in December, 1865.

The Illinois delegation in the Thirty-ninth Congress, when I entered
the House, while containing few members, still compared favorably
with other delegations, and consisted of very good men who reflected
credit on the State, and some of whom had far more than ordinary
ability. General John A. Logan, of whom I have written in another
part of these memoirs, was a very prominent member of the delegation
and of the House. E. B. Washburne was also a leading member. He
was very influential, and at one time was in a sense the leader of
the House. He early became prominent as one of the intimate friends
and supporters of General Grant, who, every one supposed, would be
the nominee of the Republican party to succeed President Johnson.
Thaddeus Stevens was the real leader on every occasion when he
chose to assume that position. His whole interest, however, seemed
to be concentrated on reconstruction, one of the greatest problems
that has ever confronted this country, and consequently he gave
little attention to general legislation. This gave Washburne quite
a commanding voice in shaping the general legislation of the House.

John Wentworth was one of the best known citizens of Chicago of
his day, and was closely identified with the early history of the
city. He was several times a member of the House. I found him to
be a capable member of the Thirty-ninth Congress, a man of influence,
and I liked him very much. He was Mayor of Chicago when President
Lincoln was assassinated, and I recall that he was at the station
at the head of the committee when the funeral train arrived in
Chicago. John Wentworth was quite a character in our State politics,
but he was particularly noted as being one of the foremost citizens
of his home city.

Burton C. Cook, of Ottawa, was one of the ablest men in the Illinois
delegation. He was a splendid man, a man of high character, one
of the leaders of the bar of the State of Illinois, and retired
from Congress to become general counsel of the Northwestern Railroad.
He occupied a very important place in the House, and was chairman
of the Committee on the District of Columbia. He could not endure
ridicule, and he was not particularly quick in argument, although
a very good debater.

A rather humorous incident occurred on one occasion when he was
pushing a bill to have Pennsylvania Avenue paved. Proctor Knott,
from Kentucky, was then a member of the House, and one of it