[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 156 (Monday, November 8, 1999)]
[House]
[Pages H11673-H11675]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   EXPRESSING SENSE OF HOUSE THAT JOSEPH JEFFERSON ``SHOELESS JOE'' 
       JACKSON BE APPROPRIATELY HONORED FOR OUTSTANDING BASEBALL 
                            ACCOMPLISHMENTS

  Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 269) expressing the sense of the House of 
Representatives that Joseph Jefferson ``Shoeless Joe'' Jackson should 
be appropriately honored for his outstanding baseball accomplishments.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                              H. Res. 269

       Whereas Joseph Jefferson ``Shoeless Joe'' Jackson, a native 
     of Greenville, South Carolina, and a local legend, began his 
     professional career and received his nickname while playing 
     baseball for the Greenville Spinners in 1908;
       Whereas ``Shoeless Joe'' Jackson moved to the Philadelphia 
     Athletics for his major league debut in 1908, to Cleveland in 
     1910, and to the Chicago White Sox in 1915;
       Whereas ``Shoeless Joe'' Jackson's accomplishments 
     throughout his 13-year career in professional baseball were 
     outstanding--he was one of only seven Major League Baseball 
     players to ever top the coveted mark of a .400 batting 
     average for a season, and he earned a lifetime batting 
     average of .356, the third highest of all time;
       Whereas ``Shoeless Joe'' Jackson's career record makes him 
     one of our Nation's top baseball players of all time;
       Whereas in 1919, the infamous ``Black Sox'' scandal erupted 
     when an employee of a New York gambler allegedly bribed eight 
     players of the Chicago White Sox, including Joseph Jefferson 
     ``Shoeless Joe'' Jackson, to throw the first and second games 
     of the 1919 World Series to the Cincinnati Reds;
       Whereas in September 1920, a criminal court acquitted 
     ``Shoeless Joe'' Jackson of the charge that he conspired to 
     throw the 1919 World Series;
       Whereas despite the acquittal, Judge Kenesaw Mountain 
     Landis, baseball's first commissioner, banned ``Shoeless 
     Joe'' Jackson from playing Major League Baseball for life 
     without conducting any investigation of Jackson's alleged 
     activities, issuing a summary punishment that fell far short 
     of due process standards;
       Whereas the evidence shows that Jackson did not 
     deliberately misplay during the 1919 World Series in an 
     attempt to make his team lose the World Series;
       Whereas during the 1919 World Series, Jackson's play was 
     outstanding--his batting average was .375 (the highest of any 
     player from either team), he set a World Series record with 
     12 hits, he committed no errors, and he hit the only home run 
     of the series;
       Whereas because of his lifetime ban from Major League 
     Baseball, ``Shoeless Joe'' Jackson has been excluded from 
     consideration for admission to the Major League Baseball Hall 
     of Fame;
       Whereas ``Shoeless Joe'' Jackson died in 1951, and 80 years 
     have elapsed since the 1919 World Series scandal erupted;
       Whereas recently, Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud 
     Selig took an important first step toward restoring the 
     reputation of ``Shoeless Joe'' Jackson by agreeing to 
     investigate whether he was involved in a conspiracy to alter 
     the outcome of the 1919 World Series and whether he should be 
     eligible for inclusion in the Major League Baseball Hall of 
     Fame; and
       Whereas it is appropriate for Major League Baseball to 
     remove the taint upon the memory of ``Shoeless Joe'' Jackson 
     and honor his outstanding baseball accomplishments: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of 
     Representatives that Joseph Jefferson ``Shoeless Joe'' 
     Jackson should be appropriately honored for his outstanding 
     baseball accomplishments.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Nebraska (Mr. Terry) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings) 
will each control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Terry).


                             General Leave

  Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on 
this legislation, House Resolution 269.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Nebraska?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 269. I would like 
to thank my distinguished colleagues from South Carolina, the 
delegation, for their interest in American baseball history and their 
sense of justice in attempting to restore Shoeless Joe Jackson's place 
that his performance on the field earned him.
  I would also like to thank the chairman of the Committee on 
Government Reform, who recognized the timeliness of this measure and 
expedited this opportunity for consideration before the House today.
  The resolution is presented 80 years after the World Series in which 
the Chicago White Sox lost to the Cincinnati Redlegs. During that 
series, Joe Jackson had the highest batting average on either team, set 
a World Series record by collecting 12 hits, including the only home 
run on either team, and was not charged with a single error on the 
field.
  Shoeless Joe Jackson remains an American icon, a perennial symbol of 
a young man who unknowingly became involved in the intrigues that 
surrounded his activities. On the field, Shoeless Joe Jackson's records 
speak for themselves. Only Ty Cobb and Rogers Hornsby's surpassed his 
356 lifetime batting average. His 13-year career with the Philadelphia 
Athletics and the Chicago White Sox provided a background of consistent 
accomplishments.

[[Page H11674]]

  Shoeless Joe Jackson was never convicted of a crime. In fact, found 
not guilty. Nevertheless, when Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis became 
Commissioner of Baseball, he used Shoeless Joe Jackson and his seven 
teammates to demonstrate the firmness of his commitment to the 
integrity in our national pastime. He imposed a lifetime ban from 
baseball where the courts could not act.
  Shoeless Joe Jackson died in 1951, having endured more than 30 years 
the exile that baseball imposed upon him. His records remain on the 
books and his level of accomplishments far exceed the feats that earn 
today's baseball players millions of dollars.
  Americans are people whose fairness can allow them to recognize these 
great accomplishments without in any way compromising the standards of 
excellence and integrity that we must demand at the highest levels of 
any profession. Shoeless Joe Jackson has earned a place among the 
immortals of the baseball world, and this resolution provides a fitting 
opportunity for this House to remember the accomplishments of his 
excellent career.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, it is interesting to hear the tales that have been spun 
about Shoeless Joe Jackson. Called one of the saddest figures ever to 
play baseball, Joe Jackson was reported to be an illiterate country boy 
who only knew how to play baseball.
  As it turns out, Joe Jackson died a successful businessman at age 61, 
earning between $50,000 to $100,000 a year. During an interview, 
Jackson is quoted as saying, ``All the big sports writers seemed to 
enjoy writing about me as an ignorant cotton-mill boy with nothing but 
lead where my brains ought to be. That was fine with me. I was able to 
fool a lot of pitchers and managers and club owners I wouldn't have 
been able to fool if they'd thought I was smarter.''
  How and why Shoeless Joe Jackson got his name is exaggerated. One 
day, after getting blisters from his new baseball cleats, Jackson 
played one game in his stocking feet. One game. Not a season and not 
because he could not afford to buy cleats, as is widely reported.
  Then, there is the well-known refrain, ``Say it ain't so, Joe,'' that 
supposedly took place after Jackson was arrested for conspiring to 
throw the 1919 World Series. As the story goes, a boy approached Joe 
and pleaded, ``Say it ain't so Joe,'' and Joe replied, ``Yes, kid, I'm 
afraid it is.'' As Jackson would later tell it, that tale is just that. 
There was no kid, and no arrest. Charlie Owens, a reporter with the 
Chicago Daily Times made the story up and published it.
  What is the truth about Joe Jackson? He was a rising baseball star 
until he was banned from baseball for allegedly participating in the 
1919 Chicago White Sox gambling scandal. In 1921, Jackson was acquitted 
of all charges and left the courtroom an innocent man. However, despite 
three attempts by his home State of South Carolina, Joe Jackson was 
never reinstated.
  The only interview Joe Jackson conducted regarding the Chicago White 
Sox scandal was in the 1949 edition of Sport Magazine. In the article, 
entitled ``This Is the Truth,'' Joe Jackson maintains his innocence and 
states, ``I have never made any request to be reinstated in baseball, 
and I have never made any campaign to have my name cleared in the 
baseball records. This is not a plea of any kind. This is just my 
story. I am telling it simply because it seems 30 years after the World 
Series, the world may want to hear what I have to say.'' He goes on to 
say, ``Baseball failed to keep faith with me. When I got notice of my 
suspension 3 days after the 1920 season, it read that if found innocent 
of any wrongdoing, I would be reinstated. If found guilty, I would be 
banned for life. I was found innocent, and I was still banned for 
life.'' It would seem that you are innocent until proven guilty in a 
court of law, but not in baseball.
  The South Carolina delegation recently sent a letter to baseball 
commissioner Alan Selig to have outfielder Joe Jackson posthumously 
reinstated. They have also introduced this resolution, expressing the 
sense of the House to appropriately honor Joseph Jefferson Jackson. I 
urge my colleagues to join me and the South Carolina delegation in 
supporting this resolution. It is time for the truth to be told.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. DeMint), the author of this 
resolution.
  Mr. DeMINT. Mr. Speaker, I thank both gentlemen for their wonderful 
remarks.
  Mr. Speaker, some might ask why, with all the important issues, 
problems, and challenges that this Congress faces, why consider and 
vote on a resolution about a man who played baseball 80 years ago and 
who has been dead almost 50 years? Why is he important to me today and 
why should he deserve the attention of the American people today?
  I am speaking of Joseph Jefferson Jackson, Shoeless Joe to those who 
are familiar with baseball. He is important because he is here today in 
spirit asking for justice. America has learned the hard lesson that 
when injustice can prevail upon one of us, it is a threat to all of us. 
So our consideration today is not only about injustice against one man, 
it is about protecting justice for everyone.
  And while we believe that our efforts today will be good for 
baseball, America's favorite pastime, we are equally convinced that our 
efforts will protect the American Dream, the dream that even the 
poorest American, with hard work, can end up at the top of the world.
  Shoeless Joe worked his way from being a poor, illiterate mill 
worker, which is where he started, to becoming one of the best baseball 
players of all time. No one who has lived that American dream and 
achieved so much should be stripped of his honor and his dignity and 
his livelihood without due process, even without a hearing. When this 
can happen to one of us, it can happen to any one of us.
  Mr. Speaker, I introduced House Resolution 269, along with the entire 
South Carolina delegation, earlier this summer. This resolution simply 
states that Shoeless Joe Jackson should be appropriately honored for 
his outstanding baseball accomplishments. This resolution has gathered 
broad support from both political parties. It is fitting that even in 
the tension of these last days in Congress that we pause and find 
common ground in paying tribute to a hero of our great national 
pastime.
  While there are important issues to consider and to complete before 
we finish Congress' session, it is worthy of this body to take a few 
minutes to stand up for fairness and to right an old wrong by honoring 
a baseball legend. As most baseball fans know, Shoeless Joe Jackson was 
one of the greatest baseball players ever to play the game.
  The people of my district are very familiar with Shoeless Joe, since 
he grew up playing baseball in the mill leagues in Greenville, and he 
spent the last part of his life in that city as well. While he could 
not read or write early, and he only learned to sign his name later in 
life, as has already been pointed out, Shoeless Joe was very smart, in 
addition to being a great baseball player. Throughout his life he never 
tired of teaching kids to play the game he loved. There is even a 
baseball park named after him in Greenville where kids play his game 
today. There is also a revitalization effort in a poor neighborhood in 
my town named in his memory to improve everyone's life there. And if 
anyone would like to see some of his memorabilia, we have some pictures 
and other information in my office.
  Those unfamiliar with Shoeless Joe have heard some of the facts, but 
let me recount some of his amazing accomplishments. Of his hitting, 
Babe Ruth once said, ``I decided to pick out one of the greatest 
hitters to watch and to study, and Jackson was good enough for me.'' 
Joe Jackson batted 408 his rookie year, a feat which has never been 
equaled. He has the third highest batting average of all time, behind 
only Ty Cobb and Roger Hornsby's 689. Over a 10-year period, he never 
hit below 300.

                              {time}  1615

  His fielding skills in the outfield were legendary, and his glove was 
named ``the place where triples go to die.''

[[Page H11675]]

  Unfortunately, while these are Hall of Fame numbers, Shoeless Joe is 
not in the baseball Hall of Fame. His bat is there. His uniform is 
there. His shoes are there. But he is not. This is because, in 1920, 
``Shoeless'' Joe was banned from playing baseball for life by the 
Commissioner for allegations that he took part in the infamous ``Black 
Sox'' scandal, allegedly throwing the 1919 World Series. In that 
Series, a group of New York gamblers bribed a number of players on the 
Chicago White Sox to throw the Series to Cincinnati.
  When the news came out in 1920, the new Commissioner of Baseball, 
Commissioner Landis, acted swiftly. In a summary judgment, without an 
investigation, the Commissioner banned 8 players on the White Sox from 
ever playing Major League baseball again. ``Shoeless'' Joe was included 
in the ban.
  While he insisted on his innocence all the way to his death bed, 
``Shoeless'' Joe served out his sentence with dignity and honor and 
without rancor.
  Recently, a number of baseball heroes, including Ted Williams, Bob 
Feller, and Tommy LaSorda have taken up the cause of restoring the 
honor of ``Shoeless'' Joe. This is a cause that has long been 
championed in ``Shoeless'' Joe's hometown of Greenville.
  I had a chance this morning to talk with Ted Williams myself. What a 
thrill. He said he will continue to fight for ``Shoeless'' Joe until 
his last day, and he thanked all of us in Congress who are going to bat 
for Joe today.
  I am not going to debate whether or not the Commissioner's verdict 
was the right thing to do. He made his decision and never reviewed it, 
despite the fact that Jackson was acquitted of participating in the fix 
twice, once in 1920 by a friendly Chicago jury, and once in 1924 by an 
impartial jury in Milwaukee.
  In fact, the jurors in Milwaukee were asked in a special 
interrogatory whether ``Shoeless'' Joe had conspired or participated in 
the fix of the Series. The answer was an emphatic no.
  I am also not going to debate if Jackson was given money. According 
to the story, ``Shoeless'' Joe's roommate, Lefty Williams, left $5,000 
for Jackson on his bed. Whatever the debate, four things are clear.
  First, ``Shoeless'' Joe tried to give the money back before the 
Series started but was rebuffed.
  Second, ``Shoeless'' Joe tried to inform the owner of the White Sox 
of the fix, but the owner refused to see him.
  Third, ``Shoeless'' Joe offered to sit out the Series but was again 
rebuffed.
  Fourth, and most notably, ``Shoeless'' Joe played to win. He led all 
players by hitting .375, and he had the only homerun in the Series. His 
fielding was flawless, throwing out several men at home plate. He set a 
World Series record with 12 hits, and he combined with Buck Weaver, the 
other player who was unfairly punished, for 13 hits, a record that 
stood for 60 years.
  I have no doubt of ``Shoeless'' Joe's innocence. In the end, he 
proved his innocence in the only way he could, with his bat and glove.
  For my colleagues' information, Fox News did an excellent two-part 
review of the case just a month ago. I have a copy of the tape if 
anyone would like to see it.
  In July, Ted Williams, Tommy LaSorda, and Bob Feller filed a petition 
with Commissioner Selig. That petition does not ask Major League 
Baseball to exonerate ``Shoeless'' Joe or even to endorse his candidacy 
in the Hall of Fame. To quote the petition: ``Those issues are moot as 
he served a very difficult sentence over a long period. The 
Commissioner of Baseball is merely asked to acknowledge that `Shoeless' 
Joe has fully paid his debt to society and to the game, that he 
satisfied the sentence of the first Commissioner with dignity and 
humility and without rancor. Because he has fulfilled his sentence, 
Baseball has no further call or jurisdiction over `Shoeless' Joe.''
  I believe this petition provides Major League Baseball with a 
graceful and dignified way to finally let the issue rest and to let 
``Shoeless'' Joe receive the honor he has long deserved.
  Today, the Mayor of Greenville, Knox White, added his support by 
sending to the Commissioner a petition with 10,000 names signed from my 
home district, all pleading with the Commissioner to give Joe his 
rightful due.
  The resolution which I have placed before the House today on behalf 
of the people in my district and baseball fans everywhere simply states 
that ``Shoeless'' Joe Jackson should be appropriately honored for his 
outstanding baseball accomplishments. Commissioner Selig has agreed to 
review the matter, and I have been following the review process 
carefully.
  I appreciate the Commissioner's willingness to review this matter, 
and I understand a decision is imminent. I am absolutely confident that 
a fair and impartial review will result in ``Shoeless'' Joe finally 
being allowed to receive the honor he has long deserved and which he 
displayed throughout his life.
  Mr. Speaker, on his death bed, ``Shoeless'' Joe said, ``I am about to 
meet the biggest umpire of them all, and he knows I'm innocent.''
  Fifty years after his death and 80 years after the infamous Series, 
and after the most unfair judgment, it is time for Baseball to right a 
wrong and restore the honor of a good man.
  I was born in Greenville, South Carolina, the same year ``Shoeless'' 
Joe died just about a mile from where he died. I am glad to be a small 
part in this process today, and I hope all of my colleagues will join 
me in supporting this resolution.
  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. 
DeMint) for his comments in shedding additional light on the life of 
``Shoeless'' Joe Jackson.
  I think the thing that comes through clearly, Mr. Speaker, is that 
the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. DeMint) and the South Carolina 
delegation and many others merely want to right a wrong and give 
someone their due.
  And clearly, ``Shoeless'' Joe Jackson has earned, has earned, the 
right to be appropriately honored as the resolution states.
  So I want to thank the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. DeMint) and 
I want to thank the South Carolina delegation because I think what we 
are attempting to do here today sends a clear message that, when we see 
wrong, we will do what we can to right it. It may be many, many years 
later, but we can bet our bottom dollar that there is someone who is 
looking at what we are doing and saying that they admire us for taking 
up the time, we can be doing a whole lot other things, but they are 
taking up the time to make sure that a wrong is made right.
  And so, with that, I want to thank the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. 
Burton), chairman of our committee, and the gentleman from California 
(Mr. Waxman), our ranking member, and I want to thank the gentleman 
from Nebraska (Mr. Terry), and I want to thank certainly the gentleman 
from Florida (Mr. Scarborough) in his absence, the chairman of our 
subcommittee.
  The fact is that I think that this is a very, very good resolution. I 
urge all of my colleagues to vote in favor of it.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 269 provides a fitting commemoration of 
his accomplishments as a professional baseball player. We applaud the 
stellar performance of Joseph Jefferson Jackson on the field and call 
upon all Americans to recognize his 13 years of excellence.
  In a generous spirit, we encourage professional Baseball to provide 
``Shoeless'' Joe Jackson the honors he fully deserves.
  I ask the full support of all Members of this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Gibbons). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Terry) that the House 
suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 269.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________