[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 149 (Thursday, December 1, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: December 1, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                             JACK DANFORTH

  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, as this Congress draws to a close, I 
would like to pay tribute to one of our retiring colleagues, Senator 
John Danforth. Throughout his 18 years in the Senate Jack Danforth has 
ably represented the people of Missouri, and he has earned the 
admiration and respect of each and every one of his Senate colleagues 
as a man who stands by his principles.
  Over the years, I have had the opportunity to work closely with him 
in many efforts to preserve and extend the laws protecting the civil 
rights of all Americans. When the Bush Administration refused to 
support legislation to overrule a series of Supreme Court decisions 
that had carved large loopholes in those laws, Senator Danforth worked 
tirelessly to craft a bill that could and did overcome that opposition. 
In the highest tradition of the party of Lincoln, Senator Danforth 
rejected the harsh politics of division, and the Nation owes him a debt 
of gratitude for his outstanding efforts.
  Senator Danforth has been a voice of conscience on other issues as 
well. An ordained minister in the Episcopal Church, he has steadfastly 
resisted efforts to breach the Constitutional separation of church and 
state. And after the Supreme Court's decision in the flag burning case, 
when some sought to limit the First Amendment's guarantee of freedom of 
speech, Senator Danforth studied the issue carefully, and his 
thoughtful and effective opposition to a constitutional amendment 
turned the tide in the public debate. When Jack Danforth spoke of the 
liberties guaranteed by the first amendment, Senators listened.
  He and I did not agree on every issue. But he has been a man of his 
word, open to compromise, and free of partisan bitterness. He has been 
an outstanding Senator. We will miss him in the Senate. We wish him and 
Sally every happiness in the years ahead.

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