[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 22 (Friday, February 23, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E204]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             U.S. SENATOR ROBERT C. BYRD: MR. WEST VIRGINIA

                                 ______


                         HON. NICK J. RAHALL II

                            of west virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, February 23, 1996

  Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, it was recently brought to my attention that 
a lot has happened over the last 50 years.
  And you may well ask: Who doesn't know that? So something must have 
happened to bring that fact home to me, you are thinking. And you are 
right.
  The fact that a lot has happened over the last 50 years was brought 
home to me in a most defining moment when our revered senior U.S. 
Senator from West Virginia, Robert C. Byrd, showed me a 50-year-old 
artifact of his long tenure as a public servant on behalf of the people 
of our great State.
  Today, February 23, 1996, marks the half-century that has passed 
since Robert C. Byrd filed to run for his first public office, when he 
ran for the West Virginia House of Delegates.
  Fifty years ago, on February 23, 1946, Senator Byrd paid the Raleigh 
County Circuit Clerk a fee of $10 for filing.
  More awesome still, in the telling of this story, is--first of all--
Senator Byrd still has that original $10 receipt No. 5333. The paper it 
is written on has yellowed with age and the passage of time that has 
made it as fragile as old parchment.
  Second, after taking a closer look at that aging receipt, and given 
that at this time in our country's political history when fund raising 
for the big bucks necessary to win reelection has gone through the 
ceiling and into outer space, it was rather inspiring to note that the 
filing fee for public office 50 years ago was a whopping $10.
  And finally, I noted that in that 50-year period, the fee for filing 
for office in West Virginia has gone up by only $23--to $33--reflecting 
an increase of only 46 cents per year for 50 years.
  Senator Robert C. Byrd might say that this alone should encourage all 
public-spirited young men and women in West Virginia and in the Nation 
to run for public office; it says that at least, the filing fee is no 
obstacle to the desire to serve--and that Robert C. Byrd has a well-
aged, 50 year-old receipt to prove it.
  Mr. Speaker, Senator Robert C. Byrd is one of the finest men to ever 
serve in the U.S. Senate, indeed the finest to ever serve in both 
legislative bodies in the West Virginia Legislature, and who 
subsequently won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives prior to 
beginning his service in the Senate in 1958.
  When I am asked to pay tribute to Senator Byrd--there is often so 
much to say, and so much that needs to be said for history's sake, lest 
we ever forget this man's devotion to the people of his State, but I 
find words often are not enough to pay tribute to his tireless efforts 
on behalf of West Virginians.
  I have often heard the Senator quote, from what I believe is the Book 
of Proverbs, saying: ``Without vision, the people will perish.'' I, and 
all West Virginians are quite certain that, without Senator Byrd's 
innate wisdom and certainly his vision of the future throughout the 
half-century of service he has given us, West Virginia would not have 
become the bulwark, it now is for statewide business development 
opportunities and other economic development projects.
  In a State such as ours, economic recovery is not as swift as it is 
for other States once economic growth and stability for the Nation is 
strengthening. We have to work harder to bring in new business and 
industry and to create new jobs.
  With an eye toward bringing new industries and new jobs to West 
Virginia, and secure in the knowledge of our State's countless 
attributes such as a willing and able labor supply, plentiful natural 
resources, a growing State infrastructure, spectacular scenery, and a 
good, clean, crime-free living environment--Senator Byrd's vision is 
going to help bring West Virginia into the 21st century equally as well 
prepared as other States.
  But Senator Byrd isn't just about a 50-year-old receipt for having 
filed for his first public office, nor about his more recent successful 
efforts to bring about the very effective business development 
opportunities in our State.
  Senator Byrd has always known, and has always acted on the knowledge, 
that for a State to grow and to thrive depends upon an educated 
citizenry. Educating our children and youth has always been in the 
forefront of his grand vision for improving West Virginia. By ensuring 
an educated citizenry, Senator Byrd has brought to fruition not only 
his dream, but all of West Virginia's, of capitalizing on our State's 
many resources--both human and capital.
  Senator Byrd has put his considerable influence and concern to work 
to ensure our ability to enter into the growing fields of health care 
services and delivery, the information highway, computer science and 
technology, infrastructure building, school improvement, and reform 
which includes his strong support for libraries and literacy programs, 
to name only a few.
  His dedication to growth in the fledgling travel and tourism industry 
in our State which is known for its grand, breathtaking beauty amidst 
rugged mountainous terrain, and for its early historical influence, 
often after bloody encounters, in bringing about fair labor laws to 
serve its working men and women, especially in the coal mining 
industry, is well documented.
  It is through these kinds of exemplary initiatives that Senator Byrd 
more than any other single individual, has helped assure West 
Virginia's entry into the technological world of the 21st century fully 
prepared and raring to go.
  Today, I am pleased to salute Robert C. Byrd as Senator, as mentor, 
as a personal friend, and to wish him Godspeed as he labors in the 
vineyard of excellence in pursuit of an even stronger future for our 
State and its people. I know that as he has done in the past 50 years, 
Senator Byrd will today, kick off the next 50 years by continuing his 
work in ways that will give our people the natural dignity of a 
paycheck, the comfort of a job, the hope of parents for their 
children's future brought by education, the ability to find joy and 
pride in being a West Virginian, and the strength that comes from 
having a purpose in life and being prepared to meet all the challenges 
along the way.
  Happy 50th anniversary, Senator Byrd.

                          ____________________