[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 92 (Thursday, June 20, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S6605]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WEST VIRGINIA

  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, most people in this city, the majority of my 
colleagues in this Chamber included, will walk around this harried town 
today and breathe deeply the sultry air of summer that has settled in 
upon us, registering only the mingling of Maine Avenue fish markets, 
tour-bus fumes, and suburban barbecues.
  I, however, nudge open my office window and am greeted by the 
fragrances of breezes that have swept across the Appalachians, up and 
down the Alleghenies, and have gently settled into the Potomac Valley. 
My lungs fill with the spicy scents of cool sylvan settings and the 
sweet bouquet of mountain laurel.
  The sounds that most others hear today may be just the clacking of 
Metro trains, the clamor of commuting workers, and the roar of circling 
airline traffic.
  But through the urban din, I hear the sounds of string bands flowing 
down the hollows and over the hills, the rush of river rapids, and the 
laugher of adventurous climbers, scaling Seneca Rocks.
  Mr. President, to most, today may mark merely the beginning of 
another long, sticky summer but to me it is a date that tugs at my 
soul, calling me home.
  This day is the 133rd anniversary of the birth of West Virginia, my 
beloved home State.
  At the time West Virginia was admitted to the Union, America was in 
the midst of a cruel and bloody civil conflict and West Virginia 
herself was gripped by a vicious type of guerrilla warfare which saw 
brothers and sons and neighbors and longtime friends, facing one 
another across battle lines in mountain skirmishes.

  Fortunately, at the war's end, we remained one Nation--bound more 
strongly than before--and West Virginia, having recovered from her 
divisive beginnings and settled comfortably into this more solid union, 
went on to mature into a graceful, independent-minded State.
  West Virginia is where I long to be--the land where saffron shafts of 
sunlight pierce through the early morning mists in spring; where hymns 
from the religious song books speak louder than guns, and the 
attendance at family reunions can still swell into the hundreds.
  It is a land of hardworking, honest, loyal, patriotic God-fearing 
people who care about their communities and each other. Since the 
moment of her birth, West Virginia has undergone great change; yet, as 
I so often like to boast, she has never lost her grasp on the ``old 
values'' that continue to set her apart among the 50 States.
  Today, faith resides in her hills just as surely as it did when I was 
just a boy, living in her southern coal mining communities.
  Faith is what has kept us going when hope has been in short supply. 
But it is hope that shapes our vision of the future and drives us to 
achieve our dreams.
  Mr. President, today, as we celebrate West Virginia's 133d birthday, 
it is appropriate that we should reflect upon her past. But it is also 
fitting that we should take this time to measure her progress and look 
toward her tomorrows.
  Therefore, on her birthday, my wish for my State and her people is 
for the availability of quality education to prepare our workforce for 
the jobs of the future; access to adequate health care; a continuation 
of a comfortable quality of life; construction of a more modern, safer 
transportation infrastructure; and further development of a robust 
business climate; protection of her natural resources; a comfortable 
quality of life, and the preservation of those ``old values'' that will 
guide her on a successful and honorable path into the next millennium.
  While West Virginia may adapt and modernize and enjoy the fruits of 
economic prosperity, I hope that she will always be the sort of place 
that fills her native sons and daughters with a longing to be home.
  Happy birthday, West Virginia. You are always in my heart.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. THURMOND. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. THURMOND. Mr. President, I yield to the distinguished Senator 
from Rhode Island.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Rhode Island.
  Mr. PELL. Mr. President, I thank my friend and colleague.

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