that a Member could serve. To limit the service in this House of a Member like CLARENCE CANNON Wwould have deprived Congress and the country of one of its greatest assets, and while we younger Members may at times become frustrated because of seniority rule, it is best for the long run, and our late distinguished chairman's service proves this beyond the shadow of a doubt. And with this seniority came a great deal of power.

I am reminded of the sermon preached by the pastor at his funeral service in which he likened the life of CLARENCE CANNON to the life of Elijah, in three respects. One of those respects was the power that both men had attained to. But he said that both of them exercised that power with extreme care and discretion.

Again, Mr. Speaker, may I say what a privilege it has been for me to serve with the gentleman from Missouri. Our committee will not seem the same without him, and it will take a long time for a new era to take form. My profound sympathies go out to his ever-attentive wife, his daughters, and their families.

Remarks by Representative Conte

Of Massachusetts

Mr. Speaker, it is a humble honor for me to say a few words about the departed chairman of the Appropriations Committee, Mr. CLARENCE CANNON, of Missouri, whose death recently came as a shock to me.

When a man dies at the age of 85, it is perhaps somewhat unusual to say that the death was "unexpected" or that it came as a "shock." And yet CLARENCE CANNON was a living force among us. His energy and devotion to duty astounded all of us who worked on the Appropriations Committee with him.

On the Friday before his death, we worked together on an appropriation bill and his mind was alert, his spirit high, and his concentration was profound.

A great deal has been written about the life and times of Mr. CANNON. The press media gave a great deal of space to the remarkable man who watched the spending of this Government skyrocket during his long congressional life. It is a tribute to his memory that his power was often placed solidly against this trend which we are now finding to be almost beyond our control.

I will not add, Mr. Speaker, to the number of facts written and expressed to this fine and excellent human being, except to say that he was one of the unique Americans of this century, and a man of great courage and integrity. I will miss him greatly, and I want to extend my sympathies to his family. To this family can be added a family of millions of Americans who understand the value of the dollar and the qualities of thrift that marked his life.

In a 1956 issue of the "Churchman," Robert Frost was quoted as saying the following:

Why abandon a belief merely because it ceases to be true. Cling to it long enough—and—it will turn true again, for so it goes.

Most of the change we think we see in life is due to truths being in and out of favor.

Mr. CANNON, throughout his long and memorable life believed deeply in his mission in the U.S. Congress, and as the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, he did not abandon his belief in the necessity for thrift.

As one who learned a great deal from the distinguished chairman, I would hope that we would be able to rededicate our lives to some of the principles that he believed in.

This would be the finest tribute to his memory, and one in which we could all take just pride. This, in the final analysis, would be the last and greatest testimony to the little man with the big mission from Elsberry, Mo.

Remarks by Representative Libonati
Of Illinois

Mr. Speaker, Hon. CLARENCE CANNON, the keeper of the Nation's financial expenditures, who "poetized" his frugality on the floor of the House to accentuate the precarious state of its finances, is dead. His early beginnings, in the hard life of a farming community, without fortune and with only the strong character he had developed as a farmhand and college student, were his assets in life's contest for survival and

success.

Mr. CANNON's rise was not of meteoric rapidity-his growth was slow, like the proverbial oak, not the climbing vine. He was an amateur boxer of some renown in college and carried his fighting spirit of the ring into the political arena, and throughout his fiery career as a legislator in the interests of the people.

CLARENCE CANNON was an artist of the written word—his speeches on the floor are gems of rhetorical language, symbolized by the writings of Walter Pater.

In his presentment of a speech his gruffness of voice and hurried style would confound the listener but, upon reading the context in the Record, the eloquence of his logic and the thorough application of research in its preparation and fullness of discussion edified his colleagues.

There was no stronger debater in the House, nor one more engulfed in work. Mr. CANNON was a vigorous and worthy opponent, and meticulous in money matters affecting the Appropriations Committee's expenses of operation.

His vigorous scrutiny of financial matters was not only directed at the national but also at the committee level. He adhered to no economic theory but the principle of economizing-getting the maximum good in the public interest, with minimum expenditures—a logic unsurpassed in simplicity and force, taught him by the struggle of his youth. He would

not scruple to offend his colleagues when principle was involved.

His stern modesty was reflected in his biography depicting the honorary degrees conferred upon him by five colleges and universities, and his authorship of “Synopsis of the Procedure of the House," "Cannon's Procedure," "Convention Parliamentary Manual," "Cannon's Precedents of the House of Representatives," and treatises on parliamentary law in the Encyclopedia Brittanica and the Encyclopedia Americana. He was an intelluctual-bold and rough of exterior, yet soft and understanding and compassionate toward the weak and unfortunate.

He controlled his committee members with a firm hand and did not easily forgive a departure in voting its recommendations for passage in the House.

He was kind and considerate to his working staff—whose love and admiration were reflected in their deep-grained loyalty to his every attitude and request.

His previous service as Parliamentarian of the House, for 6 years, established for him a secure place in the history of its procedures the compilation of his book of rules, “Cannon's Procedure in the House of Representatives,” was not only a laborious task, but marked him as a master of research in this field. This scholarly contribution will be his true legacy, a real and enduring memorialization as long as this body shall assemble for legislative purposes.

The Illinois delegation well remembers his positive-minded leadership in certain matters affecting the interests of our State, and will always admire him for his relentless opposition, and again in other matters his powerful and detailed defenses of Illinois' position. He was that kind of a man.

We, the Illinois Members of Congress, mourn his loss and join our prayers with those of his devoted wife, Ida, and darling daughters, Mrs. Ida Elizabeth Pixley and Mrs. Ruby Linda Hackethorn.

May God grant him peace everlasting for his honest and loyal public services throughout life, to his Nation, State, and