[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 44 (Wednesday, March 27, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2996-S2997]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     THE DEATH OF EDMUND S. MUSKIE

  Mr. DASCHLE. On behalf of myself, Senator Dole, Senator Cohen, and 
Senator Snowe, I send a resolution to the desk and ask for its 
immediate consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will read the resolution.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 234) relative to the death of Edmund 
     S. Muskie.
       Whereas, the Senate fondly remembers former Secretary of 
     State, former Governor of Maine, and former Senator from 
     Maine, Edmund S. Muskie,
       Whereas, Edmund S. Muskie spent six years in the Maine 
     House of Representatives, becoming minority leader,
       Whereas, in 1954, voters made Edmund S. Muskie the State's 
     first Democratic Governor in 20 years,
       Whereas, after a second two-year term, he went on in 1958 
     to become the first popularly elected Democratic Senator in 
     Maine's history;
       Whereas, Edmund S. Muskie in 1968, was chosen as Democratic 
     Vice-Presidential nominee,
       Whereas, Edmund S. Muskie left the Senate to become 
     President Carter's Secretary of State,
       Whereas, Edmund S. Muskie served with honor and distinction 
     in each of these capacities: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate has heard with profound sorrow 
     and deep regret the announcement of the death of the 
     Honorable Edmund S. Muskie, formerly a Senator from the State 
     of Maine.
       Resolved, That the Secretary communicate these resolutions 
     to the House of Representatives and transmit an enrolled copy 
     thereof to the family of the deceased.
       Resolved, That when the Senate adjourns today, it adjourns 
     as a further mark of respect to the memory of the deceased 
     Senator.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to the immediate 
consideration of the resolution?
  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, in the earliest days of our Nation, 
George Washington said it was the duty of public servants to ``raise a 
standard to which the wise and the honest can repair.''
  In his more than five decades as a public servant, Senator Edmund 
Muskie not only raised the standard of wisdom and honesty in public 
office. On many occasions and in many ways, he set the standard.
  Today I join my colleagues and, indeed, all of America, in saying 
goodbye to this extraordinary American.
  Senator Muskie served two terms as Governor of Maine--something of a 
minor political miracle in such a rock-ribbed Republican State.
  He also served with great dignity and distinction as our Nation's 
Secretary of State under President Carter.
  But it was his service in this Chamber, and as his party's candidate 
for Vice President, for which Senator Muskie will be best remembered--
and rightly so.
  In 1974, I came to Washington as a Senate staffer. Senator Muskie had 
already served 15 years.
  What first impressed me about him was his compassion, and his 
unshakable belief in the infinite possibilities of America. It was a 
belief he learned from his immigrant father, a belief that animated his 
entire life.
  Ed Muskie knew that government cannot guarantee anyone the good life. 
But government has a responsibility to help people seize possibilities 
to make a good life for themselves, their families and their 
communities.
  He held other beliefs deeply as well.
  Ed Muskie believed that we have an obligation to be good stewards of 
this fragile planet.
  He was an expert on air and water pollution, and he served as floor 
manager for two of the most important environmental laws ever--the 
Clean Air Act of 1963 and the Water Quality Act of 1965.
  Ed Muskie believed that more was needed to solve the problem of 
poverty than money from Washington. Thirty years ago, he called for a 
new creative federalism.
  ``No matter how much the Federal partner provides,'' he said, ``no 
Federal legislation, no executive order, no administrative 
establishment can get to the heart of most of the basic problems 
confronting the state governments today.''
  Ed Muskie believed that politics ought to be a contest of ideas, not 
an endless series of personal attacks.
  In 1970, Ed Muskie was the presumptive front-runner for his party's 
1972 Presidential nomination. In that role, he was the victim of 
malicious and false attacks.
  Rather than counter-attack, Senator Muskie appealed for reason and 
decency and truth. I want to quote from a televised speech he made back 
then, because I think it bears repeating today.
  ``In these elections * * * something has gone wrong,'' he said.

       There has been name calling and deception of almost 
     unprecedented volume. Honorable men have been slandered. 
     Faithful servants of the country have had their motives 
     questioned and their patriotism doubted. . . .
       The danger from this assault is not that a few more 
     Democrats might be defeated--the country can survive that. 
     The true danger is that the American people will have been 
     deprived of that public debate, that opportunity for fair 
     judgment, which is the heartbeat of the democratic process. 
     And that is something the country cannot afford.

  Senator Muskie went on to say:

       There are only two kinds of politics. They are not radical 
     or reactionary, or conservative and liberal, or even 
     Democratic or Republicans. They are only the politics of 
     fear, and the politics of trust.

  Senator Muskie believed in the politics of trust.
  And he believed in honest negotiation. Testifying before the Senate a 
few years ago, Senator Muskie said, ``There's always a way to talk.''
  There is always a way to talk.
  In his later years, Senator Muskie helped found an organization 
called the Center for National Priorities to find new ways to talk in a 
reasoned manner about the big problems facing our nation.
  Today, we mourn Ed Muskie's death. But let us also celebrate his 
extraordinary life. And let us re-dedicate ourselves to the beliefs 
that shaped that life.
  The belief that America is and must remain a land of possibilities--
for all of us.
  The belief that we must protect our environment.
  The belief that it takes more than money alone to solve our problems. 
It takes hard work and personal responsibility, and people working 
together.
  Let us rededicate ourselves to Senator Muskie's belief the politics 
can and should be a contest of ideas, and

[[Page S2997]]

that we have a responsibility to talk straight to the American people.
  And let us remember that we have a responsibility to talk straight to 
each other. There are many great and urgent issues facing this chamber.
  There must be a way we can talk.
  Ed Muskie is gone. But we can keep his spirit alive in this chamber. 
The choice is ours.
  In closing, I offer my deepest condolences to Senator Muskie's widow, 
Jane, to their children, and to his many friends the world over.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. If there is no objection, the resolution is 
agreed to.
  The resolution (S. Res. 234) was agreed to.
  Mr. DOLE. I move to reconsider the vote.
  Mr. DASCHLE. I move to lay that motion on the table.
  The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.
  Mr. DASCHLE. I yield the floor.

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