[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 133 (Wednesday, September 21, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: September 21, 1994]



               TRIBUTE TO THE HONORABLE JAMIE L. WHITTEN

                                 ______


                               speech of

                         HON. ROMANO L. MAZZOLI

                              of kentucky

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 19, 1994

  Mr. MAZZOLI. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I pay 
tribute to my esteemed colleague, and dear friend, Representative Jamie 
Whitten of Mississippi.
  While Jamie has set records for length of service in the House and 
for other legislative accomplishments, and I have few such distinctions 
to my name, we share one very important status: We are both retiring 
from Congress at the end of this term.
  For his almost 53 years of service to the great people of 
Mississippi's First Congressional District, Jamie Whitten has placed 
principle before politics, people before power, and integrity before 
self-gratification. In his 13 years as chairman of the Committee on 
Appropriations, 171 out of 183 appropriations bills were signed by the 
President. Jamie also established himself as an expert on agricultural 
issues.
  Believing that the real wealth of our Nation is our people and our 
physical resources, Jamie Whitten not only helped to better the 
environment in which the residents of Mississippi's First District 
live, but, through his service, he also improved the lives of all 
Americans. His support of the Mount St. Helens volcano disaster cleanup 
efforts, the San Francisco earthquake development, the Bonneville Power 
Project, the construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway, and the Natchez 
Trace Parkway all will serve as lasting reminders of Jamie Whitten's 
work far beyond the borders of Mississippi's First District.
  An unassuming man, Jamie Whitten has never been one to seek the 
spotlight. From the time he was 23 years old and a district attorney, 
although State law required that district attorneys be 25 years of age, 
his work has been carried on behind the scenes, where he knows he can 
be most effective.
  I believe that Jamie Whitten's political philosophy can best be 
stated in his own words: ``We can leave our children all the money in 
the world, let our health go down, let our education slide, let our 
highways and bridges deteriorate, let our rivers and harbors silt in, 
and all the paper money we can print would not give us a strong 
country. It's what we do for our land and our people that make our real 
wealth.''
  I deem it an honor to have served with Jamie for the past 24 years. 
And, I wish him and all of my fellow 103d Congress ``retirees'', the 
very best of health and happiness in the years ahead.

                          ____________________