opportunity to do for him that which I am sure he would gladly have done for me. As I sit here, I recall it has been my privilege to serve on the Committee on the Judiciary for only a decade. The committee now has 30 members, I believe; and by the going of this good man I find myself the third ranking member on the majority side. Only two other distinguished members outrank me, the chairman, the Honorable Emanuel Celler, of New York, and the Honorable Francis Walter, of Pennsylvania. As I think of the going of my colleague, I am admonished that in Holy Writ it is provided two shall be grinding at the mill, one shall be taken and the other left. Just a few days ago upon returning from the Christmas recess I remarked to my friend BILLY BYRNE how well he looked. He looked as if he had been refreshed and rejuvenated for his arduous tasks. If any man on the Committee on the Judiciary had multitudinous duties to perform it was the distinguished gentleman from Albany who, as you probably know, was chairman of the subcommittee dealing with claims. It was thought under the Reorganization Act that the burden of the work would be more equitably distributed. I think I recall that almost 50 percent of all the bills which fall into the hopper here in the well of the House eventually find their way to the Committee on the Judiciary. Subcommittee No. 1, presided over by the distinguished gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Walter], deals with problems of immigration and naturalization. Subcommittee No. 2 presided over by our colleague who has so suddenly left us, deals with claims. I am satisfied he had more bills to deal with than any other member of the committee. He was always kind, considerate, and generous. In spite of his unprecedented task, he always had patience and interest enough to talk with other Members about their problems. Like the distinguished gentleman from Illinois, I, too, was privileged to go overseas with that special committee some 2 years ago. On more than one occasion I roomed with the distinguished gentleman from New York, and I learned in that personal way to know him more intimately. Although he belonged to an entirely different religious faith than that to which belong, he was most tolerant. I recall in talking with him, the lack of any apparent bitterness or criticism; and knowing of his devotion to his own church, I thought of the lines from the pen of the bard when he sang: Shall I ask the brave soldier who fights by my side Mr. Speaker, we have lost a great man. It will be difficult to replace him, if at all possible. I remember on several occasions, I was made acquainted with the fact that BILL BYRNE was a devoted, lifetime friend of the Roosevelt family. When he was a member of the general assembly in the great Empire State of New York, and the Roosevelt family lived in Albany, he frequently went to the Governor's mansion. He told me of the intimate contacts and experiences he had with the then Governor, who later came to be one of our greatest Presidents. He recalled playing with the Roosevelt children. As I understand it, he was not blessed with any children of his own. Mr. Speaker, I also recall how fine and considerate and worshipful he was of his departed wife. I remember in history the story of Andrew Jackson's devotion to his wife. He was the great President from my section of the country. I remember and no doubt you too remember, that he lost his wife after he was nominated for the Presidency, but before he assumed office. Recalling how devoted and how respectful Andrew Jackson was of his Rachel, I was reminded when talking with Congressman BYRNE that he too had the same respect and devotion for his fine helpmate. Mr. Speaker, one finds himself embarrassed for proper words to express himself about one so beloved and so respected, so devoted to the performance of his official duties, and so filled with love for his country. We can ill afford to lose men of his caliber. But God in His infinite wisdom knows best, and we must get along as best we can without him. We might take this lesson from his life, however, as expressed in the lines of the poet: So live, that when thy summons comes to join To that mysterious realm, where each shall take His chamber in the silent halls of death, Thou go not, like the quarry-slave at night, Scourged to his dungeon, but sustained and soothed By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave, Like one that wraps the drapery of his couch About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams. Mr. Speaker, I know the family of our late colleague has our deepest sympathy. Mrs. KELLY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Graham]. Mr. GRAHAM. Mr. Speaker, last Thursday morning at the regular meeting of the Committee on the Judiciary, it so happened that I was the first person present. The second was our late departed brother, WILLIAM BYRNE. Mr. BYRNE came into the room carrying his hand bag. He deposited it, and he came over and sat beside me, and for 10 minutes there, before the other members of the committee arrived, we spent the time in conversation, little dreaming that here today we would be mourning his departure. It is difficult to appraise the work and value of a man such as Mr. BYRNE, on such sudden notice. It is not that we have not always understood and in a sense realized his worth, but to clearly and factually appraise his worth to his community, to the Congress, and to the Nation, is a work of larger perspective. As he talked with me last Thursday morning he said, “I am anxious to get home." He said, "You know, as you grow older home means so much to you." He said, "I will go home and I will come back refreshed and invigorated, ready for the work that we will take up next week." In that intimate light I think there is a true revelation of his character. He was modest, he was gentle, he was kind. He was a man of keen legal perception. I always admired his viewpoint-not that I always agreed with him, but the clearness with which he arrived at his conclusion and the logic of his deductions could not but favorably impress any man who dealt with him. For 14 years we sat near each other, interchanging our viewpoints; not in a partisan way, because in the Judiciary Committee there is less of partisanship than in most any other committee of the House. We are all lawyers. We approach the subject in hand as a legal proposition. We recognize the opinions of others, their viewpoints; we conciliate, we give and take, and finally arrive at our decision. Now that our brother has gone, a great void has been left in our midst which will be indeed difficult to fill. We can now realize what we have lost in the earnest, conscientious work of this very, very good man. Words are futile. It is almost impossible to portray the inward associations, the thoughts one would like to say at a time like this, but I shall always feel that I am a better man, and life has held more for me, and that the world is better for having known BILLY BYRNE. Mrs. KELLY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Tennessee [Mr. Priest). Mr. PRIEST. Mr. Speaker, this morning as I drove on Independence Avenue toward the Capitol I observed through the mist and the rain of the early morning that the flags were at half mast. I started wondering which one of our colleagues could have passed away, not having heard about the death of Mr. BYRNE at that time. I thought first of some of those who have been ill recently, thinking not at all about this kindly, gentle soul whom I had seen and with whom I had talked only last Thursday. I reached my office and learned that it was BILL BYRNE who had passed away. It was with a feeling of great shock, and grief and sorrow that I heard that news. A great deal has been said about our colleague by those who have known him very well, and it has been well said. The distinguished gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Graham] said a moment ago that words were inadequate. I think all of us agree that language has its limitations when we attempt to eulogize a soul such as that of our departed colleague. I think he was one of the most tolerant men I have ever known. It has been stated already so many times that he never said an unkind word about another person; I do not believe he ever had an unkind thought about another person. He was so tolerant, so understanding; he was a man of great faith, faith in God and faith in his fellow man. He had great faith in the democratic processes; he had faith enough in man to believe that man under God could work out his destiny and govern himself. He believed in the Congress of the United States. He had great faith in the House of Representatives, and I have heard him many times, when perhaps for the moment we might have had before us a confused legislative picture, say in substance that in the long run the combined ingenuity and common sense of the Members of the House of Representatives would bring out the right answer. His was the kind of faith we need so much in these days when democratic systems are being challenged around the world. I have a feeling of very personal loss in another sense in the passing away of BILL BYRNE. He was the zone whip for his zone. As majority whip I have called upon him many times and found him always so ready to respond in such a cooperative spirit that I shall miss him in a personal way in |