[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 65 (Friday, April 7, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5536-S5538]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




EXTENDING THE APPRECIATION AND GRATITUDE OF THE U.S. SENATE TO SENATOR 
                             ROBERT C. BYRD

  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, on behalf of myself and Senator Dole, I 
send a resolution to the desk and ask for its immediate consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The resolution will be stated by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 109) extending the appreciation and 
     gratitude of the United States Senate to Senator Robert C. 
     Byrd, on the completion by the Senator of the 4 volume 
     treatise entitled ``The History of the United States 
     Senate'', and for other purposes.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to the immediate 
consideration of the resolution?
  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. DOLE. I would just say I thank the Senator from South Dakota for 
letting me be a cosponsor. Senator Byrd is certainly a unique figure in 
the history of this country, let alone the Senate. I extend my 
congratulations for his continued commitment to the institution as 
reflected in the four volumes. I certainly congratulate him for his 
effort.
                       the senate and its history

  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, 206 years ago yesterday--April 6, 1789, 
U.S. Senate achieved a quorum and got down to business for the first 
time. This is a fitting occasion to commemorate both the history of the 
Senate and the Senator who has become the Senate's foremost historian. 
All of us have heard Robert C. Byrd expound upon the history of this 
institution, about the Constitutional Convention that created it, and 
about its antecedents, the British Parliament and Roman Senate. In 
addition, he has regularly applied his historical knowledge to current 
floor debates. If anyone questions the need for studying history, the 
senior Senator from West Virginia has offered living proof of its 
worth.
  Those Members new to the Senate and those viewers recently addicted 
to C-SPAN-II might understandably assume that Senator Byrd spent his 
early years in the Nation's finest schools pursuing a rich classical 
education. Robert C. Byrd enjoyed none of those early advantages. On 
Armistice Day, November 11, 1918, shortly before his first birthday, 
his mother fell victim to that year's devastating influenza epidemic. 
Unable to cope alone, his father gave the child to an aunt and uncle 
who raised him in the hardscrabble coal fields of southern West 
Virginia. Although he graduated at the head of his high school class, 
the hardships and poverty of those Depression-era years in the early 
1930's made college a luxury about which he could only dream. His early 
life was one of unremitting labor, as a grocery clerk, a butcher, and a 
shipyard welder. In 1946, he won a seat in the West Virginia 
Legislature, the first step toward a rich and productive career of 
public service.
  Sixteen years after graduating from high school, Robert Byrd enrolled 
in college while serving in the State legislature. Driving great 
distances between campus and capitol, he managed to complete 70 credit 
hours of straight-A course work while building an impressive 
legislative record. In 1952, he won a seat in the U.S. House of 
Representatives. Although without a college degree, he was admitted to 
law school with the understanding that he maintain at least a B 
average. In 1963, at age 45, and nearly 5 years into his Senate career, 
Robert Byrd became the first and only person to earn a law degree while 
serving as a U.S. Senator. Not surprisingly, he earned that degree cum 
laude.
  As he worked his way up the Senate leadership ladder--party 
secretary, party whip, party floor leader, President pro tempore, 
Appropriations Committee chairman--he systematically pursued his study 
of the Senate's rules, precedents, and history; of the American 
Constitution; of the history of England and of ancient Rome. Blessed 
with a keen intelligence, a photographic memory, and seemingly 
limitless energy, he devoured countless volumes by such authors as 
Plutarch, Tacitus, Montesquieu, Gibbon, Hamilton, Madison, Jefferson, 
and many more.
  Consequently, it should have come as no surprise to his colleagues in 
the Senate Chamber on a quiet Friday afternoon in March 1980, when he 
delivered the first in what would become a series of 100 richly 
textured addresses on the Senate's history and traditions. His speeches 
appeared serially in the Congressional Record and were later combined 
into a magnificent four-volume series published by the Government 
Printing Office. I urge all who hear or read what I say here today to 
explore these volumes, as I have. Today I would like to take a few 
minutes to outline their rewarding content.
  Senator Byrd's first volume takes the form of a chronological history 
of the United States from the point of view of the Senate. In it, he 
describes the events, personalities, and issues that affected the 
Senate from 1789 to 1989. Here are just a few examples:
  He outlines the remarkable achievements of the First Congress, which 
fleshed out the form of our Federal Government by establishing the 
Federal judiciary, adopting the Bill of Rights, and providing sources 
of revenue.
  He demonstrates that conflict between the President and Congress did 
not begin in the 20th century by recounting the dramatic tale of Andrew 
Jackson's struggles with the Senate over the Second Bank of the United 
States. For the only time in its history, the Senate in 1834 actually 
passed a resolution censuring a Chief Executive, although 3 years later 
Thomas Hart Benton succeeded in persuading the Senate to expunge that 
action, thus vindicating the aging Jackson before his presidential term 
expired.
  Senator Byrd relates the story of how Senators came to be elected by 
direct popular vote after more than a century of being selected by the 
State legislatures. He traces the flaws in the original process and the 
efforts made to improve it before a constitutional amendment finally 
entrusted the citizens of each State with the choice of their Senators. 
He also describes the later reforms included in the Legislative 
Reorganization Act of 1946 that set the stage for the operation of the 
Senate we know today.
  Unlike most histories of the United States, Senator Byrd views the 
Nation's great landmark events, like the Civil War, World War I, the 
Progressive Era, the Great Depression, and World War II, through the 
eyes of the Senate. He describes the way the body responded to each, 
showing how the Civil War, for example, stimulated such civilian 
legislation as the Pacific Railroad Act and the Land-Grant College Act.
  Senator Byrd's second volume takes a topical approach to the Senate's 
history, discussing the way the institution has used its powers to 
approve treaties, confirm nominations, and conduct impeachment trials. 
Made up of individual chapters on such topics as Senate leadership, 
organization, and officers, this book provides essential background on 
many matters that we still debate today. A chapter on congressional 
salaries, for example, tells us that the subject has been controversial 
throughout the Nation's history, with a public outcry forcing Congress 
to rescind a salary increase on more than one occasion.
  The four chapters on extended debate that discuss the development of 
filibusters and the evolution of the cloture rule offer perspective on 
the way delaying tactics have been used in Senate debates and the 
techniques that have been gradually developed to counteract them.
  A chapter describing the history of the Senate Chaplain helped us 
earlier this year when questions arose regarding whether the House and 
Senate needed their own chaplains. The chapter not only explained the 
origin of the office but related that in the 1850's the House and the 
Senate for a time stopped electing official Chaplains and 
 [[Page S5537]] instead used local clergymen, who took turns offering 
the opening prayer. The Senate's experiment lasted only 2 years, as the 
practice became a burden on the Washington ministers who participated. 
The House, too, soon returned to electing an official Chaplain.
  Because of his interest in preserving the quality of senatorial 
oratory, Senator Byrd pored over countless speeches delivered by 
Senators since the 1830's to select a sampling of more than 40 for the 
third volume of his history, ``Classic Speeches.'' This collection 
gives a flavor of the best of 19th-century rhetoric, combined with 
examples of addresses from this century that have been carefully 
crafted by the speaker to be affecting and persuasive. Samples range 
from old favorites like Daniel Webster's ``Seventh of March'' 1850 
address on ``The Constitution and the Union'' and moments of high drama 
like Jefferson Davis' emotional 1861 farewell to the Senate after 
Mississippi seceded from the Union, to an example of campaign oratory 
by Stephen A. Douglas from the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates. From this 
century, Senator Byrd's, varied choices include Robert M. LaFollette's 
impassioned 1917 plea for ``Free Speech in Wartime,'' Richard Nixon's 
televised ``Checkers'' speech during his 1952 Vice-Presidential 
campaign, and Everett M. Dirksen's moving exhortation to his party 
colleagues to vote for cloture on the 1964 civil rights bill.
  An introductory note preceding each speech provides biographical 
information about the speaker and places the event in historical 
context. While some of these addresses deal with topics like slavery 
that are no longer current, many of the broader themes, like the 
relative roles of the State and Federal governments, remain lively 
topics of debate even now.
  The fourth volume of the history is a statistical appendix that not 
only offers a collection of fascinating facts about the Senate but is 
constantly useful in helping us to place events in historical context. 
How many former Senators have ever served as Secretary of the Treasury? 
Twenty-five. Who was the oldest Senator ever to serve? Theodore Francis 
Green at 93 years and 3 months. One Member today is close to reaching 
or exceeding that record. How many incumbent Senators have been 
nominated for President? I suspect quite a few of our current Members 
might be disappointed to learn that the total is only 14, of whom only 
2 won election. How often have Vice Presidents cast the tie-breaking 
vote in the Senate? No one has yet matched the record 29 such votes 
cast by the first Vice President, John Adams. And in these days of 
budget cutting, how has the number of Senate employees fluctuated over 
the years? It has not always increased, as some may believe. Has the 
number of cloture votes taken by the Senate in each Congress increased 
in recent years?
  The philosopher George Santayana said that ``those who cannot 
remember the past are condemned to repeat it.'' By this he means that a 
knowledge of history can keep people from making the same mistakes over 
again, and from reinventing the wheel. That is a legitimate concern for 
Members of the U.S. Senate entrusted as we are with enacting the laws 
of the Nation. But Senator Byrd has demonstrated that there are many 
other compelling reasons for Senators to know their history. He has 
reminded us that we are driven by a document that was written in the 
18th century and that has been amended only 27 times--most recently by 
an amendment drafted more than 200 years ago by the principal author of 
the Constitution, James Madison.
  Senator Byrd's history has shown that the Senate's original 
constitutional powers and missions remain remarkably intact. It retains 
its original influence over the enactment of legislation, the 
confirmation of nominations, and the ratification of treaties. The 
formal rules of the Senate are few in number and have undergone only 
seven general revisions in their more than two centuries of operation. 
The precedents of the Senate are more voluminous, representing the 
practical application of those rules, and the strategies and tactics 
employed by generations of legislators to achieve their objectives.
  The precedents are simply another form of history: what was done in 
the past, why it was done, and how it affects what we do today and 
tomorrow. As Senator Byrd's speeches have illuminated, some of these 
precedents date back to an era when Senators wore powdered wigs and 
knee breeches. Others from the days when the Nation was divided in 
Civil War. Others from the great Depression, the World Wars, and the 
cold war. Although these epochs are receding in time, the precedents 
set by Senators who served in those earlier eras still guide our daily 
business, just as what we do today will guide the future. The Senate, 
as Robert C. Byrd has repeatedly pointed out, is a continuing body, 
with at least two-thirds of its Members continuing through each 
election, and with its rules and procedures continuing uninterrupted 
from one Congress to the next.
  As an institution, we value our traditions--from the 19th century 
furnishings to the spittoons and snuff boxes here in the Chamber that 
link us to our past.
  Great Senators also left a legacy for their successors. We sit at 
their desks in the Chamber, pass their portraits and statues in the 
Halls. As part of his four-volume history, Senator Byrd has provided us 
with a collection of their most memorable speeches. He has helped us 
recall their examples, as we defend and amend their past legislative 
handiwork.
  Those of us who serve today wish to leave our own imprints on this 
institution for those who follow us in the next century. We want to be 
remembered for solving the problems that confronted us, and for leaving 
the United States as strong or stronger than when we entered it. The 
Senator from West Virginia has amply accomplished that in his many 
legislative roles and as the chronicler of the Senate's rich history. 
There could be no more fitting way to commemorate this singular 
anniversary date than to reflect for a moment on our indebtedness to 
this wise, learned, and deeply respected colleague.
  On the occasion of the Senate's bicentennial in 1989, Robert C. Byrd 
offered the following historical assessment. His words should be 
inscribed over the entrance to this Chamber. Each of us should commit 
them to memory. He said:

       After two hundred years, [the Senate] is still the anchor 
     of the Republic, the morning and evening star in the American 
     constitutional constellation. * * * It has weathered the 
     storms of adversity, withstood the barbs of cynics and the 
     attacks of critics, and provided stability and strength to 
     the Nation during periods of civil strife and uncertainty, 
     panics and depressions. In war and peace, it has been the 
     sure refuge and protector of the rights of a political 
     minority. And, today, the Senate still stands--the great 
     forum of constitutional American liberty!

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to the resolution.
  The resolution (S. Res. 109) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with the preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 109

       Whereas Senator Robert C. Byrd on Friday, March 21, 1980, 
     delivered on the floor of the Senate, an extemporaneous 
     address on the history, customs, and traditions of the 
     Senate;
       Whereas on the following Friday, March 28, 1980, the 
     Senator delivered a second, and once more spontaneous, 
     installment of his chronicle on the Senate;
       Whereas the first 2 speeches generated such intense 
     interest that several Senators and others asked Senator Byrd 
     to continue the speeches, particularly in anticipation of the 
     forthcoming bicentennial of the Senate in 1989;
       Whereas over the following decade Senator Byrd delivered 
     100 additional addresses on various aspects of the political 
     and institutional history of the Senate;
       Whereas in anticipation of commemorating the 200th 
     anniversary of the Senate, Congress in 1987 authorized 
     publication of the addresses in suitable illustrated book-
     length editions;
       Whereas between 1988 and 1994, Senator Byrd meticulously 
     supervised preparation of 4 volumes, including a 39 chapter 
     chronological history, a 28 chapter topical history, a 
     compilation of 46 classic Senate speeches, and a 700 page 
     volume of historical statistics;
       Whereas volumes in this series have received national 
     awards for distinction from organizations such as the 
     American Library Association and the Society for History in 
     the Federal Government;
       Whereas the 4 volume work, entitled ``The History of the 
     United States Senate'', is the most comprehensive history of 
     the Senate that has been written and published;
       [[Page S5538]] Whereas Senator Byrd has devoted tireless 
     energy and tremendous effort to the preparation and 
     publication of the historical books, enabling citizens of the 
     United States to better understand the history, traditions, 
     and uniqueness of the Senate; and
       Whereas a better understanding by people of the Senate and 
     the role of the Senate in our constitutional system of 
     government will foster respect and appreciation for the 
     democratic traditions of the United States: Now, therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved, That the United States Senate extends 
     congratulations and appreciation to Senator Robert C. Byrd 
     for completing ``The History of the United State Senate'', a 
     monumental achievement that will educate and inspire citizens 
     of the United States about the Senate for generations to 
     come.

  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. GORTON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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