[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 141 (Thursday, October 3, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12242-S12243]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         THE EXTRAORDINARY SERVICE OF SENATOR MARK O. HATFIELD

  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, I have decided to wait until the end of the 
session to take a few moments to talk about the extraordinary service 
of our senior Senator, Mark O. Hatfield, because in a very real sense, 
it is almost impossible for citizens in our State to imagine that Mark 
O. Hatfield is not involved in a public way in service to our State.
  His career has been truly extraordinary. I was 2 years old when 
Senator Hatfield began his remarkable service to the people of our 
State. At that time he was a State legislator. He moved quickly through 
leadership positions in our State--State senator, secretary of state, 
Governor--and his career has been marked by several qualities that I 
think have been so important in public service and that he will always 
be remembered for, not just by the people of our State but by the 
people of our country.
  When Senator Hatfield ran in his first campaign for the Senate, it 
was after there had been a great debate among the citizens of our 
country and the Governors. Senator Hatfield was the lone voice of 
dissent in his party with respect to the Vietnam war. When he ran for 
the Senate, billboards were put up at that time with just one word, and 
that word was ``courage.'' If there has been anything which has marked 
Senator Hatfield's service to the public, it has been courage; not just 
on issues with respect to peace, but, again and again, Senator Hatfield 
was the one who would tell both political parties, both Democrats and 
Republicans, ``You are not going at it the right way. There is a better 
approach.'' That is true, whether it was national service or the motor 
voter program--just a couple of examples of recent vintage where he has 
bucked the tide in his party--or numerous other instances. It is always 
possible to see that courage in Mark O. Hatfield. We know that courage 
is always a trait that will be important to the people of our country 
and to the people of Oregon.
  In addition to those special votes and public acts that showed great 
courage, Senator Hatfield is also known for his effort to bring 
civility to politics. Maybe we call it the second ``C'' in terms of 
what is important for politics in the next century. Courage is 
important, but so is civility.
  In our State as well as in the Halls of Congress, it is well 
understood that when there is a serious problem and tempers are short, 
Senator Hatfield has been the one who has been able to bring parties 
together, been able to find common ground and find a solution simply 
because he refused to lose his temper, refused to yield to the 
pressures of the moment. I hope others will try to emulate those 
special qualities of civility that Senator Hatfield has brought to his 
service.
  There are several substantive areas that I would like to mention 
because they are important to the people of the Northwest, but I think 
they are important to our country as well. The first is that, as we 
seek to balance the budget--and we all understand that, as citizens at 
home have to balance their budgets, they have made it crystal clear 
they want the Federal Government to balance its budget--we still have 
to figure out a way to make a handful of key investments in our future 
while we still move to balance the budget. That is what Senator 
Hatfield's service on the Senate Appropriations Committee has been all 
about. It is to try to figure out ways to keep the deficit down, to get 
us to a balanced budget, while at the same time making that small 
number of key investments in transportation, in education, in 
communications that really will pay great dividends for our country. 
The spirit of the West and the history of the West has been that 
private investment has always followed those well-targeted public 
investments, and that is what Senator Hatfield has tried to do in his 
service on the Appropriations Committee.
  Let me also add that he has brought an approach in that service to 
try to reward imagination and creativity in government. We are 
especially proud of the pioneering work that we have done in our work 
on the environment and with our Oregon health plan. This session, 
Senator Hatfield led the effort to get our innovative welfare reform 
proposal approved. I think it is important to stress that, in his 
service on the Appropriations Committee, what he has always tried to 
highlight is the importance of rewarding States, private citizens, and 
communities that are willing, as has been the Oregon tradition, to get 
out in front, to take a bold approach, to try to break out of the old 
ways of doing business. I think it is especially important that this 
Senate follow that approach in the days ahead.

  Let me say in concluding, in his departure from the U.S. Senate, Mark 
O.

[[Page S12243]]

Hatfield leaves a lasting and inspirational model for all citizens, 
regardless of party, who aspire to public service. I am going to miss 
his advice and counsel. His service is going to be greatly missed by 
the people of Oregon and by the country.
  We wish him and his wife Antoinette the best for the days ahead.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Chair, in his capacity as a Senator from 
the State of Missouri, observes the absence of a quorum.
  The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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