comes hard to me-she is in fine health but she cannot get around as she would like to, and you just do not know what that means. In all my political career, it has been in my wife's name. She remembered people. She would say, 'Clarence, this is Mr. So-and-So.' She remembered issues. She contributed more in keeping me on the track than anything in my life."

As all of you know, he had a brilliant mind. He had a wonderful family, a lovely and fine wife. As his many friends here will miss him, I shall miss him. I just hope that I can reflect, as the years pass, some of the fine things that he set out before us and some of the lessons that we had the wonderful opportunity to learn.

I extend to his bereaved family my deepest sympathy. We have all lost a friend.

Remarks by Representative Thomas
Of Texas

Mr. Speaker, I do not know that I can add anything to what has already been said concerning the many outstanding talents of our departed colleague. But two or three things come to my mind that I think ought to be mentioned.

He did have many varied and outstanding talents. There is no question about that.

One of the things I shall remember him longest by has been touched upon by our genial friend from Mississippi [Mr. Whitten] only a few minutes ago.

I believe, when the history of his period has been written, it is safe to assume that he will go down in history as having done perhaps as much as, if not more than, anybody else in the Congress in the broad field of agriculture.

I remember when I first came here. As the gentleman from Mississipi [Mr. Whitten] pointed out, he headed the committee. On the legislative side was the able and genial Judge Marvin Jones, one of the alltime greats of agriculture. They would “lock horns” quite often. But his efforts in behalf of agriculture and of the farmers were perhaps as close to his heart as anything else.

As something ancillary to that program, he even extended his great talents in those fields which made life for the farmers more livable. I refer to the extension of telephone service and electricity, and so forth and so on. They were outstanding achievements for him.

He was a student. He was a scholar. He had very much of an artistic temperament, I believed. The little veneer that we saw so much on the floor was very shallow. Underneath it, at heart, he was really a kind and gentle man.

I noticed him many times. He was one of the most remarkable hosts I have ever seen. He was gallant. He would bow. He was courteous to his constituents and to other

people. That expressed the warmth and gentleness he possessed. The little veneer on the front was purely a veneer.

I should like to illustrate what I have in mind. He was modest and gentle and even to an extent bashful at times. On occasion after occasion the gentleman from Texas [Mr. Mahon], the gentleman from Iowa [Mr. Jensen], the gentleman from Mississippi [Mr. Whitten], and several others of us went to him and begged him and begged him to let us have a portrait of him painted. We suggested to him that he owed it to the House of Representatives and to the committee of which he had been chairman for so many years. But he said, "Why? Why do I deserve that?" We went to his lovely wife, whom we all love and admire and affectionately call "Miss Ida," and Mrs. Cannon would shake her head and say, "I fear we cannot do much with him.”

For "Miss Ida," his lovely and gracious wife, and his lovely daughters, their husbands and grandchildren—one of whom lives in my town-who are all wonderful people, I join my colleagues in wishing the best of everything. We extend to each and every one of them our best wishes, our sympathy, and our sorrow in their great loss.

Remarks by Representative Passman

Of Louisiana

Mr. Speaker, the Congress and our beloved country could hardly have suffered a greater loss than has come to us through the death of our colleague and friend, the Honorable CLARENCE CANNON, of Missouri.

Unquestionably, few men of this century, either in public office or private life, have contributed so much of solid and enduring value to the strength and greatness of our beloved Nation as this unusually brilliant man of courage and wisdom did.

And, fortunately for all of us, his distinguished career encompassed 42 years of outstanding service in the House of Representatives-nearly half of his full and fruitful 85 years of life on earth—a total of 20 of these eventful years having been served, with the deepest devotion to duty and the ultimate in quality, as chairman of the Committee on Appropriations.

This world is indeed a much better place in which to live by Mr. CANNON having lived in it.

Every Member of Congress already knows, of course, that Mr. CANNON was a person of the highest integrity. They know, too, that he was a learned scholar and patriotic statesman and, also, that no single individual in Government had more complete knowledge and fuller understanding of Federal fiscal affairs than he. And, without partisanship, he used those sterling attributes-his superior intellect, his deep wisdom, his unsurpassed skill as a parliamentarian, his unfailing courage, his relentless determination, his amazing energy-all of which, thanks to the Supreme Architect of the Universe, remained with him, undiminished, until the time of his passing from our midst, to make the journey to the other side of eternity-for the true and lasting benefit of

our Government and Nation, in furtherance and fulfillment of his most sincere and abiding love for America.

As for myself, Mr. Speaker, I feel a deep sense of personal loss and grief at the death of Mr. CANNON, who was my chairman, my wise counselor, and my devoted friend.

It was my good fortune to have frequent private consultations with this great man, and always on these occasions, which covered 16 of my 18 years as a Member of Congress, I was given better understanding, clearer insight, increased strength, and encouragement as a result of our discussions and conversations. And, in addition to these factors in our relationship, one which I will always cherish, he was my dear friend and, also, one to whom I was closely and faithfully bound by the strong bonds of Masonic fraternal brotherhood. I held for him limitless esteem and the warmest affection.

I am bereaved by Mr. CANNON's death, while, at the same time, I am humbly grateful for his life-for his years in this House and his use throughout those years for the betterment and benefit of America of what was undoubtedly one of the finest, keenest minds that our Government has ever had in its service.

Mr. CANNON was clearly the foremost champion within our time of the cause of fiscal sanity and stability in Government. In this most difficult role, through the years, this alert, brillant man was directly sponsible for the saving of many billions of dollars for the taxpayers of our Nation. And none can doubt that our country is much stronger and more stable because of his actions than it would have been otherwise.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to express my heartfelt sympathy to our dear departed colleague's devoted wife, who was close by his side all through the years, and to their two daughters and five grandchildren. May they be comforted and sustained by God's infinite goodness and grace and by the sure knowledge that the immortal soul of their loved one is eternally at peace and rest.