[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 148 (Wednesday, October 29, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H9629]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    VIRGINIA GOVERNOR ALLEN AND WIFE SPEAK OUT ON VISIT OF CHINESE 
                               PRESIDENT

  (Mr. WOLF asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks and include extraneous 
material.)
  Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I want to take a moment to salute Virginia's 
Governor, my Governor, George Allen and his wife Susan Allen for their 
eloquence, their grace and their conviction in speaking out on behalf 
of universal human principles and democracy as the Chinese President 
visited at Colonial Williamsburg.
  Mrs. Allen in remarks at yesterday's luncheon for the Chinese 
President noted, ``Thomas Jefferson was the author of the Virginia 
Statute of Religious Freedom and our Declaration of Independence. 
Virginia is proud that one of its sons wrote words that are universal 
in their meaning for all people, declaring that all men are endowed by 
their Creator with certain unalienable rights of life, liberty and the 
pursuit of happiness.''
  In an earlier letter to President Zemin, Governor Allen wrote, 
``Williamsburg offers a unique insight into America's courageous and 
spirited beginning here in our blessed Commonwealth of Virginia. May 
this treasured setting provide you with a greater understanding of and 
appreciation for the universal human principles upon which America is 
built: freedom, liberty, and representative democracy.''
  I salute Governor Allen and Mrs. Allen for their willingness to speak 
in a clear voice on the core principles that has made America good. I 
just hope that the Chinese President heard them.
  Mr. Speaker, I include the letter from Governor Allen to President 
Jiang for the Record.
  The text of the letter is as follows:

                                         Commonwealth of Virginia,


                                       Office of the Governor,

                                   Richmond, VA, October 28, 1997.
     His Excellency Jiang Zemin,
     President of the People's Republic of China,
     Embassy of the People's Republic of China, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. President: On behalf of the people of Virginia: 
     Greetings. I hope that you, your wife and other members of 
     your delegation will find your visit to the United States and 
     with the American people to be both enjoyable and 
     enlightening.
       Virginia is a land that has greeted visitors from across 
     the seas dating back to 1607. The Commonwealth of Virginia is 
     young compared to China, yet our history has left its 
     indelible mark on the souls of men throughout the world.
       It is appropriate, therefore, that your historic visit to 
     the United States includes Virginia, the birthplace of 
     American freedom--where the seeds of individual liberty, 
     self-government and free-enterprise were planted, took root 
     and have yielded an abundant harvest--one of the most 
     uplifting and successful influences in the history of 
     mankind.
       Thomas Jefferson, the second Governor of Virginia, was the 
     author of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom and our 
     Declaration of Independence. Virginia is proud that one of 
     its sons wrote words that are universal in their meaning for 
     all people declaring that all men are ``endowed by their 
     Creator with certain unalienable rights . . . of life, 
     liberty and the pursuit of happiness. . . .'' and that 
     governments derive ``their just powers from the consent of 
     the governed.''
       Although your visit to Colonial Williamsburg and Virginia 
     is brief, I hope you have the opportunity to experience the 
     beauty and hospitality of this historic location.
       Williamsburg offers a unique insight into America's 
     courageous and spirited beginning here in our most blessed 
     Commonwealth of Virginia. May this treasured setting provide 
     you with a greater understanding of, and appreciation for, 
     the universal human principles upon which America is built--
     freedom . . . liberty . . . and representative democracy.
       We wish you every success for a productive visit in 
     Virginia and in the United States. We hope it will lead to 
     mutually beneficial exchanges between the people of our two 
     nations, as well as result in a stronger economic 
     relationship, and in a vigorous marketplace of competing 
     ideas and open discourse.
           Most sincerely yours,
     George Allen.

                          ____________________