[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 85 (Wednesday, June 18, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H3894]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  H.R. 100, THE GUAM COMMONWEALTH ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Guam [Mr. Underwood] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, today is June 19, 1997 here in the U.S. 
mainland, but on Guam it is June 20. June 20 is the 99th anniversary of 
the arrival of the first Americans on Guam in the capacity of bringing 
U.S. Government to the Island of Guam. On June 20, 1898, Captain Glass 
led three ships into Apra Harbor in Guam and he proceeded to fire some 
shots, as part of the Spanish-American War. He fired some shots at an 
abandoned fort. He did not know that the fort had long since been 
abandoned.
  The Spanish authorities, not really even knowing that there was a 
Spanish-American War, sent out a small delegation of boats to 
ironically apologize for not being able to return what they assumed was 
a naval salute, announcing the arrival of the American ships.
  Now, since the arrival of Captain Glass and subsequently, the next 
day on June 21, 1898, the party landed actually on Guam, raised the 
American standard and secured a surrender from Captain Marina and the 
Spanish troops and some Chamorros, native Chamorros who were also part 
of a Spanish militia, the militia was disbanded and Captain Glass 
sailed away with the understanding that Guam was now part of the 
emerging American empire. This became formally a part of the instrument 
of the Treaty of Paris, which ended the Spanish-American War.
  In the intervening 99 years, the political status of Guam remains a 
matter of some interest here in Washington DC, but of vital concern to 
the people I represent. These 99 years has been a time period where we 
have endured a Japanese occupation during World War II, where we 
endured a government by naval officials and under the Department of the 
Navy; we also endured civilian governors that were selected by the 
President and only as late as 1970 were the people of Guam granted the 
authority to elect their own governor.
  But in this intervening 99 years we have not had a process to resolve 
our political status. We have had 99 years with no process for the 
final act of self-determination for the people of Guam, and we have had 
99 years of a lack of resolution about what Guam's future is within the 
context of the American family, or perhaps even beyond the American 
family.
  It is for this reason that I have introduced H.R. 100 in this 
Congress, and of course H.R. 100 is numbered in honor of the 100th 
anniversary of the taking of Guam by U.S. authorities, which will be 
commemorated and celebrated next year in 1998.
  My bill, my commonwealth bill, represents the thinking of the people 
of Guam about not only the new level of political autonomy they wish to 
reach within the American family, but also a process, outlines a clear 
and defined process for how Guam's final political self-determination 
would be carried out and would be finally consummated.
  Guam deserves this, not only because they have been loyal U.S. 
citizens, but because it is in the American national interests to do 
so. Guam not only continues to remain a vital strategic part of 
America's forward presence in Asia, Guam also, the challenges that are 
presented by territories to the American family is to perfect American 
democracy in those areas that are not really represented by the Stars 
and Stripes.
  So I ask all of my colleagues and Members of this body to cosponsor 
H.R. 100. We have the promise of a hearing on this measure by the 
gentleman from Alaska [Mr. Young], chairman of the Committee on 
Resources, and that hearing will hopefully occur sometime next month.
  So I ask my colleagues to consider cosponsoring H.R. 100, the Guam 
Commonwealth Act.

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