[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 82 (Wednesday, June 3, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H6084-H6087]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1045
                FREDERIC REMINGTON POST OFFICE BUILDING

  Mr. LYNCH. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 2090) to designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 431 State Street in Ogdensburg, New York, as the 
``Frederic Remington Post Office Building''.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 2090

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

     SECTION 1. FREDERIC REMINGTON POST OFFICE BUILDING.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 431 State Street in Ogdensburg, New York, 
     shall be known and designated as the ``Frederic Remington 
     Post Office Building''.
       (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 ``Frederic Remington Post Office 
     Building''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Massachusetts (Mr. Lynch) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Issa) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Massachusetts.


                             General Leave

  Mr. LYNCH. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Massachusetts?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. LYNCH. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I am pleased to present H.R. 2090 for consideration. 
This legislation will designate the United States postal facility 
located at

[[Page H6085]]

431 State Street in Ogdensburg, New York, as the Frederic Remington 
Post Office Building introduced on April 23, 2009, by the Republican 
vice chair of my subcommittee--and the recently nominated Secretary of 
Army--Mr. McHugh of New York. H.R. 2090 was reported out of the 
Oversight Committee by unanimous consent on May 6, 2009. I'm also 
pleased to report that this legislation enjoys strong support from the 
New York House delegation.
  A long-time resident of the City of Ogdensburg in St. Lawrence 
County, New York, Frederic Remington was a renowned 19th century 
painter, illustrator, sculptor and writer who specialized--and I think 
in many people's minds really captured the essence and legend of the 
American West.
  Born on October 4, 1861, in Canton, New York, Frederic Sackrider 
Remington moved to Ogdensburg, New York, in 1873 and attended the Yale 
College School of Art before soon heeding the call to go west.
  Remington's early travels through America's new frontier in the late 
1800s provided him with the unique opportunity to observe scenes that 
he had imagined since his childhood and gained an authentic view on 
America's west that would later translate into his unparalleled and 
inspirational depictions of frontier life.
  Harper's Weekly published Remington's first commercial illustration 
in 1882 and Remington soon began to receive a steady flow of 
commissioned work from additional publications, including Collier's, 
that were searching for authenticity in Western themes. Remington's 
first full cover appeared in Harper's in 1886 when he was only 25 years 
old. And in 1887, Remington received a highly regarded commission for 
83 illustrations for a book by Theodore Roosevelt entitled ``Ranch Life 
and the Hunting Trail.'' This latter assignment provided a significant 
boost to Remington's career and marked the beginning of a lifelong bond 
between the artist and Roosevelt.
  Despite his success as a magazine and book illustrator, Remington was 
focused on further developing his artistic abilities; and in the mid-
1880s and 1890s, he turned his attention to water and full-color oil 
painting as well as sculpture. In order to retain the authenticity of 
his work, Remington embarked on annual trips to the West and even 
created a Western environment in his New York studio by surrounding 
himself with objects collected from his various travels.
  In noted paintings, such as the ``Return of the Blackfoot War Party'' 
and ``Mule Train Crossing the Sierras,'' and ``A Dash For the Timber,'' 
Remington continued to evidence a unique ability to handle complex 
compositions and realistically capture the sweeping landscapes, heroic 
figures and moments of danger and conflicts which came to epitomize the 
American West. In 1888, Remington even achieved the honor of having two 
of his paintings used for reproduction on United States postal stamps.
  In the mid-1890s, Remington quickly mastered a new medium and became 
immersed in sculpture. Similar to his previous illustrations and 
paintings, well-known Remington bronzes such as ``The Broncho Buster'' 
and ``The Cheyenne'' were highly regarded for their detail, movement, 
energy, and overall realism. Notably, Remington's piece ``The Broncho 
Buster,'' was presented to Theodore Roosevelt following the Rough 
Riders' return from the Spanish-American War, an honor that Remington 
deemed the ``greatest compliment I ever had.''
  Regrettably, Frederic Remington died on December 26, 1909, at the 
young age of 48 and at the height of his profession. Nevertheless, he 
was able to produce over 3,000 drawings and paintings, 22 bronze 
sculptures, over 100 articles and stories, and even a novel and a 
Broadway play over the course of a career that inspired the American 
imagination and immortalized the Western experience.
  Madam Speaker, let us honor the great 19th century artist, Mr. 
Frederic Remington, through the passage of this legislation to 
designate the Ogdensburg post office in his honor. I urge my colleagues 
to join me in supporting H.R. 2090.
  I reserve the balance of our time.
  Mr. ISSA. Madam Speaker, at this time due to the entry of the Ronald 
Reagan statue here in Statuary Hall, I ask unanimous consent that the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Jordan) be able to control my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the Chair recognizes the 
gentleman from Ohio.
  There was no objection.
  Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  The pretty long speech here that was put together by staff on Mr. 
McHugh's post office renaming, and some of it will be, I think, 
redundant from Mr. Lynch's comments, but I think it's important that we 
do give the proper respect to the Frederic Remington Post Office 
Building.
  I rise in support of H.R. 2090, a bill designating the postal 
facility located at 431 State Street in Ogdensburg, New York, as the 
Frederic Remington Post Office Building in honor of the renowned 19th 
century sculptor, painter, author and illustrator.
  Frederic Remington was born in Canton, New York, in 1861 and moved to 
Ogdensburg, New York, in 1873. He headed west to the Montana territory 
and is best known for his depictions of frontier life of the American 
West, including cowboys taming broncos, cavalry soldiers engaged in 
battle, and Native American warriors and scouts. He began his career as 
a magazine illustrator upon his return east, when he sold his first 
sketches to Harper's Weekly.
  In the mid-1880s, Remington moved from illustration to water color 
and oil painting; and in 1895, he began sculpting in bronze. He 
ultimately produced nearly 3,000 drawings and paintings, 22 sculptures, 
and eight volumes of writings throughout his career. Frederic Remington 
died on December 26, 1909, thus making 2009 the 100th anniversary of 
his death. Unfortunately, he was only 48 years old and died at the 
height of his popularity.
  In 1961, the U.S. Postal Service issued a postal stamp to commemorate 
the 100th anniversary of Frederic Remington's birth. The stamp featured 
an oil painting drawn by Remington in 1905 entitled ``Smoke Signal.'' 
Over 111 million Remington stamps were issued by the postal service.
  Remington's works can be found throughout the Nation in some of 
America's highly regarded museums, including the Art Institute of 
Chicago, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and many others. In fact, 
``The Broncho Buster,'' the stirring Remington sculpture to this day 
remains in a prominent location within the Oval Office at the White 
House.
  Today a comprehensive collection of original Remington paintings, 
sketches and sculptures are housed at the Frederic Remington Art Museum 
founded in 1923 and located in Ogdensburg, New York.
  Frederic Remington was one of northern New York's most famous 
residents, and his home town of Ogdensburg is one of the most historic 
destinations. Located along the St. Lawrence River, Ogdensburg was the 
site of key battles during the French and Indian War as well as the War 
of 1812. In fact, the city was captured by British forces during the 
famed Battle of Ogdensburg in the War of 1812.
  Ogdensburg was also the site of the appropriately titled Ogdensburg 
Agreement of 1940. This was a joint defense pact between the Canadian 
Prime Minister and President Franklin Roosevelt.
  Ogdensburg's post office is also of historic significance and was 
listed in the National Historic Register in 1977. The building serves 
as the oldest active post office in New York and among the oldest in 
the United States. It was constructed between 1867 and 1870; and in 
August of 1872, President Grant visited the building for a public 
reception. It is also very likely Frederic Remington himself would have 
sent some of his correspondence from the very post office that will be 
dedicated in his name.
  I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in support of this 
legislation to designate the Ogdensburg, New York, post office as the 
Frederic Remington Post Office Building.
  I reserve the balance of my time
  Mr. LYNCH. Madam Speaker, we have no further speakers at this moment. 
I continue to reserve.
  Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. I would yield as much time as she may consume to 
the gentlelady from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx).
  Ms. FOXX. I thank my colleague for yielding.

[[Page H6086]]

  Madam Speaker, I want to commend my colleague, Mr. McHugh, for 
introducing this legislation to honor Frederic Remington. I'm sure it 
is a very well-deserved honor, and I'm glad that we have the 
opportunity to do it here today.
  However, there is a really critical issue facing our country these 
days, and it is the cap-and-tax plan that the Democrats are doing their 
best to get passed in the House of Representatives. We know that the 
Commerce and Energy Committee voted it out the night we left for our 
district work period for Memorial Day. But we also know that it is not 
good legislation for this country.
  The truth behind the Democrats' cap-and-tax plan is that it is a 
national energy tax which will kill jobs, raise taxes, and lead to more 
government intrusion in our lives. This is an irresponsible proposal 
that will do more harm than good. The President's energy plan is a $646 
billion national energy tax that will hit every American family, small 
business and family farm. Family energy costs will rise on average by 
more than $3,100 a year. Those hardest hit by this massive tax will be 
the poor, who experts agree spend a greater proportion of their income 
on energy consumption. So much for the President's promise to cut taxes 
for everybody who makes less than $200,000 a year.
  A devastating consequence will be fewer jobs for hardworking 
Americans. Various studies suggest anywhere from 1.8 million to 7 
million jobs could be lost.
  Republicans believe there are better solutions than more taxes, fewer 
jobs, and more government intrusion. House Republicans want to increase 
American energy production made by American workers, encourage greater 
efficiency and conservation, and promote the use of clean alternative 
fuels. House Republicans offer a plan that is more environmentally 
friendly than the Democratic plan. The Democrat cap-and-tax plan will 
relocate manufacturing plants overseas in countries with far less 
stringent environmental regulations.
  Furthermore, the GOP plan will include nuclear energy which does not 
emit carbon. We find it very interesting that we know very well that 
the French, who have gotten 80 percent of their electricity from 
nuclear power, have no problem with their nuclear waste because they 
recycle everything and wind up with very, very small amounts of waste 
and yet the Democrats deny this opportunity to create electricity from 
nuclear power.
  We think the American public needs to be made aware of this issue, 
and we're going to do everything we can to educate the public on the 
disastrous way that the Democrats are taking this country in terms of 
cap-and-tax.
  Mr. LYNCH. Madam Speaker, I continue to reserve.
  Mr. JORDAN of Ohio. Madam Speaker, before I yield back my time, I 
would just say that I think the gentlelady from North Carolina makes an 
outstanding point. This cap-and-trade/cap-and-tax concept, all you've 
got to do is look at the Heritage Foundation study, which rank-orders 
all 435 Congressional districts in this country who would be most 
negatively impacted, who would lose jobs because of this proposal. And 
it hits home because nine of the top 10 most affected districts are in 
Ohio and Indiana. I happen to represent one of those districts in Ohio. 
We'd be fourth hardest hit in the country. It doesn't take a genius to 
figure out if you are heavy into manufacturing, as we are, and frankly, 
rely on coal, from coal-fired plants on the Ohio River to provide your 
electricity needs, you're going to get hit hard. This is a terrible 
move for our country, but it will have disproportionately negative 
impacts on the Midwest. That's why we should defeat this proposal.
  With that, I would yield back the balance of our time.
  Mr. LYNCH. Madam Speaker, again, I would like to bring the discussion 
back to the matter at hand which is the dedication of this post office 
in Ogdensburg, New York, in memory of Frederic Remington.
  I think it's especially notable that people would take away from the 
honor that's trying to be bestowed here by a Republican colleague and, 
you know, a nominee for Secretary of the Army. Mr. McHugh asked that we 
take a moment and designate this post office in memory of one of New 
York's most renowned citizens and someone who has provided great 
service to this country in his artistic work in capturing an era of our 
country that is enormously important to all of us.
  And I know a lot of people out there must be very confused. What does 
the French use of nuclear power have to do with the post office being 
named on behalf of Frederic Remington? And there is no connection.

                              {time}  1100

  There is no connection. There is a denigration going on here, a 
discourtesy, I think, to Mr. McHugh, a discourtesy to the people of New 
York by the Republican Party, and taking this moment of recognition 
away from Mr. Remington and his memory, away from Mr. McHugh and the 
object of his legislation, to spout on about issues that can be spouted 
on about at different times and more appropriate times. We do not have 
to have either discussion of one issue at the cost of reducing the 
respect and courtesy that are due to Members and particular initiatives 
that they put forward that they deem important to their districts and 
to the people that they represent.
  I will not do that. I will not go on about cap-and-trade. I will wait 
for the debate on cap-and-trade. I will not go on about whether I think 
the French are doing the right thing with nuclear power and the 
disposal of their waste. I'll wait on that. There will be appropriate 
times to discuss that.
  What we're here about today in this bill is recognizing Frederic 
Remington for what he provided for in this country in his brief time on 
this Earth and in a way that is consistent with the wishes of the 
sponsor of this legislation, the Republican gentleman from New York 
(Mr. McHugh) who deserves our respect.
  And with that, I urge all my Members to join with Congressman McHugh, 
the nominee for the Secretary of the Army, a good choice in my opinion, 
and support this measure unanimously.
  Mr. McHUGH. Madam Speaker, I rise today as the proud sponsor of H.R. 
2090, which would designate the Ogdensburg, New York post office in 
honor of renowned 19th-century American sculptor, painter, author and 
illustrator Frederic Remington. I want to thank the Gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Towns) and the Gentleman from California (Mr. Issa) for their 
work to bring this legislation to the floor today. I also want to thank 
the members of the New York delegation for cosponsoring this measure 
along with Representative Chaffetz, Ranking Member of the House 
Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service, and the District of 
Columbia.
  Frederic Remington was born in Canton, New York, in 1861 and moved to 
Ogdensburg, New York in 1873. Best known for his depictions of frontier 
life of the American West, including cowboys taming broncos, cavalry 
soldiers engaged in battle, and Native American warriors and scouts, 
Remington first headed west to the Montana Territory in 1881. Upon his 
return east, he sold his first sketches to Harper's Weekly, thus 
beginning his career as a magazine illustrator.
  In the mid 1880s, Remington moved from illustration to water-color 
and oil painting, and in 1895 began sculpting in bronze. He ultimately 
produced nearly 3,000 drawings and paintings, 22 sculptures, and eight 
volumes of writings throughout his career. Frederic Remington died on 
December 26, 1909, thus making 2009 the 100th anniversary of his death. 
Unfortunately, he was only 48 years old and died at the height of his 
popularity.
  In 1961 the U.S. Postal Service issued a stamp to commemorate the 
100th anniversary of Frederic Remington's birth. The stamp featured an 
oil painting drawn by Remington in 1905 entitled ``Smoke Signal.'' Over 
111 million Remington stamps were issued by the Postal Service.
  Remington's works can be found throughout the nation, in some of 
America's most highly regarded museums, including the Art Institute in 
Chicago, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and many others. Indeed, 
President Obama has kept ``The Bronco Buster,'' the stirring Remington 
sculpture, in a prominent location within the Oval Office at the White 
House.
  Today, a comprehensive collection of original Remington paintings, 
sketches and sculptures are housed at the Frederic Remington Art 
Museum, founded in 1923, and located in Ogdensburg, New York. The 
Remington Museum is open year-round, and offers many programs for the 
public, including school tours, gallery talks, exhibit openings and 
workshops. Since the Museum's founding, purchases and donations of 
Remington art and personal artifacts have added significantly to the 
breadth of

[[Page H6087]]

this amazing collection. The Remington Museum's importance to the 
residents of my Congressional District can be attributed to both its 
cultural and historical significance, as well as its economic impact on 
the surrounding community.
  Frederic Remington was, indeed, one of Northern New York's most 
famous residents and it is fitting we honor his artistic contributions 
to the world. It is also fitting that Ogdensburg, one of America's most 
historic destinations, be the home of such an equally historic figure. 
Located along the strategic St. Lawrence River, Ogdensburg was the site 
of key battles during the French and Indian War as well the War of 
1812. In fact, the city was captured by British forces during the famed 
Battle of Ogdensburg in the War of 1812. Ogdensburg was also the site 
of the appropriately titled Ogdensburg Agreement of 1940. This was a 
joint defense pact signed between Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie 
King and President Franklin Roosevelt.
  It is also fitting that such a storied city has a duly historic post 
office. In fact, the Ogdensburg Post Office was listed in the National 
Historic Register in 1977. The building serves as the oldest active 
post office in New York State and among the oldest in the United 
States. It was constructed between 1867 and 1870, and is truly a 
building befitting of this honor. Of note, on August 7, 1872, President 
Ulysses S. Grant visited the building for a public reception. It is 
also very likely Frederic Remington himself would have sent some of his 
correspondence from the very post office that will be dedicated in his 
name.
  Accordingly, I ask my colleagues to support this legislation to 
designate the Ogdensburg, New York Post Office as the Frederic 
Remington Post Office Building.
  Mr. LYNCH. I yield back the balance of our time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Lynch) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2090.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________