leader, and for former President Johnson as leader of the "loyal opposition." In these roles, he had unequalled influence and accomplished much, as evidenced by the crucial part he played in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and on the ratification of the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in 1963.

When Senator DIRKSEN spoke, not only his colleagues, but all of our citizens across the Nation paused to listen. He could drop his voice to a whisper, and have the people hang on his every word, or he could point a finger and thunder dramatically at his audience. He was at his best when he was drawing on his vast knowledge of the Bible, Shakespeare, and world literature. In turning the tide for the civil rights bill in the Senate, he borrowed a line from Victor Hugo and declared:

Stronger than all the armies is the idea whose time has come. The time has come for equality in sharing in government and education, and in employment. It will not be stayed or denied. It is here.

And so, the civil rights bill was passed in the Senate, and Mr. DIRKSEN had again played a constructive role in shaping the ultimate outcome of another historic event in the development of our country.

Senator DIRKSEN was born in Pekin, Ill.- -a small town of 22,000 inhabitants. He was one of twin sons and he was only 7 when his father died, so both he and his brother went to work on the small family farm. Young EV DIRKSEN was industrious and by working, paid his own way through the University of Minnesota Law School, and subsequently, became a member of the bar of both Illinois and the District of Columbia.

He also served in the U.S. Army during World War I, from 1917 to 1919, fought in France with an artillery unit and won a field. commission.

Senator DIRKSEN died in Walter Reed Army Hospital after undergoing lung surgery on September 2. Though he had been in ill health for several years, the Senator always maintained a rigorous daily schedule. His outstanding career of public service, which covered a span of almost 40 years, is testimonial indeed to his dedication and devotion to the cause of our Nation's strength and freedom. He was incomparable to any man who had served with or before him in the Senate, and it will be a long, long time indeed before

we see someone come close to the legendary role he played in the service of our beloved America.

Senator DIRKSEN's loss leaves a void in the Senate and in our country which will be difficult to fill, but his family and his friends can be proud of the tremendous contribution he made as one of the outstanding leaders of the American people. Those of us who had the privilege of knowing Ev DIRKSEN as a friend and colleague for so many years deeply mourn his passing, and our hearts go out to his bereaved family.

He is survived by his wife, Louella Carver, and his daughter, Joy, who is married to Senator Howard H. Baker, Jr., from Tennessee. Mrs. Annunzio joins me in extending heartfelt sympathy to Mrs. Dirksen and to Senator and Mrs. Baker on their great loss.

Mr. ADAIR. Mr. Speaker, several years ago Senator DIRKSEN made a record about the gallant men in American history. With the sudden passing of EVERETT MCKINLEY DIRKSEN, it can certainly be said that the United States has lost one of its most gallant men.

During his 10 difficult years as the Republican leader of the Senate, Senate DIRKSEN played a key role in preserving the two-party system operation of a representative republic. In the months following the Republican debacle of 1964, it was to a great degree the leadership of Senator DIRKSEN that made the Republican opposition meaningful and not token.

Leaders and Presidents of both parties have long respected Senator DIRKSEN's political acumen and his sense of what is right. As a team player, he worked for and, indeed, was instrumental in the election or nomination of every recent Republican presidential candidate. He also campaigned actively for other Republican candidates, including myself.

However, Senator DIRKSEN was not dogmatic, and as a true statesman, he would at times differ with his Republican colleagues or attempt to lead the party in a new direction. He always abided by those principles which he felt were fundamental to a democratic and free people.

The legacy which he leaves will serve as a touchstone for future generations of American leaders. His mark will never be erased.

Mrs. Adair joins me in expressing sympathy to the widow and other members of the family.

Mr. ZABLOCKI. Mr. Speaker, with the death on Sunday of Senator EVERETT MCKINLEY DIRKSEN, this Nation lost one of its most skilled and certainly most colorful—political leaders.

Although not of the same political party of conviction, I always respected the distinguished minority leader for his genuine human qualities. During the nearly four decades he served in Congress he was always a gentleman, every friendly with a happy word for everybody. Recognized as a controversial and often contradictory figure in American politics, Senator DIRKSEN made his mark on history. He will be remembered as the last of that old school of distinguished politicans who shaped history by the power and eloquence of their oratory, the sharpness of their wit, and the force of their personality.

By his own reckoning Senator DIRKSEN set aside partisan views to "do what was right for the country." What more noble principle could serve to guide all of us who remain to carry on.

My wife joins me in expressing our deep and heartfelt sympathies to his widow, daughter, and family.

Mr. SIKES. Mr. Speaker, the people of Illinois and of America have sustained a great loss in the passing of the Honorable EVERETT MCKINLEY DIRKSEN, minority leader of the U.S. Senate. With his death, the Nation has lost an elder statesman whose outstanding record of public service covered more than half a century.

He served in the House of Representatives from 1932 to 1949. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1950, and was serving as minority leader at the time of his death. The career of Senator DIRKSEN was exemplified by his devotion to duty and the best interests of his State and Nation. He was a kind, gentle, and able man. All those who had the privilege to share his friendship came to admire and respect his sterling virtues.

Senator DIRKSEN was a loyal party man but he believed in the two-party system and contributed to its strength. For this, he earned the respect of all Members on both sides of the aisle. He lived and labored through a great era in the history of our Nation and our country is a better place in which to live and work by reason of the dedicated service of EVERETT DIRKSEN. He has passed from the earthly scene of his many accomplishments, but he will long be remembered as one of the great Americans of his age. His personal example provides for all of us here, and those who will come after, a permanent

inspiration for the type of patriotic service for which this Nation will never cease to be indebted to him.

In this time of great loss and sorrow, we extend our heartfelt sympathy to his bereaved wife and other family members.

Mr. TAFT. Mr. Speaker, the Congress, President Nixon, and the Nation have lost a valuable leader in the death of Senator EVERETT MCKINLEY DIRKSEN. The personal grief and sense of loss that so many of us feel as his friends and followers are overshadowed by the deprivation we suffer in no longer having his sound judgment, his boundless imagination, and his infinite experience upon which to draw. He was above all a legislator of great skill and wisdom. At times this led some, without justification, to question his consistency and his dedication to principle. It was rather that he knew and practiced well the necessary lubricant of the law-making process, the art of compromise.

Serving as Senate minority leader, he has been an invaluable assistant to the President in the formulation and initiation of the legislative program of the Nixon administration and deserves much credit for the progress made despite the numerical superiority of the other party. Never an unthinking partisan, he drew respect and support from differing quarters. But well he knew and frequently he noted, that in the process and legislating, it is often a question, as he might have said, of "whose quadruped is quartered."

Kindly in his demeanor and understanding in nature, he could be fiercely loyal to his friends, and that friendship and loyalty were the treasured gift of my father, with whom he worked so long and so closely. But he was forgiving, too, of his opponents, in the best of Christian tradition.

We shall miss him, but not forget him nor his great contributions as a full-game player on the American scene.

Mr. CLEVELAND. Mr. Speaker, a great tree in the political forest has fallen with the death of Senator EVERETT MCKINLEY DIRKSEN.

For many years he was a dominating feature on the landscape of American life.

EVERETT DIRKSEN was unique. His extraordinary voice, his utterly personal, individual use of the English language captivated and often inspired the Nation.

He brought rare gifts to his leadership role. He had a great understanding of human nature. He possessed an extraordinary sensitivity to differing personalities and the changing circumstances into which they were thrust and swirled by shifting fortunes. He understood and loved the drama of life, especially as it is found in the clash of strong men and women in our political system.

No man of his time in our country could so beautifully and dramatically sum up and set the tone of a great issue as could Everett DIRKSEN in the Chamber of the Senate.

A great craftsman, he was master of myriad details with the capacity to recall them all at will and on command. He was a virtuoso of the legislative art.

He withstood the tensions and pressures to which he was exposed by his prominence better than most men could. It is not a cause for wonder that they ground him down eventually; it is a wonder that he withstood them so well for so long.

His death has taken a unique, colorful figure from our national life. His work will long merit attention from students of our times and of our governmental processes. In this work they will find an almost limitless mine of patriotism and knowledge, welded to the service of his people. Such students, as they progress across the record of his life, will be entertained, enlightened, and frequently moved as were we who were fortunate enough to live and work with EVERETT MCKINLEY DIRKSEN.

Mr. BROYHILL of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, Virginians have been proud that Senator EVERETT MCKINLEY DIRKSEN selected the Commonwealth as his home away from Illinois.

We honored his search for privacy as much as we admired the skill and quality of his oratory in his dealings with the wide-ranging interests that occupied his thoughts.

We reflect now, in this hour of sadness, on the great heart that beat so strongly in life and is now still in death.

He had time, always, for the little things, the common things of life; growing things, children, local concerns, individual ambitions and hopes. He was a great man in a lofty position in life, yet he never lost his personal concern nor his capacity for a kind or soft word for a distressed fellow man,