Mr. Speaker, I deeply regret the passing of my friend and our colleague and I join with the fine delegation from Wisconsin and the other Members of this body in expressing deep sympathy to his fine family and particularly to his lovable, adorable wife.

Mr. O'KONSKI. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the distinguished gentleman from North Carolina [Mr. Fountain].

Mr. FOUNTAIN. Mr. Speaker, I learned to know LAWRENCE SMITH best as a very able member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and as a devout member of our regular Thursday morning prayer group. My heart would be heavier if I departed from these Halls today without sharing with you my own sorrow over his sudden and tragic passing.

There is little I can add to the splendid words so eloquently spoken here today as a tribute to him and expressing our mutual sorrow over his passing. My thoughts and prayers go out for his devoted widow and other loved ones in this their hour of bereavement.

As many of you have been speaking this afternoon, there suddenly returned to me the words of a poem I learned as a child-I hope I can recall them-words, the substance of which, the heart and soul of LARRY SMITH may well be uttering at this moment, words so descriptive of his life. The poem is entitled "Gethsemane":

It seemeth such a little way to me across to that strange country, the beyond,

And yet, not so strange, for it has grown to be the home of those of whom I am so fond.

They make it seem familiar and most dear,

And journeying friends bring distant regions near.

So close it lies that when my sight is clear,

I think I almost see the gleaming strand.

I know I feel those who have gone from here

Come near enough sometime to my hand;

I often think but for our veiled eyes

We should find heaven right around about us lies.

I cannot make it seem a day to dread

When from this dear earth

We shall journey out to that still dearer country of the dead, And join the lost ones so long dreamed about.

I love this world, yet shall I love to go

And meet the friends who wait for me, I know.

I never stand above a bier and see the seal of death set on some well-loved face,

But that I think, once more to welcome me,

When I shall cross the intervene's space, between this land and that one over there,

Once more to make the strange beyond seem fair

And so for me 'tis no sting to death.

For grave has lost its victory. It is but crossing with a bated breath, white-set face, a little strip of sea,

To find the loved ones waiting on the shore, more beautiful; more precious then e'er before.

Mr. O'KONSKI. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the distinguished gentleman from Iowa [Mr. Gross).

Mr. GROSS. Mr. Speaker, I am shocked and deeply grieved by the death of LAWRENCE SMITH. Without question, the Congress has lost one of its finest Members, and I know I have lost a good friend.

LARRY SMITH, as many of us knew him, was a man of unquestioned integrity, of courage, and loyalty to his God and his country. Once convinced of the course he must pursue in public affairs he was unswerving. Never, in the time it was my privilege to serve with him in this House, did he yield to the blandishments of expediency.

He was a devoted husband and father; a fearless and dedicated public servant. He could leave to his family no richer heritage, and he could leave to the people of his district and his friends in Congress nothing in memory that could be more enduring.

Mrs. Gross joins me in extending to Eleanor, his widow and constant companion, and their children, our heartfelt sympathy in their hours of deepest sorrow.

Mr. O'KONSKI. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members who desire to do so may extend their remarks in the Record on the life and services of the late LAWRENCE SMITH.

The SPEAKER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

There was no objection.

Mr. RAYBURN. Mr. Speaker, LAWRENCE SMITH was a good and kindly man. If you knew him you liked him.

My deepest sympathy goes out to his wife and all who loved him.

Mr. HARVEY. Mr. Speaker, LARRY SMITH was my friend and to call him a friend was a privilege indeed. To him, the service in the Congress was more than a job or a position, it was a responsibility of the highest order.

By his very attitude, he imparted to his colleagues and constituents alike a sense of confidence and dependability.

Not only was LARRY SMITH a highly respected Member, he was also able to combine this quality with that of likeability. The regard prevailed on both sides of the aisle.

The Nation has lost a valuable public servant. Our sympathy is extended to the surviving members of his family in their grief.

Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. Speaker, it is with sadness that I learned today of the death of our beloved colleague, LAWRENCE SMITH. To know him was to like him. Many today have mentioned his many kindnesses, his gentle nature, his firmness. He lent dignity and strength to this great legislative body. He ably represented not only his district but, as a great American, made this House of Representatives a greater legislative body.

His memory will be cherished by all of us in this Chamber. Mrs. Marshall and myself express our sympathy to his family.

Mr. SELDEN. Mr. Speaker, during the 3 years I have served as a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, I learned to admire and respect our late colleague, Hon. LawRENCE SMITH.

He was a man gentle in nature, but one who always had the courage of his convictions.

The death of LAWRENCE SMITH is a great loss to the committee on which he served, to the Congress, and to our Nation.

I join with my colleagues in expressing my deepest sympathy to his widow and to the members of his family.

Mr. KILBURN. Mr. Speaker, LARRY SMITH and I came to Congress at about the same time. We had mutual friends in Wisconsin so when he first came I looked him up. We have been close friends over the years that we have served together. I feel a great sense of loss in his passing. I know of no one in the House that was held in higher respect than LARRY SMITH. He had, it seems to me, a perfect concept of devoted duty to his job. While we did not always agree on legislation it never showed in the slightest in our friendship. He was absolutely perfect that way yet he steadfastly and courageously and emphatically stated his views on the floor of the House.

I extend deepest sympathy to Mrs. Smith and his family. Mr. ALGER. Mr. Speaker, it is difficult indeed to put into words the sorrow I feel at the passing of LAWRENCE SMITH or how great is the loss to this Nation. Yet his deeds, his words live on in the minds of those of us so privileged to know him. I shared breakfast with him frequently and often benefited from his viewpoints and his counsel.

LAWRENCE and I were on the losing side of many votes in this House, and our bond of friendship was strengthened by a kinship of outlook. We shared companion views on the role of Federal Government in our lives. Perhaps my most sincere and heartfelt compliment and commemoration will

be to do whatever I can to preserve this old-fashioned traditional view of constitutional government which LAWRENCE SMITH SO consistently championed. Finally, if one test of success is to have made the world a little better by having been here, then LAWRENCE SMITH was a great success.

Mr. VAN ZANDT. Mr. Speaker, the sudden death of our beloved colleague, the Honorable LAWRENCE H. SMITH, is a source of real sorrow, and I extend my sincere sympathy to his loved ones in the great loss they have sustained.

In his congressional duties, Representative SMITH, as a member of the Wisconsin bar, found his legal training of invaluable aid to him in his legislative activities and in his membership on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. He was thorough in all his undertakings, applying his fine talents to the maximum in analyzing all issues. A constant and unrelenting foe of world communism, our departed colleague had at all times an all-consuming love for his country and was a militant exponent of the American ideals of liberty and freedom. So imbued was he with the obligations of his oath of office and intense was his desire to serve his country and his constituents with vigilance and devotion that he labored zealously with the myriad of present-day problems, unmindful of his own health. It is proper to conclude that such devotion to duty was a contributing factor to his sudden collapse while engaged in carrying out his congressional duties on the floor of the House.

Representative LAWRENCE SMITH served with distinction as a first lieutenant, Infantry, 32d Division, during World War I. From the time of his discharge from military service, he became active in veterans' affairs. He was honored by the American Legion in being elected department commander of Wisconsin and later served as national executive committeeman and national child-welfare chairman, American Legion. The veteran population of this Nation had a stanch friend in Congress in Representative LAWRENCE SMITH, as he