[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 51 (Tuesday, April 20, 2004)]
[House]
[Page H2162]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     DOSAN AHN CHANG HO POST OFFICE

  Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 1822) to designate the facility of the United 
States Postal Service located at 3751 West 6th Street in Los Angeles, 
California, as the ``Dosan Ahn Chang Ho Post Office''.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 1822

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. DOSAN AHN CHANG HO POST OFFICE.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 3751 West 6th Street in Los Angeles, 
     California, shall be known and designated as the ``Dosan Ahn 
     Chang Ho Post Office''.
       (b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     facility referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be 
     a reference to the Dosan Ahn Chang Ho Post Office.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Michigan (Mrs. Miller) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Miller).


                             General Leave

  Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and 
extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the bill 
under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Michigan?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, as a member of the Committee on Government Reform, I 
rise today in support of H.R. 1822. This post office designation 
introduced by the distinguished gentlewoman from California (Ms. 
Watson), also a member of the committee, honors one of the earliest 
Korean American leaders of our Nation, Dosan Ahn Chang Ho. Each of the 
other 52 members of the California congressional delegation has also 
cosponsored the legislation, which I think in itself is worthy of 
mention.
  Ahn Chang Ho emigrated to San Francisco from Korea in 1902. After 
Japan colonized Korea in 1910, Ahn Chang Ho traveled around the world 
to pull together financial and political opposition to Japan's imperial 
rule in Korea, and that lasted until the end of World War II. In 
addition to fighting for Korean freedom, Ahn Chang Ho worked hard here 
in the United States to establish schools, social organizations, and 
job-training programs for Korean Americans in California.
  In 1932, the Japanese arrested Ahn Chang Ho in Shanghai, China, and 
accused him of a bombing incident in which he was not involved. He was 
taken to prison and ultimately died at a Korean hospital in 1938.
  Mr. Speaker, Dosan Ahn Chang Ho was an extremely important political 
leader and educator and a humanitarian for people in the United States 
and Korea at the beginning of the 20th century. Therefore, I am pleased 
that the House is considering H.R. 1822. I commend the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Watson) for her work.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, as a Member of the House Government Reform Committee, I 
am pleased to join my colleague in the consideration of H.R. 1822, 
legislation naming the postal facility in Los Angeles, California, 
after the honorable Dosan Ahn Chang Ho. This measure, which was 
introduced by the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Watson) on April 11, 
2003, was unanimously reported by our committee on April 1, 2004. It 
enjoys the support and cosponsorship of the entire California 
delegation.
  Mr. Ahn was emigrated from Korea in 1902. He moved to San Francisco 
with his new wife. While en route to America, Mr. Ahn resolved to stand 
tall above the sea of turmoil existing at that time in Korea and to 
call himself Dosan, which means Island Mountain.
  While living in San Francisco, Dosan organized and guided the Koreans 
living in the area to form the first Korean American community. Two 
years later, he moved with his family to Riverside, California, and 
again worked tirelessly to unite and organize Korean Americans. He 
established the first English school for Koreans and formed a 
cooperative association which later became the basis for the Korean 
National Association. Years later, Mr. Ahn served as president of that 
association.
  Nine years later in 1913, Dosan Ahn Chang Ho moved to Los Angeles and 
again played a significant role in the growth of the Korean American 
community in that city. In Los Angeles, he founded the Hung Sa Dahn, 
the Young Korean Academy. Mr. Ahn is credited with helping to relieve 
the blighted living conditions of his fellow Korean Americans and 
became the spiritual leader of the Korean Independence Movement.
  Except for a brief 2-year return to the United States, Mr. Ahn then 
went to Shanghai to establish the Korean provisional government. He was 
a devoted independence fighter in China until his death in 1938.
  Mr. Speaker, I commend my friend and colleague, the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Watson), for seeking to honor the spiritual and 
humanitarian legacy of Dosan. His efforts to assist, organize, and lift 
up the Korean community in California were noble indeed. Naming a 
postal facility in Los Angeles after this great man is recognition of 
all his work on behalf of Korean Americans, and all Koreans.
  I urge the swift adoption of this measure.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support 
H.R. 1822, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Miller) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1822.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of 
those present have voted in the affirmative.
  Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and 
nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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