[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 132 (Wednesday, November 17, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H9883-H9889]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CELEBRATING 35-YEAR CONGRESSIONAL CAREER OF THE HONORABLE PHILIP M.
CRANE OF ILLINOIS
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Beauprez). Under the Speaker's announced
policy of January 7, 2003, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Manzullo)
is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
General Leave
Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material on the subject of my special order
today.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Illinois?
There was no objection.
Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Speaker, it is a real honor to be able to honor my
close friend Phil Crane, my neighbor, a person with whom I share one of
our counties, and others are here to do the same thing. I will reserve
my remarks for later.
First I would like to recognize the gentleman from Indiana (Mr.
Pence).
(Mr. PENCE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. PENCE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr.
Manzullo) for leading this special order tonight that I expect will be
well attended as we celebrate 35 years of principled, conservative
leadership on Capitol Hill.
I have scarcely been in this institution 4 years, Mr. Speaker. The
very thought of arriving at a place 31 years from now in my career and
still enjoying a reputation for integrity to principle, for personal
integrity that Congressman Phil Crane enjoys is a lodestar for me. I
rise today to speak on behalf of the gentleman from Illinois. I spoke
today as the new incoming chairman of the Republican Study Committee, a
96-member caucus of the House of Representatives, with one of our new
freshmen who, when I spoke to her about our plans for this evening,
said that one of the great thrills of her life 10 years ago in
Washington State at the Republican convention as a brand new freshman
member of the State legislature was a chance to introduce Phil Crane,
the keynote speaker at the Washington State Republican convention. She
was thrilled at the thought of being able to spend however few days in
the same Congress and call Phil Crane a colleague.
I rise today to make sure that the Congressional Record remembers
this principled, conservative man for who he was in totality.
Congressman Phil Crane was first elected to Congress in a special
election held in November of 1969 to fill a vacancy created by the
resignation of another noteworthy Illinoisan by the name of Donald
Rumsfeld who has gone on to other productive ventures for his Nation.
Phil Crane was born on November 3, 1930, the second of five children.
His father, Dr. George Crane, was the author of a nationally syndicated
newspaper column entitled ``Worry Clinic'' which ran in papers for over
40 years. His mother, Cora, reared their children on Chicago's south
side where my own family grew up. Crane received his bachelor's degree
from Hillsdale College in Michigan, and with that pedigree, after
college, he served in the United States military from 1954 to 1956. He
continued his education in history by earning a master's and a
doctorate degree from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. The
career and the life and the legacy of Phil Crane, or Dr. Crane as we
like to call him, continues to be a source of enormous pride for
Hoosiers.
After graduation, Dr. Crane served as a professor at both Indiana
University and Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois. He also served
as the director of schools at Westminster Academy in
[[Page H9884]]
Northbrook, Illinois. Crane also has received three honorary
doctorates. In his career, he has authored three books: The Democrats'
Dilemma, in 1964; Surrender in Panama, in 1978; and The Sum of Good
Government, a classic tome in conservative circles, published in 1976.
He married his wife, Arlene Catherine Johnson, on 14 February 1959.
The Cranes have eight children and six grandchildren. In 1997, the
Crane family lost Rachel at age 31 following a long battle against non-
Hodgkin's disease lymphoma but is blessed by an abundant family that
remains.
Crane also serves as a trustee for Hillsdale College, as a member of
the Board of Directors of the Ashbrook Center, as a director of the
Intercollegiate Studies Institute, and an advisor to the Young
Americans for Freedom. In short, Mr. Speaker, it is impossible to move
around even briefly in the landscape of American conservatism or in the
American intellectual conservative movement without crossing the shadow
and experiencing the wake and wash of the career of Congressman Phil
Crane. There will be others who will speak about his vice chairmanship
of the House Ways and Means Committee, his extraordinary work as a
leader expanding the markets all over the globe for American trade and,
of course, his extraordinary leadership on taxes.
I choose to focus what remains of my comments tonight, Mr. Speaker,
on Congressman Phil Crane as a conservative leader. As I said, again, I
am the incoming chairman of the largest caucus in the House of
Representatives. It is known as the House Republican Study Committee.
The relationship of that to Phil Crane is personal and poignant because
it was in 1974, as a relatively new Member of Congress, that
Congressman Phil Crane started the Republican Study Committee. And in
many respects, as a book written by Ed Feulner, now president of the
Heritage Foundation, the most influential conservative think tank in
the English-speaking world, as that book indicates, it was the
Republican Study Committee that in so many ways created the environment
where the ultimate election of Ronald Reagan in 1980 was made more
possible and ultimately the Republican revolution manifested itself
with the takeover of this institution by a Republican majority
governing from a mainstream conservative agenda that was first
advocated by a young Congressman Phil Crane when he started the
Republican Study Committee in 1974.
In fact, as evidence of his impact on the conservative movement, the
very first staff level executive director of the Republican Study
Committee was the same aforementioned Dr. Ed Feulner who has gone on to
lead the Heritage Foundation and himself become an extraordinary leader
in our movement.
Phil Crane first became active and well known in conservative circles
actually earlier in his life, in the 1960s. He campaigned heavily for
Barry Goldwater in 1964, and after his election, he became one of the
most sought after conservative speakers in the country. It was not just
his dashing good looks. It was the soundness of his thinking,
advocating free-market values, limited government and traditional moral
values with courage and fierceness and compassion.
As I mentioned, he later founded the Republican Study Committee, was
involved in other conservative organizations like the American
Conservative Union, Americans for Sound Foreign Policy, the Free
Congress Foundation, just to name a few. Fearful that Ronald Reagan
would not repeat his effort to run for President as 1980 approached,
Congressman Phil Crane announced in late 1978 his intent to seek the
nomination for President of the United States. I will never forget the
evening sitting on the House floor when Congressman Crane told me the
story of that night. He said, ``We all just figured that one day
Governor Reagan would look at Nancy and say, `I think, Mommy, we should
just go and retire to the ranch.' '' Ronald Reagan and history had
different intentions, but as he has always been throughout his career,
Phil Crane was ready to stand in the gap. And when Ronald Reagan made
his candidacy a reality, Phil Crane stayed in the race to honor his
delegates from Illinois who had supported their favorite son, but he
was one of the strongest supporters of President Reagan in 1980,
enabling and assisting in his election and also being one of the great
champions of the Reagan revolution from the minority here on Capitol
Hill.
I close with simply a personal reflection. As I shared at several
venues since learning that Congressman Crane was not returning to
participate in the 109th Congress, I reflected on the fact that as a
new conservative in the House of Representatives over the last 2 years,
I have made it my practice just a few feet from where I am standing
during the course of long votes to sit to the right hand of Phil Crane.
I have joked many nights as the gentleman knows about wanting to sit on
the Phil Crane commemorative row. I did it out of affection. I did it
out of admiration, and frankly, I did it out of a deep desire in the 2
years that we served, these past 2 and the 4 in totality, to learn as
much as I possibly could from this man.
My only consolation, as Congressman Phil Crane goes on to be private
citizen Phil Crane and no doubt in many respects will become, I
suspect, with his newer and freer schedule an even wider influence in
American conservatism and, we hope, a more prolific author than he has
been in the last 15 years, my hope is however long I serve in this
Congress that I will ever do so at the right hand of Phil Crane; that
however long I serve here, that I will be guided by his example of
courage, of integrity, of decency and of fealty to conservative
principles.
In so many ways, when we talk of the Reagan revolution, and we
rightly credit Ronald Reagan, but I suspect if the President were able
to speak tonight and he would if he could, were he still among us, I
suspect he would rise to say that one of the great generals in the
field who won the hearts and minds of the American people by renewing
our Nation, bringing us back to the ideals of our Founders, he would
rise and extol the 35-year career of principled, conservative
leadership that we celebrate tonight in the life and work and service
of Congressman Phil Crane.
Mr. MANZULLO. I recognize the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Shimkus).
Mr. SHIMKUS. I thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Manzullo) for
arranging this special order. It is an important time to say thanks to
a friend who has been helpful to me and one whom I have gotten to know
and appreciate serving together.
As I have said earlier this evening, one of the great benefits of
being elected to Congress is to say, ``Gosh, Phil Crane's my colleague.
I work with him.'' I appreciate that. That is one of the great benefits
we have.
Phil, as has been said, was elected to Congress in 1969 to replace
Donald Rumsfeld. He is currently the longest-serving Republican Member
in the House of Representatives.
Phil, you will be sorely missed.
During Phil's 35 years in Congress, he worked tirelessly to reform
our Nation's tax system and expand free trade around the world. Whether
it has been to reduce the taxes employers pay or lower the tax burden
on hardworking Americans or to expand markets for our Nation's
manufacturers and, being from southern Illinois, my farmers, Phil has
been a champion for the American taxpayer.
As a leader in the House on trade issues, Phil has authored
legislation signed into law to open trade barriers for countries in
Africa and the Caribbean, led the fight to grant China normal trading
relations and helped expand duty-free trade with the Andean nations of
Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia. In recent years, Congressman Crane
has shepherded other major trade policies to successful passage in
Congress, and we all know that is not always easy to do. We say it as
if it is easy, but it is not, including the 1994 General Agreement on
Tariffs and Trade and the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Prior to Congress, Phil served in the Army and was a professor at a
number of colleges. He has always fought the fight for smaller
government, and he has written books on the subject and has voted to
reduce the size of government every chance he has gotten. Some believe
that Phil is a vanishing breed, but I think that Phil will find out
tonight, as was said so eloquently by Mike Pence and I am sure others,
that
[[Page H9885]]
there is a shadow cast on the conservative movement, a wake, a wash,
these are great terms, that will have the ideas and values of Phil
Crane live on long after your official departure from the Chamber.
{time} 2030
But I will say one thing. The gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Crane)
will be sorely missed in this Chamber. It has been an honor to serve
with him over the last eight years, as I said before, as a friend and a
mentor, helpful in my campaign, being another Illinoisan.
I would like to thank him and his wife Arlene, who has always been by
his side. And because he has been helpful to me, I want to thank her
for allowing him to spend some time with me away from the family.
Few people know that there were actually three presidential
candidates from Illinois in the 1980 presidential race: Ronald Reagan,
John Anderson, and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Crane). For those
people who thought President Reagan was the true conservative, the
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Crane) actually ran to the right of him.
The people of Northern Illinois should be proud to have had a man like
the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Crane) serving them in Congress, and
we in Congress are proud to have him here. I thank him.
Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Maryland
(Mr. Bartlett).
Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Crane), a dear personal friend and a great
servant to our country and the United States Congress. I am joined
tonight in this historic Chamber of the United States House of
Representatives in our Nation's Capitol by many colleagues of the 108th
Congress. We are all trying to do what is impossible. We want to share
with those who listen and with posterity a glimpse of the extraordinary
accomplishments of the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Crane) as an
individual and as a legislator.
The gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Crane) is a giant. In 40 years of
participating in the political life of our country, his ideas, energy
and leadership contributed structure, muscle and heart to the
ascendancy of conservative philosophy and a Republican majority in the
United States Congress. Could this change have been envisioned without
the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Crane)? I doubt it. Could this change
have occurred without the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Crane)? I doubt
it.
This giant on the American political stage was a mentor and became a
friend to me very quickly after I was sworn in as a Member of Congress
in January of 1993 as a 66-year-old freshman. That is when I came to
know him. This is where I can offer my personal tribute to him.
Indeed, I knew of him and admired him many years before that. I can
remember in 1980, in meeting with personal friends and conservatives,
when we mentioned the conservative movement and we were looking for an
icon, someone who really represented that movement, it was the
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Crane). I had never seen him. I had never
met him. But I knew him through my many friends who had admired him for
a number of years before I became politically interested.
And then the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Crane) came more than 13
years ago when I was running for Congress. I did not have a chance of
winning, but he came anyhow, and he came to a little local town, and he
did a fundraiser for me. So I am here partly because of the gentleman
from Illinois (Mr. Crane) and his confidence in me.
For many years here I attended every Wednesday afternoon the ACORNS
meetings in his office. What a privilege and an opportunity to meet
there some of the Members of Congress, the House and the Senate, who
had gone on before and all of the history that they shared, and I
remember fondly all of those ACORNS meetings in the gentleman from
Illinois's (Mr. Crane's) big office, and he had an enviable office here
in the Congress. He deserved it. He had been here longer than any other
Republican Member of the House.
America is different because of the gentleman from Illinois (Mr.
Crane). The most influential think tank in our Nation was started by a
protege of the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Crane), the Heritage
Foundation. His shadow and his legacy is very long indeed. This House
will not be the same without the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Crane).
My heart has missed a number of friends that I have made here in this
House, but I will tell my colleagues I will most fondly remember and
most intensely miss my friendship with the gentleman from Illinois (Mr.
Crane). He is indeed a giant. I thank him very much for his service to
his country and for his friendship to me.
Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr.
Hayworth).
Mr. HAYWORTH. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman, chairman of the
Committee on Small Business, for yielding to me and the chance to again
repeat that I hail from the State of Arizona; Arizona and Illinois,
with a great symbiotic relationship that extends beyond spring
training. I was talking to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Lipinski),
who likewise will leave the Chamber coming up, and we honor his
service. And he talked about coming out to be able to watch the White
Sox and the Cubs unfettered by the contingencies of the congressional
calendar.
Mr. Speaker, I obviously get emotional when I think about the
friendship and the example of the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Crane).
There have been those who have preceded me in the well who have spoken
of the gentleman from Illinois' (Mr. Crane) impressive resume, of the
fact that he arrived here as a new Member of Congress to succeed our
current Secretary of Defense Don Rumsfeld in 1969, the year which man
finally walked on the moon, and at that time, the prevailing sentiment
within the body politic was that conservative ideals were almost as
distant as the moon to the here and now. And yet the cheerful
persistence of this great and good man from the land of Lincoln,
offering a clear, constructive example of free minds and free markets
and a foreign policy built on freedom was an example day in and day out
in this Chamber.
The gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Crane), a historian, a professor, a
citizen, a congressman, a presidential candidate; but always a
catalyst, a catalyst for conservatism, an agent for change, yes, only
in the sense that change would understand what it is in the American
character that made us great, that continues to make us great.
My friend from Illinois (Mr. Shimkus) preceded me in the well, as did
my friend from Maryland (Mr. Bartlett). They spoke of 1980, and how I
remember that year as a senior in North Carolina State University with
more than a casual interest in politics, mindful that in that year no
fewer than three Members of the people's House aspired to leave the
legislative branch to serve as our chief executive, our friends Jack
Kemp of New York and John B. Anderson of Illinois and the gentleman
from Illinois (Mr. Crane), likewise of the land of Lincoln. And as I
have shared with the gentleman from Illinois (Chairman Crane), I
remember full well his opening statement in the debate in the Iowa
Caucus where he quoted Frederick Douglas and how Frederick Douglas
said, ``I am a Republican and I will remain a Republican because of the
triumph of freedom and the opportunities that this country
represents.''
And, yes, we think of conservative leaders, and we think of Arizona's
favorite son, Barry Goldwater, for whom the gentleman from Illinois
(Mr. Crane) worked tirelessly, and we think of Ronald Reagan. And we
understand also the seemingly insurmountable challenges that confront a
Member of the people's House who would aspire to an address down
Pennsylvania Avenue. Indeed, history records that only one among us,
only one sitting Member of Congress was elected from this Chamber to
serve in the executive mansion, James A. Garfield of Ohio, in 1888.
But perhaps the lesson is best told by another historical name, John
Quincy Adams, who followed his father, John Adams, our second
President, into the White House in later years, but who, upon losing a
bid for reelection, returned home to Massachusetts. And then the people
of Braintree came to him and said, ``Mr. President, would you run for
Congress?'' And so John Quincy Adams, former President of the United
States, ran for and was elected
[[Page H9886]]
to this institution where he served to the end of his days. And what he
said upon that election I think is a sentiment shared by all of us but
especially by our good friend whom we honor tonight. Quoting
Congressman John Quincy Adams, ``There is no greater honor than serving
in the people's House.'' And as I see my friend nod in agreement, I
know through 3\1/2\ decades of public service that truth has been
reaffirmed. And for the citizens of the land of Lincoln who sent our
friend here, beginning in 1969, time and again, we say thank you.
And to our friend, as I look at this color scheme, I am so glad
because I remember the button. It was the reverse of this, ``Phil Crane
for President.'' Now we say ``Phil Crane for Citizen,'' in a land
without title, without distinction, without peerage. The most honored
title is not President, is not congressman. It is citizen.
So, Mr. Speaker, to our good friend, to his bride, Arlene, to a
remarkable family that has lived the American Dream, we say, ``Thank
you, Citizen Crane,'' for what he has done, but more importantly what
he is going to do. There is a reality that many of us fail to recognize
and embrace, and it is that life continues. There is a life after
Congress, and that life is found with friends and family and fellow
citizens and an advocacy that never leaves us though we may leave the
well of this House, though we may surrender a voting card in this
Chamber. There is always the advocacy and the poetic justice of eternal
vigilance and continued involvement in a constitutional republic, and
that is the gift that the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Crane) over 3\1/
2\ decades fought to preserve. That is the gift that he will continue
to enjoy as he leaves this Chamber. And regardless of political
affiliation tonight, that is what we recognize, and that is what we
celebrate.
One closing purely personal note.
{time} 2045
It has been said that the true measure of a man is how he treats not
those born to great wealth or those who enjoy great titles, but how he
treats small children. I will never forget when our middle daughter,
Hannah, was much younger. Mr. Speaker, for purposes of full disclosure,
I should point out that sometimes Mary and I believe we should lobby
Dr. Dobson to put Hannah on the cover of the next edition of ``The
Strong-Willed Child,'' and I hope that Hannah will forgive me for that
candor tonight. But Hannah has a vivacious, rambunctious personality,
and her favorite Member in her first trip to the floor when she really
understood this place was one Phil Crane who would say, well, there is
Hannah Banana, what are you doing? And in that gentle, easygoing way of
a man blessed with a great family who understands girls and understands
children, there Phil Crane, right here on Crane's Row in the people's
House, would put a little girl at ease and enchant her and charm her
with no great theories of government, but just an easygoing style that
said, honey, I am your friend. You come visit with me.
He has been a friend of the people from the land of Lincoln. He has
been a friend to this country. He remains one of the foremost founders
of the modern conservative movement. His works have inspired so many,
but more than his writings, it has been his call to arms. How many sit
back, how many offer the dogma and the doctrine on the printed page and
yet fail to have the courage to step into the arena. Theodore Roosevelt
wrote to the man in the arena. Phil Crane has been that man in the
arena.
I thank my friend, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Manzullo), for
the time; and I thank Philip Crane for his service.
Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California
(Mr. Dreier).
Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend from Arizona (Mr.
Hayworth) for his thoughtful and very emotional eloquence. I have to
say that just as was the case for the gentleman from Arizona (Mr.
Hayworth), Phil Crane has been an inspiration to me for a long period
of time.
I recalled, hearing some of the things that the gentleman from
Arizona (Mr. Hayworth) was saying, some of the experiences that we all
had in observing Phil Crane when he was a Presidential candidate, some
of those great events that took place, like that debate. And while the
gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Hayworth) was quoting some of the Framers,
it immediately came to mind one of the Framers who was quoted by Mr.
Crane in one of those debates.
After I saw him in that debate in 1980, I committed to memory the
Thomas Jefferson quote, because in fact, one of Phil's many volumes has
centered around that quote. It was Thomas Jefferson who we often like
to say was the founder of the Democratic Party, but he clearly outlined
what was the real role of government when he said in his first
inaugural address in March of 1801, he said, ``My fellow citizens, a
wise and frugal government shall restrain men from injuring one another
and shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of
industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor
the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government.''
And those last words are the title of one of Phil's volumes. There
have been so many great things that Phil has done as a Member of this
body and as a Presidential candidate.
I was talking just a few minutes ago to our staff director on the
Committee on Rules, Billy Pitts, and I told him I was coming over here
to talk about Phil. And Billy Pitts immediately said to me, he said,
Phil is a decent man and a fine man. And I have to say that I have
never in my life met a nicer, more decent human being than Phil Crane.
I have had countless experiences with him, traveling internationally
and spending time together here with Arlene and Phil. And this whole
notion of being one of the real, over the last several decades, leaders
in the conservative movement, I cannot help but think about this cause
of freedom. I know that it is often a controversial issue around here.
We have pointed to the fact that as Republicans we totally subscribe to
this view of freedom, and we talk about the interdependence of
political freedom and economic freedom, and that interdependence is
something that is very important to note.
Phil has been in the forefront, long before he got into this
Congress, for the issue of free trade. I continue to this day to use
Phil as my model, and I say what one of our former colleagues, Sam
Gibbons, often said. He referred to himself as a blind free trader. And
Phil and I are both blind free traders. We had a tendency to harass a
couple of our colleagues, one present colleague, one former colleague,
the late Gerald Solomon, my predecessor on the Committee on Rules, and
we would refer to the Tariff Act, the Smoot-Holly Tariff Act of the
1930s, and we referred to Jerry Solomon as ``Smoot Solomon'' and Duncan
Hunter, my California colleague, as ``Hunter Holly.'' Because
unfortunately, not everyone in the Republican Party embraces this free
trade position. But even when it has been unpopular, Phil has
championed it.
I think about the lead that he has provided in ensuring that we blast
our Western values into repressive societies around the world, like the
People's Republic of China. Phil has always been at the forefront in
our pursuit of what was Most Favored Nation status and ultimately
permanent normal trade relations. If we look at what has taken place
today with the kind of political liberalization which is on the rise;
no one is an apologist in the government of the People's Republic of
China, but the political liberalization which has followed the economic
liberalization, and Phil Crane has been at the forefront for decades of
that cause of ensuring that we get economic freedom to as many people
in the world as possible. That is why when we look at the prospect of
Phil's retirement, we think about the wonderful things that he has
done, inspiring Americans, and he has also done it all over the world.
On repeated occasions we have been together in Latin America as we
pursued what was Ronald Reagan's vision that he outlined on November 6
of 1979 when he announced his candidacy for President of the United
States, and he envisaged this accord of free trade among all of the
Americas. Right now we are in pursuit, as President Bush wants, of this
free trade area of the Americas. We also know that we have just been
able to see the benefits of things that Phil worked on for a long
[[Page H9887]]
period of time when we put into place a free trade agreement with
Australia. We have had the chance to visit there with Phil and Arlene
and others in our delegation that Phil led there to talk about the need
for us to make sure that we create even greater economic opportunity in
our country.
Phil is someone who understands that trade is a win-win-win all the
way around. We know that some people obviously are displaced, and we
know that it is a challenge. My friend from Illinois (Mr. Manzullo) has
talked with us regularly about this. But I do believe passionately that
creating greater economic opportunity for people here in the United
States and other parts of the world helps us in dealing with everything
from simply enhancing the quality of life and the standard of living
for peoples, but also in dealing with this global war on terrorism.
Because when one thinks about what it is that has led to terrorism, a
part of it, not totally, but an important part of it happens to be the
fact that there are societies that are economically devastated. I was
talking a few months ago to someone in the Pentagon who said, just
think about it, if we had a percentage or two of greater economic
growth in Afghanistan or Pakistan, that clearly would have diminished
the kind of threat that existed, because people are seeking economic
opportunity. So Phil has done that.
Then, of course, there is, as has been mentioned, the very important
human side to Phil Crane, and that is why when I mentioned Billy
Pitts's statement about Phil being a decent man and a kind man, I
listened to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Hayworth) talk about his
daughter, Hannah, and I think about all of the young children who come
in here. It is rare that you see someone have the great interaction
with children and young people the way Phil Crane interacts with young
people.
That is why I will join in saying that his leaving this great
institution will create a void, a void for the institution itself,
because he has regularly stood right here in this well and here in the
House of Representatives fighting for his deeply rooted principles.
This is one of the things that is so impressive, is that Phil has
always stood by those principles, no matter what. And I think that that
is something that is to be admired.
Mr. Speaker, the Burkean view of representative government is one
that I think is very important, and Phil has always followed that edict
of Edmond Burke, the Father of Conservatism, a member of the British
Parliament who, a couple of hundred years ago made it clear; more than
that, in fact, he made it very clear that he believed passionately that
a representative owes his judgment to his constituents. That is why
those core beliefs of Phil Crane's have always come out in his
speeches, in his actions, in his votes, and in the legislation that he
has pursued.
That kind of model is one that will continue to be there for me. It
will continue to be there because as I cast votes, as I talk about
issues, as I think about formulating positions, I will be doing
everything that I can to continue to try and follow that great model
that Phil Crane has provided.
I thank my friend for yielding. I will say that it is going to be a
very, very difficult time for a lot of us seeing Phil leave and seeing
Arlene depart as well. But I will say that his spirit will still be
alive and well in the greatest deliberative body known to man.
Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the man of the hour, the
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Crane).
Mr. CRANE. Mr. Speaker, let me thank all of my colleagues, but I want
to start with my distinguished neighbor, the gentleman from Illinois
(Mr. Manzullo). The gentleman was a dynamic freshman 12 years ago. I
remember when he arrived here and we were impressed with his
performance then, but it has escalated through the years. He plays a
very important leadership role. But to host this event and to listen to
these tributes paid by my dear and close friends through the years here
in the House is truly moving.
Mr. Speaker, my colleague from Indiana erred; we just had our seventh
grandchild yesterday, so we are up to seven. My wife, Arlene, and I had
eight to begin with, and that to me was a good start, but I am pleased
that she is here tonight, especially to have the opportunity to hear
these tributes paid by colleagues that have been very moving to me. I
cannot express my appreciation enough.
One of the things that I reflect on most about my years of service in
this body is the personal relationships, and it is that feeling of
trust and confidence and the commitment of colleagues to basic
principles that I have felt are critically important in the service
that we perform here.
I have done things consistently along a path that I believe in.
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I have embraced politically all the years I have served, and I know
that sometimes constituents do not always believe with those things,
but at least I have been predictable. Being predictable along certain
lines that I embrace based on our history, and I say that as a former
history professor, I think are fundamental values that all of us should
be embracing, and that is a commitment to limited constitutional
government. It is a commitment to free enterprise and the growth of our
economy. It is a commitment to a strong national defense. It is a
commitment to advancing free trade.
One of the things that I pointed out when I was teaching is, as the
gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier) focused on, is the importance of
free trade. To me, it has done more to advance civilized values than
anything else in the span of recorded history. And I think that
personal contact that the gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier)
focused on, especially with China, that personal contact with people,
and they get the opportunity to see that there is a better way to live
and that a better way to live is advancing those free institutions,
that we have been in the vanguard of advancing and promoting here in
the United States in the span of recorded history and we will continue
to do.
I want to focus on one other point that one of our Founding Fathers
noted, and that is that the history of liberty is the history of
limitation of governmental power, never the increase of it. When we
resist concentration of governmental power, we are resisting the powers
of death, for the destruction of human liberty has ever been preceded
by concentration of governmental power.
All of us have a responsibility in this Chamber and in the other
Chamber as well to make sure that we seek to guarantee that we are
living within our means, that government is limited in its intrusion
into our lives, and simultaneously we are providing the greatest
opportunities imaginable for individuals to realize the fulfillment of
their talents and ambitions.
I commend my colleagues on our side of the aisle, but I commend some
on the other side of the aisle, too, who have joined in this effort. I
salute them, and I am going to miss all of you. The personal
relationships that I have developed have been very moving to me. Saying
good-bye is something that I am not going to do because I do not plan
to say good-bye to you folks. I hope that we can continue to stay in
touch.
I have no idea what I will do with the remainder of my life, but my
birthday was the day after the election, and I told my wife at the time
that my defeat may have been God's birthday present. It may have been
an opportunity to get back and relax and reflect and decide what I
would like to do yet in the remaining time I have and simultaneously
try and continue to make positive contributions. I have talents that
are in this Chamber, and we heard a lot of those talents tonight, that
can continue to carry on that cause here on the House floor. I will try
to help in any way that I can in the time I have remaining.
I will only conclude by saying that I have cherished this
opportunity, and I cannot tell my colleagues enough how much I have
enjoyed our personal relationships through the years in working on
objectives that I have cherished. I will continue to try and maintain
personal contact with you. I just want to say God bless you all and God
bless this institution and the United States of America. It is in good
hands. Bless you all.
Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Speaker, the honor of being elected to Congress is
distinct, singular, as the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Hayworth) so
eloquently stated. But I never thought in
[[Page H9888]]
my life I would have the opportunity to serve with Phil Crane. There
are big shadows in the Illinois delegation, the gentleman from Illinois
(Mr. Hyde), the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hastert), and Phil Crane.
Mom was living when I was elected to Congress in 1992, and I think
that one of reasons she was so excited when I was elected is the fact
that she would have the opportunity to meet Phil Crane and talk to him
on a regular basis.
I first met Phil when I was given the distinction of being awarded
the Freedom Foundation Award. The Freedom Foundation is out of Valley
Forge, Pennsylvania. The note that came with that was I could have
somebody present this to me. I said, oh, my goodness gracious. I called
Phil, and I said, Would you do me the honor of giving me this award? It
was as if I needed an excuse to get in to talk to him.
I drove over to I believe it was Arlington Heights. I have got this
picture. We were thinner, younger and had darker hair back then; and I
keep that. It is on the refrigerator held by magnets that say
``Manzullo for Congress, 1992,'' in a place of great prominence.
I came here in 1992, actually, January of 1993, and he would ask me a
simple question, Now, can you tell me the constitutional basis for that
bill?
We do not talk about that anymore. We get tied up in so many issues.
People do not talk about the underpinnings of liberty. Members do not
get together and have discussions about what the Founders would do.
The sense of history of this place often becomes chewed up by the
exogenous of the issues. And yet to this man from the 8th district of
Illinois who defied logic in getting elected to Congress, I guess I
share that same with him, no one ever thought I would be here. He has
always understood how important history is. It makes us who we are. I
read when Phil's dad wrote those articles in the newspaper for years. I
always read those articles, always heard of Phil Crane.
I was the chairman of Young Americans for Freedom at American
University here in Washington, D.C., and he was making noise then as a
professor before he was elected to Congress. Then throughout law school
and before I was elected to Congress and after, of course, he would
always associate the sea change in America, the thinking of this
country with getting back to roots of free enterprise to somebody
called Phil Crane, eternally a professor, always the pedagogue, to me a
personal mentor.
The manufacturers in this country who struggle have Phil Crane to
thank for setting the template that lowers the taxes of everybody who
manufactures in this country so that we can keep jobs here and be more
competitive.
The other side of the coin that says free trade is fair trade, Phil
always believed in that, too. In fact, he would say things such as,
``Corporations do not pay taxes. They collect them.''
It took me a while to understand what he was talking about, but what
he was saying is it is the consumer that is going to pay the tax in the
increased price of the product that the corporations would be
collecting from them. No one has ever said that except Phil Crane,
because he has always understood that the ultimate power in this
republic is in the heart of the people who live here. It is the people
who started the revolution in 1776. It is the people to whom government
must be accountable, that every individual has worth, deep worth, self-
worth, value.
I recall another time when I was running in the primary in 1992, I
went to see Phil at a town meeting in Nunda Township in McHenry County.
He very adroitly had scheduled that just as the bingo game ended for
the senior citizens at that township, and as Phil came in the door
everybody stood up. I said, wow, do they respect this man.
For about 20 minutes, without notes, he talked about the issues of
the day, how they impacted the people he represented. The people would
nod in agreement, and some of them got up and asked a question, and he
would always be very responsive. If the person disagreed with what he
had to say, Phil would smile and with this huge heart, embracing the
fact that everybody is important and everybody has great worth, he
would say, I welcome the fact that you disagree with me. Now, let me
give you an explanation of why that is.
Where do you find people like this? How many institutions are left in
America? How many walking history books are left? How many authors on
their feet, mentoring Members of Congress and ask questions such as, do
you think government should be this big? Why have we gotten here? Is
there really a constitutional basis for what you are trying to do?
Sitting in the Crane role, the role of significance, he would ponder
this place and his 35 years of distinct service and look around at all
these young people and place himself in that position and have a sense
of envy on his face that if he could exchange bodies and take with him
that great mind, how magnificent he would be and even more respected by
his colleagues.
You do not find people like that. They are just not there any more.
Who are the people that remember the greatness of America? Who are the
people that take the time to share the basis of the Constitution? Who
talks about liberty anymore? Who talks about freedom?
Phil's legacy is that his insistence on constitutional government, on
the principles of freedom, on the integrity of the individual, the
wholesomeness of life, of the honesty of one's word, of a principled
devotion to this Chamber. Where do you find people like Phil Crane?
Phil will officially be gone when this Congress ends, but his shadow,
his influence, his love for me as a person who overcame insurmountable
odds to get elected to Congress, who is this guy from Egan, Illinois,
population 42, who never held office before?
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He had never held office before and he could always relate to him
because he had never held office before, and no one ever gave him a
chance of being elected to Congress. He is my brother, he is my friend,
he is my teacher, he is my mentor.
His words will always ring in my ears, and though I will not see his
face every day, his spirit is impressed upon this place, and I am a
better man because of him.
Thank you, Phil. God bless you and thank you for your service to
America.
Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to take this opportunity to pay
tribute to my friend and colleague Phil Crane. During his 35 years in
Congress, Phil has been one of the House's most consistent defenders of
low taxes, free-markets, limited government, and individual liberty. I
count myself among the numerous elected officials and activists in the
free-market movement who have been inspired by his example.
As a conservative professor, author, and activist, Phil was already a
nationally known conservative leader before he ran for Congress. Two of
his books, ``The Democrat's Dilemma'' and ``The Sum of Good
Government'' stand out as conservative classics that educated and
motivated many conservative activists. Among the attributes that have
made Phil a hero to the free-market movement is his understanding of
sound economics. Phil is one of the few members of Congress who is well
versed in the teachings of great free-market teachers such as Ludwig
von Misses. This country would be much better off if more
representatives understood economics as well as Phil Crane.
When Phil Crane came to Congress in the late sixties, there were only
a handful of members supporting free-markets. This was a time when a
``conservative'' President imposed wage and price controls and
``conservative'' Representatives and Senators called for balancing the
budget with tax increases rather than spending cuts. Thanks in large
part to Phil's effort; the political and intellectual climate of the
Nation became more receptive to free-market ideas. Phil's work with
groups such as the American Conservative Union, the Free Congress
Foundation, and the Republican Study Committee, which he founded,
played a major role in growing the movement for individual liberty.
Phil's service as an advisor to Young Americans for Freedom and as a
director of the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, Hillsdale College,
and the Ashbrook Center helped inspire new generations of young people
to become active in the movement for liberty.
When I came to Congress in the seventies to fight to limit the size
and scope of the Federal Government, I was pleased to find a kindred
spirit in the gentleman from Illinois. I had the privilege of working
with Phil on several efforts to cut taxes, reduce regulations, and
return the Government to its constitutional
[[Page H9889]]
size. I also had the privilege of working with Phil when we where two
of only four members to endorse Ronald Reagan's 1976 primary challenge
to President Gerald Ford.
As the number of representatives committed to free-markets and low
taxes increased, Phil's status as a congressional leader and
accomplished legislator grew. Thanks in large part to Phil's
leadership; Congress has provided tax relief to American families and
businesses during each of the last 4 years.
As his distinguished congressional career draws to a close, I hope
all who value free-markets, individual liberty, and limited government
will join me in thanking Phil Crane for his work on behalf of freedom.
Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to our
colleague Phil Crane, who will be leaving this hallowed institution
after nearly 35 years of service to his constituents in Illinois and
the citizens of the United States. I honor him as a patriot, a public
servant, and a friend.
The longest-serving Republican in the House of Representatives, Phil
Crane championed conservative ideals before it was popular to do so,
and he continues to be a leader to which many Members turn for
guidance. As a former college professor and published author, he always
brings thoughtful opinions and ideas to the table. Supporters of free
trade certainly owe him a debt of gratitude. The institutional
knowledge and prosperity for policy he exhibits demonstrate that he is
truly a legislator.
Phil also is a devoted husband to Arlene, a father and grandfather.
My wife Evelyn and I have had the privilege of entertaining the Cranes
in my Florida congressional district on a couple of occasions. Both of
us will miss Phil and Arlene as this chapter of their lives draws to a
close.
Mr. Speaker, it is fitting that we take time today to honor our
friend and colleague. May God bless you, Phil, as you and Arlene pursue
new dreams and challenges throughout the coming years.
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