[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 154 (Friday, September 29, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H9712-H9714]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    REQUEST TO DISCHARGE COMMITTEE ON HOUSE OVERSIGHT FROM FURTHER 
   CONSIDERATION OF SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 21, AUTHORIZING THE 
 RESTORATION AND PLACEMENT IN CAPITOL ROTUNDA OF ``PORTRAIT MONUMENT'' 
                       HONORING WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE

  Ms. DUNN of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the 
Committee on House Oversight be discharged from further consideration 
of Senate concurrent resolution, (S. Con. Res. 21), directing that the 
``Portrait Monument'' carved in the likeness of Lucretia Mott, Susan B. 
Anthony, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, now in the Crypt of the Capitol, 
be restored to its original state and be placed in the Capitol Rotunda 
and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.
  The Clerk read the title of the Senate concurrent resolution.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Washington?
  Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, I support 
the idea of doing this, because I think that is very important to what 
we are all trying to accomplish here. I really have no problem with 
that.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to suggest that what we do is look at this 
from an overall point of saying why can we not raise the money 
privately to do it, instead of spending taxpayers' dollars on it?
  Mr. Speaker, I understand that there are some structural concerns, 
because it does weigh 13 tons, that we really have not looked into. I 
would like us to explore the options and I would like to volunteer that 
I would be happy to help raise those funds, and I do believe that it 
could be done privately.
  Mr. PASTOR. Mr. Speaker will the gentlewoman yield?
  Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, continuing to reserve my right to object, I 
yield to the gentleman from Arizona.
  Mr. PASTOR. Mr. Speaker, will the gentlewoman from Washington [Ms. 
Dunn] kindly explain the purpose of the resolution?
  Ms. DUNN of Washington. Mr. Speaker, will the gentlewoman yield?
  Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, continuing to reserve my right to object, I 
yield to the gentlewoman from Washington.
  Ms. DUNN of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I take this opportunity to tell 
my colleagues that this bill will authorize moving the Portrait 
Monument from the basement of the Capitol to the rotunda in the 
Capitol. This is in honor of the 75th anniversary of the passing of the 
19th amendment to the Constitution which gave women the right to vote.
  The bill will also authorize the celebration of the anniversary and 
the relocation of the monument on October 25, 1995, pursuant to the 
amendment that I have at the desk.
  Mrs. MORELLA. Mr. Speaker, will the gentlewoman yield?
  Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, continuing to reserve my right to object, I 
yield to the gentlewoman from Maryland.
  Mrs. MORELLA. Mr. Speaker, I feel very strongly that it is time that 
Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and Lucretia Mott be raised 
upstairs. They started off in the rotunda when the statue was dedicated 
75 years ago.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to comment on the resolution, but before 
that, I would like to state that I understand what the gentlewoman from 
North Carolina [Mrs. Myrick] is saying. But since this is in the very 
last hour of the end of the fiscal year, and this is a resolution that 
came from the 

[[Page H 9713]]

Senate with like a 100-to-zero vote, where the money has been allocated 
from the Architect of the Capitol's budget for this expenditure, that 
perhaps what could happen is that this House, under unanimous consent, 
could pass this resolution to move the statue to the rotunda for the 
commemoration on October 26, and that private funding could, subsequent 
to today, be sought and could be used to replenish whatever money would 
be expended.
  There is an allocation that has already been reserved. This is a 
resolution that has a lot of heavy lifting already; heavy lifting on 
the part of Senator Warner, on the part of Senator Stevens, and other 
Senators who have moved very hard on it with the kind of unanimous vote 
that they had.

  Mr. Speaker, over here on the House side, a lot of people have worked 
on collecting signatures for those who believe this should happen. I 
know the gentlewoman from New York, Mrs. Lowey, has worked on it; the 
gentleman from Texas, Mr. Gene Green; the gentlewoman from Washington, 
Ms. Dunn, has been very instrumental on the committee, Speaker Gingrich 
has, the leadership, the gentleman from California, Mr. Thomas. We have 
a lot of support for doing this.
  Mr. Speaker, I think the question is not that these suffragettes 
during the 75th anniversary of the right to vote should be placed in 
the rotunda in the appropriate area, but the funding. Mr. Speaker, 
$100,000 has been set aside. There would seem to be no problem. I would 
think it could be done later.
  Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, I have no problem with 
raising the statue up and I think it is very commendable that we do 
that, but I have the same concern of spending taxpayers' money. I would 
like to see us work out a situation where we could raise the money 
privately, instead of spending taxpayers' dollars to do it, and still 
accomplish the same purpose within the time frame.
  Mrs. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, continuing to reserve my right to object, I 
yield to the gentlewoman from Washington.
  Mrs. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I think the issue here that we 
are all talking about is not whether we want to move the statue.
  Mrs. MYRICK. That is correct.
  Mrs. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I think we want to elevate 
this important statue to a point of prominence and I do not think the 
issue is whether or not a lot of good people, including the gentlewoman 
from Washington [Ms. Dunn], my good friend, and the gentlewoman from 
Maryland [Mrs. Morella], my good friend, have not worked a long time, 
because I think it is time.
  Mr. Speaker, I think many of us that are freshmen came into Congress 
during a time of budget constraints that we are very serious about. And 
even though I can see clearly the good intent, that we will later try 
to work this out so that there is not public money, some of us have 
seen a lot of things happen where there were intent, statements made, 
and somehow in the negotiations with the Senate, et cetera, it really 
changed.
  So, Mr. Speaker, we have made a decision, some of us, that we would 
very much like to make sure that public money is not spent. I hear it 
is only a few hundred thousand dollars. Sometimes I hear a few million 
on things. But a few thousands and a few million and a few billion, and 
this Nation is in deep, deep trouble.
  Mr. Speaker, I challenge my women colleagues, especially those who 
are standing up for this, that we come together and we raise the money.
  Mrs. CHENOWETH. Mr. Speaker, will the gentlewoman yield?
  Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, continuing to reserve my right to object, I 
yield to the gentlewoman from Idaho.
  Mrs. CHENOWETH. Mr. Speaker, I just rise for the purpose of 
associating myself with the remarks of the gentlewoman from North 
Carolina [Mrs. Myrick].
  Mrs. MORELLA. Mr. Speaker, will the gentlewoman yield?
  Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, continuing to reserve my right to object, I 
yield to the gentlewoman from Maryland.
  Mrs. MORELLA. Mr. Speaker, 75 years ago, Alice Paul and the National 
Woman's Party commissioned sculptor Adelaide Johnson to create a statue 
to celebrate the passage of the 19th amendment and to forever 
commemorate the courage and determination of these women who dedicated 
their lives to gaining for women the right to vote.
  It was delivered to the U.S. Congress, dedicated in the rotunda, and 
sent to the basement where it has been displayed since 1921.
  Today, we tend to forget the enormity of the struggle for the right 
to vote; the brave and outspoken women who demanded the right to vote 
in this society that still was not even sure that girls should be 
educated, and who served long jail sentences for their trouble.
  The House today, at the end of this fiscal year, will ensure that the 
statue that honors our foremothers will be given the place that it has 
long deserved. When schoolchildren come to the rotunda to visit and to 
Washington to visit this city of monuments and symbols, they will see 
in their U.S. Capitol, in the rotunda, a statue that not only honors 
the women who marched for the right to vote, but one that underscores 
the importance of the right to vote in our American democracy, a right 
that today so many of us sadly take for granted.
  Mr. Speaker, it is interesting that we have this debate, because we 
waited so long for the right to vote. And mention was made of the fact 
that I am from Maryland. It was in 1645, in the State of Maryland, that 
Margaret Brent asked for the right to vote because she was a property 
owner, and she was denied that right. She asked again and posthumously, 
when Maryland celebrated its 350th anniversary, she was given the right 
to vote and made a member of the general assembly.
  Mr. Speaker, this idea was forwarded early on. Nothing was done in 
terms of following through on it, and I believe that right now we do a 
disservice to all Americans to say we will forget the reserve that had 
already been placed for $100,000 to move this statue and wait for 
private funding.
  Mr. Speaker, let us get private funding. Let us approve this, and 
then get private funding, and then do a particular celebration of the 
fact that we have done that and we have raised the statue.
  Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, continuing my right to object, I reiterate 
that I totally agree, again, on the idea. Actually, it was the 
Republicans who actually championed this right to vote. It is not at 
all that I would like to stop the process. I believe that if we all get 
busy and work, we can raise this money privately.
  Having been in government before, I know how it works once you spend 
government money and try to replace it. It is a very difficult thing to 
do, because I faced that when I was mayor.

                              {time}  1530

  But I would like to again challenge everybody to join in to do it. I 
believe we can do it and still meet the deadline without any problem. I 
know offers are already out there for people who have offered to do it 
and try and go ahead with the celebration on the day that it is set and 
not stop the process but just not spend the taxpayers' dollars to do 
it.
  I remind everybody again, there are no Federal funds. The money 
belongs to the taxpayers. We have a responsibility to be judicious in 
the way we spend it, especially today when we are in all the tight 
budgetary areas that we are and the decisions that we are making that 
way.
  Mr. Speaker, continuing my reservation of objection, I yield to the 
gentlewoman from Washington [Ms. Dunn].
  Ms. DUNN of Washington. Mr. Speaker, we should all be thankful for 
the efforts of these courageous women, Susan B. Anthony, Lucretia Mott, 
and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who struggled to permanently secure their 
rights at the ballot box and in so doing swung open the doors of 
progress for our mothers, sisters, wives, daughters, and grandaughters.
  Today women have more opportunities than ever before to choose what 
they want to do and who they want to be, whether it is being an 
exceptionally devoted mother, a successful businesswoman or a Member of 
Congress. Now only a woman's imagination should limit her. Today the 
board room table or the operating table may be substituted for the 
kitchen table, and 

[[Page H 9714]]

women have quickly become mainstays in the American entrepreneurial 
scene.
  In 1920, women refused to accept the status quo and they fought for 
their opportunity to affect national policy by securing their rights at 
the ballot box. That fervor should not be and is not lost on today's 
women.
  Relocating the portraiture monument to the Capitol rotunda is a 
symbolic but important gesture that will finally provide women 
recognition for past efforts and progress in the world of politics, 
business and academia.
  I think about my own two grandmothers, whose life experiences were 
vastly different from my own. The possible definitions of what makes a 
happy and successful life for a woman today is so much broader because 
we now have endless options.
  I would like to take a moment to commend the hard work of my 
colleagues, the gentleman from Texas, Mr. Gene Green, the gentlewoman 
from Maryland, Mrs. Morella, the gentlewoman from New York, Mrs. Lowey, 
and those who were out in front of this issue in the Senate where this 
resolution passed 100 to zero. They and their staffs logged in 
countless hours to ensure this day would come.
  With this resolution amended, October 25 will be the day that we will 
celebrate the passage of the 19th amendment to the Constitution which 
gave women the right to vote. With the placement of the portraiture 
monument in a location of prominence and esteem, we will be daily 
reminded of and inspired by their great achievement.
  I would ask the gentlewomen and gentlemen who testify here today 
before the public, if they decide that they want to sustain their 
objection, that they would join our effort to make sure that this 
portraiture monument is located in the rotunda on October 25, the date 
of our celebration.
  Mr. PASTOR. Mr. Speaker, there are many people who are responsible 
for bringing this resolution before the House today, and they all 
deserve our praise. There is one woman I would like to especially note. 
Joan Meacham, from Mesa, AR, served as president of the 75th 
anniversary of Women's Suffrage Task Force. I am delighted that my 
State of Arizona, through the fine efforts of Ms. Meacham, was well 
represented in this important event.
  Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, further reserving the right to object, I 
yield to the gentlewoman from New York [Mrs. Lowey].
  (Mrs. LOWEY asked and was given permission to revise and extend her 
remarks.)
  Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, my colleagues, this year marks the 75th 
anniversary of women's suffrage. I can think of no more appropriate 
action to honor the women who strove to gain the vote than by placing 
this portrait monument in the rotunda of the United States Capitol.
  Currently, the statues in the rotunda are part of a males only club. 
It certainly seems to me a very fitting symbol that Susan B. Anthony, 
Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Lucretia Mott will integrate the rotunda of 
the capitol--the very symbol of our democracy--just as they integrated 
voting booths 75 years ago.
  The effort to move the portrait monument to this place of honor has 
been made in a truly bi-partisan spirit. I would like to thank 
Congresswoman Jennifer Dunn for offering this important resolution on 
the floor. I would also like to thank Congresswoman Connie Morella and 
Congressman Gene Green for all of their efforts in the past month. I 
would also like to add a special thank you to the Members of the House 
Oversight Committee who convened for an emergency session yesterday 
evening, so that this resolution could be acted on today.
  When the Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia, Abigail Adams 
wrote to her husband John Adams, a delegate at the convention, and 
urged him to ``Remember the Ladies'' when forming the new republic. 
Unfortunately, it was not until 146 years later that the 19th amendment 
was passed, finally giving women the right to vote. It was passed 
largely due to the efforts of suffragettes like Susan B. Anthony, 
Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott. These women, and thousands of 
women like them, made great personal sacrifices to ensure that American 
women would have a voice in their Government.
  In the past 75 years, women have used that voice, and have moved into 
important positions in every aspect of the Government. Currently, there 
are 47 women in the House of Representatives and 8 women in the Senate. 
We have worked, on both sides of the aisle, to bring a woman's 
viewpoint on all the key issues facing this country.
  I believe that it is fitting that on the 75th anniversary of women's 
suffrage, we remember the ladies in this manner, and move them out of 
the basement and into the rotunda. I support this resolution and urge 
all of my colleagues to do so.
  Although I certainly respect the views of the gentlewoman from North 
Carolina, I would share the views of my colleague from Maryland that we 
can work to raise private funds but this is the time to act. It has 
taken a very, very long time, and I would suggest that we give 
unanimous consent and pass this resolution.
  Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, further reserving the right to object, I 
would like to state again that I appreciate the gentlewoman's comments. 
I agree that this is very important and that we need to do something. I 
think it is even more important if the women show that they can raise 
the money and make that statement to put this statue where it belongs 
in a place of honor in the rotunda. I again challenge everyone to join 
in so we can accomplish that fact and get it done by the 25th of 
October.
  Mr. Speaker, I object.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Everett). Objection is heard.

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