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Remarks by Representative Merritt

Of New York

Mr. MERRITT. Mr. Speaker, once again the Grim Reaper has reached out, and taken from our midst the Honorable ROYAL S. COPELAND, Senator from the State of New York.

In the passing of Senator COPELAND the Congress has lost one of its ablest and most brilliant Members. His life has been one of devotion and service to the people of the State of New York and to the people of this great country of ours.

His scholastic attainments have not only been in the field of politics and government but also in the field of medicine; he leaves behind a most honorable reputation.

It was my honor and good fortune to have known him intimately, and at this time I desire to pay tribute to this fine character who guided me with a fatherly hand and gave me the benefit of his experience in my first campaign as an aspirant to the House of Representatives. I have lost a very dear friend. May he have eternal peace.

Remarks by Representative Dickstein

Of New York

Mr. DICKSTEIN. Mr. Speaker, the sudden and unexpected passing of the senior Senator from New York, which occurred on June 17, 1938, was a blow from which his friends and colleagues will not be able to recover.

He who was always ready to administer to his colleagues when infirmity struck was to succumb himself to the Grim Reaper.

The senior Senator from New York lived not one but literally two full lives during his span of three score and ten. He was a native of Michigan and spent half of his life in that State, having been a practicing physician and later on mayor of Ann Arbor.

The second half of his life belongs to the State of New York. In 1918 Mayor Hylan chose him to be health commissioner for the City of New York, and his record in that office was so conspicuous that he became not only city- and State-wide but a Nation-wide figure. In 1922 the voters of the State of New York elected him to represent them in the Senate of the United States.

Senator COPELAND'S work was so brilliant and his ability so marked that just before his death he was drafted for a nomination as mayor of the city of New York, and who knows but even greater honors might have been in store for him had not death intervened to remove him from this earthly scene?

We mourn his loss as that of a true and devoted servant, a real American, a beautiful personality, a charming friend and companion, and above all a man who had the stamp of greatness upon him.

Remarks by Representative Crowther

Of New York

Mr. CROWTHER. Mr. Speaker, the long and distinguished service rendered to his State and the Nation by Senator COPELAND is ended. His passing cast a shadow of gloom and sorrow over his vast constituency. In his senatorial capacity he rendered yeoman service not only to the 12,000,000 in his own State but in the role of statesman he contributed to the general welfare of the Nation.

On one occasion he said to me:

Dr. CROWTHER, I am afraid we are too much concerned with the material things of life in our legislative activities and lose the human touch.

That remark was indicative of his desire for progressive humanitarian legislation.

Possessed of a charming personality, he endeared himself to all who had the privilege of his acquaintance. A man of courage and integrity, he earned the confidence and respect of those who were associated with him during his tremendously busy life. Those of us who knew him best will miss him most.

Remarks by Representative Michener

Of Michigan

Mr. MICHENER. Mr. Speaker, few men in public life in his day and generation had the broad acquaintance and the personal following of the late Senator COPELAND. There was a reason for this. His friendliness and his courtesy were only equaled by his industry, his ability, his integrity, and his desire to be helpful to his fellow men.

Born in the countryside, he enjoyed the privileges of the average boy, reared in a Christian home and in a genuine American environment. His early ambition was to be a great physician, and in this he succeeded. It seemed that his undertakings were always crowned with success. When he died, he took a man's life with him. He was a great Senator for the State of New York. He was a great American citizen, but he always preferred to be classed as a physician. Undoubtedly, his professional training made him the more valuable in the halls of Congress.

A few miles from the city of Ann Arbor, Mich., is the village of Dexter, and it was here that Senator COPELAND first saw the light of day. In Dexter, the older citizens called him "Roy." The middle-aged citizens called him "Dr. COPELAND." The younger generation knew him best as "Senator COPELAND." In Ann Arbor he was a professor in the medical school of the great University of Michigan. He was mayor of the city of Ann Arbor in 1901. He was a public-spirited civil and religious leader in Michigan. When he sought broader fields of activity, Michigan lost one of its real citizens.

In New York he soon became a distinguished member of the community and it is not strange that he came to the United States Senate. It would be very difficult to convince the people of Dexter that Senator COPELAND had reached the top of his political ladder when the final summons came.

Unlike so many men, born in the countryside and in humble surroundings, Senator COPELAND never forgot the old home town. Here his family resided, and he always returned at least once each year to renew acquaintances, enjoy the village life, and, as he oftimes said, receive additional inspiration to carry on the work in hand. Professional success, business accomplishment, and political preferment did not change the man. In these circumstances, you will realize that while the great city of New York sorrowed at his passing, the village of Dexter and the people who knew him intimately grieved because of the loss of a personal friend.

Mr. Speaker, as the Representative of the Second Congressional District of Michigan in the Congress, permit me to pay my tribute of love and respect to the life, character, and memory of this good man.

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