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In Honor Of Governor Felch

In Honor Of Governor Felch image
Parent Issue
Day
2
Month
October
Year
1894
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Un índay, cx-Governor Alpheus Felch, Ann Arbor's distinguished citizen, celebrated his ninetieth birthday. As was becoming the occasion, the Washtenaw county bar association gave a banquet, at the I Cook house, in bis honor. It was a j most notable gathering, such as is not often held in Ann Arbor. At 8 o'clock the venerable Governor Felch appeared, and for an hour an informal reception was held in the parlors of the Cook house. Governor Felch was in excellent spirits and appeared like a man of fifty. He was accompanied by exSenator Jones, of Dubuque, Iowa, the last delégate in congress of the territory of Michigan. Among the distinguished guests present were ex-Judges Thomas M. Cooley, Graves and Douglas, Judges C. B. Grant and Frank Hooker, ex-Governors Jerome and Begole. At 9 o'clock the company descended into the spacious dining room. The tables were loaded down with all the delicacies of the season and did credit to the well known hostêlry. The tables were fittingly adorned with a profusión of roses. Some sixty gentlemen sat down and did justice to the menu. The menu cards were in themselves a very neat conception. They were gotten up in the form of a legal document. An excellent portrait of the governor, taken by Randall within the last three weeks, headed the first page. After knives and forks were laid down,Judge Kinne, the toast-master, arose and in a few well chosen words, introduced Governor Felch, who responded to the toast, "üur Guests of the Evening." He was evidently moved by the occasion, and spoke in part as follows: " Mr. President and Gentlemen: No words which I can command can adequately express my feelings on this occasion. I should be less than mortal if this testimonial of the partiality of my fellow citizens, and the kind words which have been spoken here tonight did not touch my heart. They are not the words of strangers, but of friends, and they will pass into my memory as a treasure never to be forgotten. t can reciprócate only by the poor return of my warmest thanks You have been so kind as to remember what I of course could not forget, that ninety years of my life have already passed, "and I enter today the last decade of the century. It is a longer period of Ufe than is allotted to most men - long enough for the visionary anticipations of youth, and the active, energetic, arnbitious and useful years of middle life, to have passed. At that age all that the man was to do is done. The little remnant of life is very brief, but I cannot look upon it as devoid of enjoyment, or that there is any place for regret, that others must do the work that it was his ambition to do. Every true man bids Godspeed to all workers in the good cause of truth and prosperity of his fellow-man. " Oíd age is usually regarded as a gloomy period of life, when decreptitude has taken the place of physical energy, and every source of pleasure is dried up. This is not a mere modern speculation. A little more than eighteen hundred years ago Cicero wrote his beautiful essay on "Üld Age," in which he enumerates the supposed evils of that period of human life, and discourses leloquently upon the many solaces ! that mitígate its evils. " Since that time the printed book has been given to the world, and the old man in his library may hold communion with the authors of all ages, and from the periodical press he can daily learn the doings and the progress of the modern world in which he lives. " It is something to have lived in an age of this great and general progress. These long years have not been barren of fruit. To me the memory of the past is a living present. " Sixty years of my life have been spent here in Michigan. I have seen its growth from an almost unbroken wilderness to a powerful and wealthy state, from a primitive organization of a territorial government with few features of a representative republic, to its incorporation into the great union of American states. " To the young it is of the present and not of the past, but to me whose memory goes back to the time when the state was a mere nothing, and who has witnessed the progressive steps of its growth it is much more. In my mind the past and the present meet and embrace each other, and the God-given gift of memory secures and respects the incidents of the past with a pleasure-giving power that never tires. " I rejoice that we have with us tonight sonie of the actors in the drama of progression. "All my lite I have been happy in being classed as one of the profcSïion. I have stood in the ranks since 1S30, and tiree years after that date, becaine a meniber of the Michigan bar. I have taxed my memory in vain to find a single man now living who was a meniber of the bar of Michigan when I came here in 1833. But the profession has increased immensely since that time in numbers, acquirements and influence. "This pleasant meeting, called by your kind invitation, my brothers of the legal profession, and your hearty and cordial greetings, is an incident never to be forgotten by me, and I beg of you to accept my warmest acknowledgements and thanks." His remarks were received with rounds of applause. Judge Kinne then called upon Ex-Senator George M. Jones, of Dubuque, Iowa, to respond to the toast "The Golden Age of the United States Senate. Senator Jones, Senator Bradbury, of Maine, and Governor Felch are the only surviving senators of the thirtieth congress. He had a clear voice and gave much interesting historical infortnation about the early history of Michigan and congress. Governor Porter appointed him chief justice of the territory which then included Michigan, Wisconsin and Iowa. He said as follows: "I discharged the duties for three years, at the end of which time I was nominated for the senate at Mineral Point. I was elected and i went on to Washington in ber, 1S35. 1 "Arriving at Washington I called i upon President Jackson in company vvith Senator Linn. The president ] scrutinized me rather closely and said: 'If you are from Missouri I think. I have seen you before. I once had a young sergeant of my bodyguard by the name of George W. Jones.' I told the president that I was the same man and also a college mate of his adopted són, Stockley Donaldson, the younger brotherof his then private secretary. "Well, while in the senate II changed the boundary of Michigan and Wisconsin, giving the names to botU Wisconsin and Iowa, and filling all the offices of the new territory with men chosen by myself, a thing that has, never been - don since nor before. "My term of service in the senate, with Governor Felch expired March 4, 1859, when President Buchanan, without recommendation nor consultation, appointed me United States minister to the United States of Columbia in South America. "Three years ago I visited Detroit, where I was given a reception by niy friends, at which Governor Felch was present, and it is therefore as little as I can do to be present on this occasion and join with you in drinking to the health and still longer life of the 'Grand Oíd Man.' " Tudee T. M. Cooley responded to the toast "The American Lawyer." He said: "If there ís any subject that I feel myself capable of dealing with, it is the one mentioned. I should like to speak of the American lawyer and point out in what way he is deserving and how he differs from the legal men of other countries. But I am here for no other purpose than to do honor and pay respect to your guest, who has himself been a cherished member of our profession for half a century, and for one-half a century he has led no other life than that of a member of the bar." He then followed with a touching tribute to Governor Felch, and analyzed the high character of the American lawyer. In conclusión he said: "There is one characteristic of him which is noticeable in ray case, and that is, if he has nothing to say he always sits down. As the former is my position, I will act upon the latter." Then followed responses to the :oast, "The Governors of Michijan," by ex-Governor David H. ferome, of Saginaw; "The University of Michigan," by Dr. James B. Angelí; "Pioneer Days," by Col. [. R. Grosvenor, Monroe; "The Bar of Washtenaw County," by Hon. A. J. Sawyer, president of the bar association. Letters and telegrams had been received with good wishes and re grets, from many who could not be present. Space forbids the reproduction of ■all the kind and good words said in these epistles, but room is made for that of ex-Senator James W. Bradbury, of Bangor, Maine, who was the colleague of Senator Felch and 's now ninety-three vears of age, and the one from G. V. N. l.othrop. The Senator wrote as follows: "It would give me so niuch pleasure to be present and unite with you in the expression of such appreciation that even at ray age, ninetythree, I would undertake the journey if the distance were less. 'He is my dearest and oldest living fnend. We commenced ths study of Virgil together at Limericlc Academy seventy-five years ago. We were at Bowdoin College together, though not in the same class. We commenced the practice of law about the same time. We entered the United States senate together in 1847, and we are now the sole survivors of the senators of that session. Only two others can be added to the list of survivors of the hundred members of that body during its six years' service. They are Robert C. Winthrope. of Massachusetts, and George W. Jones, of Iowa. "I knew the governor best during his senatorial life, and it is no small commendation to be able to say of him today that as a safe, wise and patriotic statesman, always true to his convictions and true to the interests and honor of his state and the unión, he was the ' peer of his colleagues and also of your distinguished citizen, General Cass. "Such a life as that of Governor Felch, crowned with every private virtue, is worthy of commendation. His is a life that has few parallels, and now. as he enters the ranks of the nonogenarians, I am glad to be able to give him assurance of our high appreciation and afïectionate regard." Following that of 'Senator Bradbury a letter was read from Honorable G. V. N. Lothrop, of Detroit, of which the following is an extract: 'Governor Felch has held a long line of public trusts, and all with distinction and without stain. I recall with great satisfaction that have been honored with hisacquaintance and friendship for more than fifty years. "Although we cannot say of him, as was said of the great Hebrew prophet, his eye is not dim nor his natural forcé abated, and we can rejoice to know that he stili holds much of the vigor of a ripe man-hood. He has the felicity of living :0 hear his long and fruüful life fairly summed up, and to hear the verdict: well done. "May his years outrun the cen,tury, and still present to rising generations an inspiring model of the true citizen, statesman and patriot." To those who enjoyed the priviege of being present it seemed like astening to the pages of past history. May Governor Felch be long spared to his family and many friends is the sincere wish of everyone.