of that great Court."

It is more than eight years since I delivered that address. In
the ensuing period, five justices of the Supreme Court have either
retired under the law, or passed away, none of whom enjoyed a length
of service equal to Judge Harlan's; and yet Justice Harlan is
attending daily to his duties as a member of that court, apparently
in vigorous health and certainly as profound and learned a judge
to-day as at any time in his past career. And I repeat now what
I said eight years ago--that I hope he shall for years to come
remain an active member of that great court.

CHAPTER XXIII
MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS

It has been said that Charles Sumner considered the chairmanship
of the Committee on Foreign Relations as the highest honor that
could have been conferred upon him by the United States Senate.

I have been chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations for a
longer consecutive period than any man in our history, aside from
Mr. Sumner, who served as chairman for ten years. If I continue
as chairman during the remainder of my term, I shall have exceeded
the long service of Mr. Sumner.

The Committee on Foreign Relations was among the first of the
permanent standing committees of the Senate. Prior to 1816, there
were no permanent standing committees, the custom being to appoint
select committees to consider the different portions of the
President's messages, and for the consideration of any other subject
which the Senate might from session to session determine necessary
for committee reference. On December 13, 1816, the Senate, by
rule, proceeded to the appointment of the following standing
committees, agreeably to the resolution of the tenth instant, which
was as follows:

"Resolved, that it shall be one of the rules of the Senate that
the following standing committees be appointed at each session:
a Committee on Foreign Relations, a Committee on Finance, a Committee
on Commerce and Manufactures, a Committee on Military Affairs, a
Committee on the Militia, a Committee on Naval Affairs, a Committee
on Public Lands, a Committee on Claims, a Committee on the Judiciary,
a Committee on Post-offices and Post-roads, and a Committee on
Pensions."

It will be noted that under this rule, the Committee on Foreign
Relations was named first, and Mr. Barbour, of Virginia, was its
first chairman. Whether it was at that time considered the most
important committee, I do not know;