[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 103 (Thursday, June 22, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H6206]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               VOICE OF FREEDOM STILLED ON FLOOR OF HOUSE

  (Under previous order of the House, Mr. Hilliard was given permission 
to address the House for 5 minutes and to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. HILLIARD. Mr. Speaker, yesterday on the floor of this House the 
voice of freedom was stilled by the forces of repression. The strong 
arms of the Republican army flexed their mighty parliamentary weight 
and refused two duly elected Members of this body, myself and the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Foglietta], the opportunity to vote 
before this Congress. In doing so, the Republicans crushed the very 
voice of democracy.
  This is not Caesar's Rome, this is not Hitler's Germany, and this is 
definitely not Stalin's Russia. This is where the voices of freedom 
should reign. This is the birthplace of democracy.
  This is America. We all must protect its democratic institutions, and 
especially its foundation, the right to vote. Our right to vote 
supersedes any party vote on any issue. We must preserve the integrity 
of the vote, and we must in this body aggressively champion the right 
to vote.
  A revote is good. It does not show good faith. To me, being a 
politician for 22 years, it tells me that you are out to achieve your 
objective at any cost. Yesterday you could not win because there were 
two votes in this Chamber that would have made the difference, and 
there was no third vote, even though I realize that you have created 
one now. Because you did not have the votes yesterday, and because you 
have twisted arms last night and you have the votes today, you are 
ready to revote. To me, that is not good faith.
  You, because you are the majority party, have a greater duty to 
preserve and protect this institution, and I suggest to you that you 
have failed to do that. The procedures of this institution must be 
protected at all costs. It should be beyond and above any objective of 
any party.
  This morning, the Washington Post stated that you cut off the vote by 
15 seconds. I heard you state that 10 seconds had elapsed. By our 
count, we had more than 30 seconds. By the Washington Post, which I 
would think would be independent of the Republican count or the 
Democratic count, you cut off and denied over 1 million people the 
right to vote by 15 seconds.
  This is not democracy. In Alabama we do not even do this. Never do we 
openly take the rights of anyone to vote, and I would hate to think 
that this body is below that level. It cannot be, it should not be.
  I suggest to you, because you have the votes and because you have 
been using the clock to manipulate that vote, you hold it open when you 
do not have the votes, you close it when you do, you win, the 
Republican Party wins. But I also suggest to you that every time you do 
it, democracy loses.

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