[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 56 (Monday, May 5, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E827]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    STATEMENT FOR THE CONGRESSIONAL RECORD IN CELEBRATION OF POLISH 
                     CONSTITUTION DAY--MAY 3, 1997

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. GERALD D. KLECZKA

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 1, 1997

  Mr. KLECZKA. Mr. Speaker, May 3 marks the 206th anniversary of 
Europe's first written constitution.
  It may come as a surprise to some that this constitution was produced 
in Poland. Scholars tell us the document was conceived in the spirit of 
the U.S. Constitution, which preceded it by just 4 years. It 
established the radical principle that the power to govern emanates 
from the people.
  The Polish Constitution was signed in 1791, after 3 years of intense 
debate. It was the product of King Stanislaw August's renovation of the 
country. It recast Poland-Lithuania as a hereditary monarchy and 
abolished many of the eccentric and antiquated features of the old 
system. It ended the individual veto in Parliament and provided a 
separation of powers among the legislative, executive, and judicial 
branches of government. It established an elected judiciary, trial by 
jury, the concept of habeas corpus, and freedom of religion.
  All this was done without bloodshed.
  Nevertheless, the nobility saw the new constitution as a challenge to 
their stature. Its passage also alarmed autocratic states such as 
Russia, who viewed it as a threat to their domination of Poland.
  In 1792, domestic and foreign reactionaries ended the democratization 
of Poland. Polish conservatives formed a confederation and appealed to 
Russia to restore the status quo. Enlisting Prussia's support, Russia 
invaded Poland under the pretext of defending its ancient liberties. 
Stanislaw August capitulated. France, Russia, and Prussia abrogated the 
Polish Constitution, carried out a second partition of Poland in 1793 
and placed the remainder of the country under Russian occupation.
  Despite this defeat, the democratic ideals of the Polish Constitution 
lived on in the citizens who played a leading role in bringing an end 
to communism in Eastern Europe. And they continue to live on in a 
democratic Poland, borne of struggle.
  Although the Polish Constitution was never implemented, it has gained 
an honored position in the Polish political heritage. Poland celebrates 
the anniversary of its passage as the country's most important civic 
holiday.
  I'm proud to be of Polish descent and to honor Polish Constitution 
Day.

                          ____________________