[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 46 (Thursday, April 17, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3371-S3373]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 22--RELATIVE TO THE STATUE OF ROGER 
                                WILLIAMS

  Mr. CHAFEE (for himself and Mr. Reed) submitted the following 
concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Rules and 
Administration:

                            S. Con. Res. 22

       Whereas Roger Williams was the primary architect of the 
     lively experiment of church-state separation as the necessary 
     corollary of religious liberty;
       Whereas Roger Williams was an ardent advocate of the legal 
     rights of Native Americans, maintained a close friendship 
     with them and purchased land from them;

[[Page S3372]]

       Whereas Roger Williams may also be seen as the first 
     European environmentalist on this continent; and
       Whereas Roger Williams was the founder of the first Baptist 
     church in America and the founder of the first Baptist 
     denomination in this hemisphere: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That the statue of Roger Williams shall be 
     returned to the United States Capitol Rotunda at the 
     conclusion of the temporary display of the Suffragists 
     Portrait Monument.

  Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, this weekend while we are away from the 
Capitol, an unusual event will occur here. Areas in the Capitol rotunda 
and the small rotunda, which are ordinarily open to the public, will be 
closed to visitors, as will the passageway to the majority leader's 
office. And starting tomorrow, temporary structures will be constructed 
in these areas. Under the able supervision of the Architect of the 
Capitol's office, steps are underway to move the statue of Roger 
Williams, which stands in the rotunda, to the second floor hallway 
outside of the majority leader's office.
  In February, Senator Warner, chairman of the Committee on Rules and 
Administration, notified me that the statue of Roger Williams would be 
moved from the rotunda in order to accommodate the so-called portrait 
monument of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and Lucretia Mott 
in accordance with a concurrent resolution approved by both houses 
during the last Congress. While I have no objection to moving the 
portrait monument to the rotunda, I was disappointed to learn that it 
would result in the dislocation of the statue of Roger Williams. 
Senator Warner assured me that the Roger Williams statue would receive 
an excellent new location and that none of the alternatives--namely in 
the rotunda--were available.
  Senator Warner certainly kept his word. The new location is very 
satisfactory. The statue will stand in the second floor hallway between 
the Senate Chamber and the rotunda, on the way to the majority leader's 
office. It is a bright and sunny space with windows looking out beyond 
the West Front of the Capitol to the Washington Monument. The statue of 
Roger Williams will be in good company, too. Other statues in this area 
depict Maria L. Sanford, a 19th century Minnesota teacher known as the 
best loved woman of the North Star State; Edward Douglas White of 
Louisiana, who served as Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court; John 
Hanson, who was among the strongest colonial advocates for independence 
and who served as President of the United States in Congress Assembled 
under the Articles of Confederation from 1781 to 1782; representing 
Kentucky is a statue of Ephraim McDowell who was an eminent surgeon and 
founder of Centre College in Danville, KY; William Edgar Borah, a 
former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee who is best 
remembered for his integrity, his skills as an orator, and his 
bipartisanship, and finally; John Middleton Clayton who served in the 
Delaware State Legislature, the U.S Senate, as chief justice of the 
Delaware Supreme Court, and as Secretary of State.
  I would like to commend the Architect of the Capitol, Alan Hantman, 
and his staff, most notably Roberto Miranda, Satish Gupta, and Ralph 
Atkins, for their extraordinary efforts to protect the statue of Roger 
Williams as it is transported to its new perch overlooking the National 
Mall. To ensure the safety of the statue which is quite delicate, it 
was wrapped in numerous layers of protective materials. First it was 
completely covered in plastic wrap. Then, it was wrapped in several 
layers of aluminum foil which was secured with duct tape. Next, it was 
covered with paraffin wax and a quarter of an inch of latex rubber was 
applied. All of this was bundled in burlap and a second layer of latex 
was applied. It was then completely covered with plaster, and tomorrow 
all of this will be encased in fiberglass. The actual move is expected 
to occur on Saturday, and on Sunday, after the statue is replaced on 
its base and precisely positioned in the hallway, all of these layers 
of covering will be removed with the same kind of instrument orthopedic 
surgeons use to remove casts from patients. I have every confidence in 
the Architect's office and the office of the Curator that the job of 
relocating the Roger Williams statue will be skillfully completed.

  As satisfied as I am with all of this, Mr. President, I am submitting 
a concurrent resolution to return this statue of Roger Williams to the 
rotunda when the portrait monument is removed. I do this because I 
believe that the millions of girls and boys, men and women, from all 
parts of the United States and of the world, should be reminded of the 
principles for which Roger Williams is known.
  Roger Williams was born in England around 1603 to James and Alice 
Williams. He grew up in a section of London in which religious 
dissenters were burned at the stake. Through his personal ingenuity, he 
gained notice by Sir Edward Coke, who helped young Roger attend school. 
Later he was able to attend Pembroke Hall in Cambridge University. He 
was ordained by the Church of England and made chaplain at a manor 
house in Essex. It was there that he met and married his wife, Mary 
Barnard.
  By 1629, Roger Williams had accepted many of the views of the 
Puritans and 1 year later, he and Mary left England aboard the Lyon to 
start a new life in New England.
  He refused to join the congregation at Boston because of its close 
ties to the Church of England, and instead, became minister at Salem. 
The bad blood between Roger Williams and the Boston magistrates led to 
his departure from Salem. He moved to Plymouth where he joined the 
Separatist Pilgrims. He remained in Plymouth for 2 years, and 
eventually became assistant pastor. It was during his time in Plymouth 
that Roger Williams first became acquainted with and interested in 
native Americans.
  Eventually he returned to Boston where he found himself again 
embroiled in controversy, this time because he questioned the validity 
of the Massachusetts Bay Colony's Charter. Roger Williams pointed out 
that the King of England had no authority to grant a charter giving 
away lands that were owned by the native Americans. Of course, this was 
virtual heresy, and Roger Williams, once again, was banished.
  You can see that Roger Williams was way ahead of his time with his 
concern for native Americans and that they be paid fairly for their 
land. Because of this, once again he was banished.
  Leaving his wife and baby daughter behind, he journeyed for 14 weeks 
through the winter harshness to seek refuge with his native American 
friends in Narragansett County. In the spring, he was joined by others, 
but soon this small group of dissenters was forced to uproot themselves 
again because they were still within the boundaries of the 
Massachusetts Bay Colony. They traveled across the Seekonk River, 
landed at Slate Rock on the west side of the Seekonk River and, in 
gratefulness for the goodness of God to him, he named the area where he 
was ``Providence,'' and therefrom came the name of Providence. 
Subsequently, of course, it was the capital of the State of Rhode 
Island.
  Roger Williams and his followers purchased land from Canonicus and 
Miantonomi, the chief sachems of the Narragansett Tribe, and in 1636, 
founded a new colony devoted to religious freedom and tolerance, the 
first time in the history of the world that there had been anything 
like this.
  No one was turned away or banished because of his or her religious 
beliefs. Roger Williams embraced people of all faiths. In fact, the 
first synagogue in the New World was built in Newport, RI, and, after 
joining the Baptist faith, Roger Williams built the first Baptist 
Church in the New World. Both of these historic and religious landmarks 
still stand today and are completely operational, a living tribute to 
Roger Williams.
  Roger Williams was banished time and again for having the courage of 
his convictions. He believed that every individual should be free to 
practice whatever faith he chose, a view that today is as integral to 
our national consciousness as is freedom of expression. He believed in 
the separation of church and state. And he believed in protecting the 
rights of those who first inhabited this beautiful land, the native 
Americans. This weekend, he will be banished once more from the 
pantheon of leaders with whom he certainly deserves to stand.

[[Page S3373]]

  Mr. President, I believe it is only fair for this statue of Roger 
Williams--in this symbol here you see the picture on the stamp that was 
issued depicting his settlement in the State of Rhode Island in 1636.
  I believe it only fair for this statue of Roger Williams, his symbol 
of tolerance, be returned to the Capitol Rotunda. This provision in the 
concurrent resolution says--the suggestion is that the statue of the 
women, the so-called monument, will only be there for a temporary 
period. Indeed, the resolution says that at the conclusion of the 
temporary display of the suffragettes--how long the temporary period is 
we are not sure. We are not against the statue of the suffragettes at 
all. But when that is moved, we ask that the statue of Roger Williams 
go back into the Rotunda.
  As I say, I have no desire to hasten the removal of the portrait 
monument. But at the appropriate time, I and my colleagues believe that 
the Roger Williams statue should be returned.
  So I send the concurrent resolution to the desk, and ask that it be 
referred to the appropriate committee.
  I thank the Chair.
  Mr. REED. Mr. President, I rise this evening to join my colleague, 
Senator Chafee, in support of his resolution to return a statue of 
Roger Williams to the Capitol rotunda, and also to commend Senator 
Chafee for his excellent statement. He has described in detail the 
central role that Roger Williams has played not only in the life of 
Rhode Island, but in the life of this Nation.
  His displacement from the rotunda will not be the first time he was 
banished. In 1635 he was banished from his first home because he 
advocated at that time the revolutionary idea that there should be a 
separation between church and state, that individuals should have 
freedom of conscience, that individuals should be able to worship the 
god of their choice, and that the system of government should respect 
that choice.
  In a sense he began the intellectual revolution that would culminate 
years later in the revolution against Great Britain that would lead to 
our Declaration of Independence and to the Constitution of the United 
States, because he emphasized in his quest for the rights of conscience 
that element of individuality which is so much a part of America.
  Roger Williams was a central figure not only in the history of Rhode 
Island but in the history of this country, and we recognize that by 
giving him a place of honor and distinction in the rotunda of the 
Capitol.
  Like Senator Chafee, I do not object at all to the display of the 
suffragettes statute. That is once again a recognition of individual 
Americans who showed us the way, who advocated for the right of people. 
In fact, their behavior was in some way directly or indirectly inspired 
by the tradition established by Roger Williams in the 1600's.
  I also respect the deliberations of Senator Warner to find a location 
which would be appropriate for Roger Williams. But my feeling, as well 
as my colleague's feeling, is that he is of such a historical 
character, not just to Rhode Island but to the Nation, that he well 
deserves a place in the rotunda of the Capitol of the United States.
  When Roger Williams came to Rhode Island he created not just a State, 
but an attitude, an idea, that men and women could worship as they saw 
fit. He inspired the development of the first Baptist church in America 
which stands today in Providence. That spirit of tolerance, a respect 
for individuality, of respect for the dignity of the individual to 
choose, became a beacon for people around the world to come to Rhode 
Island. As Senator Chafee indicated, the first Jewish synagogue in 
North America was established in Newport and stands today as a symbol 
of Roger Williams' legacy, of our commitment to tolerance, and the 
right and dignity of the individual.
  Such accomplishments, which go to the very fiber and the spirit of 
America, must be recognized, and, in fact, I feel should be 
appropriately recognized by the display of the Roger Williams statue in 
the rotunda of the Capitol.
  When Roger Williams established Rhode Island, he said he was going to 
begin a lively experiment, and he has. That lively experiment has spun 
through the ages the creation of our Government; the very debate that 
we have here today. His legacy is monumental. His monument should be in 
the rotunda.
  I am proud to join my colleague from Rhode Island to cosponsor this 
resolution and to urge, along with him, that at the first appropriate 
moment the statue of Roger Williams should be returned to the rotunda, 
that its temporary banishment from the rotunda be ended, and that 
scores of Americans in this generation and generations to come can 
recognize his accomplishments, can recognize his particular 
contributions to America and, in recognizing those contributions, can 
continue to reaffirm the spirit of religious freedom, of tolerance, and 
of individual dignity which he represents so magnificently. I am proud 
to be associated with my senior colleague and hope that this Senate 
will move quickly to support the return of Roger Williams to the 
rotunda.
  I yield the floor.
  Mr. KENNEDY addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Massachusetts.
  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, our good friends and colleagues from 
Rhode Island make a very important statement about one of our very 
significant, historic leaders. But we in Massachusetts take some credit 
because Roger Williams really originated in Massachusetts before going 
to Rhode Island.
  As a Senator from Massachusetts, I want to say that all of us in 
Massachusetts hope that our two friends and colleagues are going to be 
successful because we, too, hold this very important and significant 
historical figure in very high regard.

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