[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 59 (Tuesday, May 12, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S4747]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          HONORING THE SESQUICENTENNIAL OF WISCONSIN STATEHOOD

  Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of calendar No. 360, S. Con. 
Res. 75.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The clerk 
will report.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 75) honoring the 
     sesquicentennial of Wisconsin statehood.

  The Senate proceeded to consider the concurrent resolution.
  Mr. McCAIN. I ask unanimous consent that the concurrent resolution 
and preamble be agreed to, en bloc, the motion to reconsider be laid 
upon the table, and that any statements relating thereto be placed in 
the Record at the appropriate place as if read.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 75) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The concurrent resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                            S. Con. Res. 75

         
       Whereas the land that comprises the State of Wisconsin has 
     been home to numerous Native American tribes for many years;
       Whereas Jean Nicolet, who was the first known European to 
     land in what was to become Wisconsin, arrived on the shores 
     of Green Bay in 1634;
       Whereas Father Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet 
     discovered the Mississippi River, one of the principal 
     waterways of North America, at Prairie du Chien on June 17, 
     1673;
       Whereas Charles de Langlade founded at Green Bay the first 
     permanent European settlement in Wisconsin in 1764;
       Whereas, before becoming a State, Wisconsin existed under 3 
     flags, becoming part of the British colonial territory under 
     the Treaty of Paris in 1763, part of the Province of Quebec 
     under the Quebec Act of 1774, and a territory of the United 
     States under the Second Treaty of Paris in 1783;
       Whereas on July 3, 1836, the Wisconsin Territory was 
     created from part of the Northwest Territory with Henry Dodge 
     as its first governor and Belmont as its first capital;
       Whereas the city of Madison was chosen as the Wisconsin 
     Territory's permanent capital in the fall of 1836 and 
     construction on the Capitol Building began in 1837;
       Whereas, pursuant to legislation signed by President James 
     K. Polk, Wisconsin joined the United States as the 30th state 
     on May 29, 1848;
       Whereas members of Native American tribes have greatly 
     contributed to the unique culture and identity of Wisconsin 
     by lending words from their languages to the names of many 
     places in the State and by sharing their customs and beliefs 
     with others who chose to make Wisconsin their home;
       Whereas the Wisconsin State Motto of ``Forward'' was 
     adopted in 1851;
       Whereas Chester Hazen built Wisconsin's first cheese 
     factory in the town of Ladoga in 1864, laying the groundwork 
     for one of the State's biggest industries;
       Whereas Wisconsin established itself as a leader in 
     recognizing the contributions of African Americans by being 
     the only State in the union to openly defy the Fugitive Slave 
     Law;
       Whereas the first recognized Flag Day celebration in the 
     United States took place at Stony Hill School in Waubeka, 
     Wisconsin, on June 14, 1885;
       Whereas Wisconsin has sent 859,489 of its sons and 
     daughters to serve the United States in the Civil War, the 
     Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, Korea, 
     Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, and Somalia;
       Whereas 26,653 Wisconsinites have lost their lives serving 
     in the Armed Forces of the United States;
       Whereas Wisconsin allowed African Americans the right to 
     vote as early as 1866 and adopted a public accommodation law 
     as early as 1895;
       Whereas on June 20, 1920, Wisconsin became the first State 
     to adopt the 19th Amendment, granting women the right to 
     vote;
       Whereas in 1921 Wisconsin adopted a law establishing equal 
     rights for women;
       Whereas Wisconsin celebrated the centennial of its 
     statehood on May 29, 1948;
       Whereas many Wisconsinites have served the people of 
     Wisconsin and the people of the United States and have 
     contributed to the common good in a variety of capacities, 
     from inventor to architect, from furniture maker to Cabinet 
     member, from brewer to Nobel Prize winner;
       Whereas the State of Wisconsin enjoys a diverse cultural, 
     racial, and ethnic heritage that mirrors that of the United 
     States;
       Whereas May 29, 1998, marks the 150th anniversary of 
     Wisconsin statehood; and
       Whereas a stamp commemorating Wisconsin's sesquicentennial 
     will be issued by the United States Postal Service on May 29, 
     1998: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That Congress--
       (1) honors the proud history of Wisconsin statehood; and
       (2) encourages all Wisconsinites to reflect on the State's 
     distinguished past and look forward to the State's promising 
     future.

     SEC. 2. TRANSMITTAL OF CONCURRENT RESOLUTION.

       Congress directs the Secretary of the Senate to transmit an 
     enrolled copy of this concurrent resolution to each member of 
     the Wisconsin Congressional Delegation, the Governor of 
     Wisconsin, the National Archives, the State Historical 
     Society of Wisconsin, and the members of the Wisconsin 
     Sesquicentennial Commission.

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