acutely. But monuments to his memory remain in the action which he has fostered and in the orderly procedure which he has stamped upon this assembly. He gave the people of his best: Remarks by Representative Wyman Of New Hampshire Mr. Speaker, the death on May 12 of CLARENCE CANNON, chairman of the Appropriations Committee, brought to an end a long career of dedicated public service. Chairman CANNON first came to the House in 1911 as confidential secretary to House Speaker Champ Clark. Thereafter, he became House Parliamentarian, the first to serve under both Democrat and Republican administrations. We are all familiar with "Cannon's Procedure" and "Cannon's Precedents," which he wrote during this time. In 1922, Mr. CANNON ran for the congressional seat in Missouri's Ninth District and won. In 1941 he became chairman of the Appropriations Committee. It was in this capacity that CLARENCE CANNON best served his country, for he took his responsibility for the Nation's economy most seriously, spending many long and tedious hours poring over voluminous justifications in order to be able to make the most intelligent decision possible as to where the national budget might best be reduced. I first met Mr. CANNON when I served as secretary to the Honorable Styles Bridges, then chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, in 1948. At that time, John Taber served as chairman of the House Appropriations Committee and Mr. CANNON was the ranking minority member for the brief period of the 80th Congress. During these years, before, and since, CLARENCE CANNON had labored long and mightily to keep appropriations of the public moneys from flowing over into the never-never land of pork barrel pres sures. As the junior member of the largest committee of the House, I find it a particular pleasure to be able to say that the distinguished committee chairman, Mr. CANNON, was always kind, gracious, and patient with me. He was not one who, despite his enormous power in his official position, would either abuse it, take advantage of it, or allow it to go to his head. One of the freshman class in any congressional session can pay no greater compliment to a senior Member than to recite these simple facts. All of us on the Appropriations Committee who knew and worked with Chairman CANNON will sorely miss his presence at both subcommittee and full committee meetings. We are fortunate, however, that this giant of a man will be succeeded by a Member of equal competence and dedication, our distinguished colleague, Hon. George Mahon, who, I am sure, feels the same overwhelming sense of responsibility to the American people for the appropriation of their tax dollars as did our late Chairman CLARENCE CANNON. America is better off because the Honorable CLARENCE CANNON lived among us. Would that such might be the epitaph of more Americans. Remarks by Representative Andrews Mr. Speaker, I wish to include the remarks I made during the hearings of the Foreign Operations Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee: THE LATE HONORABLE CLARENCE CANNON Mr. Chairman, yesterday morning the House Appropriations Committee suffered a great loss in the death of our beloved chairman, CLARENCE CANNON. The sudden and untimely passing of Mr. CANNON has shocked and saddened us all. To his family, it has brought a sorrow that will ease with time-but never cease. Among his friends and colleagues, it has left an emptiness that will be filled with memories-but never a replacement. More than just an admired and respected colleague, Mr. CANNON was a true and devoted friend whose death came as a great personal loss to me. His advice and assistance were always welcomed because I knew they were based on sound judgment and unfailing loyalty. He was truly a dedicated man. One of the memories that I will always cherish is the opportunity that I had to serve under him on the House Appropriations Committee. Throughout our service together, my respect and admiration for him grew ever greater with the passing of years. No Member of the House of Representatives had greater wisdom or influence. He could be gentle, but he could also act with the strength and toughness of a man who knows no fear. He stamped the print of his personality on the course of events in this committee as few men have done. When we consider the stature of the man, we realize that anything we might say about him would be an understatement. I never met a man who did not respect him. Driven by an indefatigable determination to pursue and fulfill all his dreams, he set his goals high. As chairman of the great House Appropriations Committee he held tightly the purse strings of our Government's expenditures in an effort to curb unnecessary spending and extravagance. As a parliamentarian, he was without equal. He was an outstanding legislator, and his love for this great country of ours was unsurpassed. |
