[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 101 (Wednesday, July 16, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1434]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 THE DOUGLAS APPLEGATE U.S. POST OFFICE

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. JAMES A. TRAFICANT, JR.

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 16, 1997

  Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, last week I introduced legislation, H.R. 
2129, to designate the U.S. Post Office in Steubenville, OH, as the 
``Douglas Applegate U.S. Post Office.'' I respectfully urge my 
colleagues to cosponsor this bill, which will pay a much-deserved 
tribute to a strong leader, a loyal friend, and a great man.
  Doug Applegate was not only a colleague, but a great friend as well. 
He worked hard to make new Members feel comfortable and to help them 
acclimate themselves to the Capitol Hill environment. When I first came 
to Congress in 1985, Doug was always willing to give me advice and 
guidance. Over the years I had many opportunities to work with this 
fine man, and was always impressed by his integrity and his dedication 
to the causes in which he believed. He was a true leader in every sense 
of the word. He chose his battles and fought them to the end. While he 
could work to build a consensus, he was not afraid to stand alone. A 
moderate Democrat, he would support his party, but if his conscience 
pulled him in another direction he would not fail to follow it. Doug 
was an inspiration and an example to us all.
  As many of you may remember, Doug was not one to grandstand or bring 
attention to himself. While many of his Democratic colleagues in the 
class of 1976 went on to become the big players in the congressional 
arena, Doug chose to work quietly, from the sidelines, for his 
constituents and for the issues that he felt were deserving of his 
attention. Without bringing large amounts of attention to himself, he 
affected important change. Instead, his quiet, but devoted adherence to 
key areas of interest won him the respect of his colleagues and the 
loyalty of Ohio's 18th Congressional District, who consistently voted 
him into office with well over 50 percent of the vote.
  At the top of Doug's list of legislative priorities was protecting 
the benefits that go to our country's veterans. He believed that the 
great sacrifices of these brave men and women are worth compensation, 
and as chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Compensation, 
Pensions, and Insurance, he worked to increase, substantially, the 
benefits to the survivors of those that did not make it home. While he 
realized that no amount of money would ever make up for such a terrible 
loss, he also realized that such compensation can help to ease the 
suffering by making life a little less complicated for those who were 
left behind.
  Witnessing firsthand devastating economic hardship in his district, 
Doug was also a great defender of American jobs. His House stationery 
was emblazoned with the slogan, ``Buy American! Save American Jobs!,'' 
Doug fought tenaciously to protect our workers and our industry from 
unscrupulous corporate practices. He worked to expose a scheme 
concocted by American companies that cut labor costs by having United 
States flags made by a Taiwanese company and then labeling them ``Made 
in America.'' In doing so, he demonstrated his own resolve and the 
determination of all Americans to promote our own jobs and industry. He 
wanted to ensure that when a label proclaimed ``Made in the U.S.A.'' it 
was, in fact, ``Made in the U.S.A.`
  Doug was also a man who held firm to his beliefs. He would not play 
partisan politics if his conscience guided him in another direction. An 
opponent of abortion, he did not hesitate to part ways with the 
leadership and support a bill calling for parental notification. Never 
failing to stand up for what he believed in, he was the definition of a 
leader.
  H.R. 2129 is but a small tribute for a man with as much integrity as 
Doug Applegate, who was as true a friend, and who fought for what he 
believed in the way Doug did. Again, I urge everyone who believes that 
great leaders should be memorialized, to cosponsor my bill to designate 
the U.S. Post Office in Steubenville, OH the ``Douglas Applegate Post 
Office.''

                          ____________________