repare for the session of Congress, and there was so much
important work before my committee and in the Senate generally,
that it seemed impossible for me to leave there in order to thank
the members of the Legislature for the high honor they had conferred
upon me.

I addressed a letter to the members of the Forty-fifth General
Assembly, which was read, and from which I will quote:

"I desire to express to the Republican members of the Forty-fifth
General Assembly my profound gratitude for your action in unanimously
declaring in favor of my re-election to again represent Illinois
in the United States Senate.

"In electing me to the United States Senate for five consecutive
terms, a greater distinction will be conferred by the State than
has been conferred upon any other man in the history of Illinois.

"I shall appreciate this election the more, because for the first
time the question of the selection of a United States Senator was
submitted to the people, and without any active campaign on my
part, the great majority of the voters declared me to be their
preference.

"Until the recent primaries, my name had not been submitted directly
to the voters of the State since I was re-elected Governor in 1880,
and it was no small gratification to me, after twenty-six years
had come and gone, to have this expression of continued confidence
and approval of my record as a Senator.

"I wish now to return my most sincere thanks to the people of the
State who have thus signally honored me.

"During the twenty-four years I have represented the State in the
Senate, I have endeavored to the best of my ability to perform my
whole duty to the country and the State, and the only pledge I can
make is, that I shall continue in the performance of my duty in
the future as in the past.

"I would prefer to have the pleasure of being present when a
Senatorial election takes place, in order to express personally to
the Legislature my appreciation; but there are so many important
questions to settle, and so much important legislation to enact
during the short session of Congress, ending as it does on March
4, that it has seemed to me to be more in accord with my duty to
remain in Washington in the performance of my official business.

"Your Legislature assembles this year in the midst of the greatest
era of prosperity that has ever prevailed in this country. There
has never been a time in our history that we have had so long an
uninte