[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 1 (Tuesday, January 25, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: January 25, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                FORMER SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE TIP O'NEILL

  Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. President and Members of the Senate, recently the 
Nation lost one of its great public servants, the former Speaker of the 
House of Representatives, Tip O'Neill.
  It is one of my regrets that I never had the honor of serving in 
leadership with the late Speaker.
  He was proof that the American political system can and does elevate 
people of ability and effectiveness to high public office.
  His warmth, humor, and love of public service and politics were 
legendary in his own lifetime. His passing was as sincerely mourned by 
those who knew him only at a distance--indeed by those who did not know 
him personally--as by those who knew him best.
  Speaker O'Neill was a man of the people and he never forgot those who 
elected him to office or where he came from. He was a loyal Democrat, 
but he sought to be loyal to the Party's ideals, not to any one 
individual.
  When he thought the Party was mistaken he stood up and said so, as he 
did in breaking with President Johnson on the war in Vietnam. He 
remained on good personal terms with President Reagan even when they 
disagreed, as they frequently did.
  His career in public life spanned half a century, from the years of 
President Franklin Roosevelt to the years of President Ronald Reagan. 
He came to Washington in 1953, at the beginning of the Eisenhower era, 
to continue the work he began amid the great hardships of the 
Depression years to keep on helping the people of his district realize 
the American dream of a secure life and a good future for their 
children. The achievement of the American dream for all people was a 
goal he never abandoned.
  He never turned his back on the confidence that fueled the years of 
the New Deal, when Americans knew that Government could be a tool for 
innovative and positive action to help its people.
  He believed that Government exists for the people, not the other way 
around, and he believed it was the obligation of the Government to 
serve the vast majority of the people, not to force the bulk of the 
people to serve the interests of a narrow few.
  Speaker O'Neill was harshly criticized in his last years in office, 
but he never allowed the voices of critics to drown out the authentic 
voice of the people on whose behalf he worked. He remained, to his last 
days in office, a servant of the public and proudly so. His is a career 
of which Democrats should be proud, and one from which all Americans 
can learn much.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. Under the order, the Senator from 
California [Mrs. Feinstein] is recognized for not to exceed 10 minutes.
  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Thank you very much, Mr. President, I thank you for 
this opportunity.

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