[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 91 (Tuesday, June 6, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7713-S7718]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                TRIBUTE TO SENATOR MARGARET CHASE SMITH

  Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, it gives me a great deal of honor and 
privilege to be here today to join some of my female Senators in paying 
tribute to Senator Margaret Chase Smith, who passed away on Memorial 
Day, after 97 years of courage, bravery, integrity, and pioneering 
spirit. I would like to join the people of Maine, the Nation, and my 
colleagues in saying goodbye to Margaret Chase Smith, forever the 
Senator from Maine. She lived through two world wars, 17 Presidents, 
and outlived over 70 years of communism. She was given 95 honorary 
degrees throughout her life, almost 1 degree for every year of her time 
on Earth.
  She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George 
Bush at a White House ceremony in 1989.
  She was a teacher, a telephone operator, a newspaperwoman, an office 
manager, a secretary, a wife, a Congresswoman and, for 24 years, a U.S. 
Senator. She rose from the humblest of beginnings to the highest 
corridors of power.
  But she was also a leader, an inspiration, a nation's conscience, a 
visionary, and a woman of endless firsts.
  She was the first woman to be elected to the U.S. Senate. She was the 
first woman to be elected to both the House of Representatives and the 
U.S. Senate. She was the first woman to face another woman in a U.S. 
Senate election campaign.
  She was the first woman to become a ranking member of a congressional 
committee. She was the first woman to serve on the Armed Services 
Committee. She was the first woman to serve on the Appropriations 
Committee. She was the first woman to be elected chair of the 
Republican Conference.
  She was the first woman to have her name placed in nomination for the 
Presidency by either major political party in 1964. She was the first 
civilian woman to sail on a U.S. destroyer in wartime. And, not 
surprisingly, if you knew her, she was the first woman to 
[[Page S7714]] brush Heaven's horizon and challenge the skies by 
breaking the sound barrier in a U.S. Air Force F-100 Super Sabre 
fighter.
  She was a woman of many firsts, a daughter of Maine, a trailblazer 
for women, a patriot of America.
  Today we come to remember two things: We remember a legend, and we 
remember history, the history Margaret Chase Smith of Skowhegan made 
throughout her 32 years of outstanding public service to the people of 
Maine and the citizens of America.
  From the very first day I met Margaret Chase Smith, I often wondered 
if she ever knowingly set out to make history in 1940 as she began her 
service in the House of Representatives. Today, I realize Margaret 
Chase Smith never charted a course to make history or pursue it. The 
fact is, history merely followed Margaret Chase Smith.
  It was when her husband, Congressman Clyde Smith, died in 1940 that 
Margaret Chase Smith found herself thrust into political life.
  Shortly after his death, she won a special election to fill the 
unexpired term of her late husband, and then went on to win the June 
Republican primary and win, of course, the November general election.
  Mrs. Smith was going to Washington, and she would be there for 32 
splendid years in both the House and the Senate.
  She ran for the Senate when Senate majority leader Wallace White, of 
Maine, announced that he would retire in 1948. So she decided to run 
for that vacant seat. After beating both Maine's incumbent Republican 
Governor and a former Governor in the June primary, Smith went on to 
claim victory in the general election, beginning the now famous litany 
of firsts that would act as proud landmarks and milestones in her life.
  It is safe to assume at this point in her life most of Maine knew 
about their newly-elected junior Senator, although she was not yet a 
household name anywhere else. But America was about to find out exactly 
who Margaret Chase Smith was. During one of the Nation's darkest hours 
of history, Margaret Chase Smith never shone more brightly as a beacon 
of reason, fairness, and courage.
  The spring of 1950 was a dark and tragic time in American history. 
They were days of poisonous rhetoric, rage, fear, suspicion, and hate.
  Senator Joseph McCarthy had made sensational and unsubstantiated 
charges that had turned him into a national celebrity and purveyor of 
blatant opportunism--charges about Communist spies and Soviet-sponsored 
traitors throughout our Nation's governing institutions. He held the 
American consciousness hostage to his hate-filled tactics, and no one 
dared to stand up to Senator Joe McCarthy. No one, that is, except 
Maine's own Senator Smith.
  On June 1, 1950, in her first major speech on the floor of the Senate 
and as a freshman, Margaret Chase Smith spoke out loud the words that 
much of America had thought quietly to themselves.
  A Republican with a strong allegiance to her party, Smith 
nevertheless retained her independent Yankee spirit and was known to be 
a maverick on some issues important to her as a matter of conscience, 
rather than as a matter of politics.
  So it was that Senator Smith began one of the most famous speeches in 
American history, the ``Declaration of Conscience,'' with the words, 
``I would like to speak briefly and simply about a serious national 
condition.'' I would like to quote from that. She began by saying:

       I speak as briefly as possible because too much harm has 
     already been done with irresponsible words of bitterness and 
     selfish political opportunism. I speak as simply as possible 
     because the issue is too great to be obscured by eloquence. I 
     speak simply and briefly in the hope that my words will be 
     taken to heart.
       I speak as a Republican. I speak as a woman. I speak as a 
     United States Senator. I speak as an American.

  For the next 15 minutes, her words resonated across America and 
struck a chord with the hearts and minds of all Americans. Senator 
McCarthy sat directly behind her, a fitting position for him to be 
shadowed in light of her reason and integrity. She had done in 15 
minutes what none of her 94 other colleagues had dared to do for 
months, and she never mentioned Senator McCarthy's name in the process.
  I should mention that she sat in seat No. 1, where the President sits 
currently, when she made this most important speech.
  In slaying a giant of demagoguery, Margaret Chase Smith stood and 
courageously defended what she termed ``some of the basic principles of 
Americanism,'' and I would like again to quote from her speech. Those 
principles, she said, were:

       The right to criticize;
       The right to hold unpopular beliefs;
       The right to protest;
       The right of independent thought.

  She went on to say that:

       The exercise of these rights should not cost one single 
     American citizen his reputation or his right to a livelihood 
     nor should he be in danger of losing his reputation or the 
     livelihood merely because he happens to know someone who 
     holds unpopular beliefs.

  Bernard Baruch once said had a man made that speech, he would have 
become the next President of the United States.
  Almost exactly 45 years to the date--June 1 of last week--after she 
spoke those brave words, her voice of reason still reaches across the 
years and follows her spirit skyward.
  In 1972, her public service career concluded. When she retired, she 
left another legacy of her dedication to public service: A near-perfect 
attendance record in Congress. She held, until 1981, the all-time 
consecutive rollcall voting record in the entire history of the U.S. 
Senate with 2,941 consecutive rollcall votes spanning 13 years. Only a 
much-needed hip operation in September 1968 kept her from casting her 
vote on the floor of the Senate.
  Not known for displaying idleness as a personal quality, Margaret 
Chase Smith spent the next 23 years of her life after politics 
lecturing at dozens of colleges and universities across this country, 
and worked tirelessly to establish what is now known as the Margaret 
Chase Smith Library Center at her beloved home in Skowhegan, a small 
town where she was born almost a century ago.
  I know that I and other women in public service have a very high 
standard to meet in her wake and some rather large shoes to fill as we 
walk in the footsteps of Margaret Chase Smith. Fortunately for us, 
those shoes had heels.
  Indeed, Margaret Chase Smith showed how a woman's place can truly be 
in ``the House * * * and the Senate.'' She was an inspiration to 
millions of young girls and women all across this country who never 
before thought they could aspire to any kind of public office. She 
showed us through her talents, abilities, and energies that 
opportunities for women did exist and that the door to elected office 
could be unlocked and opened to all women. But most importantly, what 
Margaret Chase Smith's life proved is it is not necessarily gender 
which makes a difference in public service, it is dedication, it is 
energy, perseverance, competence, and the will to get the job done.
  At last, she has reached a final resting place amongst the angels. 
George Bernard Shaw once said, ``In Heaven, an angel is no one in 
particular.'' I would have to say George Bernard Shaw never knew 
Margaret Chase Smith, because she was truly one of the ``better angels 
among us,'' to use the words of the President of the United States. But 
I am sure in Heaven, as on Earth, Margaret Chase Smith will come to be 
known as someone quite ``in particular.''
  It is only fitting she requested her epitaph to read: ``She served 
people.''
  Well, she certainly served them and she served them well. So it is 
with a mixture of pride and humility that when I am referred to as 
``the Senator from Maine,'' I know well this is a phrase of honorable 
and distinguished past. Hearing those words will always evoke images of 
an individual who gave Maine some of its proudest moments. That phrase 
is a daily reminder of an individual who had the will and integrity to 
speak out vigorously when silence was a safer course.
  Margaret Chase Smith once said,

       If I were to do it all over again, I would change nothing. 
     I am very proud of my public service. I have no regrets * * 
     *. No regrets, no changes--I would do it all over again.''

  I know I speak on behalf of Maine and my colleagues when I say I wish 
you could.
  [[Page S7715]] Mr. President, I now yield 5 minutes to the Senator 
from Maryland who is the dean of the Democratic women in the U.S. 
Senate, who is the first Democratic woman, like Margaret Chase Smith, 
to have served both in the House and in the U.S. Senate and also the 
first woman to be elected to the U.S. Senate from the State of 
Maryland.
  So I am pleased Senator Mikulski could join us today in this tribute 
to Margaret Chase Smith.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maryland is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I thank the Senator from Maine for 
recognizing me.
  I rise today as the dean of the Democratic women to salute a great 
and grand lady, a daughter of Maine, Senator Margaret Chase Smith.
  Growing up as a young girl, there were very few role models that I or 
women of my generation had for women participating in politics. 
Certainly, there had been Eleanor Roosevelt who served as the First 
Lady of the United States of America. But during the fifties, as a high 
school girl, I admired two great women--Clare Boothe Luce, who was a 
Congresswoman, and also Margaret Chase Smith from Maine. And going to a 
Catholic woman's high school and college, these two women were always 
held up as models and examples. In those days, we did not have words 
like ``role models,'' but they used terms like ``examples,'' about how 
women could retain their femininity and dignity and yet participate in 
the dynamic world of politics.
  When I came to the U.S. Senate, I was struck by the many parallels in 
the lives between Senator Smith and myself. I was deeply honored to 
follow in her footsteps. Until 1992, only 17 women had served in the 
U.S. Senate. Only five of those women had been elected in their own 
right and there was one who served only 1 day, but that was not Senator 
Margaret Chase Smith. For four distinguished terms, she served in the 
U.S. Senate and was a woman of many firsts and many accomplishments.
  The similarities in our backgrounds were brought to my attention by 
the Senate Historian when I came here. Senator Smith was the first 
woman elected to the U.S. Senate in her own right. I was the first 
Democratic woman elected in my own right. She was the first woman to 
serve in both Houses. I, when I came, was the first Democratic woman to 
serve in both Houses, and now I am delighted to say I have been joined 
by Senator Snowe of Maine and Senator Boxer of California. Senator 
Margaret Chase Smith, in one of her elections, defeated another woman 
for the job that raised eyebrows all over America in that spirited 
combat. I defeated another woman in my general election, and I must say 
we not only raised eyebrows but we raised a bit of a decibel level in 
the debate.
  Senator Smith was a member of the Appropriations Committee, and I 
have the honor to be appointed to that committee as well. Senator Smith 
was on the Board of Visitors at the U.S. Naval Academy and I, too, 
share that great honor. Only when she was there during the dark days of 
the beginning of the cold war through her term, there were no women at 
the Naval Academy, and I think she would be delighted to see the 
accomplishments and advancements of those women.
  She was also the first Republican woman who held, or perhaps the only 
woman to hold, a leadership position in her party for many years. Just 
recently, I had the opportunity of being chosen by my colleagues to be 
the Secretary of the Democratic caucus. I bring these issues to the 
Senate's attention not because I want to draw attention to myself, but 
to the fact that the parallels here were so inspirational to me. When 
one comes to the Senate, and my colleagues on the floor, the other 
women Senators, know how tough it is to be the first in many areas; 
often they know how tough it is to be the first and the only. When I 
turned to the history books and see Margaret Chase Smith, and when I 
came here and joined Senator Kassebaum, I was so fortified, so 
inspired, it really gave me guiding principles to follow here in the 
U.S. Senate.
  However, there are things that differ Senator Smith from myself--not 
only of different parties, but Senator Smith, as a young girl, was an 
outstanding athlete. That was not my forte. And, also, she did 
something I believe no other woman has done in the Senate--she was a 
lieutenant colonel in the Air Force Reserve and served in the Reserve 
Forces. Senator Snowe spoke at great length about the declaration of 
conscience. I hope that all the women of the Senate and all the men of 
the Senate feel that same sense of responsibility to speak out where 
necessary.
  When I was elected, I invited her to my swearing in. She could not 
come but sent me the most gentle and encouraging note. I believe if she 
were here today, she would like this Senate. She would look at her own 
party and see another daughter of Maine joining the U.S. Senate and 
with great admiration, admire Senator Snowe's moving quickly to 
responsibility in both fiscal matters and in foreign affairs. She would 
be delighted to see Senator Kassebaum chairing the Committee on Labor, 
Education, and Human Resources, showing that we can meet our fiscal 
responsibility, look out for America's day-to-day needs, and yet meet 
the long-range needs of our country. She would admire the fact that 
Senator Hutchison had joined the U.S. Senate and was taking up the role 
of women on the Armed Services Committee. I think she would like 
Senator Boxer's spunk; Senator Feinstein's executive ability; Senator 
Murray being the voice of a mother to the U.S. Senate, a young mother; 
Senator Carol Moseley-Braun's ability in housing, banking, and also 
judicial affairs and being willing to take on the tough issues in 
making her own declaration of conscience. I think she would like me 
here on the Appropriations Committee, saying, Barbara, watch out for 
the money, watch out for the country and you will be OK.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I thank the Senator from Maryland for her 
wonderful tribute and testimony to Senator Margaret Chase Smith. I know 
she would enjoy the comments the Senator has made. They are fitting and 
most appropriate for a woman who served her country and her State and 
constituents well.
  I now will yield to Senator Kassebaum of Kansas, who was the first 
woman elected from Kansas. In fact, this was the second woman ever to 
be elected in her own right to the U.S. Senate, and the first woman to 
be elected to the Senate without first having been preceded in Congress 
by a spouse.
  Senator Kassebaum and I had the pleasure of joining Senator Smith at 
her home back in October 1992, and I know those were special moments we 
will always treasure and share. I am pleased that Senator Kassebaum 
could be here today to participate in this tribute. I yield the Senator 
4 minutes.
  Mrs. KASSEBAUM. Mr. President, I appreciate the Senator from Maine, 
Senator Snowe, speaking this morning and introducing all of us and 
being able to pay a brief tribute to a remarkable woman and a great 
Senator.
  I did not have the privilege of serving with Margaret Chase Smith in 
the U.S. Senate, but I did have the privilege of knowing her. I want to 
comment for a few moments. My colleague, Senator Snowe has recounted 
many of the milestones in Senator Smith's career. I would like to speak 
about the spirit of her service and what it has meant to me and to so 
many others.
  I thought Senator Mikulski spoke extraordinarily well about what each 
of the women who serves here today bring out, which is a culmination of 
many of the things that Senator Smith stood for in her long career of 
public service. She was a woman who refused to ever be bound by 
stereotypes or labels. She was not a woman Senator, she was simply a 
Senator. Her interests were wide-ranging because they were her own and 
not a narrow agenda imposed by gender, region, or parochial concerns. 
She was a true expert on defense matters, military preparedness, space 
exploration, and NATO.
  She had deep and strongly held concerns about civil rights law, 
education policy, and the rules of the Senate. She had a high regard 
for the institutions of Government and a great respect for the 
institutions of Government. She denounced the red baiting of the 1950's 
and the left-wing orthodoxy of the [[Page S7716]] 1960's. She spoke 
both gently and forthrightly, but always went from personal conviction 
and principles. She is rightly remembered as a Senator with great 
spunk, intelligence, and commitment. She sought not only to represent 
the people of Maine, but also to fulfill her responsibilities to the 
Nation as a whole.
  In her 24 years in the U.S. Senate, she spoke always with honesty and 
clarity, seeking facts and judging each issue on its merits. Those are 
high standards, Mr. President, a worthy legacy to pass on to those who 
will follow her in this Chamber.
  I am honored to be able to pay tribute today to a great lady, a fine 
U.S. Senator and an inspiring legacy.
  I yield the floor.
  Ms. SNOWE. I thank Senator Kassebaum for the wonderful statement she 
made about Margaret Chase Smith. I know I have those long memories and 
recollections of our visit with her. It was truly inspiring because of 
what she had accomplished in both the House and the Senate, but I think 
more significant is the fact of when she accomplished it. Her 
accomplishments are as remarkable today as they were then in terms of 
our standards and the ability of women to participate in the public 
arena. There are still many obstacles, but there is no doubt there were 
many more in the 1940's. The fact she was able to have an extremely 
challenging race in 1948 with an incumbent Governor and former Governor 
and still came on top. After attacking Senator Joe McCarthy in terms of 
what he had done to this country, he got somebody to run against her.
  She still came out with 82 percent of the vote as a resounding 
victory, not only for Senator Margaret Chase Smith but for this 
country, condemning the kind of tactics he employed.
  Now it is my pleasure to recognize the Senator from Texas, Senator 
Hutchison. Many women are firsts here. Senator Hutchison is the first 
woman to be elected from the State of Texas to the U.S. Senate, but she 
is also the second woman in the history of the U.S. Senate to serve on 
the Armed Services Committee, the other woman being, of course, Senator 
Margaret Chase Smith.
  It is my pleasure to yield 5 minutes to Senator Hutchison.
  Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I do want to thank my colleague from 
Maine who followed in Margaret Chase Smith's great footsteps. I 
appreciate the fact that she has set aside this time for Members to pay 
tribute to the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate in her own right.
  I am really proud to follow women who actually knew Margaret Chase 
Smith, because when I was growing up, I certainly never thought of 
running for the Senate. However, I remember people talking about 
Margaret Chase Smith, not as anything unusual, but as a fine Senator, 
respected in her own right. ``One tough hombre,'' as we would say in 
Texas.
  I think the fact that she served so well as an early woman Senator 
made it much easier for those woman Members who would follow in her 
footsteps.
  ``Mr. President, I speak as a Republican. I speak as a woman. I speak 
as a U.S. Senator. I speak as an American.'' Mr. President, although 
any one of my speeches could have started in that way, those words 
came, in fact, from a speech more profound than any comments I have 
ever made on this floor. These are the words with which Margaret Chase 
Smith started her ``Declaration of Conscience'' in 1950.
  I rise to pay homage to a woman who embodied clarity of conscience 
and strength of character during her 24 years in this Chamber.
  As my colleague from Maine has said, Margaret Chase Smith led seven 
other Republican Senators in their condemnation of Joseph McCarthy's 
tactics in accusing numerous Americans of Communist actions.
  Although opposed to Communists in America and abroad, she objected to 
the scope of Senator McCarthy's investigation when it began to harm the 
reputations of many innocent Americans.
  A true leader, Mr. President, she did this at a time when she only 
had 1 year of experience in the U.S. Senate. She was quick to go to the 
forefront. She led her colleagues against Senator McCarthy's 
inaccuracies when they became clear. Senator Smith's commitment to 
truth and justice made her transcend partisan considerations, to stand 
up for what she believed was right.
  In order to reflect her distinguished career properly, we should also 
remember Senator Smith's many other accomplishments. Throughout her 
four terms, one of her primary interests was military readiness of our 
Nation. She was the first woman to serve on the Armed Services 
Committee. Women in the Armed Forces will always remember her as the 
mother of WAVES--the women's branch of the Navy.
  Like many of the senators on this side of the aisle, she worked to 
protect our technological advantage in the cold war by voting against 
the Test Ban Treaty of 1963.
  In an age when men dominated politics, she was a leader at bringing 
women into the political process. Senator Smith became the first woman 
placed on the ballot for nomination for President by a major political 
party. At the Republican National Convention of 1964, she received 27 
votes on the first ballot.
  Margaret Chase Smith was a role model. She led the way for others to 
follow. She left her mark. She was, in fact, an architect of the 
Nation's cold war defense. She was a credit to the U.S. Senate.
  Mr. President, as the only other woman to serve on the Armed Services 
Committee, I hear many stories about the great Margaret Chase Smith and 
her time on that committee. I hope to live up to the high standards 
that she set. I honor her service. I offer my condolences and those of 
all Texans to the family and friends of Margaret Chase Smith. May she 
rest in peace.
  Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to extend morning 
business for an additional 5 minutes.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, first of all, I want to thank the Senator 
from Texas, Senator Hutchison, for her outstanding statement on behalf 
of Margaret Chase Smith. I know that Margaret Chase Smith would 
certainly have been delighted and thrilled to hear the remarks that 
were made here this morning and the work she has performed on the Armed 
Services Committee.
  It also reminds me, as I have heard the statements here today, that 
it certainly is true that she blazed a trail for women, because we are 
all firsts here in our own right. If she had not blazed the trail, I am 
not sure we would be here today. We have all established our trademarks 
in the way she would be proud, and she would be proud and thrilled by 
the statements made on her behalf.
  It now gives me a great deal of pleasure to recognize Senator Boxer 
from California. For the first time in the history of California, there 
are two women Senators. Senator Boxer has the honor of being only one 
of four in the U.S. Senate to have served in both the House of 
Representatives and the Senate.
  Mr. President, I am glad to yield to the Senator from California 5 
minutes.
  Mrs. BOXER. Thank you very much, I say to my friend from Maine. She 
and I served as good friends over on the House side. It is a privilege 
to be part of this tribute today.
  I think it is so extraordinary that a woman like Margaret Chase Smith 
could bring to this Senate floor Republicans and Democrats who speak of 
her with such fond memories. I think Senator Hutchison found things in 
Senator Margaret Chase Smith's record she can identify with. I 
certainly find those, as a Democrat. This says something very special 
about this woman, that she would be so revered on both sides of the 
aisle.
  Obviously, it is in order to send condolences to the family--the many 
nieces and nephews, and her sister, Evelyn Williams. I hope that 
through the sadness of their loss, they certainly can reflect with 
pride, as we are, on the remarkable life of Margaret Chase Smith.
  When you lose someone, whatever age they are, it still is a very 
painful experience. I am sure they are going through that pain. Just a 
couple years ago, I read an interview that Margaret Chase Smith gave to 
a major national newspaper. Believe me, she was sharper than many 
Members are, at the ripe old age of 95. She lived for nearly a century. 
[[Page S7717]] 
  When we think about it, she lived through World War I, World War II, 
the beginning and the end of the cold war. She lived through women's 
suffrage and through civil rights. She saw her country and her world 
grow in many amazing ways.
  But she never just sat back. She made history herself and, in doing 
so, touched many lives, including my own.
  I was a child of the 1950's--the time of the ``Happy Days,'' Doris 
Day movies, the Debbie Reynolds days--when pert women with 
personalities glowed and danced their way through the perfect life and 
right into the arms of Eddie Fisher guys, who would sing to them until 
their dying days.
  Politics was not even in the realm of the possible for women, except 
for Margaret Chase Smith and just a few others.
  My mother was an F.D.R. Democrat through and through. Yet, she used 
to point with pride to Margaret Chase Smith. ``Imagine what she must be 
like,'' my mother would say. ``One woman among all those men. She must 
be something!'' And she was.
  Margaret Chase Smith arrived in Washington in 1935, the wife and 
secretary of Representative Clyde Smith of Maine. Her career began 
suddenly in 1940 when her husband died and she won a special election 
to take his place. She went on to serve four terms in the Senate, 
making her the first woman in history, as my colleague from Maine has 
noted, to serve in both Houses of Congress. And I think, more 
significant than that, she was one of the most popular legislators of 
all times.
  She earned her reputation as the conscience of the Senate in 1950, 
when she became the first in her party to attack Senator Joe McCarthy 
for his politics of hate and fear and, in doing so, she definitely, in 
my opinion, blazed trails. Because it does not matter what year it is, 
what century it is, the fact is there are people in politics who will 
play the politics of hate and fear and it takes courage to stand up to 
it, and she taught us how. You can imagine the shock in the Senate when 
she said, ``I do not like the way the Senate has been made a rendezvous 
for vilification, for selfish political gain at the sacrifice of 
individual reputations and national unity.''
  When asked later about the courage she mustered to give that 
declaration she said, ``Oh, my! I'll say it was difficult! But someone 
had to do it * * *. The more I thought of it, the more I thought, 
someone has to do this.''
  I think that is, again, a lesson to us, because sometimes it is very 
hard to stand up and say something that is unpopular. It is tough to 
vote for something unpopular, but it is even tougher to stand up and 
say something unpopular. She was willing to do it and I think, as such, 
is really a guiding star for both women and men in politics.
  That was not the only time Senator Smith defied party unity. She 
voted for F.D.R.'s New Deal and for Federal support for education, just 
to name a few. So, therefore, I point out that both Republicans and 
Democrats can find things in her record that they can identify with.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent for just 1 more minute.
  Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I yield an additional minute to the Senator 
from California.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mrs. BOXER. Thank you so much.
  In her own words, Senator Smith served in Congress in a time when 
``people felt, as the Constitution says, that people are the 
Government.'' I think this is a time when all of us in this Chamber 
yearn to see that again. We are the Government. Anyone who attacks the 
Government, such as the kind of thing we saw in Oklahoma City, is 
essentially attacking America.
  In 1975, the long reign of the Lady of Maine--and now we have another 
Lady of Maine--ended when she was defeated in her fifth run for the 
Senate. She said, ``I hate to leave the Senate when there is no 
indication another qualified woman is coming in. If I leave and there 
is a long lapse, the next woman will have to rebuild entirely.'' In 
fact, there was a long lapse, but how proud she must have been to see 
Olympia Snowe make it and become another Lady of Maine.
  I am certainly proud to be one of the many women--and I say there are 
many of us now, perhaps not enough, but many--to be here today to honor 
the life of a true pioneer, one who came before and cleared the path 
for others to follow, one who served as a role model for all of us. Now 
young women can say: Yes, I can grow up and be a U.S. Senator. I can 
find the courage to stand up and do what is right.
  I again thank my colleague from Maine for giving me this time. 
Margaret Chase Smith, although she lived 97 years on this Earth, will 
be missed. But I believe her presence will always be in this Chamber.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The time of the Senator has expired.
  Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to extend, for 
5 minutes, morning business.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I just want to finish, before my 
colleague from Maine sums up this tribute, by thanking the Senator from 
Maine for doing something very thoughtful. As we go through our 
workdays and we do not stop to think of some of the important 
milestones that happened in the world, in the United States, in the 
Senate, the Senator from Maine has done something very special, and 
that is to point out that there are so many women, now, in the Senate 
that we could take 45 minutes from the business day to pay tribute to 
the first woman who led the way for us.
  I think, as we heard the remarks that were made, that each person is 
following in some way a wonderful lead that was given to us by the 
great service that Margaret Chase Smith gave to our country; that is, 
to lead with dignity, with class, with continuity through four terms.
  I think the tribute today is a wonderful thing to show the first 
woman, in fact, made it possible for eight women to follow her and to 
have in our own right a voice at the table on the Armed Services 
Committee or in our respective States. I think it was wonderful for the 
Senator from Maine to make this time possible.
  Ms. SNOWE. Will the Senator yield?
  Mrs. HUTCHISON. I will be happy to yield.
  Ms. SNOWE. I appreciate the comments of the Senator because I think 
it is true that in no small part it is due to Margaret Chase Smith's 
presence here that today we have eight women in the U.S. Senate and a 
record number in the House of Representatives. She certainly served as 
an inspiration as we began our political careers. I know the first time 
I visited with her when I decided to run for the House of 
Representatives, and then more recently when I did have the opportunity 
to see her last year after I announced my candidacy for the U.S. 
Senate, she told me to give it all I had, to work very hard, to leave 
no stone unturned, which is what she always did. I think we needed to 
have role models like Margaret Chase Smith who would blaze that trail 
for us to make that possible.
  After all, she was born 23 years before women had the right to vote 
in this country. The fact that she was willing to follow through on an 
extensive political career, 32 years, is remarkable in and of itself.
  So I thank Senator Kassebaum, Senator Hutchison, Senator Feinstein, 
and Senator Boxer.
  Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, 45 years ago last Thursday, Senator Margaret 
Chase Smith of Maine rose from her seat in this Chamber and delivered a 
speech she called a ``Declaration of Conscience.''
  Many historians believe this speech marked the beginning of the end 
of the era of McCarthyism. And it also marked the finest hour of the 
remarkable career of Senator Smith, who passed away last week at the 
age of 97.
  I was privileged to serve alongside Senator Smith for 4 years in the 
Senate. She was as she has been described by many others. No nonsense. 
Fiercely independent. And sometimes as thorny as the red rose she wore 
every day.
  During her 32 years of service in Washington, Senator Smith 
accomplished many firsts. She was the first woman to be elected to both 
Houses of Congress. She was the first woman elected to the Senate who 
did not succeed her husband. She was the first woman to have her name 
placed in nomination for President by a major political 
party. [[Page S7718]] 
  As she made history, Senator Smith became a role model for many 
women. One of them was my wife, Elizabeth, who has told me of the time 
in 1960, when, as a young college graduate interning on Capitol Hill, 
she called upon Senator Smith.
  Not many Senators would share an hour with a total stranger seeking 
advice, but that is just what Senator Smith did. And she advised 
Elizabeth to bolster her education with a law degree--advice she 
eventually followed.
  When President Bush presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom to 
Senator Smith in 1989, he said that she ``looked beyond the politics of 
the time to see the future of America, and she made us all better for 
it.''
  President Bush was right. Both this Chamber and America are for the 
better because of Margaret Chase Smith. I know the Senate joins with me 
in sending our condolences to the people of Maine.
  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I wish to join my colleagues today in 
commemorating Margaret Chase Smith, the Republican Senator who made 
history as the first woman to win election to both Houses of Congress, 
and the first woman ever to be elected to the Senate.
  It is a privilege to be a U.S. Senator. And I am grateful to Margaret 
Chase Smith for paving the way for me, and the women before me, to 
serve in this great Chamber. And more importantly, I salute her for 
being an inspiration, setting an example by being tough yet 
compassionate.
  Senator Smith's accomplishments were great. Among them, a long list 
of firsts, including being the first woman to sit on the Naval Affairs 
Committee and to have her name advanced for the Presidency at a 
national convention. But it is here legislative record and her long 
history of independence--always voting her conscience, that has left a 
last impression on me.
  She was a political independent, voting with her party when she saw 
fit and standing alone when she felt strongly about an issue. Indeed, 
in her first major address to the Senate on June 1, 1950, the freshman 
Senator denounced Joseph McCarthy. She accused the Wisconsin Senator of 
reducing the Senate to a ``forum of hate and character assassination.'' 
In 1954 she voted for his censure.
  McCarthy exacted his political payback--expelling Senator Smith from 
a key committee and, in her next election, leading a vicious campaign 
against her. Still, it was that speech that was the beginning of the 
end or his career and which cemented her place in history.
  In 1970, during the Vietnam war, she addressed the Senate again in a 
speech that was later expanded into a book called ``A Declaration of 
Conscience.'' In that speech, the Maine Senator warned Americans that 
``excessiveness and overreactions on both sides is a clear and present 
danger to American democracy.'' Senator Smith knew that if we did not 
elevate the level of political discourse beyond mean-spiritedness, that 
we risked chipping away at the democratic process itself.
  Her standing up for what she believed earned her the moniker ``the 
conscience of the Senate.'' But she stood her ground without resorting 
to personal invective or shrill tactics. It is this sort of reasoned 
debate and moderation--the very principles that this Chamber has always 
stood for--that should continue to guide those of us who sit here 
today.
  Margaret Chase Smith was born in Skowhegan, ME. Her father was the 
town barber and her mother was a part-time waitress. She herself earned 
only a high-school education. She taught grade school, was a telephone 
operator and the circulation manager for a weekly newspaper where she 
met her husband, Clyde Harold Smith. When, in 1940, her husband died of 
a heart attack, she successfully ran for his seat in the House of 
Representatives. She served four terms in the House. Later, in the 
Senate, she served on the Appropriations, Aeronautical and Space 
committees and was the ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services 
Committee. She also was the chairwoman of the Conference of Republican 
Senators. Senator Smith served under six presidents--from Franklin 
Roosevelt to Richard Nixon.
  Although she advanced considerably in what was considered a man's 
world, Senator Smith did not consider herself a champion of women's 
rights. Yet she wrote legislation that paved the way for women to serve 
in the military and later voted for the equal rights amendment. By her 
example, Senator Smith pioneered the way for many women, including 
myself, to enter the political arena.
  Late in her career, Senator Smith said: ``I have no family, no time-
consuming hobbies. I have only myself and my job as United States 
Senator.''
  It is in her job as a U.S. Senator that Margaret Chase Smith 
distinguished herself, and that she will always be remembered and 
honored.
  Ms. SNOWE. I thank my colleagues once again for their participation 
in this tribute to a remarkable woman who led a remarkable life, and 
all the causes she espoused in her political career would serve us well 
today. It certainly serves as an important reminder of the standards we 
should establish as public servants, and hopefully that will carry 
through the years to come.
  With that, Mr. President, I conclude this tribute to Senator Margaret 
Chase Smith.


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