COMPLETE LIST OF OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES FROM INCEPTION OF THE ASSOCIATION ΤΟ OCTOBER 2nd, 1884. D. F. Miller, Sr., Chairman of the first meeting, held July 3, 1884. D. C. Daugherty, Secretary of same. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. Samuel E. Carey, President, J. O. Voorhies, Treasurer, J. M. Reid, Geo. F. Jenkins, J. H. Cole, Secretary. J. B. Paul. COMMITTEE ON CONSTITUTION. S. E. Carey, J. O. Voorhies, J. H. Cole. J. M. Reid, FINANCE COMMITTEE. J. B. Paul, Dr. Geo. F. Jenkins. COMMITTEE ON INVITATIONS. C. F. Davis, W. A. Brownell, J. M. Reid, Jno. Walker, R. E. Hill. COMMITTEE ON MUSIC. Conrad Eimbeck, H. C. Landes, Dr. J. C. Hughes, Dr. A. Weismann. J. C. Coombs. COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION. W. A. Brownell, J. F. Daugherty, J. K. Mason, COMMITTEE ON PROGRAMME. C. F. Davis, J. H. Cole, Dr. J. M. Shaffer. COMMITTEE ON RECEPTION. John Culbertson, C. P. Birge, Geo. D. Rand, D. Mooar. R. B. B. Wood. Jno. T. Griffey, COMMITTEE ON SEATS, PARK, ETC. Horace H. Ayres, Conrad Eimbeck. COMMITTEE TO PROVIDE ACCOMMODATIONS FOR PROCEEDINGS. Samuel E. Carey, Esq., President of the Executive Committee, in calling the Association to order, spoke as follows: "It is always proper, and the right thing to do at the inauguration of any undertaking, and especially so on an occasion of this kind, where we for the first time meet together to organize an association of the early settlers of the three States which are so closely united at this point, to call upon God to bless our effort. We to-day are happy to have with us one of the first, if not the very first settled preacher of the Gospel in all this region-Rev. L. B. Dennis, of Knoxville, Illinois, who will now lead us prayer. PRAYER BY REV. L. B. DENNIS. Our Father in heaven, in Thy providence and mercy and kindness Thou hast permitted us to meet to-day as we have never met before. A number of us, men of former years and former surroundings, are permitted to come to this gathering, where the old settlers of Illinois, Iowa and Missouri, are called together to spend one day in social greeting. May the blessings of God rest upon the officers of the day, upon the executive and all its arrangements, and especially upon the speakers, and upon evey interest that involves the welfare of the cccasion. We thank Thee, our Father, that the dark clouds, the threatening storm, have all passed away. This morning the beautiful sun and smiling nature tell us of Thy goodness. We ask Thy blessing, not only upon us here, and upon the States we represent, but upon the United States, and upon our rulers, and upon all in high places. May the God of all good rule in all the matters of earth and matters of interest and matters of welfare of our nation. And when we are done with the affairs of life and labor here, may we all die aright; and then may we have more than an annual greeting in the land of rest and home of the happy. We ask it through our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen. AMERICA. My country, 'tis of thee, Of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, Land of the pilgrim's pride, From every mountain side My native country, thee- Thy name I love, Thy woods and templed hills; Let music swell the breeze Our father's God, to Thee— To Thee we sing, Long may our land be bright Great God, our King. General Belknap, President of the Day, being introduced, made the following address: LADIES, GENtlemen and Old Settlers:—I cannot claim the honor of being a very old settler. although I landed at Keokuk thirty-three years ago. But the wonderful changes which have occurred in that time in the improvement in travel, in the modes of labor, in the speed of mails, in the spread of education, and in society itself, mark the passage of a century, instead of the lapse of a third of that time. And although these various changes have occurred, we do not, without reflection, realize them. I remember making the trip in T851 from Washington to St. Louis. From New York to Buffalo the way was by several disconnected and slowgoing roads, where changes were repeatedly made by the traveler from train to train; thence by steamer to Detroit, for there was no Lake Shore road, thence by rail to New Buffalo on Lake Michigan, whence we went across the lake to Chicago in a storm far more severe than any I ever saw on the ocean. Chicago then had about thirty-five thousand people, but its destiny was in the future, and its present prospect of being, as I believe it will be, the largest city on the continent, was not dreamed of. To St. Louis there were three ways of travel-by canal-boat, stage, or on foot. We chose the former and reaching La Salle after a night and day's experience on the canal; we went down the Illinois on the steamer “ Prairie Bird," reaching St. Louis in five and one-half days from New York—a trip heralded in the papers then as being remarkable for speed, although they hoped that it might be made in four days. Mark the contrast. Since then I have frequently left Washington in the morning and reached Keokuk the next evening. Were the connections arranged, the trip could easily be made in thirty hours or less, from the Atlantic to the Mississippi here. And since those days, the State of Iowa, whose foundations were laid by the old settlers on the true rock of liberty, in toil, peril, hardships, privation and labor, has grown into a grand commonwealth, the strength of whose future empire no prophet can predict. From your borders men have gone forth, who have, in numbers, filled prominent positions in the nation, and the career of the State has but begun. In recalling the past, many strange memories are revived. One of my earliest and most pleasant recollections of Keokuk has ever been that of hearing the music there of a lovely singer many years ago, and my thoughts were recalled to it not very long ago in Washington. Adalina. Patti was announced to sing there at the National Theater. There was great anxiety to hear her, and the seats brought fabulous prices; those who were unable to procure them at the office, paid high premiums for them. President Arthur was expected. Great interest was manifested, and the gardens, green houses and conservatories of the Capital furnished their choicest flowers in honor of the beautiful singer. Thirty years ago Adalina Patti-then an artless little girl known as “Little Patti”—sang in what was then a small church, and what is now a stable on Third street, near High, in Keokuk. Ole Bull, the great violinist, was with her, and I believe that her first vocal efforts were made here and in other towns in the northwest. Ole Bull is dead, and while his extraordinary instrument still impressed his audience, few of those who heard him and his young. companion, remember that the little girl whom they then heard is the same one who is now, without question, the most charming singer in the world. That she who now selects her own days, names her own prices, entrances her audiences, and is said to collect personally from her manager before leaving the theater each night, her three thousand five hundred or four thousand dollars, is the same "Little Patti" whom we paid fifty cents to hear in a remote western town, and who almost began her career in Keokuk. But this is only one incident among many pleasant ones which come to us from the past. Old settlers of the northwest! You will never cease to be remembered as the pioneers of a country whose prosperity is largely due tɔ your early labors in the dark days of the land's beginning. Facing danger, accepting hardship and welcoming labor, you have lived long enough to see the glad fruition of your work, and to find yourselves surrounded by peace, happiness and prosperity, and by multitudes of younger men who rise up and call you old men and matrons blessed! When twenty-three years ago a great war insulted the flag and threatened the nation, you willingly gave your sons to the country, and sent into the service those who had sprung from you, and who were tied to your hearts by bonds of kindred and of paternal love. And the desolation caused by the loss of one and another, who never came back to that fireside again, still casts its cloud over many a home when the triumphs won by the Union arms are recalled. As your years pass and your days decline, as your ranks grow thinner and your places are filled by those of us who are younger, we are "old settlers," but we never can be pioneers. That honor is reserved for you alone. What you did will never be forgotten, what you achieved will always live, and your best eulogy will be the story of your lives, which we, and those who come after us, and those who come after them, will tell to other generations. ADDRESS OF WELCOME BY HON. EDWARD JOHNSTONE. MR. PRESIDENT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN :-I am advised by the managers of this reunion of the Tri-State Old Settlers' Association, that several distinguished gentlemen are present to address this meeting. In the meantime they have instructed me to extend, in a very few words, a cordial welcome to this assemblage. It would require the voice of a trumpet to reach the ears of a crowd gathered together in this beautiful park. I wish that I possessed it, so that I could convey to every individual the heartfelt greetings of the people I have the honor to represent. My friends, I congratulate you that we meet in an auspicious season, that genial breezes, cloudless skies, and an October sun add to the comfort and delight of our meeting. I congratulate you on the abundant "kindly fruits that our bounteous Mother Earth has poured out from her bosom, on the universal good health of the land, and that peace, plenty and prosperity dwell in our midst. I congratulate you more especially, that to-day, and here, we have a time of rest and quiet social intercourse, when on every side the country is "tempest tossed” by a political conflict. Men and women of Illinois, Missouri and Iowa, it is good for us all to be here; to throw aside, for one day at least, all public and private care; to meet and exchange the friendly greetings, and cultivate that spirit of amity and social regard which should ever characterize good neighbors and good citizens. My friends, have you ever considered how great are the States we represent-Illinois, Missouri and Iowa? An empire in themselves-nay each of them fitted to be an empire! Did you ever reflect on the vast territorial extent of these States; their present population and immense resources; all of which sink into insignificance when compared with the days to come, those "far off summers that we shall not see?" Situated, virtually, in the heart of the United States, midway in the great valley of the Mississippi, they are strong enough by their moral influence alone to insure for all time, the perpetuity of the Union. Think af these three States standing together for whatever purpose! What could resist their power? A cordial union of these over-shadowing |