, he had all the advantages of New England
society, education, and culture. He answered the call
of his country' and served in the war as an engineer at
Fort Monroe till compelled to retire because of impaired
health. Later he chose the political life, but after serving
two years in the State senate, to which he was elected in
1874, he retired, and spent the greater part of his life in
the manufactiu'ing business until 1896, when he again
entered politics, and was unanimously nominated by his
party for Congress. He was elected to the Fifty-fifth
Congress, and served in that and in each succeeding Con-
gi'ess continuously until his death.
His energies and his life were generously given up to
the performance of civic duties and public service. Out
of the 45 years following the war Mr. Lovering devoted
15 of these, which were perhaps his best years, to public
[57]
Memorial Addresses: Representative Lovering
life. At the close of 12 years in Congress the people of his
district reelected him to this Congress with an increased
majority. When the people of his own community, who
knew him best, paid him such a compliment it seems
almost idle for me to attempt to add anything upon this
occasion. His public record is a eulog>' in itself. It is not
only a tribute to him, but it is also an assurance to every
boy in our land that this Republic is not ungrateful for
service well and faithfully performed.
William C. Lovering did not live in vain. No man has
lived in vain who has served his countiy faithfully, as he
did, both as a private citizen and as a public servant.
Men are measured in peace, as well as in war, by their
fidelity to lofty purposes. Fame may not always spring
spontaneous to all worthy men alike, but surely it is not
less permanent and real because achieved by men, like
Mr. Lovering, in an honest endeavor to promote the wel-
fare of their countiy and their fellow men, and this, too,
whether they are inspired by a desire for glorj' or by the
promptings of their own conscience for the realization of
the highest ideals in private and public life.
The standards of success may var>' in different ages and
with different people, but character and influence, as
exemplified by Mr. Lovering among his fellow men, have
always been and are still the criteria by which future
generations will estimate our lives and usefulness. We
are coming more and more to believe that success, espe-
cially in public life, should not be measured by what a
man does for himself, but rather by what he has done
for his community, for society, and for his country'.
Judged by these tests, the late Mr. Lovering was not only
a most successful man, but an exemplary public servant.
He entered upon his career as a servant of the people
with their fullest confidence and trust. He continued to
maintain the dignity of his position, and throughout his
[58]
Addrkss or Mr. M\(,riRi:. oi- Nekraska
long and valuable service he never lost lliat confidence
with whicli he was intrusted by the citizens of his State.
The}^ knew him as an honest, honorable, and faithful
public servant. When death called him into retirement
from public duties and from those who had learned to
love and esteem him, the Nation lost one of her most
faithful and truest citizens.
Tlie obligations that rest upon men in public life can
not be discharged according to the same standards that
ordinarily prevail among men in private life. Public
service demands a broader view, and to those who dis-
charge its obligations faithfully we are glad to pay our
fullest tribute, but they who enter public life for private
gain or to reap the honors thereof without service de-
serve the reproach of all good citizens. He who is un-
willing to forego the privileges and freedom of action that
belong to private citizenship should not seek those places
of high public trust w here only servants of the people are
eligible. Under our Government the people of the United
States are sovereign and we are their servants. To serve
this free people is indeed a high honor. But that is not
all. Public ofTice is not a private asset, nor should it be
conferred as a recognition of personal merit or past serv-
ice. It imposes upon those who choose it the highest con-
fidence and strictest trust.
Mr. LovERiNG was a statesman rather than a politician.
He was independent in political action and courageous
in personal and public conduct. He was not a time-
server. He viewed everj- great question from a broad,
statesmanlike attitude, and in his official capacity he
never forgot that this was a government of the people and
that he was their representative. If we judge him from
liis deeds and accomplishments, his rounded life was
ready for a close.
[59]
Address of Mr. Weeks, of Massachusetts
Mr. Speaker: William C. Lovering, who had repre-
sented the fourteenth Massachusetts district for nearly 13
years, died suddenlj' February 4, 1910. While he had
exceeded in years the average length of life, and had de-
termined to retire from public activities, as he had from
business life, at the expiration of his present term, and
while it was known that he was not in robust health, his
death was so sudden that it caused a great shock to his
colleagues from Massachusetts and others with whom he
had been intimately associated in the House.
Mr. Lovering represented quite as well as any man in
Congress the combination of the business man and politi-
cal officeholder. For more than half a centurj' he had
been more or less actively engaged in one of Massachu-
setts' great industries, and he and his family have been
a considerable element in developing it. This may not
be an inopportune time or place to recall tliat Massachu-
setts, having been deprived by legislation of her means
of keeping her people employed in shipping and kindred
matters, turned to manufacturing, and has been a great
leader in many such industries. This is especially true
of the cotton industry, which had been Mr. Lovering's
life work. Massachusetts was the first State to aid legis-
latively by appropriations the development of labor-sav-
ing machinery for this purpose. In 1786, £200 was appro-
priated by the legislature to assist Robert and Alexander
Barr in perfecting their machinei-y for carding, roving,
and printing cotton. The plant in which this machinery
[60]
Aoi)Ri:ss oi Mh. WicKKS, oi - Massachi sirns
was installid was owned by Col. Hugli Orr, and was
located in the town of East Bridgewater, whicli is a part
of tlie congressional district which Mr. Lovering so long
and siiccessfulh' represented. It is no small cause for
pride to the average Massachusetts man that not only has
the Stale aided in the establishment of this great industry,
but that her citizens have been leaders in its development.
Many of the important labor-saving devices which have
greatly added to the wealth of the Nation testify to the
inventive genius of Massachusetts men. The Barrs,
Slater, and others in the earlier days installed machinery
developed along the lines followed by Arkwright in Eng-
land, but during the last century the principal inventions
used in the United States for advancing this industry have
come from Massachusetts or New England men. This is
not the place to go into a discussion of this subject in
detail, but reference to some of the more important of
these inventions will indicate the debt whicli this country
owes to these Massachusetts men. The power loom was
first successfully operated in 1814 by Lowell and Ather-
ton in Wallham, Mass.; the filling frame now in general
use was invented by Paul Moody, as was the soapstone
roller and the cam motion for regulating its speed, the
double speeder, the throttle-tube frame, and dressing
machines. The self-acting temple was patented bj'^ Ira
Draper and used in this country many years before being
introduced in England. The double carding machine,
the picking machine, the Northrop looms, and many other
similar devices have literally saved hundreds of millions
of dollars in carrying on this industry. In 1815 a con-
gressional committee reported that there was invested
in the cotton industry in the United States !f40,000,000 ;
that 100,000 people were employed; that the value of the
product was $25,000,000; and that the number of spindles
in operation at that time was about 350,000. This was
[61]
Memorial Addresses : Hei-resentative Lovering
before the installation of the power loom. As an indica-
tion of the saving made by this one device, it is only
necessary to state that 25 years later, in 1840, when the
capital invested had increased to !?51,000,000, the value of
the product had increased to $46,000,000, the number of
spindles had increased to 2,300,000, the number of hands
employed had actually decreased from 100,000 to 72,000.
Since 1815, at least, Massachusetts has been the leading
State in this industrj', and to-day it has in active opera-
tion one-third of the spindles in the United States, one-
third of the capital invested in this industrv% and the
value of the product of its mills is substantially one-third
the value of the product in the United States. The num-
ber of people employed has increased to more than
400,000, of which number at least 125,000 are employed
in Massachusetts mills.
As I have suggested, Mr. Loveiting and his family have
had an active part in this great development. His father,
Willard Lovering, was born in West Holliston, Mass.,
November 18, 1801, and after receiving the ordinary
schooling which a boy was able to obtain at that time
he became employed in a cotton mill in Franklin, Mass.,
growing in this industry' from a modest position until he
became the superintendent of other mills, and later, when
a comparatively young man, he was appointed the agent
of the Whittenton Mills, continuing in the active super-
vision of these mills until 1864, when he retired from busi-
ness. The business of the Whittenton Mills was organized
as a joint-stock company in 1883, the officers of the com-
pany being members of the Lovering family, William C.
Lovering becoming the superintendent. These mills and
others with which his family has been and still is con-
nected, including mills in the South, continued to occupy
his time during his entire business career. Before com-
ing to Congi-ess he had only held one political office, but
[62]
Addhess ()1 Mh. \Vi:r,Ks, en M AssAcmsinrs
was ahvays a stanch party man, and dining his long
service here his practical knowledge ol" industrial matters,
relating especially to manufactures, has been of material
benefit to Congress, as well as to his immediate constitu-
ents. Much of the practical legislation relating to the
cotton industry adoptid in revisions of the tarilV which
have been undertaken since he came to Congress has been
the result either of his direct work or has resulted from
information furnished by liim.
Massacliusetts has long been conspicuous among the
States for her steadfastness in retaining tried and trained
Representatives, and Mr. Loverixc. was an example of the
carrying out of this policy. Verj' few men, even from
Massachusetts, have served longer than he, and his dis-
trict stood by its Representative, notwitlistanding at-
tempts were made from time to time to nominate others
in his place, in several instances men of great popular
strength. It hardly needs to be said that continuing a
Representative in service for many years must mean that
he has the quality of industry' ; that he devotes his atten-
tion to the personal wants of his constituents; that he
must have those personal elements of kindness and cour-
tesy which draw men to him and hold their friendship;
and that he must have the capacity to grasp and take an
active part in the larger matters of legislation whicli affect
the interests of his State, as well as of the countiy at large.
Those who knew him and sersed with liim will recognize
how well William C. Lovering measured up to these
requirements.
[631
Address of Mr. Gardner, of Massachusetts
Mr. Speaker: Threescore and ten years of life is the
span allotted to mankind. If by reason of a heritage of
strength and of sobriety of living a man exceed the gen-
eral limitation, then when his time comes grief for his
departure must be assuaged by knowledge of the fullness
of his measure.
LovERiNG was a true New Englander. Those of us who
are New England born do not readily accord that title
except to men who by their lives show that they still
possess the sterner virtues. Rugged, inflexible, and true
as was the Puritan, still in his day and generation his
austerity was little tempered by the gentleness and grace-