[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 58 (Wednesday, May 1, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4567-S4568]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CONGRATULATING THE POLISH PEOPLE
Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Committee on the
Judiciary be discharged from further consideration of Senate Joint
Resolution 51, and further that the Senate proceed to its immediate
consideration.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The clerk will report.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
A joint resolution (S. J. Res. 51) saluting and
congratulating Polish people around the world as, on May 3,
1996, they commemorate the 205th anniversary of the adoption
of Poland's first constitution.
The Senate proceeded to consider the joint resolution.
Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, May 3 is a very important day for the Polish
people for it is on this day that they will celebrate the 205th
anniversary of Poland's first constitution.
Last week, along with a number of my Senate colleagues on both sides
of the aisles, I introduced a resolution commemorating this historic
occasion. I am pleased that the Senate is acting today to unanimously
pass this resolution.
The Polish Constitution was the first is Eastern Europe to secure
individual and religious freedoms for all persons living under it.
While it was short lived, its principles endured and it became the
symbol around which a national consciousness was born. When the
courageous people of Poland forced out their Communist oppressors, they
returned to the basic freedoms and principles contained in this
constitution.
Mr. President, this resolution is a manifestation of this Congress'
strong support for a free independent Poland. It is also a reflection
of the deep and abiding friendship between Poland and the United
States.
I know that all of my colleagues join with me in congratulating
Americans of Polish descent and Poles all around the globe on this
important occasion.
Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I am proud to rise as a cosponsor of
this resolution to commemorate the 205th anniversary of the adoption of
the first Polish Constitution.
Democracy is not a new idea in Poland. The heart and soul of Poland
have always been democratic. In 1791, the Polish people enacted the
first liberal constitution in Europe since antiquity. It was the second
constitution in the world, after the American Constitution. The Polish
Constitution was similar to ours. It included the principles of
individual liberty and a separation of powers. It stated that all power
would be derived from the will of the people--a truly revolutionary
idea in 18th century Europe.
The friendship between the United States and Poland goes back to the
Revolutionary War, when the great Polish patriot Tadeusz Kosciuszko
fought in our war of independence. In fact, he helped to defend
Philadelphia as our constitution was being drafted. When he returned to
Poland, Kosciuszko helped to defend his country from the invading
Russians who feared their neighbor's growing commitment to democracy.
The Polish Constitution was in effect for less than 2 years. But its
principles endured. Even while Poland was held captive behind the iron
curtain, the Polish people remembered and longed for liberty. Theirs
was the first country in Eastern Europe to free itself from communism
and Russian domination.
Today, Poland is a free and independent nation--ready to take its
rightful place as a member of NATO and the European Union.
Mr. President, I am so proud to be the first Polish American woman to
be a Member of the U.S. Senate. I am proud of my heritage, and what it
taught me about patriotism, loyalty and duty. And I am proud to join my
colleagues in paying tribute to the Polish people for their
contribution to democracy.
Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I rise today to commemorate the 205th
anniversary of the adoption of Poland's first constitution, which will
be celebrated on May 3, 1996. I am pleased to be a cosponsor of Senate
Joint Resolution 51 which salutes and congratulates the Polish people
on this historic milestone.
The Polish constitution of 1791 established that ``all power in civil
society should be derived from the will of the people.'' It marked the
first attempt of a Central-Eastern European country to break free of
the feudal system of government. It was also the first constitution in
the region to uphold individual and religious rights for all people.
Even though the constitution was in effect less than 2 years, the
guiding principles that it put forth lived on in the hearts of the
people of Poland. These principles gave them strength in the dark years
that followed for Poland.
It is heartening to see the strides Poland has made in the past few
years as it reemerges into the community of free nations. I salute the
people of Polish descent in America who have contributed so much to our
democracy and those around the world for the principles their forebears
established in Central-Eastern Europe 205 years ago.
Mr. DOLE. I ask unanimous consent the joint resolution be considered
read a third time and passed, the preamble be agreed to, the motion to
reconsider laid upon the table, and any statements appear at the
appropriate place in the Record. I ask my statement be included.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The joint resolution (S.J. Res. 51) was considered read the third
time, and passed.
The preamble was agreed to.
The joint resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:
S.J. Res. 51
Whereas, on May 3, 1996, Polish people around the world,
including Americans of Polish descent, will celebrate the
205th anniversary of the adoption of the first Polish
constitution;
Whereas American Revolutionary War hero Thaddeus Kosciuszko
introduced the concept of constitutional democracy to his
native country of Poland;
Whereas the Polish constitution of 1791 was the first
liberal constitution in Europe and represented Central-
Eastern Europe's first attempt to end the feudal system of
government;
Whereas this Polish constitution was designed to protect
Poland's sovereignty and national unity and to create a
progressive constitutional monarchy;
Whereas this Polish constitution was the first constitution
in Central-Eastern Europe to secure individual and religious
freedom for all persons in Poland;
Whereas this Polish constitution formed a government
composed of distinct legislative, executive, and judicial
powers;
Whereas this Polish constitution declared that ``all power
in civil society should be derived from the will of the
people'';
Whereas this Polish constitution revitalized the
parliamentary system by placing preeminent lawmaking power in
the House of Deputies, by subjecting the Sejm to majority
rule, and by granting the Sejm the power to remove ministers,
appoint commissars, and choose magistrates;
Whereas this Polish constitution provided for significant
economic, social, and political reforms by removing
inequalities between
[[Page S4568]]
the nobility and the bourgeoisie, by recognizing town
residents as ``freemen'' who had judicial autonomy and
expanded rights, and by extending the protection of the law
to the peasantry who previously had no recourse against the
arbitrary actions of feudal lords;
Whereas, although this Polish constitution was in effect
for less than 2 years, its principles endured and it became
the symbol around which a powerful new national consciousness
was born, helping Poland to survive long periods of
misfortune over the following 2 centuries; and
Whereas, in only the last 5 years, Poland has realized the
promise held in the Polish constitution of 1791, has emerged
as an independent nation after its people led the movement
that resulted in historic changes in Central-Eastern Europe,
and is moving toward full integration with the Euro-Atlantic
community of nations: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled, That--
(1) the people of the United States salute and congratulate
Polish people around the world, including Americans of Polish
descent, as on May 3, 1996, they commemorate the 205th
anniversary of the adoption of the first Polish constitution;
(2) the people of the United States recognize Poland's
rebirth as a free and independent nation in the spirit of the
legacy of the Polish constitution of 1791; and
(3) the Congress authorizes and urges the President of the
United States to call upon the Governors of the States, the
leaders of local governments, and the people of the United
States to observe this anniversary with appropriate
ceremonies and activities.
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