[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 161 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 161

        Honoring the life of Robert M. La Follette, Sr., on the 
                     sesquicentennial of his birth.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              June 7, 2005

    Mr. Feingold (for himself and Mr. Kohl) submitted the following 
    resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
        Honoring the life of Robert M. La Follette, Sr., on the 
                     sesquicentennial of his birth.

Whereas Robert M. La Follette, Sr., better known as ``Fighting Bob'' La 
        Follette, was born 150 years ago, on June 14, 1855, in Primrose, 
        Wisconsin;
Whereas Fighting Bob was elected to 3 terms in the United States House of 
        Representatives, 3 terms as Governor of Wisconsin, and 4 terms as a 
        United States Senator;
Whereas Fighting Bob founded the Progressive wing of the Republican Party;
Whereas Fighting Bob was a lifelong supporter of civil rights and women's 
        suffrage, earning respect and support from such distinguished Americans 
        as Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman Upton;
Whereas Fighting Bob helped to make the ``Wisconsin Idea'' a reality at the 
        Federal and State level, instituting election reforms, environmental 
        conservation, railroad rate regulation, increased education funding, and 
        business regulation;
Whereas Fighting Bob was a principal advocate for the Seventeenth Amendment to 
        the Constitution of the United States, which calls for the election of 
        United States Senators by popular vote;
Whereas Fighting Bob delivered an historic speech, ``Free Speech in Wartime'', 
        opposing the public persecution of those who sought to hold their 
        Government accountable;
Whereas Fighting Bob played a key role in exposing the corruption during the 
        Teapot Dome Scandal;
Whereas Fighting Bob and his wife, Belle Case La Follette, founded La Follette's 
        Weekly, now renamed The Progressive, a monthly magazine for the 
        Progressive community;
Whereas Fighting Bob ran for the presidency on the Progressive ticket in 1924, 
        winning more than 17 percent of the popular vote;
Whereas the Library of Congress recognized Fighting Bob in 1985 by naming the 
        Congressional Research Service reading room in the Madison Building in 
        honor of both Robert M. La Follette, Sr., and his son, Robert M. La 
        Follette, Jr., for their shared commitment to the development of a 
        legislative research service to support the United States Congress;
Whereas Fighting Bob was honored in 1929 with 1 of 2 statues representing the 
        State of Wisconsin in National Statuary Hall in the United States 
        Capitol;
Whereas Fighting Bob was chosen as 1 of ``Five Outstanding Senators'' by the 
        Special Committee on the Senate Reception Room in 1957;
Whereas a portrait of Fighting Bob was unveiled in the Senate Reception Room in 
        March 1959; and
Whereas Fighting Bob was revered by his supporters for his unwavering commitment 
        to his ideals, and for his tenacious pursuit of a more just and 
        accountable Government: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) celebrates the sesquicentennial of the birth of Robert 
        M. La Follette, Sr.;
            (2) recognizes the important contributions of Robert M. La 
        Follette, Sr., to the Progressive movement, the State of 
        Wisconsin, and the United States of America; and
            (3) directs that the Secretary of the Senate transmit an 
        enrolled copy of this resolution to the family of Robert M. La 
        Follette, Sr., and the Wisconsin Historical Society.
                                 <all>