The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1894-10-31

world Ia its youth and It's being only IN ltS
teens i fear you have placed me Ill very
embarrassing position Everybody under
stands that whoever employs himself as his
own lawyer is accounted to have fool Tor
his client, and the case before you is the
presentment OF myself Y III will be glad to
hear that | shall treat this garrulous old
fellow, though very much his friend, with
the utmost brevity.
To be invited TO sit for portrait by
Vermont artist of such well earned renown
az that OF Mr. Wood, the president OF the
New York Academy of Design, is rare
honor and to have the portrait presented
to aud pre- served by the Vermont Historical
Society, the names of whose members, past
and present, embellish the history OF our
state, adds grace to the compliment oil
which I could wish | were more worthy
The artist and the society, however, have as
sumed the whole responsibility of the affair
| Doubtless the artist might have made bet
ter picture II he had been more fastdtous
as to the original and had chosen better
subject. Yet, being an honest likeness,
/ you will not certainly hold me responsible
/ for my looks, but only for my actions
! NAV be indebted for this mark )f attention
TO some supposed public services as judged
! by partial friend or to the audacity oil the
| Vermont Ii legislature OF 1890 in longer re-
tanning an octogenarian in the puOllc ser
| vice.
However it may be-, | do not feel called
upon to explain the puzzle. Unencumbered
forty years ago by any prior record OF Office
holding except that of tything man, with
which my excellent townsmen were prone
to honor their fellow citizens when married
! "A little late in life, it was necessary at the
start of my official life to screw my cour-
age up to the sticking point, even to med
itate going at a bound into the halls OF con-
gress. But one of my predecessors, Jud 20
! Hibbard, encouraged me by saying that
"not all of those who didn't invent gun
powder were to be found outside of con
gress." Having been elected, determined,
so far as within my power, to be useful, ana
at least hat no charge of Incidence should
ever stick TO my name.
Attempting no rivalry in the field of a re-
cent colleague, the Scion of the sen Ate in
legal learning faithful labor was the limit
of my ambition, 1t should be added that
little is ever done in congress without ear
nest wrestling and nothing without intlexi-
BILE work. Good measures are often embar-
rassed by the amendments OF friends
as well as by briers thrown in their tracks
by opponents.
If / refer to one or two incidents of the
past, it will not be imputed to vanity when
one point appears to have been mistake
of mine and the other ques ion perhaps not
vet determined. Whether my constituents
made mistake or not, after some years of
service, weary and worn with intending
day and night labor on the committee of
ways and means, withdrew my name as a
candidate for reelection. With this pur-
| pose anu no Quiet, L went W Illt ulSbTlCb COu-
vention, where a committee, headed by
Charles X. Field, with Hugh Henry and
Tom Powers, corraled me, and the chair
man addressed me after this fashion, by
all the gods Of the hills and valleys, when
we took YOU it was of some Importance to
you, now it is of some importance to us"
: They demanded, not that should accept OF
nomination, but if elected that l should
not decline to serve. The convention curty
concluded that destinations in time of war
, were not in order. To my regret at the
time, as well as to that of two or three other
gentlemen quite willing to relieve me from
my task, my service was further protracted
To have left the service then would have
taken from me the great privilege and ad
vantage of long personal acquaintance with
many of the statesmen and military and
naval men by whom the greatest heroic
, contest in human history wat successfully
ended. For me, would it not have been 9
mistake not to have been there? And a
greater mistake, If 10 congress, to have
been only an idle looker-on? Even my OPP
} ponents never accuse me of idleness.
In the early days of the late war my pic
ture was put forth by rebel Virginia news
paper with an advertisement Offering a like
reward for me- dead or alive, $25, that was
usually offered for the recovery of runa way
slaves, and they described me as " a person
, who would be sooner suspected to hav,
been the author of Yankee Doodle thar
, of the Internal tariff OF 1861"
, The picture was, of course, pleasing t,
the old masters of the South, being afte
+ the satanic manner of Hogarth's Jack
y Wilkes, but have not learned that 1t ha
been made immortal by preservation in an,
y OF their historical societies 1t will be 70
, posterity to say, if posterity should eve
trouble itself to say anything about ii
whether or no the Vermonters made mis-
take in not surrendering me for the So
Virginia reward. To few, If any, has y
much of opportunity been granted for pub
lie service, to none moe of unclouded con
tidence at home.
u Wide fields were opened and diligent la
l. borers were welcomed Let me cheerful
q concede that if any success has ever fol
-, lowed labor Of mine, it should be attributed
u for twelve years to the high and stabl
n character or my constituents, and to " tn
n star that never sets " ever since. Backe'
e by the support, trust and confidence of sue
It people, l would only give in return M
T. whole heart, my life and whatever abilit
= belonged to me, so much has been honestl
|, intended and attempted.
b. Some dear friend may complain that vol
n are making too much noise about an inferio
G subject, but to me, as old Sam johnson ono
Il said about music, 4" 1t seems the least dis
J. agreea ole Of all noises" Surely Their
a should be no complaint when it is Mr.
It Woods picture, not me, that suddenly be
Q comes historical. AS the years go by l an
y made sad by the departure of friend afte
! friend of my early manhood to that bourne
to which we are all fastening, and such de
: partures from our capital here have beef
y conspicuous. Among them the Reeds
j Upham, Dewey, Fiheld, Willard, Walton
. and Jewett, were cherished friends, and
$ excluding politics, let me add Atkins, al
Il OF whom were men Of mark, worthy of an,
: mans personal esteem. Yet am not who'll,
4 without some comfort in finding that tn,
r friendly sentiments Of the fathers have no
e been lacking in the later generation.
u mu Il not deny that Vermont has mad,
t my political life an exceptionally happy one
l and shall only trust that the honorabl,
n position so long occupied by me, when sur
+; rendered. as it soon must be, will be founC
by my beloved state with its dignity pres
o tige and honor nnimpaired and undimn
8 ished Let me close by rendering my pro
, found gratitude to my friend Mr. Wood
i and to the Vermont Historical Society fo
Z their distinguished favor.
. CONCLUDING EXERCISES
/ The annual address was then delivered
4 by Hon. H. o. Houghton of Cambridge
Y Mass, senior member OF the firm OF
! Houghton, Mifflin & Co. His theme wal
Early Printing in America" and tn,
| address was ono of unusual intereat IL