PRESENTATION OF A PORTRIAT OF THEHONORABLE HERBERT C. BONNER;CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMITTEE ONMERCHANT MARINE AND FISHERIESHOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESMAY 16, 1957
85th Congress, 1st Session — — — — — House Document No. 238PROCEEDINGS BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON MERCHANT MARINE AND FISHERIESPRESENTATION OF A PORTRAIT OF THE HONORABLE HERBERT C. BONNER, CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMITTEE ON MERCHANT MARINE AND FISHERIES UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Official Seal of the United States of AmericaTHURSDAY, MAY 16, 1957 10:30 A. M. ROOM 219 OLD HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON, D. C.UNITED_STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICEWASHINGTON:1958
House Resolution 392
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, U. S.,
August 22, 1957.
Resolved, That the transcript of the proceedings in the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries of Thursday, May 16, 1957, incident to the presentation of a portrait of Chairman Herbert C. Bonner to the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries be printed as a House document with suitable binding.
Attest:
RALPH R. ROBERTS, Clerk.
CONTENTS| Page | |
| Call to order by Mr. Boykin | 1 |
| Invocation by Rev. Bernard Braskamp, Chaplain of the House | 1 |
| Recognition of Hon. Sam Rayburn, Speaker of the House | 1 |
| Presentation of portrait by Mr. Rayburn | 2 |
| Unveiling of portrait by Mrs. Bonner | 2 |
| Acceptance by Hon. Frank W. Boykin, ranking majority member of the committee | 2 |
| Acceptance by Hon. Thor C. Tollefson, ranking minority member of the committee | 5 |
| Remarks by Senator Sam J. Ervin, Jr., of North Carolina | 7 |
| Remarks by Hon. Harold Cooley, of North Carolina | 9 |
| Remarks by Hon. Joseph W. Martin, Jr., of Massachusetts | 10 |
| Remarks by Senator William Kerr Scott, of North Carolina | 12 |
| Remarks by Mr. Bonner | 13 |
| Remarks by Hon. Hugh Q. Alexander of North Carolina | 13 |
| Remarks by Hon. Graham A. Barden of North Carolina | 14 |
| Remarks by Hon. Carl T. Durham of North Carolina | 14 |
| Remarks by Hon. L. H. Fountain of North Carolina | 15 |
| Remarks by Hon. Charles Raper Jonas of North Carolina | 15 |
| Remarks by Hon. A. Paul Kitchin of North Carolina | 15 |
| Remarks by Hon. John C. Kluczynski of Illinois | 16 |
| Remarks by Hon. L. Mendel Rivers of South Carolina | 16 |
| Remarks by Hon. Ralph J. Scott of North Carolina | 17 |
| Remarks by Hon. George A. Shuford of North Carolina | 18 |
| Remarks by Hon. Basil L. Whitener of North Carolina | 18 |
| Letter by Hon. Clarence Cannon of Missouri | 19 |
| Letter by Marvin J. Coles | 19 |
| Letter by H. Arnold Karo | 19 |
PRESENTATION CEREMONY
THURSDAY, MAY 16, 1957
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
COMMITTEE ON MERCHANT MARINE AND FISHERIES,
Washington, D. C.
Mr. BOYKIN. The committee will come to order.
We will have the invocation by Dr. Braskamp.
INVOCATION BY REV. BERNARD BRASKAMP, CHAPLAIN OF THEHOUSE
Reverend BRASKAMP. Almighty God, we have assembled here to render tributes of love and respect to one of our highly esteemed Members whom we greatly honor. Thou has endowed him richly with the talents and gifts of wise counsel and good judgment and wisdom in the affairs of government and the business of statecraft.
We rejoice that throughout the many years he has rendered patriotic service to our beloved country and all mankind. Grant that he may continue to sense the sanctity of his high vocation as a Member of the Congress, never being recreant in the performance of any of his duties and responsibilities; and may he have within his heart the joy of knowing that he is living a useful life and seeking to discharge the duties and responsibilities of his high office, its demands and challenges, with fidelity and with loyalty. Hear us in the name of the Prince of Peace. Amen.
Mr. BOYKIN. Now, ladies and gentlemen, Chairman Bonner said he wanted me to introduce Speaker Rayburn. I thought everybody on earth knew Sam Rayburn, and I know they know him in Heaven.
I wish there was some way to describe Sam Rayburn. Sam Rayburn to me is a fabulous, fantastic man. He has been serving his country for over 50 long years, longer than most of you have been on this earth. I have a lawyer, Mr. S. P. Gaillard, who is going along fine at the age of 101 and I have already paid him over $25,000 this year to represent me. I only hope and pray to God that Sam Rayburn will live to be 101. I think of him as Mr. Texas. I think of him as Mr. Democrat. We ought to call him Mr. America, as we call these beautiful ladies Miss America. To me he is a great man.
At this time I present my beloved friend, Speaker Sam Rayburn, of Texas.
ADDRESS BY HON. SAM RAYBURN, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CON-GRESS FROM THE STATE OF TEXAS
Speaker RAYBURN. Mr. Chairman, Chairman Bonner, members of the committee and your guests this morning, when I get to be 101 I will take that job myself if it is offered to me.
I am happy to be here on this occasion because it is doing honor to one of the closest friends that I have had in Washington for many, many years. I remember when he came here as a very young man as secretary to a great North Carolinian, Lindsay Warren, who decided that he wanted to take another course. Of course this young man had so impressed the district in his work with Lindsay Warren for the good of his district that they had no other choice than to send him here in Lindsay's place.
You know, when a new man comes to Congress, we who have been here quite a while, like Joe Martin and Herbert and I and some others, look him over pretty thoroughly. I am always hoping that they will not make mistakes. Some of them I look at and say, “That fellow is a talking man,” and in a kind way I try to curry him down a little by saying, “You do not have to make speeches in the House of Representatives to convince the people you are smart. They will find it out if you do not say anything.” Sometimes that has some influence on them.
I have an old friend down in Texas who sent me a plaque that is what he believes in. It says, “You ain't learning nothing when you are talking,” and I think that is a pretty good rule to live by.
Herbert Bonner doesn't talk too much but when he does talk he challenges the attention of the House of Representatives because he knows what he is talking about. No man, it matters not how able he may be, can know enough about all the bills that are reported to the House of Representatives to be able to talk intelligently about them because there just is not such a man or woman or any such a mind.
I am happy that you are doing this honor to this great American, this great chairman of this great committee, because he deserves it. In the future I will be happy to visit this room and see his portrait, indicative of your love for him and honoring the great service that he has rendered to you as members of this committee, to us as Members of the Congress of the United States, and to us as American citizens everywhere.
This is a tremendously important committee and it has been chaired by some of the greatest men that I have served with in the House of Representatives but none greater than Herbert Bonner. So today I am glad to be here to join you in paying this high tribute to this man of high character, of great ability, who loves this country. It is a high privilege to present this portrait of Herbert Bonner, your friend, your chairman, to this committee to hang here throughout the years. [Applause.]
Mr. BOYKIN. Mrs. Bonner.
You all know Herb's wife, Eva. [Applause.]
(The portrait was unveiled by Mrs. Bonner.)
ACCEPTANCE BY HON. FRANK W. BOYKIN, A REPRESENTATIVEIN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF ALABAMA, RANKING MA-
JORITY MEMBER OF THE COMMITTEE
Mr. BOYKIN. Mr. Speaker, Mrs. Bonner, Herb, and this great committee, I want to tell you, Mr. Speaker, that everything you said is true about my beloved friend Herbert Bonner from North Carolina. He is not from North Carolina; he is from the whole Nation and he has done such a great job for his district and his State and the Nation.
Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, of which I am the ranking majority member, we are happy to accept this magnificent portrait of our illustrious chairman, Herbert C. Bonner. I have had the pleasure of being a member of this committee ever since I have been in Congress, for nearly 22 years. Herb, as he is affectionately known by all of us, had been on the Hill as secretary to Hon. Lindsay Warren for 16 years. When Mr. Warren resigned to become Comptroller General of the United States, Herb was elected on November 5, 1940, to fill Mr. Warren's unexpired term and has been reelected to each succeeding Congress.
Herb was born in Washington, N. C. (we won't say how many years ago), and married a very lovely lady, Eva Hassell Hackney, of his hometown. During World War I he was a sergeant in Company I, 322d Infantry, and served overseas with the 81st Division during World War I. Like myself, he is an Elk, a Mason, and a Shriner.
During the 84th Congress our committee, under Herb's chairmanship, produced a record of constructive activity unequaled in any prior Congress since the formation of its present jurisdiction pursuant to the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946. Major legislation at this session included authorization for the world's finest atomic-powered merchant ship; the Fisheries and Wildlife Act of 1956; the granting of permanent status to the United States Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, N. Y.; authorization of 100 percent mortgage insurance on privately financed loans for the construction of vessels; bills increasing the safety of operation of small craft, including the inspection and certification of vessels carrying more than six passengers for hire; and several bills authorizing the sale of Government-owned ships to expand or inaugurate essential shipping service.
The Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries dates from December 21, 1887, when it was created to take the place of the old Select Committee on American Shipbuilding and Shipowning Interest. Originally there were 13 members of the committee. Currently there are 31, not including the nonvoting Delegate from Alaska who is also a member of the committee.
The Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries has, since its inception, considered subjects relating—
to the merchant marine, including all transportation by water, Coast Guard, lifesaving service, lighthouses, lightships, ocean derelicts, Coast and Geodetic Survey, Panama Canal, and fisheries.
Section 121 (1) (m) of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 defines the powers and duties of the House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries as including “all proposed legislation, messages, petitions, memorials, and other matters” relating to the following subjects:
1. Merchant marine generally.
2. Registering and licensing of vessels and small boats.
3. Navigation and laws relating thereto, including pilotage.
4. Rules and international arrangements to prevent collisions at sea.
5. Merchant marine officers and seamen.
6. Measures relating to the regulations of common carriers by water (except matters subject to the jurisdiction of the Interstate Commerce Commission) and to the inspection of merchant marine vessels, lights and signals, lifesaving equipment, and fire protection on such vessels.
7. The Coast Guard, including lifesaving service, lighthouses, lightships, and ocean derelicts.
8. United States Coast Guard and Merchant Marine Academies.
9. Coast and Geodetic Survey.
10. The Panama Canal and the maintenance and operation of the Panama Canal, including the administration, sanitation, and government of the Canal Zone; and interocean canals generally.
11. Fisheries and wildlife, including research, restoration, refuges, and conservation.
Legislation originating in the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries has done much toward rehabilitating the United States Merchant Marine.
I might mention at this point that our wartime expenditures for ships totaled $12 billion and our Government has returned through ship sales of war surplus $1,750 million, and the value of cash notes and accounts receivable, materials and supplies, vessels owned, mortgage loans receivable, land and site development structures and equipment, all total at the end of the fiscal year 1956 $5,230,605,000.
I could go on and on about the work of this committee down through the years, but I regret because of the passing of the beloved wife of our colleague and friend, John Allen, Jr., that we will have to cut short our remarks, since her funeral will take place at St. Marks at 11:30 this morning.
We want to take this opportunity to extend to our colleague our deepest sympathy in his great loss.
Mr. Speaker, again I want to say how much the members of our committee appreciate having this portrait of our wonderful chairman, Herb Bonner, which will be a permanent reminder to all those who will follow us on this committee of the work which Herb did as our chairman.
Please let me announce at this point that the committee record will be open for 10 days to any of our members who may wish to include therein a tribute to our chairman.
I have served here with many chairmen. I see another great portrait hanging here on the wall. I know you remember when we unveiled that. That is a portrait of Schuyler Otis Bland. I was hoping Mrs. Bland would be here but I understand she was not able to come. Mr. Bland was one of the outstanding chairmen. Everybody knew that and loved and respected him.
Here is a man from down in good old North Carolina, a State half as good at least as Alabama. We hang his portrait here. He has been chairman for only 3 years. What will we do for him when he has been here as long as Sam Rayburn has? I hope that Herb will stay here that long.
Herb, I know that you, your children, and your children's children will be proud of this portrait as I am proud of every man here.
Joe Martin, you ought to come over here and find out about some of these Republicans that we have here. We all vote together every time. We do that because we have such a great leader in Herb Bonner. I want to tell you I have known many, many men in this Congress and every part of the world and I have never known a finer man than Herbert Bonner anywhere in or out of Congress. There is no
man living or dead that has ever done a better job because he is doing his dead level best for you or me or all of us.
I say again it is not possible for a man to do a greater job than Herb Bonner has done. He keeps his mind on it. He does his level best. He works and he prays not only for this committee but for all of us. We love and respect Herb Bonner.
God bless you, Herbert, and I hope you will stay chairman of this committee as long as you want to and I hope you will want to as long as I am here and I hope to stay here at least 100 years.
Joe Martin, bless your heart, this crowd on the Republican side over here works just as well as this other crowd. I will tell you a little story and then I will go. I thought the danged Republicans were going to win the time Truman won and I said, “I have to get on their side if I am going to get anything done.” So I invited Joe down. I wanted the people in Alabama to know Joe. They had never seen a Republican in Alabama. I invited Joe down and I invited everybody, but the next morning the Tribune came out and said somebody else was elected. I said, “Good Lord.” Joe called me and said, “They might win sometime.” And they did. I had Joe down and had 1,200 people there and I told this story.
One old fellow with long whiskers like I have, in North Carolina, came up to me and said, “You know, Frank, he looks pretty good.” I said, “He is good.” Joe Martin is good and all these Republicans are good. It doesn't make much difference whether you are a Democrat or Republican just so you are a good American and I know we are all that.
I flew all night to be here today. I went to see Billy Graham in New York. He had more people there than Jack Dempsey had when he won the championship. Last night I had dinner with one of Thor Tollefson's friends in New York. He said he wanted Thor to be Governor. He is from his hometown. I said, “Herb Bonner said you must not leave this committee.”
One time the Republicans had charge of this committee. We had a great chairman. He is here this morning. He is still a great chairman. I am the darndest Democrat you ever saw in your life, but if I was out there in Washington State I would vote for this great man. Hon. Thor Tollefson, the ranking member on the Republican side, who will accept the portrait on behalf of the minority members of the committee.
Mr. Tollefson. [Applause.]
ACCEPTANCE BY HON. THOR C. TOLLEFSON, A REPRESENTATIVEIN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF WASHINGTON, RANKING
MINORITY MEMBER OF THE COMMITTEE
Mr. TOLLEFSON. Frank, my colleagues and friends, I am sure that all of us here today are grateful for having been invited to attend on this occasion and we are happy to have a small part in it. All of us who have known Herb Bonner through the years and who have worked with him know that he merits this honor by his service in Congress and by the life that he has lived.
I can recall a friend of mine, a baseball player, telling me just prior to the first time I came to Congress, “Thor, you are going to the big leagues.” I didn't know exactly what he meant, but I found out after I got here. He meant that in the Congress of the United States were some big league caliber men.
Herb Bonner is a big leaguer. He has served as chairman of this committee during some trying times so far as the activities of the industry which come within its jurisdiction are concerned. At one point the status of the American merchant marine was at a rather low ebb and the fisheries industry of the United States was not in the healthiest condition but, because of the work of this committee through the leadership of our chairman, Herb Bonner, the condition of both industries became a great deal better and has reached a point today, we think, that does not require the concern and worry that was ours for a number of years.
Mr. Boykin pointed to the portrait of a former chairman, Judge Bland. Judge Bland was known in his day as the father of the American merchant marine. He was also called the father of the fishing industry. I think it is entirely fitting that Herb Bonner's portrait grace the walls of this committee room just as does that of Judge Bland. He in his leadership of this committee has been most fair, just and considerate in his treatment of everybody on either side of the aisle. As a matter of fact, one of the things that has made this committee a fine committee to be a member of has been the fact that, largely through his leadership, partisan politics are not played. The issues are discussed. We vote on legislation on its merits and, when it comes to the floor of the House, we will find invariably that the measures that come out of this committee have the unanimous support of the membership.
Herb Bonner is a statesman in the real sense of the word. He has served this committee; he has served his constituents, his district; he has served the people of the United States in a high and honorable way.
Herb, it just gives me a tremendous amount of pleasure to see this honor accorded to you. I know of no man in Congress who deserves it more than you by your life and by your service. I just hope, Herb, that you are able to serve in this committee for many, many years to come and, while on occasion we Republicans would like to take over a chairmanship, we will get along very well if we don't in this case. [Applause.]
Mr. BOYKIN. Now, ladies and gentlemen, we have another great man. Malcolm MacLean, who has been a very successful man in North Carolina, and is in Mobile now, told me that he thought that Sam Ervin was one of the greatest lawyers in this Nation, and I do, too; but we have so many of those. I think he is one of the great men of this Nation. I think he is doing a splendid job and I will tell you that I hope we can keep Sam Ervin here in the Senate of the United States for a long, long time because I do not know a man there that does not love the great Senator from North Carolina, Senator Sam Ervin, Jr., of North Carolina.
Sam.
ADDRESS BY HON. SAM J. ERVIN, JR., UNITED STATES SENATORFROM THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
Senator ERVIN. Frank, I appreciate very much those very gracious and unveracious remarks.
It is a great privilege to me to be here today and to participate in an event which honors a long-time and much loved friend. You know, when I stop to think about the district which Herbert Bonner represents and think of the fact that I happen to be a Presbyterian and further think of this recent discussion we have had about the days which were called by my geology professor at Chapel Hill the uncivil war, I cannot refrain from saying that I think Herbert was predestined to be chairman of the House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries.
Now, I want you to understand exactly this doctrine of predestination. My colleague from North Carolina in the Senate understands it, he being an elder in the Presbyterian Church; but it was explained best, I think, by Dr. Dabney, the chaplain of Stonewall Jackson's division. Dr. Dabney always preached the doctrine of predestination. He said that everything was predestined to happen and there was nothing you could do about it. If you were in battle and were predestined not to be hit, no bullet could hit you; and if you were predestined to be hit by a bullet you could not evade that. On one occasion when Stonewall Jackson's men came in contact with some Union men and got into a little skirmish and the bullets started to kick up dust spots on the green, Dr. Dabney ran as fast as he could and jumped behind a tree. A Confederate soldier already behind the tree said, “Doctor, you don't practice what you preach.” Dr. Dabney said, “My good man, what do you mean by your remark?”
The soldier said, “You have been preaching on this doctrine of predestination and I notice that when the bullets got kicking up the dust on the green you forgot the doctrine of predestination and ran and jumped behind this tree just as a person who believes in free will would have done.”
Dr. Dabney said, “My good man, the trouble with you is you don't understand this doctrine of predestination.” He said, “You overlook the fact that I was predestined to run and jump behind this tree.”
When I think of the district from which Herbert Bonner hails, I can very well reconcile that with this doctrine of predestination and that he was predestined to be the great chairman of this great House committee and I rejoice at being allowed to participate here in the unveiling of this picture and in the realization of the fact that Herbert, in a sense, is permitted to witness his own immortality. I hope that that immortality on this earth will last for a long time.
I can say many things about Herbert of a most complimentary nature, but when I go to thinking about such things as immortality and hear Frank Boykin talking about heaven, I cannot help but think about an event that happened down in my section—in my family, as a matter of fact—on one occasion. I had a little cousin
who lived across the road and came over and played with one of my brothers. My brother and he got in a fight and he ran home crying and his mother asked what had happened. He said, “I was at Ervins’ and one of those Ervins hit me.” He said, “Mom, there ain't any of those Ervinses fitten to be angels.”
I don't think Herbert is “fitten” to be an angel at this particular time so I want to say that I share Frank Boykin's hope that Herbert will be here for a long, long time to be a witness to his own immortality as enshrined in this portrait.
Herbert, I want to say, comes from the First District of North Carolina, many of whose counties are near and one of them is actually in the Atlantic Ocean. It is a section of the country in which men not only go down to the sea in ships but go down to the sea in boats which to my mind requires more heroism than going down to the sea in ships. It is the section where fishing has been one of the great occupations for many generations and as a result of that they have bred into the souls of those people a hardihood which is not excelled anywhere on earth.
I always like the story that I have heard in his district about the time that a ship was breaking up in a storm outside the sandbanks and this rescue boat started out there. One young fellow who had volunteered to go for the first time on one of these missions was disturbed by the boisterous nature of the ocean and he voiced his fear to the old salt in charge of the boat. He said, “I am afraid we won't make it back when we get out there.”
The old salt said, “Don't worry. We don't have to make it back. All we have to do is go out there and rescue that ship. There is no obligation on us to return.”
That illustrates the great strength and hardihood of this district. I do not know of any district in the Nation that is better represented in Congress. I do not know any district in the Nation which has a more loyal Congressman, and when I say that I pay a great tribute because I do not know any finer people in the country than the Congressmen. I was in Congress for a while. As Sam Rayburn said, they don't let them talk much. I forgive the Republicans, because one time the Republicans loaned me 2 minutes and I got to make a 4-minute speech. As a result I transferred to the Senate and there I spoke one-half hour the other day and just got the preamble of what I wanted to say about civil rights said in that time.
As I said, Herbert is loyal to his district. I do not know of any district represented with more loyalty and efficiency than the First District of North Carolina.
Herbert has done that because of the fact that he possesses what I think are the supreme traits or qualifications for service in the Congress of the United States. In the first place, he is not afraid of hard work. He is diligent. He studies the problems which come before him as a Member of Congress, and he not only studies those problems but he studies them in a highly intelligent manner, and over and above that he studies them with the highest degree of intellectual honesty. Then, after he has studied the problem and reached what is an intelligent and honest conclusion, he emulates the example of the old salt that I told about in that he always has the courage to stand up and fight for his convictions. He has not only rendered a great service to his district and, through his district, to his State, but
as chairman and as a member of this great committee which touches the life of America at so many points and which is so much concerned with the maintenance of an adequate merchant marine for the use of our Nation not only in times of peace but in times of war, he has rendered a service of transcendent importance to our Nation. I would feel that I had not told the truth about Herbert if I had not said that one of the reasons in addition to his own qualifications which has enabled him to do such a fine job as a Member of Congress, has been the fact that his charming and devoted wife has stood by him under all circumstances and conditions and has been his inspiration to this great service.
Herbert, it is a great privilege and something which I will always treasure in my memory to have had the privilege of being here on this occasion and to tell you that I not only value you as a long-time and loved friend, but I also value you on account of the great service that you have rendered to your district and State and Nation as chairman of this great committee. [Applause.]
Mr. BOYKIN. Thank you, Senator Ervin. That was wonderful.
Somebody told me that Mrs. Lindsay Warren was in the audience. If so, I would like her to stand up. [Applause.]
Ladies and gentlemen, we have another great man from North Carolina that everybody loves and he does such a great job. I cannot ever forget the time they were popping those bullets at us and Hal Cooley outran me. I didn't know anybody in the world could outrun me. He can run just that fast when it is something for the farmers or anybody else in this Nation. He, too, is from North Carolina and chairman of the greatest committee next to this, I guess, on this earth. All of you know Brother Cooley, this good-looking man from North Carolina that everybody loves.
At this time I present Harold Cooley. [Applause.]
ADDRESS BY HON. HAROLD D. COOLEY, A REPRESENTATIVE INCONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
Mr. COOLEY. Mr. Chairman, I have been admonished to be brief, and this I shall try to do.
First, I want to say that those who are responsible for having prepared and painted and presented this lovely portrait of our distinguished friend certainly deserve our thanks and gratitude. Those who selected this grand and glorious day could not have selected a day more appropriate than this because, whether you know it or not, this is old man Bonner's birthday. [Applause.]
We do not know how long he has lived but we do hope that he will continue to live on.
I am commissioned by my colleagues in the North Carolina delegation to join with those who have paid tribute to our distinguished and beloved friend. I know that sincere human affection has prompted and inspired every word that has been uttered here by our distinguished Speaker and those others who have preceded me on this program. I know, too, that the voice of eulogy can neither add dignity to the life nor splendor to the spirit of Herbert Bonner, the man whom we honor at this moment. In the golden hour of his great and useful life he may be comforted by the glad thought that he has helped to write the high and holy ethics of the new civilization in which he
has lived and labored. He has always respected the dignity of man and has always loved the majesty of justice. Never has he been motivated by morbid ambitions nor actuated by selfish greed or predatory passions but always he has been prompted by the purest of motives and by the very finest virtues of patriotism.
In the full flower of his great achievements he has learned the grand art of good living. He has gone placidly amid the noise and haste and hustle and bustle of a modern world but he never loses his poise. He has spoken the truth quietly and has always had time to listen to others. He has taken kindly the counsel of the years and by the simplicity of his living he has endeared himself to thousands of friends all the way around this world. His noble character is the great tower of his strength and the citadels of freedom are the idols of his greatest devotion. He is in fact and in deed a devout, a devoted, and a dedicated public servant. On the stage of life he has proven himself to be a great citizen, a gallant soldier, and a true statesman. In his day and generation the world has been torn by the cruel arts of war and twisted by the agonies of conflict, but at all times he has had faith in the cause of his great country and he has helped to build a better place in which all of us could live. In his work on this great committee and as chairman of this committee he has been a student of the problems of the seven seas and he has championed commerce around the world. He has never restricted his thinking nor circumscribed the perimeter of his mind. Rather, he has lifted the horizons of his imagination and haslooked deep into the troubled hearts of humanity. He understands the problems of the peoples of other lands and he understands as well the problems of the people he has so well and ably represented.
Herbert Bonner is a great and a good man, and above all a gentleman. Speaking for the delegation, I want to wish him Godspeed and to say to him that we knew that some day he would be hanged but we did not know that he would be hanged under such auspicious circumstances and with such complimentary words. We say to you, Herbert, and to your lively wife, Lady Eva, may God bless you and keep you. [Applause.]
Mr. BOYKIN. Now, at this time I am going to introduce a great man and ask him to talk to you. I think everybody in the world knows him. Like Sam Rayburn, I could talk about him forever. If we are ever going to have another Republican President I wish it would be Joe Martin. I don't think we will ever have one but if we do that is whom I would like to have.
At this time I present a great man with a great heart, true blue and one of the greatest Americans I have ever known in my life, former Speaker Joe Martin. [Applause.]
ADDRESS BY HON. JOSEPH W. MARTIN, JR., OF MASSACHUSETTSMr. MARTIN. Mr. Chairman, friends of Herb Bonner, it was not necessary for Frank Boykin to tell me he had been over to Billy Graham's meeting last night. When he made the confession as to why I was invited to Alabama it showed you the effect of that great evangelist upon Frank. He is giving his motives to the public. I might say, Frank, that you are not the first one that had those thoughts. Your pal, Mendel Rivers, invited me before you did.
He wanted me to go down to Charleston, S. C. I tried to tell him it would be very unwise for him to invite me to Charleston, S. C.; that it would not do him any good in his chances for reelection. I advised him he had better withdraw the invitation but he insisted and I went down there. It was a grand meeting at the Charleston Board of Trade. Most of them had never seen a Republican and they packed the house, both floors.
I looked at the program when I went in and it said, “Address by Speaker Martin.” Then it said, “A response.” Of course I had been all over the country but I had never heard of a response before and I said, “How is it that they are going to have a response to the speaker of the evening?” He said, “That is an old South Carolinian custom.” I said, “Who is this fellow?” He said, “He is our most talented orator. He is a reform mayor of Charleston. He had run against Jimmie Byrnes the first time for the Senate and had come within 3,000 votes of beating Byrnes for the United States Senate.” I said, “I am glad you picked a good man anyway.” When they introduced me they said, “This is a rare occasion in South Carolina. We have never heard a Republican before.” They said, “Our organization was created before the Revolutionary War. It is the oldest board of trade in this country. This is the first time we have ever had a Republican speak before this organization and he is a Yankee from New England at that.”
With that I was on my own. So I decided I would give the man something to respond to. I didn't want the program to fall to pieces. So, in the words of the Ozark Mountains, I poured it on. When I got through I asked about the response. He said, “We have heard a great American speech by a great American.” He said, “I approve of every word he uttered.”
That is where I knew, Mendel, that there were going to be a good many South Carolina Republicans in the days that were ahead.
We are very happy to be here for this important event. I have a particular fondness for Herbert. Back in 1924 when Congress opened its session in that year a group of new people came to Congress. Herbert Bonner was the secretary of my good old friend, Lindsay Warren. On the other side was Jack McMillan who was at that time secretary to Allard Gasque. We were all more or less thrown together because in those days we did not have these modern conveniences of present Congressmen. We had one room. We were all in one group. I remember very well that in the summertime when they were reorganizing the merchant marine I gave my room all that summer to Otis Bland so that he might do a good job.
In that little group we came to know each other very intimately and well. Never was there a more devoted man to his work than Herbert Bonner, and I am very glad to salute him because I know the great American he is. I know the great service he has rendered to this country not only in this Merchant Marine Committee, but in all his other activities, and I am particularly fond of the Merchant Marine Committee because in my early days I had no aspirations to be Speaker. My aspiration was to get to be a member of the Merchant Marine Committee. I applied for it but the then Congressman from the cape usurped the place and I had to take Foreign Affairs. It was what was left.
In those days the biggest job in Foreign Affairs was to see whether we would give $20,000 for an appropriation for an international poultry convention in Tulsa, Okla. We debated that for 1 whole week. Finally we gave them the money.
So I am happy to come, Herbert, today and offer you my most sincere felicitations. May you have many years of success ahead is, as you know, my hearty, earnest, personal wish. [Applause.]
Mr. BOYKIN. I think all of you agree with me that Joe Martin would make a good President of the United States. He is truly a great man and I love him. If they ever do get him away from up yonder I hope he will come to Alabama. If he ever comes again we are going to keep him because I tell you we had 1,200 people there that night and they liked what he said. However, the Republicans have changed now a little bit. That was a good while ago but Joe Martin has not changed. He is a great man. I am so glad he was here to say a word to our beloved friend.
Now, folks, I want to tell you that it is good to have every one of you here. I wish we could let Mendel Rivers, the silver-tongued orator, speak, and also my good friend here from Chicago.
Is Senator Scott here?
Senator, I was looking at these ladies here and didn't see you. Won't you say a word? We can't let Sam get away with this.
ADDRESS BY HON. KERR SCOTT, UNITED STATES SENATOR FROMTHE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
Senator SCOTT. I can understand very readily why you couldn't see me with these ladies here. I cannot add more to what has been said. I have known Herbert Bonner all my life, so to speak, and Mrs. Bonner, and I think there ought to be a medal struck in her honor for helping him to achieve what he has accomplished.
Mr. BOYKIN. This portrait was painted by Miss Mabel Pugh, professor of art, Peace College, Raleigh, N. C., and the portrait was made possible by the friends of Herbert Bonner.
Now, ladies and gentlemen, we are going to have the main man, the man that you have heard so many things said about but not half as much as should be said. I seem to be close to the Bonners. My campaign managers this time were the three Bonner brothers. We have a State Senator Bonner who has been State senator for 3 years.
Mr. Bonner's grandfather is buried in the First District of Alabama so that you see why I love and respect Herb Bonner. But that part makes no difference. If you do not treat him right in North Carolina we will just take him home back down in Alabama. There is no greater, no finer, no better man. He has a heart of gold and silver, too. He is just one of the great men of this earth.
I know you want to hear my beloved friend, the chairman of this great committee. At this time I will introduce the chairman of the great Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee, Chairman Herbert Bonner, of North Carolina.
REMARKS BY HON. HERBERT C. BONNER, A REPRESENTATIVE INCONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
Mr. BONNER. Mr. Chairman, Speaker Rayburn, Mr. Martin, my colleagues and friends, this is a doubly happy day for me. As has been told you, some years back I was born on the 16th of May. Today, my friends have made this one of the great birthdays of my life. I want my friends who have made this occasion possible to know that I deeply appreciate it from the bottom of my heart.
The kind words that have been said about me by the senior Senator of North Carolina and the dean of the North Carolina delegation will ever go with me throughout the remainder of my life. Also the kind references made to me by Mr. Rayburn and Mr. Martin will be remembered as long as I live. The prayer that was offered will stay with me for years to come and I shall try to conduct the remainder of my life so as to have your approval and your best wishes as I have had them in the past.
I appreciate the cooperation that has been given me both on the minority side and the majority side in this committee. I will ever remember the fast and warm friendships that I have been privileged to make here in Congress and in the industry, the Coast Guard, the merchant marine, the Coast and Geodetic Survey, the Panama Canal, and the other agencies that come under this committee.
I would like my wife to stand, if you will, please, and let me say that of all the things that have been said about me she deserves 50 percent at least of all that was said. [Applause.]
Because she has been the inspiration of my life and the compass of good that has led me to your approval and to your esteem and friendship and the position I now hold.
I am deeply grateful to the people of North Carolina for imposing in me the high honor of being a Member and a Representative in the United States Congress. I thank you all and hope that I so may live the balance of my life that I will never have your disapproval.
I thank you. [Applause.]
(The following were furnished for insertion:)
STATEMENT OF HON. HUGH Q. ALEXANDER, A REPRESENTATIVEIN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
I am delighted to have this opportunity to say a few words on this auspicious occasion about my distinguished friend and colleague, Hon. Herbert C. Bonner.
Since the time I first came to Washington as a freshman Congressman I can truthfully say that Herbert Bonner has always been most helpful to me and has given me invaluable advice on numerous occasions on the workings of Congress and the complex problems with which we are confronted from time to time.
Herbert is a quiet, nonassuming, genteel man of courage. He fights for what he thinks is right and is a man of deep conviction. He knows intimately the workings of the departments of Government, as well as the workings of Congress from a firsthand knowledge. As chairman of the House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee he has contributed greatly to the welfare and well-being of our great country. His keen interest in the United States Coast Guard is widely known, and in recognition of his contribution to its operation, he is affectionately known in Coast Guard circles as Mr. Coast Guard.
He has made an outstanding record as chairman of the Bonner Subcommittee on Government Operations and has saved the country millions of dollars in bringing to light the waste and inefficiency of the armed services.
Herbert Bonner is a dynamic leader, an eloquent speaker, and always has a commonsense approach to every problem. He diligently represents the interest and welfare of his constituents, the State of North Carolina, and the Nation. In fact, I consider Herbert Bonner as one of the great, outstanding leaders of the Congress of the United States. He is a great American, loyal to his people and his concept of government. I count it a real privilege to have the honor of being so closely associated with Herbert Bonner in the Congress of the United States.
STATEMENT OF HON. GRAHAM A. BARDEN, A REPRESENTATIVEIN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
I am delighted to see that the friends and well-wishers of Herbert Bonner have seen fit to recognize the outstanding service rendered by not only a very fine Member of Congress, but also a fine American.
It has been my pleasure and privilege to know Herbert Bonner personally since shortly after World War I in which he rendered distinguished service. For many years he was secretary to Hon. Lindsay Warren, Member of Congress from the First Congressional District. He was efficient, and loyal to Mr. Warren and to the congressional district from which he came to such an extent that when Mr. Warren retired from Congress and took up the duties as United States Comptroller General, the people of the First District very wisely entrusted Herbert Bonner with the duties and responsibilities of the office of Congressman from that district.
He has proven himself to be a man of the people and understands their problems large and small. His name is linked with many very fine pieces of legislation and he deserves the type recognition that the placing of his portrait in the rooms of the Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee will give. Certainly in years to come it will be a constant reminder that this great committee was presided over by a great chairman whose colleagues believe that his accomplishments will be an inspiration to those who follow.
STATEMENT OF HON. CARL T. DURHAM, A REPRESENTATIVE INCONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
It gives me a great deal of pleasure to be here today to participate in the unveiling of the portrait of Herbert Bonner.
What I most admire and love about Herbert is that his life demonstrates what an individual can accomplish in our great country. It's a long and rough road from a traveling salesman to the Halls of Congress, and it's also a tough climb from a clerkship in a congressional office to the chairmanship of a major committee in the House of Representatives. Herbert has accomplished both of these objectives. He has instilled great confidence in his district by giving the best of service to his constituency, and he has won the respect, admiration, and love of his colleagues in the Congress by his devotion to duty and his fine generalship of this great committee.
Herbert comes from a section in North Carolina which still predominates in families whose forebears contributed so materially to the establishment of the American colonies. From this section of the State have come leaders in government, business, science, and religion.
In his life and accomplishments Herbert demonstrates much of the same spirit as that of the original colonists of America, and here today in the Halls of Congress he carries on in a true and dedicatory manner a fight for freedom, integrity, and honesty which is worthy of the spirit which motivated the founders of our Nation. Future generations will look on his portrait in this committee room and realize that here is a man who exemplifies the American dream—in setting a mark for himself and achieving it, and in so doing making a valuable contribution to his district, his State, and his Nation.
STATEMENT OF HON. L. H. FOUNTAIN, A REPRESENTATIVE INCONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
It is fitting and appropriate that we meet today to honor our distinguished friend and colleague, Hon. Herbert Covington Bonner, Representative from the great First Congressional District of North Carolina.
Since his election to the Congress of the United States in November 1940, he has quietly, effectively, and efficiently performed his duties as a loyal and devoted public servant. Today he presides with fairness and impartiality as chairman of the Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee. Born and reared on the banks of the Pamlico River in the town of Washington, N. C., he became familiar with many of the matters and problems under the jurisdiction of this committee at an early age. His seasoned judgment is reflected in his keen analyses of the problems which confront his committee and our Nation.
Since I came to Congress in January 1953, he has been my friend, as he has been the friend of many a newcomer. As Representative of the Second Congressional District of North Carolina, I am honored to have the privilege of joining your many other friends in wishing for you, Herbert, many more years of faithful service as chairman of the Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee. May God be with you and your good wife in the years to come.
STATEMENT OF HON. CHARLES RAPER JONAS, A REPRESENTATIVEIN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
It gives me a great deal of pleasure to have the opportunity of making a few comments on this occasion. I am happy to join the distinguished Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Rayburn, and the distinguished former Speaker, Mr. Martin, and my colleagues in the House and Senate from North Carolina, in paying a well-deserved tribute to Hon. Herbert Bonner.
I know of no Member of the House of Representatives who has so endeared himself to his colleagues as has Herbert Bonner. He has the warm regard, affection, and respect of Members on both sides of the aisle. As Speaker Rayburn has said, he does not rush into every debate but when he does ask recognition all Members sit up and take notice because they know he has something important to say and that he will express himself clearly and then resume his seat.
Herbert has earned the confidence and support of the people of his district to a marked degree and I do not know any Representative who has been more faithful in serving his district, his State, and his country.
It has been a great privilege for me to have had the opportunity of knowing and working with Herbert Bonner during these last few years I have been privileged to serve in the House. We come from different parts of the State but have always cooperated with each other in promoting the welfare and interests of North Carolina. I am very proud indeed of his friendship and shall always cherish it.
It is fitting that his friends should have presented this portrait to the committee over which he has presided with such fairness, ability, and success. It is appropriate that it should occupy a prominent place on the walls of this room to serve as a constant reminder to future members of the committee of the outstanding service rendered the committee and the country by a truly great American.
STATEMENT OF HON. A. PAUL KITCHIN, A REPRESENTATIVE INCONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
Mr. Chairman, members of the committee, Mrs. Bonner, and other friends of Herbert Bonner, it is a real privilege to join today in paying tribute to a great North Carolinian from the East, who has devoted many years to public service—years of hard work for the welfare and betterment of our country.
Herbert Bonner is endowed with many fine qualities, including those of courage, kindness, and helpfulness. His willingness to be of assistance to his fellow man has been demonstrated many times in his sincere desire to aid me as a freshman in the many problems which have arisen. He has always been patient and understanding.
On this occasion, I wish for my friend and colleague continued good health and happiness, and many more years of service to our State and Nation.
STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN C. KLUCZYNSKI, A REPRESENTATIVE
IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF ILLINOIS
Chairman Boykin, Speaker Rayburn, former Speaker Martin, Chairman Bonner, members of the House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, Senators and Congressmen from North Carolina, friends of Mr. Bonner, I deem it an honor and privilege to be present this morning at these ceremonies for the unveiling of this beautiful painting of our distinguished chairman, Hon. Herbert C. Bonner.
I do not believe there is any Member of Congress more deserving of this honor than our esteemed friend, Mr. Bonner.
I have served in the legislative halls for over 25 years, as a member of the house of representatives and senate in the General Assembly in Illinois and am now serving my fourth term in Congress. During that time I have served on numerous committees under many different chairmen but never have I served under a chairman who was more fair, courteous, and helpful than Mr. Bonner. As chairman Mr. Bonner recognizes Republicans the same as Democrats, and first-termers as well as veteran members of the committee. Under Mr. Bonner's chairmanship, we have neither a Democratic or a Republican committee; we have an all-American committee trying to do something for the people of our great country by giving to the Nation an excellent merchant marine which has served so well in both peace and war.
In addition to merchant marine, the preservation of the fish and wildlife resources of the country has been a constant objective of the committee. Mr. Bonner has accomplished a splendid job and I am proud to be a member of his great committee. I am indeed proud to be here with you, Herb, and your many friends, also your fine wife, Eva, who has been such an inspiration to you. We all know that without her you could not perform the great job you are doing.
May I wish you continued health, success, and happiness and may your great work for the people of the country continue for a long time.
May I also wish you a happy birthday on this May 16, 1957, as this special occasion will be remembered by you as long as you live.
STATEMENT OF HON. L. MENDEL RIVERS, A REPRESENTATIVE INCONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA
Congressman Boykin, Mr. Speaker, Congressman Martin, Senator Ervin, Mrs. Lindsay Warren, Mrs. Herbert Bonner, distinguished members of this great Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, distinguished guests, my other colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, May 16 will long remain an important milestone in the history of this committee and of this Congress. On this day a few years ago our kindly chairman, my good friend, Herbert Bonner, was born.
On this day, May 16, 1957, this great committee is receiving the magnificent portrait of this fine American made possible by the friends of Herbert Bonner, and painted by his fellow North Carolinian, Miss Mabel Pugh. It is fitting that Miss Pugh, who is a professor of art at Peace College, Raleigh, N. C., should have created this work of art.
Herbert Bonner ranks with the great men who have served as chairman of this committee since its inception. Outstanding names are identified with this committee, and American greats have been numbered among its chairmen. Many of us remember vividly some of these outstanding public servants of our generation. I myself recall vividly Schuyler Otis Bland, that great Virginian who served this committee and the Nation and the world during World War II, and under whose chairmanship the Liberty and the Victory ships were given to the Nation and to the world in the cause of freedom. We remember Ed Hart, of New Jersey, another fine American who served as chairman of this committee. We remember others but none with greater love and affection than Herbert Bonner. Herbert Bonner took over the destinies of this committee in one of the leanest ages of maritime history.
In the annals of all great peoples, great men come during times of stress and strain. Herbert Bonner came to the chairmanship of this committee when our private or commercial shipyards were experiencing their hardest days; work in shipyards of other nations of the free world were humming with activity. Bonner viewed this enigma with alarm but not frustration, with importance but not despair. Herb set out to do something about this. He recalled how America saved the world with the great merchant marine under the American flag. He recalled how the fourth arm of our national defense—our American merchant marine—served the free world in delivering cargoes to every port of the world. He remembered that history and he was determined to do something about it.
He sent a committee to the principal ports of Europe under the chairmanship of the distinguished chairman who is presiding over these ceremonies today, my great and lifelong friend, Frank Boykin. When that committee turned in its report, Herbert Bonner set out to do something about the ailments of our private shipyards and our faltering merchant marine. In the space of a few years, you see now humming activity in every commercial shipyard in the Nation; we have passenger and cargo ships on the ways of every shipyard. Under the American flag, we have tankers and other merchantmen under construction or in being flying our flag. In addition to this, you will find the great Maritime Commission, under the jurisdiction of this committee, utilizing existing statutes and proposing new laws so that the American merchant marine will keep its place on the high seas. Herbert Bonner remembers the graveyards of our ships of the past; he is determined there will be no graveyards of the future. Under the leadership of my colleague and our chairman, my colleagues, because of the insistence of this great American, conversions are going about and obsolete and obsolescent ships are being replaced by those of competitive capabilities with other flagships of the world—all of this because of the vision of our chairman.
As our distinguished Speaker has said, Herbert Bonner labors quietly. He does not seek the plaudits of the crowd nor does he seek publicity for his efforts. He does not speak long and neither does he harangue the multitude. He prefers rather the quietude of persuasion and logic as his weapons. As the Speaker has said, he speaks seldom on the floor of Congress, but when he speaks his colleagues know whereof he speaks and they listen and they pay attention and they heed his warnings and eagerly seek his advice.
Now today we give him a little honor for his great and incomparable contribution to his Nation's security.
In this time of comparative world tranquility, when wars have for the moment ceased, Mr. Merchant Marine, as we affectionately call Herbert Bonner, is working day and night—through long and tiresome hours—to bring the standard of the American Merchant Marine to the highest it has ever attained during time of peace. Mr. Bonner's leadership in this endeavor has imbued him and his colleagues with a life ambition. Together we all march under his leadership to the attainment which he visions for this Nation.
Mr. Speaker, and my colleagues who are assembled here this morning to do honor to this great American, it is fitting that we honor him. It is fitting that we accept this portrait. It is fitting that we recall his contribution to his Nation. Mr. Speaker, those who go down to the sea in ships will long remember Herbert Bonner; “those who follow the gull's way and the whale's way where the wind is like a whetted knife” will recall the vision of this great American. In his lifetime, while he still lives, we do well to honor him and remind this generation and future generations that his work shall not terminate with this age or during his lifetime or thereafter. Mr. Speaker, we must resolve that Herbert Bonner's great work will go on and that his memory will not be dimmed by the oncoming years but will shine brighter because of what he has done for his great country.
STATEMENT OF HON. RALPH J. SCOTT, A REPRESENTATIVE INCONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
Mr. Chairman, I wish to be numbered among the many friends and admirers of Hon. Herbert C. Bonner who gather on this occasion to pay him a portion of the great tribute he so richly deserves.
Mr. Bonner has been 10 times elected to represent his district in the United States Congress. Representing the great First District of North Carolina, comprised of 14 counties, the largest geographical area covered by any district in the State, he has distinguished himself by his conspicuously valuable service to his district, State, and Nation. As chairman of the congressional Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, his labors, outstanding ability, and fine qualities of leadership have been a major contribution to its splendid achievements. His entire record is one of loyal and unselfish service, devotion to duty and the cause of his people as he understood it. But aside from these considerations, and perhaps more important, Herbert Bonner is a man of splendid Christian character, possessed of a high sense of honor; and he has that sensitive knowledge of people and human values which enables one to be a helpful and understanding friend.
It is with pleasure that I join others of the North Carolina delegation, members of his committee, and others among his friends and admirers in congratulating him upon his fine record of achievement and in wishing for him the best of all that the future holds.
STATEMENT OF HON. GEORGE A. SHUFORD, A REPRESENTATIVE
IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
Mr. Chairman, it is indeed a privilege to be permitted to participate with the members of the great Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee of the United States House of Representatives in the ceremony honoring their chairman and our beloved North Carolina colleague, Herbert C. Bonner. His portrait, which was presented to the committee today, will be a constant reminder to all of us of his inspiring leadership.
Herbert Bonner has had a long career of public service and has made an enviable name for himself. He has given unstintingly of his time and energy in the faithful and unselfish representation of the people of his district, State, and Nation. Truly he is a great American. Coming from the coastal area of the State of North Carolina, as he does, he has brought to the committee of which he is chairman a keen interest in and an intimate knowledge of maritime affairs. This has been of inestimable value to his immediate associates and to the Congress. The North Carolina delegation is devoted to Herbert Bonner and holds him in the very highest esteem. We are pleased with the recognition taken today of his sterling worth.
Herbert Bonner is a warm personal friend of mine, and has meant much to me since I came to the Congress. My association with him will always be cherished. I extend my very best wishes to him and to his lovely wife.
STATEMENT OF HON. BASIL L. WHITENER, A REPRESENTATIVEIN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
Mr. Chairman, for many years prior to my entering upon service as a Member of Congress it was my pleasure to know our distinguished friend, Herbert Bonner. During all of that time I had a high regard for his character, ability, and reputation as an outstanding representative of the people of North Carolina.
In recent months I have had an opportunity to become even more intimately acquainted with Herbert Bonner and his good works. While North Carolinians are very proud of his service to our State, it is apparent from the eulogies that have been delivered here today that the people of the entire Nation are equally appreciative of his fine service.
The chairmanship of any standing committee of the House is an important role for one to play. This is particularly true of the committee which our distinguished friend has headed for these several years.
The maritime services of this country are important to the economic well-being of our Nation and the world in peacetime. They become vital military components in time of international hostilities. No one can dispute that the record made by the maritime services of this country during World War II and the recent Korean conflict was as important to attaining the ultimate victory as the services of any organized military branch of service in this land of ours.
Herbert Bonner has truly been a leader in the development of our merchant marine and the many other important services which fall within the jurisdiction of the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries. For his statesmanship and many vital contributions our Nation should be everlastingly grateful.
But most of all, my appreciation of our distinguished friend is primarily for those traits of character which he possesses. He is firm in his convictions. He is considerate of others in his advocacy of those convictions. He is intolerant of wrongdoing, but easily forgives human errors honestly made.
Herbert Bonner fully subscribes to the Biblical injunction that good men are required “to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.”
What more can be said by way of eulogy to any man?
It is a great joy for me to be privileged to add my brief words of appreciation to those so excellently expressed by others today for the devoted and valuable service that our people have received from our honored guest.
Mrs. Whitener and the other members of my family join with me in wishing for Herbert and Mrs. Bonner many more years of happiness, good health, success, and service to their God and to their country.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS,
Washington, D. C., May 22, 1957.
Hon. HERBERT C. BONNER,
Chairman, Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee.
House of Representatives.
DEAR HERBERT: Much distressed at missing the notable ceremonies on the occasion of the presentation by Speaker Rayburn of the portrait to the great Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries over which you have presided as chairman these most critical years in the Nation's history.
Would not have missed it for anything, but conditions over which I had no control whatever detained me and to my great disappointment I was not able to attend with the rest of my friends who honored you in one of the supreme moments of your life.
But that does not prevent my taking advantage of the occasion to express my deep regard and warm admiration for you and the appreciation of your generous friendship all these years.
May your shadow never grow less and may you receive and enjoy all the good things of this life to which you are so richly entitled.
With warmest felicitations and heartiest congratulations and best wishes for continued progress and success in an ever widening field of service,
Your friend,
Clarence.
CLARENCE CANNON.
WASHINGTON, D. C., May 15, 1957.
Hon. HERBERT C. BONNER,
United States House of Representatives,
Washington, D. C.
DEAR HERBERT: Mr. Boykin very kindly asked me to a ceremony to be held tomorrow to do honor to you on the occasion of the presentation of your portrait and in recognition of 17 years of outstanding service on the Merchant Marine Committee. As I have written to Mr. Boykin, I am engaged in a trial on that morning and thus, will be unable to be with you for this happy event. But while I shall not be physically present, I shall certainly be there in spirit.
On this occasion when people are doing honor to you, I should like to add one word. In the almost 15 years I have known you, I have developed not only a great respect for you, but also a very deep affection. It seems to me that the country is fortunate in having men like you in Congress, the merchant marine is fortunate in having you as chairman of its committee, and people like myself are fortunate to have you as a friend.
Please give my kindest regards to Evie. I know that you share these honors with her. All my best to you both now and always.
Sincerely,
Marvin.
MARVIN J. COLES.
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE,
COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY,
Washington, D.C., May 23, 1957.
COMMITTEE ON MERCHANT MARINE AND FISHERIES,
House of Representatives,
Room 219, House Office Building, Washington, D. C.
GENTLEMEN: It was a distinct pleasure for me to attend the ceremony on May 16, 1957, occasioned by the presentation to your committee of the portrait of Herbert C. Bonner, your eminent chairman.
With your permission, I wish to associate myself with the distinguished guests who rendered laudatory remarks and eloquent tribute to Mr. Bonner on this auspicious occasion.
As Director of the Coast and Geodetic Survey, I wish to express appreciation for the fair and sympathetic consideration that Mr. Bonner has always extended to this bureau throughout his extended tenure as a member of your committee.
Sincerely yours,
H. ARNOLD KARO,
Rear Admiral, Coast and Geodetic Survey, Director.
