[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 16 (Wednesday, February 23, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: February 23, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                 THOMAS P. ``TIP'' O'NEILL, JR. HONORED

                                 ______


                          HON. JAMES P. MORAN

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 23, 1994

  Mr. MORAN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to submit a recent transcript by 
the Reuter's news service of an interview I had with Fox ``Morning 
News'' honoring the late Speaker, the Honorable Thomas P. ``Tip'' 
O'Neill, Jr.

                 A Farewell to ``The Man of the House''

       Lark McCarthy. Virginia Congressman Jim Moran felt a 
     special kinship with Tip O'Neill. Their families hailed from 
     the same neighborhood in Boston. Jim Moran joins us now to 
     reflect on the life and times of Tip O`Neill.
       Is this the end of an era?
       Representative Moran. I think he may have been the last of 
     the great, truly unapologetic liberals. He really believed in 
     what he did. You know, we asked him one time, ``What's the 
     definition of a liberal?'' And he used the story of how he 
     had been told by Dr. DeBaecky (sp), I think it was, that if 
     they could develop this drug, they could extend the height of 
     dwarfs by three to six inches. And he went back to the 
     Appropriations Committee and insisted that they put this 
     money in. And he got all kinds of derisive laughter. The Wall 
     Street Journal criticized him and the Republicans criticized 
     him. In fact, the big joke was that, why don't they just go 
     down and buy a Cuban lift for all of their shoes, and it 
     would save the taxpayers a lot of the money. But he insisted.
       And today, you know, if a child is born a dwarf, their 
     parent can take them down to Baylor University and extend 
     their height by about six inches. And, you know, you can 
     never measure something like that, but he was proud of it 
     because those people are going to be able to live lives with 
     a little greater dignity. He said that you could probably add 
     up all the mistakes in dollars and cents, but I don't 
     think you can ever quantify what good we've been able to 
     accomplish. And I know that's true, that his life was of 
     immeasurable value. But the people that benefited most are 
     the ones we'll never hear from.
       Ms. McCarthy. Yes. He liked to think of himself as the 
     working man, working class politician, didn't he?
       Representative Moran. You know, over 50 years, he had to 
     run every other year. He never lost an election. And he said, 
     it's because he kept the same wife, the same values.
       Ms. McCarthy. And he always called her, ``My Millie,'' 
     right?
       Representative Moran. Yes. He married her back in 1941. The 
     same wife, the same values, and the same lifestyle--he never 
     changed. And, in fact, in his recent book that he was nice 
     enough to autograph for me and write some nice words, that's 
     what he talks about. You've got to stay the same. You've got 
     to know what you believe in. And you've got to live your life 
     that way. And he did. And I think he was a great guy. He may 
     have had----
       Ms. McCarthy. Just quickly, because he's also being 
     remembered as the last of the old Boston-Irish halls, and 
     your family is from that same area. What was it about, that 
     climate or that time, you know, that Boston influence on him?
       Representative Moran. Well, you know, he was personable. He 
     just loved to be with people. They believed in him. I'll 
     never forget. I mean, during the 1990 campaign, I got this 
     check for $176.82, signed by Thomas P. O'Neill. And I was so 
     desperate for money--it was my first campaign and all--I 
     cashed it. I'll never forgive myself for doing that. But 
     later on, he told me that it was the last check he had ever 
     written out of his office. He paid off all his debts. He gave 
     money to every good cause that he had ever wanted to, and he 
     was left with $176.82, and he sent it to me.
       You know, most members of Congress--and I think they would 
     agree--would have walked off with hundreds of thousands of 
     dollars after having served as Speaker for that many years. 
     But he never kept anything for himself. His reward was in the 
     good that he did, and he did an awful lot of good.

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