Almighty God, Father of mercies and giver of all comfort, deal graciously, we pray Thee, with those who mourn this day, that casting every care on Thee, they may know the consolation of Thy love, the healing of Thy grace, and the companionship of Thy presence; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Almighty and everlasting God, before whom stand the living and the dead, we praise and bless Thy holy name for the good examples of those Thy servants, who having finished their course on earth, now rest from their labors. We thank Thee this day for thy servant, EVERETT MCKINLEY Dirksen, and for the sacred memories and hallowed recollections which cluster about this great life-his manly piety, his refined patriotism, his unending devotion and tireless efforts in behalf of our Nation and the world. We thank Thee for his faith in the invincibility of goodness, and the final triumph of justice. Help us to praise highly and to guard carefully the gifts which such loyalty and devotion have passed on to us. And grant that we may be true as he was true, that we may be loyal as he was loyal, and that we may serve our country, our world, and our God all the days of our lives, and leave the world better for having lived in it. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

The President of the United States, Richard M. Nixon, placed a floral tribute at the catafalque, and then made the following address:

The PRESIDENT. Mrs. Dirksen, Mr. Vice President, Mr. Chief Justice, Members of the Congress, Members of the Cabinet, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, Your Excellencies, and friends of EVERETT DIRKSEN throughout the Nation:

When Daniel Webster died more than a century ago, a man who differed strongly with him on many public issues rose in Congress to say this in eulogy:

Our great men are the common property of the country.

EVERETT DIRKSEN of Illinois was and is the common property of all the 50 States.

Senator DIRKSEN belonged to all of us because he always put his country first. He was an outspoken partisan. He was an individualist of the first rank. But he put his Nation before himself and before his party.

He came to the Nation's Capital in 1932, and his public service spanned an era of enormous change in the life of our country. He played a vital part in that change. That is why it is so difficult to think of the Washington scene, of this Capital, without him.

Only his fellow legislators, the Senators and Representatives who have gathered here today and who mourn his loss across the Nation, know the full extent of his contribution to the process of governing this country. They know the time and concern he put into their bills, their causes, their problems.

They know another side of EVERETT DIRKSEN: The side in the committees behind the scenes where so much of the hard work and the hard bargaining is done, where there is so little that makes headlines and so much that makes legislation.

Through four Presidencies, through the adult life of most Americans living today, EVERETT DIRKSEN has had a hand in shaping almost every important law that affects our lives.

EVERETT DIRKSEN was a politician in the finest sense of that muchabused word. If he were here, I think he might put it this way: A politician knows that more important than the bill that is proposed is the law that is passed. A politician knows that his friends are not always his allies and that his adversaries are not his enemies. A politician knows how to make the process of democracy work, and loves the intricate workings of the democratic system. A politician knows not only how to count votes but how to make his vote count. A politician knows that his words are his weapons, but that his word is his bond. A politician knows that only if he leaves room for discussion and room for concession can he gain room for maneuver. A politician knows that the best way to be a winner is to make the other side feel it does not have to be a loser. A politician in the DIRKSEN tradition knows both the name of the game and the rules of the game, and he seeks his ends through the time-honored democratic means.

By being that kind of politician, this man of the minority earned the respect and affection of the majority, and by the special way he gave leadership to legislation, he added grace, elegance, and courtliness to the word "politician." That is how he became the leader of the minority, one of the leaders of our Nation. That is why, when the Senate worked its way, Everett Dirksen so often worked his way. That is why, while he never became President, his impact and

influence on the Nation was greater than that of most Presidents in our history.

He was at once a tough-minded man and a complete gentleman. He could take issue without taking offense. And if that is an example of the old politics, let us hope that it always has its place in the politics of the future.

He is a man to be remembered, as we remember the other giants of the Senate the Websters and Calhouns, the Vandenbergs and Tafts.

Some will remember his voice, that unforgettable voice that rolled as deep and majestically as the river that defines the western border of his State of Illinois that he loved so well.

Others will remember the unfailing, often self-deprecating sense of humor which proved that a man of serious purpose need never take himself too seriously.

Others will remember the master of language, the gift of oratory that placed him in a class with Bryan and Churchill, showing, as only he would put it, that the oil can is mightier than the sword.

But as we do honor to his memory, let us never forget the single quality that made him unique, the quality that made him powerful, that made him beloved-the quality of character.

EVERETT DIRKSEN cultivated an appearance that made him seem old-fashioned, an incarnation of a bygone year. But that quality of character is as modern as a Saturn V.

As he could persuade, he could be persuaded. His respect for other points of view lent weight to his own point of view. He was not afraid to change his position if he were persuaded that he had been wrong. That tolerance and sympathy were elements of his character; and that character gained him the affection and esteem of millions of his fellow Americans.

We shall always remember EVERETT DIRKSEN in the terms he used to describe his beloved marigolds: Hardy, vivid, exuberant, colorful, and uniquely American.

To his family, his staff, and his legion of friends who knew and loved EVERETT DIRKSEN, I would like to add a personal word: There are memorable moments we will never know again—those eloquent speeches, the incomparable anecdotes, those wonderfully happy birthday parties. But he least of all would want this to be a

sad occasion. With his dramatic sense of history, I can hear him now speaking of the glory of this moment.

As a man of politics, he knew both victory and defeat. As a student of philosophy, he knew the triumph and the tragedy and the mystery of life. And as a student of history, he knew that some men achieve greatness; others are not recognized for their greatness until after their death. Only a privileged few live to hear the favorable verdict of history on their careers.

Two thousand years ago, the poet Sophocles wrote:

One must wait until the evening

To see how splendid the day has been.

We who were privileged to be his friends can take comfort in the fact that EVERETT DIRKSEN, in the rich evening of his life, his leadership unchallenged, his mind clear, his great voice still powerful across the land, could look back upon his life and say, "The day has indeed been splendid."

U.S. Senator Howard H. Baker, on behalf of the family, responded to the President's eulogy as follows:

Mr. BAKER. Mr. President, I speak for Mrs. Dirksen and the rest of the family when I express our deep gratitude to you and to the many Americans throughout this country who for the last several hours have so eloquently expressed their grief and their condolences. We are profoundly grateful to you and to them.

A century ago, another man from Illinois first lay in state on this catafalque, on this spot, described by Sandburg as "midway between House and Senate Chambers, midway between those seats and aisles of heartbreak and passion."

And so it was with EVERETT DIRKSEN-a man of his Nation who served long and well in both of those Chambers.

EVERETT DIRKSEN cherished Lincoln, but with a great humility that rejected any thought of comparison. He sought to follow many of the precepts of the Lincoln legacy. Both men understood with singular clarity that a great and diverse people do not speak with a single voice and that adherence to rigid ideology leaves little room for compromise and response to change.

A man of imposing presence and bearing, EVERETT MCKINLEY DIRKSEN was nonetheless a man of eminent wit, humor, and

perspective, who kept himself and others constantly on guard against taking themselves too seriously.

He was guided by a simple religious faith, carrying through life a sense of the presence of the Creator, and doing homage to the small, frail spark of immortality which defines the human spirit.

But perhaps most of all his hero was the people. He was of the people. Born of immigrant parents, his mother arrived in this country at an early age, speaking no English and with a tag about her neck instructing only that she be sent to Pekin, Ill. He knew firsthand "melting pot" America-its diversity and hardship, the brilliance of its people going about the business of forging a magnificent nation; and he loved them. All of them. And few are privileged to love so well. I think the people saw something of their own greatness in EVERETT DIRKSEN, and understood and respected him for it.

He was an idealist, but he was a realist as well, and in the end he chose calmly to risk his life, electing uncertain surgery in order to gain the opportunity to live and serve further; and he lost. But in losing he fixed with permanence the image of a noble man of the people.

The Chaplain of the Senate, Dr. Elson, thereupon pronounced the benediction, as follows:

Receive the benediction.

Now may the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well pleasing in His sight; through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

PROCEEDINGS RESUMED

At 12 o'clock and 40 minutes p.m. the Senate returned to its Chamber, and was called to order by the Presiding Officer (Mr. Eagleton in the chair).

Mr. PERCY. Mr. President, I send to the desk a resolution and ask unanimous consent for its immediate consideration.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The resolution will be read.