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Proceedings in the House

MONDAY, April 30, 1951. The CHAPLAIN, Rev. Bernard Braskamp, D. D., offered the following prayer:

Eternal God, our Father, who art always mindful of our needs, we rejoice that in our days of confusion and perplexity Thou art our guide and counselor; in our periods of trial and tribulation Thou art our refuge and strength; and in our times of loneliness and sorrow Thou art companion and comforter.

We pray that these assurances and the abundance of our blessings may never fill us with a sense of independence and self-complacency or make us supercilious and selfishly indifferent to the desperate struggles of others.

Inspire us with an eager longing to relieve the burdens of all mankind and to dedicate ourselves more earnestly to the glorious task of laying the foundation for a better world. We thank thee for the Christian life and character of Thy servant who labored here so conscientiously and devotedly in obedience to the demands and responsibilities of his high vocation. Grant unto the broken and sorrowing hearts of the members of his bereaved family the healing touch of Thy divine love and the consolation of Thy grace. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The SPEAKER. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Eberharter].

Mr. EBERHARTER. Mr. Speaker, this is personal. A real man, a real friend, a true servant of democracy, a Representative in the Congress of the United States, passed away on Friday.

You all knew him as a fellow Congressman, FRANK BUCHANAN. I knew him as FRANK. His name alone was a tribute to his life and to my enjoyment of his friendship that has been tested through the years.

I must break today a silence of love, for no man tells another through days of association that he loves his friend. Unfortunately, the death of a man breaks that silence, when all the words in the world are lost in a void, the void of death and the void of loss. We, who remain after our friends depart, call upon memory to acclaim. My memories of FRANK BUCHANAN are as fresh as yesterday's rain.

When such a personal loss occurs, the effect is a lament. But as the hours pass, a narcotic of memory, pleasant and soul-satisfying, disposes the personal hurt and produces a pride for the friendship and the knowing of a friend. Then there is a peace and a joy that follows that would be envied by the world's greatest philosopher.

However, Mr. Speaker, it is not my intent to trespass upon the time of the House by speaking of my personal feelings, for what I want to do and say here in this presence is a tribute to a fellow Member, and again, once again, my friend. Mr. Speaker, this is fact.

One dies for his country despite battlefields.

One dies for his country as a Congressman. No glory to men who serve by voice.

Your pardon, Mr. Speaker, for injecting another personal tone. But my friend, Mr. BUCHANAN, who lived in the tradition of America, whose life, cut short by an intense desire to serve honorably and unselfishly in a position as servant to our people of the United States, loaded his heart and mind with responsibilities that ultimately caused his retirement to the world beyond. It is not necessary to tell you, Mr. Speaker, that a sacrifice of this sort is an occurrence among There are no words in defense of capabilities, extended as they are by the Members of the Congress. The words of a

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eulogy never repay the sacrifice of Members and their families for the loss of time and comfort and even the presence of the loved ones. Occasions such as this make one realize how truly the word "servant" befits us. As the bell tolls the years of our ages, there will always be men like BUCK BUCHANAN who listen not-all in the interests of the people. Mr. GRAHAM. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield? Mr. EBERHARTER. I yield.

Mr. GRAHAM. Mr. Speaker, today we mourn the passing of our dear friend, FRANK BUCHANAN, and we are not only reminded of the brevity of life, but we come to a true realization of the work and character of this fine, clean, outstanding man. Coming out of the city of McKeesport, Pa., where it has been aptly said men make iron and steel for a living, there was something ingrained in this man's nature of strength and durability. He was a fine, consistent, conscien

tious man; a man of high ideals, who believed in his country and in his fellow man, and had the courage to stand and defend those convictions.

Well educated, a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and of Columbia University, he gave his early life to teaching the young manhood and young womanhood of his community. As he moved on he became mayor of that great city and he exemplified the highest attributes of civic administration and of a conscientious real duty. Then he came here to serve for nearly 6 years. This country is all the better for FRANK BUCHANAN having lived, and to have devoted himself to public service.

I remember distinctly the strong stand he took on the matter of public housing and the like; and, while we did not see eye to eye on many political questions, I knew that deep in his heart was that conscientious realization that he must do something for his community. He did that to the best of his ability.

So today, as we mourn his departure, we all learn how inadequate and futile are words to convey our inmost feelings, but I am sure every Member of this House realizes today that he has lost a fine friend and that this country has been deprived of the services of a real man all too early in life.

Mr. WALTER. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. EBERHARTER. I yield to the distinguished gentleman from Pennsylvania.

Mr. WALTER. Mr. Speaker, the passing of FRANK BuCHANAN, our distinguished colleague from Pennsylvania, was, I know, a profound shock to all of us. To me, it is a matter of deep personal grief. He was my friend.

That this diligent and conscientious worker in our ranks should be stricken down in the prime of his career is, perhaps, a sign of the pressures under which we all labor here in these critical times.

Mr. BUCHANAN was relatively a young man, yet already he had served his community, his State, and his country. His record of public service as a high-school teacher, as the mayor of McKeesport, Pa., and as a Member of the Congress had marked him as one for whom the future held great possibilities of leadership in the field of statecraft.

Perhaps his greatest contribution to the legislative annals of our day was made as chairman of the Select Committee on Lobbying Activities. He was the author of the resolution creating that committee and pursued the investigation with vigor, determination, and yet with fairness. Respecting the constitutional right of all citizens to petition their Government, Mr. BUCHANAN, at the same time, zealously favored the publication of financial reports by all organized groups seeking to influence legislation.

Despite the burdens of this special undertaking, he continued to carry on with his usual energy and industry his

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