[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 92 (Wednesday, June 7, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H5631]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           THE NATION'S MALL

  (Mr. GOSS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GOSS. Mr. Speaker, the Nation's Capital is famed for its parks 
and wide open spaces. The Mall, the area between this Capitol and the 
Lincoln Memorial, is one of the most venerable and most visited of our 
alabaster city's sights and all Americans have a right to enjoy it. Of 
course, we have to ensure that one set of rights does not outweigh 
another. Today, a walk down The Mall suggests that we have lost our 
balance on that score. Simply put, large parts of The Mall have become 
a disorderly tourist trinket bazaar. This famous open space has become 
haven to countless unsightly, makeshift tables and weather covers from 
which temporary vendors push their merchandise in an atmosphere of 
cacophony and hustle. Those vendors, it seems, secured U.S. Park 
Service permits under their first amendment rights. As an ardent 
defender of the Constitution and its amendments, I certainly support 
the right to free speech. But Americans also have a right to and an 
expectation of unobstructed, safe, and peaceful use of their national 
parks. Especially one with such majestic monuments. I hope we can 
restore some balance and find a more suitable spot to relocate the 
tourist merchants while there is still summer ahead to enjoy The Mall 
peacefully.


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