[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 1 (Tuesday, January 7, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S14-S16]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   COMMENDING SENATOR ROBERT C. BYRD FOR HIS YEARS OF PUBLIC SERVICE

  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I send a resolution to the desk 
commending Senator Robert C. Byrd for his years of public service, that 
the clerk read the resolution, that upon its reading, it be agreed to 
and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Kyl). The clerk will report.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

                               S. Res. 7

       Whereas, the Honorable Robert C. Byrd has dutifully and 
     faithfully served the people of West Virginia since January 
     8, 1947;
       Whereas, for 50 years, he had dedicated himself to 
     improving the lives and welfare of the people of West 
     Virginia and the United States,
       Whereas, his 50-year commitment to public service has been 
     one of total dedication to serving the people of his beloved 
     state and to the highest ideals of public service,
       Whereas, he has held more legislative offices than anyone 
     else in the history of his state, and is the longest serving 
     Senator in the history of his state: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, that the U.S. Senate congratulates the Honorable 
     Robert C. Byrd, the senior Senator from West Virginia, for 
     his 50 years of public service to the people of West Virginia 
     and to the United States of America.
       Sec. 2. The Secretary of the Senate shall transmit a copy 
     of this resolution to Senator Robert C. Byrd.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, the resolution is agreed 
to.
  The resolution (S. Res. 7) was agreed to.
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I want to heartily endorse this resolution. 
I thank the people of West Virginia for electing Senator Robert C. Byrd 
to these many offices, both in West Virginia and here in the U.S. 
Senate. He is truly a monumental Senator in terms of importance and 
perspective in the history of the Senate. I sat here in my chair a 
month ago and listened to Senator Byrd speak to the new Senators about 
this institution, about its history and the importance of it and the 
significance that it has played in the role of this country. It was 
extremely interesting and, also, in some respects, intimidating because 
he made us aware of what an awesome responsibility we have here in the 
U.S. Senate. I enjoyed it thoroughly.
  I appreciate his friendship. I have found that he is one that you can 
go to for counsel and for advice. Even sometimes when he does not agree 
with what you are trying to do, he will give you a straight answer as 
to what you could do under the rules. He has a lighter side you don't 
always see here, but we know he has been seen playing a little fiddle 
and talking about Billy Byrd, his dog. He is quite a Senator. We 
appreciate so much his contribution to this institution. I am delighted 
that we are doing this resolution recognizing his 50 years of 
outstanding service to West Virginia and the United States.
  Mr. DASCHLE addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Democratic leader is recognized.
  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, tomorrow marks the momentous day in the 
life and career of one of this Chamber's most esteemed and respected 
Members. Fifty years ago, on January 8, 1947, Robert C. Byrd took his 
seat in the West Virginia State Legislature, thus beginning a 
remarkable half century of public service. I have quite an extensive 
statement that I wish to make following the completion of our 
resolution and consideration. I must again congratulate our 
distinguished Senator for a remarkable career. We saw another 
demonstration of his intellect and his institutional memory and the 
remarkable contribution he makes to that just this afternoon as he 
talked about the early days of this Senate and how the President pro 
tempore was selected and the length of time it took and the degree to 
which we followed procedure in ensuring that we notify both the 
President and the House of Representatives in proper order. It was a 
small yet very significant contribution to our dialog this morning and,

[[Page S15]]

again, a reminder of what an invaluable and remarkable Senator Robert 
C. Byrd is.
  I will have much more to say after we complete our work. I commend 
him.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, the resolution is agreed 
to.
  The resolution (S. Res. 7) was agreed to.
  (Mr. KYL assumed the chair.)
  Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, I am very, very proud to be a part of 
this resolution and to thank Senator Robert C. Byrd on behalf of the 
people of West Virginia certainly, but also, frankly, the people of the 
United States and the whole process of order, which is the way we 
govern ourselves. I think extraordinary in history, he is the third 
Senator to be elected to seven 6-year terms--a remarkable 
accomplishment.
  The Almanac of American Politics says that Robert C. Byrd is the kind 
of Senator that the Founding Fathers had in mind when they, in fact, 
wrote the Constitution about the way the Senate ought to be. That 
should not come as a surprise to any of us who know him well.
  We have heard so many times the fact of his being a truly self-made 
person, something which his junior colleague could not claim in quite 
the same fashion. But we know that he is the son of a coal miner, and 
we know about the law degree while he was in the House of 
Representatives. What we have to keep emphasizing, though, is what he 
means not just to the State, not just to the country, but to this 
institution, because more than any other person that I have read about 
in history, or know about, he is the conscience of the Senate. When we 
have a lack of civility, when we lose our sense of bipartisanship, when 
there is anger on the floor of the Senate, when the process breaks 
down, he grieves. He grieves not on behalf of himself, but on behalf of 
this thing called ``governance,'' which is pretty fundamental for the 
future of our country. I think he worries about that. I know that he 
places the U.S. Senate as a particularly responsible body for what is 
going to happen to our future and how it will happen. Will it be done 
in a way that is bipartisan and civil--the business of civility in this 
greatest deliberative body in the world?
  I will more or less conclude on this. I really think of him in moral 
terms. From time to time, when I give speeches, I like to refer to when 
you are really doing your best work, you are following an inner moral 
compass. I think that I started talking about that after watching 
Senator Byrd, not only when I was Governor of West Virginia and before, 
but also here in the U.S. Senate. He really operates out of a moral 
compass. He does what he thinks is right. He has a very strict sense of 
the discipline of what ought to happen in this body. Sometimes he 
lectures us on that, and sometimes people are briefly impatient with 
that, but they always stand back because they know he is right. They 
know he is right. They know he speaks for the U.S. Senate, which he 
reveres so much.
  Let me close by saying that on this coming Saturday there is going to 
be a statue inside the West Virginia Capitol, which is not really much 
smaller than the one we stand in at the present moment. It is a statue 
of Senator Byrd. There is no other statue of any other political person 
in the West Virginia State Capitol. There will be a lot of people 
there, and for good reason--because the relationship and the chemistry 
between Senator Byrd and the people of West Virginia is something that 
is profoundly moving and important and refreshing, frankly.
  We honor him for serving for 50 years, which means he has been out 
amongst the people all this time. He has never changed. The people of 
West Virginia have really never changed. He is a man of values speaking 
to a people of values. It is interesting. As he begins to talk, you see 
people fall silent. They realize they don't want to miss what Senator 
Byrd might be saying because they know it is not going to be trivial or 
political, and it is going to be important. It is going to have to do 
with fundamental values and the fundamental nature of the way this 
country ought to be and the way the State of West Virginia ought to be.
  So I look forward to being with him this coming Saturday. I join with 
the distinguished majority leader, the Democratic leader, and the 
distinguished Senator from Nevada in praising and being grateful to my 
senior colleague.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nevada.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I appreciate very much the two leaders 
allowing me to speak. I can say that it has been somewhat of an 
inconvenience for me to wait until the business of the body has been 
completed before we got to this matter. But the inconvenience to this 
Senator is so minor compared to the service that has been rendered in 
this body to the people of West Virginia, and to this country, by the 
Senator from West Virginia, that it is hardly worth talking about.
  I am happy to be here to talk about somebody for whom I have great 
feelings. I have served in public office since 1964. My first public 
office was 33 years ago. During that period of time I have had the good 
fortune to serve with great men and women, but I can honestly say I 
have never served with the likes of Senator Robert C. Byrd.
  As far as this Senator is concerned, he is a unique individual. I 
hope some day that Senator Byrd will complete what I understand he is 
working on, and that is the story about his life. I know a little bit 
about the life of Senator Byrd. I am an avid history fan, and every bit 
and piece I can find, and have found, about Senator Byrd I have tried 
to comprehend and understand.
  With someone of this magnitude, we sometimes wonder how he arrived at 
the point where he has such accolades pushed in his direction every 
day.
  I know that his first election was an interesting election, one 
where, seated often, as I understand, in the West Virginia State 
legislature were many, many people who were running for that office. 
Senator Byrd, being the person that he is, decided he needed to be a 
little bit different, to kind of stand out in the crowd, to be elected. 
So he decided that he would be different from the rest. The people 
would give long speeches telling why they should be elected to the 
State legislature. Senator Byrd would get their attention by playing a 
tune on his fiddle and singing a song. Senator Byrd was elected.
  Early in his career he decided to run for the West Virginia State 
Senate. But, as happens in a lot of States, there are kingmakers 
saying, ``You run for this, you don't run for this, this isn't the 
appropriate time to run.'' Someone who was a national figure thought 
that there would be other people who would be better qualified to serve 
in the West Virginia State Legislature. The great John L. Lewis, 
president of the Mine Workers, got word to Senator Byrd that he should 
not run. Of course, we all know now Senator Byrd, and that was the 
wrong thing to say to this man from the hills of West Virginia. He took 
on the leader of the Mine Workers, someone that literally brought the 
country to a standstill. But this man could not bring Robert Byrd to a 
standstill. He ran and was elected.
  Everyone knew that this man was close to the miners--may not have 
been close to labor, but he was close to the miners. And he was 
elected.
  Well, his career is outstanding. I can truly say that one of the most 
pleasant moments of my life was when I came to the Senate some 10 years 
ago and was notified that I could be on the Appropriations Committee. 
That, to me, was so memorable that I will never forget it. I have done 
my best to serve on the Appropriations Committee in a manner that I 
think is good for the State of Nevada, and hopefully good for the 
country. One person I look to as an example in that committee has been 
the person who was chairman, and is now ranking member of that 
committee, Senator Robert C. Byrd.
  I learned early on that the man carried in his pocket, as I now do, a 
copy of the United States Constitution. He carries that Constitution 
with him, not because he probably couldn't recite to the Presiding 
Officer, and to this Senator, every word in the Constitution from 
memory, if he chose to do so. But I think the reason he carries it 
there, next to his heart, is because he believes the Constitution is as 
important as any document in this country.

  We all know the rules that guide this body, and the person that knows 
them better than anyone else in this body--and probably knows them 
better than anyone else in the history of this

[[Page S16]]

body--is the Senator from West Virginia, who we are honoring today with 
this resolution.
  Mr. President, I had the good fortune to be a member of a delegation 
that met in West Virginia with British Parliamentarians. We had the 
ministers from Great Britain. We had other leaders. We met in West 
Virginia. After having been there, I understand some of the songs that 
come out of West Virginia, such as, ``The West Virginia hills where I 
was born, and all is beautiful there.''
  What I am about to tell the Senate, and even though I was there, I 
find hard to believe. We had some entertainment, some music--blue-grass 
music. It was exciting. They asked Senator Byrd, ``Tell us a song you 
would like to hear.'' And he said, ``There are more pretty girls than 
one.'' They played that song. It was a great song. I have heard it many 
times since.
  Then he handed out notebooks to the Members of the Senate and to the 
Parliamentarians. From memory, without a note, he proceeded to recite 
the reign of the British monarchs, the date they served office, their 
names, and what they did. That took about 40 minutes or so for him to 
do, or maybe an hour. The British Parliamentarians were flabbergasted. 
They had never heard anything like this in their lives. But, as happens 
in this body, there are many times that we hear things that we have not 
heard any time in our lives, except from the Senator from West 
Virginia.
  I could tell you about the remarks he made on the Senate floor about 
the Roman Empire, about which a course at the University of Nevada at 
Las Vegas is now being taught, using the text of his lectures here on 
the Senate floor.
  Mr. President, the people of West Virginia should know that whether 
he was leading the debate on the Panama Canal treaty, or other 
international or domestic matters, that his No. 1 priority has always 
been the people of West Virginia. It has been a great example for all 
of us: to be involved in international and national affairs, but to 
never lose sight of the fact that you are elected by the people from 
your State and that the people in your State should have first 
priority. That is the most important lesson I have learned from the 
Senator from West Virginia.
  I express to the Senator, through the Presiding Officer, my 
affection, my admiration, and my respect, and I hope that, in some 
manner, my public service to the people of the State of Nevada will be 
as well-served as the Senator from West Virginia has served the people 
of West Virginia.
  Mr. BYRD addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The distinguished Senator from West Virginia.
  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, Plato thanked the gods for having been born 
a man, and he thanked them for the good fortune of having been born a 
Greek. He thanked them for having permitted him to live in the age of 
Sophocles.
  Mr. President, I am very thankful for many things. I am thankful for 
the respect of my colleagues. My colleagues upon more than one 
occasion--undoubtedly many of them--have been angered by things that I 
have said. I am sure they have been frustrated with me from time to 
time over the many years. But they have always been forgiving, 
understanding, and most considerate. And I thank them. I thank, of 
course, the Supreme Governor of the World for having let me live to 
serve for 50 years the people of West Virginia.
  The psalmist tells us, ``the days of our years are threescore years 
and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is 
their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly 
away.'' I thank God for his mercy and his kindness and his love, for 
having let me live to serve the people of West Virginia 50 years.
  I thank the people of West Virginia for having demonstrated the faith 
and confidence in me to reelect me these many times over a period of a 
half century.
  Queen Mary I of England lost the port of Calais to the French. Mary 
served from 1553 to 1558. She said, ``When I am dead and opened, you 
will find `Calais' written on my heart.'' I say to the people of West 
Virginia, ``West Virginia'' will always be indelibly engraved with 
blood upon my heart until it returns to the dust.
  I must thank a very understanding and forgiving and considerate 
woman--my wife Erma--who has served with me these 50 years. I think 
that our spouses sacrifice beyond what people generally know when we 
serve in this body. Come next May 29, we will have been married 60 
years. I had to have a forgiving and understanding and cooperative wife 
who was as dedicated to the people of West Virginia as I, to have done 
it.
  Finally, Mr. President, let me thank my staff. I have always been 
blessed with a good staff. I was once told by the chief chaplain of 
General Patch's army in World War II that a true mark of genius is to 
be able to surround oneself with able, committed people. I have had 
that kind of staff over these many years, a staff that likewise has 
overlooked my foibles, idiosyncrasies, and has been cooperative and 
kind and has helped me when I had to walk through the valley of 
despair--at my grandson's death. They, too, have served the people of 
West Virginia and the people of the Nation.
  I apologize to the leaders for imposing on their valuable time. I 
know how it works. They have other things to do, other demands are made 
upon them and other business is there to take care of, other errands to 
run, and other services to perform, but always there is some straggling 
Senator who comes to the floor who wants to take some time and talk. 
But I thank them, and I hope that over the years, whatever 
disappointments I bring upon them, I can have the opportunity to make 
amends and to support them in the good work that they do.
  And so I thank all today for the privilege and the honor that have 
been bestowed upon me by the Senators on both sides of the aisle. I 
have also been very fortunate in having had two good colleagues in 
these 38 years. I had Senator Randolph to begin with and now I have 
Senator Rockefeller, who is a very fine colleague. I could not ask for 
a better colleague than either of them. Senator Rockefeller has been 
especially supportive and deferential and kind to me. And so I have 
many things, Mr. President, for which to be grateful.
  Harry Reid has impressed me in the years he has been in the Senate. 
As a member of the Appropriations Committee, many times I have asked 
him to chair subcommittee hearings when I could not be there to do so, 
and he has always done an excellent job.
  He, too, is a Senate man. He is dedicated to the institution. I have 
had many conversations with him. I feel highly privileged to have him 
as my friend.
  Tennyson said, ``I am a part of all that I have met.'' How rich I am 
in that I am a part of Harry Reid and Jay Rockefeller and Tom Daschle 
and Trent Lott.
  I thank both leaders again for their consideration in giving me this 
time. I yield the floor.

                          ____________________