[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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