[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 43 (Tuesday, April 19, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: April 19, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
  DESIGNATING 1994 AS A YEAR TO HONOR THE HONORABLE THOMAS P. ``TIP'' 
                              O'NEILL, JR.

  Mr. ROSE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 329) designating 1994 as a year to honor the memory 
and leadership qualities of the Hon. Thomas P. ``Tip'' O'Neill, Jr., 
the late Speaker of the House of Representatives as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                              H. Res. 329

       Whereas the death of the late Speaker of the House of 
     Representatives, Thomas P. ``Tip'' O'Neill, Jr., on January 
     5, 1994, has created not only a personal loss to his many 
     friends and colleagues, but also a great loss to the Nation;
       Whereas Speaker O'Neill, is remembered by all for his 
     dedication to good government and his love for the people of 
     the United States;
       Whereas Speaker O'Neill's compassion and goodness of heart 
     and his spirit of cooperation and conciliation were evident 
     to all who knew him;
       Whereas in the House of Representatives and in his life, 
     Speaker O'Neill's personal charm and political skill 
     transcended differences of personality and party;
       Whereas Speaker O'Neill presided over the House of 
     Representatives from the Ninety-fifth Congress through the 
     Ninety-ninth Congress and emerged as one of the greatest 
     American political leader of this century; and
       Whereas it is appropriate that the House of Representatives 
     rededicate itself to the principles of leadership personified 
     by Speaker O'Neill: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That 1994 is designated as a year to honor the 
     memory and leadership qualities of the Honorable Thomas P. 
     ``Tip'' O'Neill, Jr., the late Speaker of the House of 
     Representatives.
       Sec. 2. The Committee on House Administration of the House 
     of Representatives shall have authority to prescribe 
     regulations to carry out this resolution.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
North Carolina [Mr. Rose] will be recognized for 20 minutes, and the 
gentleman from California [Mr. Thomas] will be recognized for 20 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from North Carolina [Mr. Rose].
  Mr. ROSE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, as this session progresses, I am ever more convinced 
that 1994 should be designated as a year to honor the memory and 
leadership qualities of the Honorable Thomas P. ``Tip'' O'Neill, Jr., 
the late Speaker of the House of Representatives.
  This has been a year marked by rancor and divisiveness, a year in 
which we can more deeply appreciate the qualities of our colleague, 
``Tip'', who dedicated himself to the principles of cooperation and 
conciliation.
  I introduced House Resolution 329, which reads as follows:

                              H. Res. 329

       Whereas the death of the late Speaker of the House of 
     Representatives, Thomas P. ``Tip'' O'Neill, Jr., on January 
     5, 1994, has created not only a personal loss to his many 
     friends and colleagues, but also a great loss to the Nation;
       Whereas Speaker O'Neill is remembered by all for his 
     dedication to good government and his love for the people of 
     the United States;
       Whereas Speaker O'Neill's compassion and goodness of heart 
     and his spirit of cooperation and conciliation were evident 
     to all who knew him;
       Whereas in the House of Representatives and in his life, 
     Speaker O'Neill's personal charm and political skill 
     transcended differences of personality and party;
       Whereas Speaker O'Neill presided over the House of 
     Representatives from the Ninety-fifth Congress through the 
     Ninety-ninth Congress and emerged as one of the greatest 
     American political leaders of this century; and
       Whereas it is appropriate that the House of Representatives 
     rededicate itself to the principles of leadership personified 
     by Speaker O'Neill: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That 1994 is designated as a year to honor the 
     memory and leadership qualities of the Honorable Thomas P. 
     ``Tip'' O'Neill, Jr., the late Speaker of the House of 
     Representatives.

  Mr. Speaker, ``Tip'' was an extraordinary leader of this House. I am 
certain that many Members still serving, Democrats and Republicans 
alike, cherish his memory. He could disagree without being 
disagreeable. He could persuade colleagues because he genuinely liked 
them, and they liked him. He presided over a House that valued mutual 
respect and cooperation. ``Tip'' took time to listen to every freshman 
Member and, in keeping with his belief that ``all politics are local,'' 
he constantly sought to serve as well as lead.

  ``Tip'' could broker a consensus from divergent sectors because he 
cared about his colleagues. He resigned as Speaker 7 years ago. But his 
spirit still dwells in this Chamber. That is why I have asked that 
1994, the year of his passing, be devoted to honoring the leadership 
qualities that he personified.
  When I speak of leadership qualities, I do not mean to invoke a 
partisan bias. The distinguished Minority Leader of the House, our 
cherished colleague Bob Michel, also demonstrates a high degree of 
leadership and personality attributes that I would put in the ``Tip'' 
O'Neill tradition. Just as I salute ``Tip'', I honor Bob Michel, who 
unfortunately will leave us after this session. I hope that the 
esteemed Minority Leader, a champion of good government, will see fit 
to support H. Res. 329.
  Above all, ``Tip'' was an advocate of the Congress as an institution.
  Former Speaker Sam Rayburn used to say that ``any jackass can kick a 
barn door down, but it takes a carpenter to build one.'' ``Tip'' was 
such a carpenter, a builder of trust and an architect of better 
government.
  ``Tip'' resented efforts to disparage this branch of Government. Our 
present distinguished Speaker, Mr. Foley, has stated ``You've got a 
tremendous disinformation program going about Congress.''
  The Washington Post recently stated that voters see Congress as ``as 
gridlocked blob, where lawmakers are cutting deals for their districts 
and not working in the best interests of the Nation.''
  The newspaper said that the prestige of this Congress had fallen so 
low that only 32 percent of constituents polled said they are inclined 
to reelect their Representative.
  I was elected to the House in 1972 and have seen Members come and go. 
It is my conviction that today's Members are generally better informed 
and more responsive to constituents, with greater integrity, than the 
rank and file 22 years ago. We live in a new era of more media exposure 
but less depth of understanding of the constitutional responsibilities 
of the Congress and how we function. We have been told that only a 
fraction of our population think they can trust Government to do what 
is right. I fear that the American body politic has been infected with 
cynicism and pessimism.
  If infection goes unchecked it can kill the human body. That is why 
we must find an antibiotic of healing and renewal--before the body 
politic of America suffers grievous harm. We must seek better ways of 
working together to legislate more effectively. And we must achieve a 
Congress that will build a future better than the past.
  We can honor ``Tip'' this year by restoring the primacy of the 
``first branch of Government'' as our Founders perceived this House. We 
must reclaim the vision of George Mason who saw the House as ``the 
grand repository of the democratic principles of the Government.'' As 
we rebuild nationally a sense of family and community, the House has to 
reassert and reclaim its role as the first branch.
  Directly representative of the people, the House has a unique 
function. We are no better, and no worse, than the people we represent. 
Perhaps we are a sort of mirror image of our country. But it is our 
responsibility to strive to improve ourselves, to serve to the very 
best of our abilities, to fulfill aims of great Americans like ``Tip'' 
O'Neill, and to lead a national journey of renewal.
  Above all, we must not get defensive and angry at our critics, nor at 
our fellow citizens who are in trouble. That's what ``Tip'' would want.
  We do not need antidemocratic mechanisms such as so-called term 
limits. David Broder, the astute journalist, has written of his concern 
that ``term limits will hurt the effectiveness of Congress and the 
legislatures, impair the careful constitutional balance among the 
branches, and increase the power of unelected bureaucrats.'' I could 
not have said it better.
  ``Tip'' would agree that the pillars of American society are the 
family, the school, the community, the Congress, and our spiritual and 
moral values.
  Let us devote this year, 1994, to shoring up the pillar of our Nation 
that is the Congress. That is what ``Tip'' would want.

                              {time}  2020

  Mr. MOAKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my dear friend, 
former Speaker Tip O'Neill. I commend Chairman Rose, a close friend of 
Tip's, for his resolution designating the year 1994 as a year to 
remember the life and leadership of the former speaker.
  Tip O'Neill was a vastly talented legislator, but his greatness 
stemmed from the fact that he never forgot where he came from, and more 
importantly, who sent him to Congress. To him, Mrs. Sullivan's family 
down the street was always just as important as his greatest 
achievements in Congress. He treated everyone he met the same way, 
regardless of their wealth, power or status. Tip always lived by the 
same credo: He believed the effectiveness of a government is measured 
by the way it treats those who are most vulnerable--the poor, the 
children, and the elderly. For Tip, the purpose of Government was to 
improve the quality of life of all citizens. Through every part of his 
life, he never forgot the people that didn't have a voice--the common 
man, the local shopkeeper and the family next door. Fighting for their 
rights is why he chose public service.
  As this Congress struggles to push through such important legislation 
as the crime bill and health care reform, we need to look to Tip's 
example to lead us along. Tip's great charm, humor, and his unyielding 
dedication to good government, could always resolve political 
differences and partisanship. He was a great listener and negotiator, 
who possessed the critical skill of bringing two opposing sides to a 
resolution. This was, to Tip, what politics was all about--listening, 
negotiating, helping others.
  Tip O'Neill was a great friend and a great Member of this House. His 
stories will be told for years to come and his legacy as one of the 
great leaders of our Nation will never die. Let us devote this year to 
the great speaker, his lifetime of achievement and the lessons that he 
taught us.
  Mr. THOMAS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the 
gentleman from New York [Mr. Gilman].
  (Mr. GILMAN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, it is with mixed feelings, sadness and pride 
that I rise in support of this Resolution designed to pay tribute to 
one of the legislative giants of the 20th Century; indeed, to one of 
the greatest legislative leaders in the history of our republic.
  The sudden, unexpected passing of ``Tip'' O'Neill early this year 
left a void which will not soon be filled. ``Tip'' was always so full 
of life, so determined, and so energetic, that most of us assumed he 
would always be with us.
  I had the privilege of serving in the House with ``Tip'' O'Neill 
during the last fourteen years of his career. For the last ten of those 
years, he was our Speaker. Despite the fact that he and I sat on 
opposite sides of the aisle, he never hesitated to offer sage advice, 
or a friendly handshake.
  Some observers have labelled ``Tip'' O'Neill the last of the old time 
politicians and, at the same time, one of the best of our political 
leaders. While his colorful style and strong convictions made him an 
effective leader and a household word, his charisma and obvious charm 
made him a hero for the television generation.
  ``Tip'' was a man of the people who never forgot his roots. His 
father always admonished him to remember from ``whence he came'' and he 
always did. ``Tip'' remembered his blue collar background and his 
working class antecedents, and never forgot that these were the 
Americans to whom he owed his first allegiance.
  ``Tip'' had politics in his blood and first sought elective office at 
an early age. Losing his first race for the State legislature, he was 
surprised to learn that a long-time family friend and neighbor 
neglected to vote for him. When ``Tim'' asked why, he was told that he 
never asked these friends for their votes--and everyone likes to be 
asked. He never forgot that lesson, and he never tired of sharing that 
wise lesson with all of us.
  ``Tip'' O'Neill had a framed adage on the wall of his office stating 
that the main responsibilities of government were to three groups of 
people: those at the dawn of life: our children; those at the twilight 
of life: our senior citizens; and those in the shadows of life: the 
ill, the needy, and the handicapped.
  Even those of us who may have disagreed with ``Tip'' O'Neill 
philosophically on many issues could not dispute the soundness of his 
basic philosophy, just as no one could dispute that ``Tip'' was a man 
of rare integrity and intelligence.
  In May of 1983, I had the sad duty of informing the House of the 
passing of our former colleague, Mrs. Katherine St. George, who had 
represented my District from 1946 until 1964. Much to my surprise, 
Speaker O'Neill immediately left the Speaker's chair and moved to the 
well of the House, where he delivered an impromptu moving tribute to 
the late Congresswoman which was valued by her family all the more due 
to the obvious sincerity and spontaneity of this generous gesture.
  The people of North Cambridge, Massachusetts--the people ``Tip'' 
O'Neill loved so deeply and so sincerely--first elected ``Tip'' to the 
State legislature in 1934. He remained in that body continually until 
1952 becoming, in the process, the first Democratic Speaker of the 
House in Massachusetts history. When his home Congressional district 
was made vacant in 1952, due to the U.S. Senatorial candidacy of the 
incumbent, John F. Kennedy, ``Tip'' O'Neill was easily elected to the 
House seat, and was easily re-elected every election until his 
voluntary retirement in 1986.
  The love and esteem in which Tip was held by his constituency and by 
his family was shared by his colleagues. Those of us who had the honor 
of serving with him will never forget him.
  Mr. Speaker, designating this year as a memorial to ``Tip'' O'Neill 
is a fitting tribute to an outstanding American who was an inspiration 
to us. It is a reminder that the spirit of ``Tip'' O'Neill still haunts 
the halls of Congress and inspires all of us.
  Mr. THOMAS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H. Res. 329 designates 1994 as a year to remember Thomas 
P. Tip O'Neill, Speaker of the House of Representatives. I think it 
also, appropriately, should honor his talents. His training, of course, 
came from the ward politics of Boston and were shaped by Massachusetts 
politics as well. I think Tip O'Neill personified the Democrats of the 
mid-20th century at a time in which the Democrats retained majority 
control in the House of Representatives throughout virtually his entire 
career as a Member of the House of Representatives, including the 
entire time that he was Speaker.
  Mr. Speaker, it has been said of Tip O'Neill that his politics were 
basically rewarding friends and punishing enemies, not that Republicans 
were necessarily enemies, but Republicans were friends off the floor. I 
have a number of vivid memories of Tip, up close and personal.
  In terms of attempting to either influence or cow me, I can only 
imagine how it would have been had I been a member of his party, since 
I was a member of the opposition party, it almost might be fitting to 
ask that the resolution be amended to request that every Democrat who 
honors the memory of Tip O'Neill walk a mile in Republicans' shoes to 
fully appreciate the Speaker of the House and the talents that he 
displayed. But let me say that I think it is entirely appropriate that 
this resolution honors him in a way that he would not have found 
acceptable in life, and that is with frugality.
  Mr. Speaker, I am going to ask the gentleman from North Carolina [Mr. 
Rose] to engage in a colloquy with me.
  I understand that, although H.Res. 329 designates 1994 as a year to 
honor former Speaker Tip O'Neill that no expenditures from the 
contingent fund will be utilized to support any activities associated 
with this designated year; is that correct?
  Mr. ROSE. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. THOMAS of California. I yield to the gentleman from North 
Carolina.
  Mr. ROSE. The gentleman is correct.
  Mr. THOMAS of California. And that if any costs are involved, there 
may be some printing costs for a eulogy book, which I think is 
appropriate, and as I think we have done it in the past, but if there 
are costs, the costs would be charged to the printing and binding fund?
  Mr. ROSE. That is correct.

                              {time}  2030

  Mr. ROSE. That is correct.
  Mr. THOMAS of California. These are the only costs that are going to 
be involved with this?
  Mr. ROSE. That is correct.
  Mr. THOMAS of California. Mr. Speaker, if the printing exceeds the 
usual number, and that is a designated number that we utilize, which I 
believe is 1,682, but if it exceeds that number, will a separate 
printing resolution be considered and will it contain a cap on the 
total printing and production costs consistent with established 
Committee on House Administration policy?
  Mr. ROSE. Absolutely, yes.
  Mr. THOMAS of California. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the responses of 
the chairman.
  Mr. Chairman, so although we do honor the memory of ``Tip'' O'Neill 
in 1994, it will be done in a frugal way, which I think is entirely 
appropriate with the politics of the '90s.
  Mr. ROSE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I first want to thank my colleague, the gentleman from 
California [Mr. Thomas] for his gracious remarks. The gentleman and I 
can both remember many times in which we have worked cooperatively to 
the ends of this House. For example, I recall our discussion of the 
approval of a new telephone system for the House. I was questioned at 
one point by the Speaker as to why we approved that. I informed the 
Speaker that the gentleman from California [Mr. Thomas] and I had 
determined it was not only the lowest cost, but it would give us the 
best long-term service. So he questioned us on a very bipartisan basis 
about some of the things we did.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California [Mr. Thomas] for 
approving this.
  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, I always felt a little in awe of Tip 
O'Neill because, for one thing, he seemed to always know all the member 
of my family better than I did. That was not always necessarily a 
positive development, but, in any event, he never, as I think most 
people that got to know Tip understand, he never made you feel badly.
  I say this despite the fact that in 1946, when my Uncle Jack was 
running for the Congress, he refused to endorse him. In fact, he and my 
dad never, I think, really saw very much eye to eye, which he was very 
blunt about and never apologized for.
  The fact that my father, my Uncle Jack, and Tip got into so many 
different fights on so many different issues over the years still never 
got in the way of Tip's support, kindness, and fundamental friendliness 
toward our family. If there is one individual in American politics that 
my family is most delighted to be associated with, it is truly Speaker 
O'Neill.
  I had the privilege of running for Tip's seat when he decided to 
retire. I remember going down to his home at Harwichport when I was 
thinking about running to ask his advice. Millie met me at the door, 
and Tip put his arm around me, and at that point I knew I was going to 
be all right.
  Tip sat and told me story after story of the various labor unions in 
the district that you could count on and the few that you could not 
count on. He went through every city and town, every precinct, every 
ward, telling how our district was put together and saying who would be 
with you and who would not be with you. He was just an encyclopedia of 
information.
  I remember when we were going around the district in his final days, 
I went around to a few of his stops, and he stopped off one evening at 
Barry's Corners, and there were probably 300 or 400 people in the room 
who had been supporters of Tip's. He went around the entire room and 
named the individual relationships, the brothers and sisters, mothers 
and fathers and cousins. He knew every single person in that room in 
such great detail that he made everyone think he was their best friend.
  What I loved about Tip was his quality where he never mistook 
someone's station in life as having anything to do with their 
importance. Someone could be a king, a president, or the head of the 
armed forces, and they would be no more important than a neighbor in 
Cambridge. They would be no more important than all the people he grew 
up with.
  I heard him give a speech one time where he was telling the entire 
audience about when he first ran for public office. He said that at 
that time a policeman in the United States--I remember his words--used 
to work 106 hours a week, a fireman worked 108 hours a week, and none 
of their kids could possibly hope to gain a college education. There 
was no Social Security, there was no Medicare, there was no Medicaid, 
there were none of the programs that we as a generation of Americans 
simply take for granted.
  Those all came about while Tip O'Neill was elected to this body and 
to the Massachusetts State Legislature. He saw America change. He saw 
this country create a middle class. The changes that took place in 
Tip's lifetime are the kinds of changes that any individual, 
particulary Tip O'Neill, would be so proud to have happen under his 
guidance and under his tenure and with his mark.
  Tip made a mark. He made a mark that I think is significant to all of 
us, and that mark is that we are all here as equals, that no one is 
bigger than another, and we are all here, particularly as Members of 
Congress, to stand up for working people and the poor whose viewpoints 
so often do not get heard in Washington, DC.
  That is the legacy that Tip has given us. That is why I think he 
evokes such strong memories from the stalwarts of this institution--
individuals who have gone through so much and who have stood up for so 
much, such as Danny Rostenkowski and Joe Moakley. These are not people 
who easily come to the funeral of another politician and come with a 
tear in their eye. Both of them have shed tears for Tip O'Neill.
  I believe designating 1994 as A Year to Honor Tip O'Neill does honor 
to us all, and stands as a monument to his friendship, his 
statesmanship, and his compassion.
  Mr. ROSE. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Baesler). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from North Carolina [Mr. Rose] that the House 
suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 329, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  Mr. ROSE. Mr. Speaker, at the request of our leadership, I demand the 
yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 5, rule 
I, and the Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this 
motion will be postponed until tomorrow, Wednesday, April 20, 1994.

                          ____________________