Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-05-28
THE MILLER EUL0GIES.
FEELING WORDS In MEMORY OF
TEE LATE SENATOR.
senator Stanford's Speech-Impres-
sive Scene in the Senate
Chamber.
ESPECIAL BY TELEGRAPH TO THE RECORD UNION

lhECiAL BY TELEGRAPH TO THE RECoRD-UNION.i
WASHINGTON, May 27th.-In the Senate
to-day, after routine business had been
disposed of, Mr., Stanford called up the res
olutions introduced by him, expressing the
sorrow of the Senate at the death of the
late Senator John f. Miller, of California
The resolutions having been read, Mr..
Stanford addressed the Senate as follows
SENATOR sTANFoRDs EULoGY.
Ifr. President: The Senate is asked this
afternoon to suspend its regular business.
in order that the last tributes TO the men,
DRY of Senator John F. Miller can be paid
! by his former associates of this body.
The character and public services of the
distinguished deceased are deserving of
public and otficiafrecognition. The people
OF California have already performed this
office. The expressions voiced by them
| have been that the nation has lost worthy,
faithful and devoted servant, an exemplary
citizen, and an honored Senator.
On the afternoon of the Sth of March
Senator Miller passed from mortal life,
after long and painful illness. We had
been led to believe, and had hoped, that he
would be able to attend this session OF the
Senate. When he came to this city, in De-
cember last from MS distant home in Cal
ifornia, he had strong hopes of resuming
| his official duties, but it was ordered other
wise. During his illness l frequently saw
| him and found him always hopeful for the
/ best and extremely DESTROYS of resuming
his Senatorial labors. As the winter closed
he thought that, with the incoming spring,
he would gain strength enough TO resist the
ravages of bis disease for a short time, even
| If he did not permanently regain his iuil
| health At one time it seemed as if his
will power and strength would be sutfi-
cient, but his strength failed him. He
passed into the other world surrounded by
those most dear TO him on earth.
General Miller was descended from two
of the most respected families of Virginia,
and was of Swiss-Scotch extraction, his
prOgenitor on his fathers side having left
| Switzerland to find in America what was
denied him III the land of his birth-the
| freedom to worship God in accordance with
the dictates of his own conscience; while
his paternal grandmOther's family were
| from Scotland. In the first decade of the
present century his grandfather and father,
who were then located in Franklin county,
| Virginia. decided on leaving that State,
and before doing so manumitted their
slaves. 1t may be easily supposed that the
strong appreciation of liberty and therights
of man possessed by John +. Miller came
| to him as a natural heritage from a father
| and grandfather whose sense of justice and
| liberty was SO great as to impel them to
make a voluntary sacrifice at time when
slavery was by many held to be lawful and
right
| Having started out from Virginia. the
first hating place of the Miller family was
at point in Kentucky on the Ohio river,
near Maysviile where, after a short stay,
| they built tiat-boats upon which they
| ioated down the Ohio TO the present site of
| Cincinnati. Subsequently the family home
was chosen in Union county, Indiana, near
| Indian creek, in the great Miami valley.
By a coincidence the maternal branch of
I John +. Miller's family was OF the same
name as the paternal His mothers father,
| John Miller, was a Colonel commanding
| volunteer forces III Indiana and Ohio dur
| ing the war of 1912, and won an extensive
reputation for his successful warfare against
the British and their Indian allies. His
father was a man of great force of charac-
ter, a natural leader, and exercised a wide
and powerful influence in the State of his
adoption. Here, in Union county, Indiana,
| few miles from Cincinnati, John f. Miller
was born. 4 short time after his birth the
family removed to South Bend, where his
early days were passed. He received an
academical education at South Bend, and
| at Chicago Yves fitted for college; but pre-
| ferring to embark as soon as possible upon
| his life career, he chose to enter at once
upon the study of the law, in which he
graduated at the New York State Law
School at the age of 81. He began the
| practice of the law at South Bend in the
| same year, achieving early success. In the
year 1858 he first came to California, and,
locating at Napa, resumed the practice of
his rrnfpCGinp with pnarl-od 2,
the winter of 1886 he was summoned
back to Indiana by the news that his
mother was dangerously i'll. Happily this
was a mistake, and Mrs. Miller lived to see
her son prosperous, happy, and highly
honored. She passed away last fall at the
mature age of "A. Mr.. Miller, however,
remained in Indiana, re-engaging in the
practice of law, and 1861 found him
member of the Senate of that State In
1857 he had married Miss Mary Chess, of
Pennsylvania. OF their marriage two chill
dren were born the daughter survives her
brother, who passed away in San Francisco
in 1878 at the age of years.
|. Mr.. Miller was one of the first to respond
in behalf of the Union at the breaking out
of the rebellion. Governor Morton, the
great war Governor of Indiana, appointed
| him Colonel of the Twenty Indiana
| Infantry, and he resigned his seat in
| are better fitted for a soldiers career than
| was John F. Miller. He had a cool head,
| great personal bravery, and indomitable
| energy, as well as the other traits that 90
| to make up a successful soldier. As the
| conflict progressed, deserved promotion for
conspicuous bravery" was given him,
and the close of the war found him Briga-
der and Brevet Major-General. On his
| return to Indiana, Governor Morton pre-
| lantpd a xVa l. l. i
promised the soldier of the State who dis
| tinguished himself the most and reflected
| the greatest credit on his State and country.
| The details of his honorable military
career may well be left to his comrades in
| arms, several of whom are members of this
| body.
When the sound of the conflict had
passed away General Miller was offered
commission as COLONEL in the regular army,
but he declined it. He was soldier only
because there was a war, and preferred to
| return TO the more active and to him more
| desirable competition of professional and
| political life He returned a second time
| to California, and President Johnson of
| fered him the position of Collector of the
port of San Francisco. He accepted, and
performed the duties of that important
Office for four years with great credit. He
surrendered the Office at the end of his
| ttlHl ueSinllilS d ASdppOiutlllent Aller
| that he took an active interest in the man
agement of the Alaska Commercial Com
pany; was a candidate for Presidential
efector in 1872 1876 and $780, and his cleo
ton to the United States Senate followed
in 1881. He took his seat in this body
March 4th of that year. The responsible
duties of this position he discharged in
such manner as TO satisfy his constituents
and secure the respect and esteem of his
brother Senators.
AT noon on Saturday, March 18th, there
were held in this chamber impressive
| funeral ceremonies in his honor, in the
presence Of the President the members of
the Senate and House of Representatives
the Supreme Court of the United States,
the diplomatic representatives of foreign
countries, members of the LOYAL League
and other organizations. Every available
place in both chamber and galleries was
filled. At the conclusion of the ceremo-
mics the remains were escorted bv men,
bers of this body. accompanied by COM
mittee from the House of Representatives.
to the depot, whence, later in the evening,
the committee appointed by this body and
the House of Representatives accompa-
MED them to San Francisco, where, on
March Dist, funeral ceremonies again took