[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 125 (Thursday, September 16, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1663]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            CONSTITUTION DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. NICK J. RAHALL II

                            of west virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 16, 2010

  Mr. RAHALL. Madam Speaker, Constitution Day was Senator Byrd's Day.
  Having just finished drafting our Constitution, Benjamin Franklin was 
stopped in the street as he left Independence Hall in Philadelphia 
where delegates from thirteen former colonies had been meeting the 
summer of 1787. ``Dr. Franklin, what form of government have you given 
us?'' a concerned citizen asked. ``A republic, Madam,'' said Franklin; 
quickly adding, ``If you can keep it.''
  Throughout Robert C. Byrd's life he was a proud keeper and guardian 
of two sets of laws, one laid down in our Bible (the King James 
Version), the other rooted in our federal Constitution.
  Senator Byrd was a largely self-taught man. He cherished learning, a 
process he continued throughout his life, and he made sure that 
countless Americans would get an annual lesson, a civic reminder about 
our Constitution each September 17th. Senator Byrd authored the law 
that now requires all institutions receiving federal funding to 
celebrate the venerable document in a meaningful and instructive way.
  Dr. Ray Smock, director of the Byrd Center, the repository for 
Senator Byrd's papers and a center for the study of Congress in 
Shepherdstown, West Virginia, recently shared some insights with me in 
advance of our celebration of the Constitution this September 17th, 
which serve to remind us that Senator Byrd's values are as timeless as 
his work for West Virginia was tireless.
  At the Byrd Center, among the collection of thousands of pages of 
Senator Byrd's work, rests the Bible he held when he was sworn in as 
President Pro Tem of the Senate on Jan. 3rd, 1989. That Bible, like 
others that were in his possession, was heavily underlined on almost 
every page. Sometimes he would write in the margin: ``Memorize This.'' 
He wrote two quotations on the inside front cover of this particular 
Bible:
  ``Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set.'' 
Proverbs 22:28
  And, ``We speak much about what matters little; we speak little about 
what matters much.'' We are not sure of the source of this quotation, 
but the fact the Senator placed it here, shows us how important it was 
to him.
  When you think about it, even a little bit, both quotations are 
relevant to Constitution Day. Certainly, to the Senator, one of the 
great ancient landmarks had to have been the U.S. Constitution. No one 
defended it better or more eloquently than Senator Byrd.
  In the hard times we find ourselves right now, there are some 
prognosticators who argue that the Constitution needs to be overhauled. 
A recent article in Harper's magazine even suggested that the Senate is 
an anachronism and should be abolished.
  Senator Byrd spent a lifetime defending the wisdom of our Founding 
Fathers and the government they created. He understood from his Bible 
and his Constitution that mankind was not perfect. And no government 
conceived by man is going to be perfect either. But he believed in the 
genius of the Constitution, which has served us well for more than two 
centuries.
  He loved the Federalist Essays, and read them thoroughly from cover 
to cover, memorizing key passages. These 85 essays on the nature of the 
American government penned by James Madison, John Jay, and Alexander 
Hamilton were collectively the single best source Senator Byrd used to 
form his understanding of the intent of the Founders when they penned 
the Constitution. He quoted the Federalist papers frequently.
  Among his favorite passages was in Federalist 51, in which James 
Madison wrote:

       But what is government itself, but the greatest of all 
     reflections on human nature? If men were angels, no 
     government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, 
     neither external nor internal controls on government would be 
     necessary. In framing a government which is to be 
     administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in 
     this: you must first enable the government to control the 
     governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.

  The other quotation in the Senator's Bible, ``We speak much about 
what matters little, we speak little about what matters much'' gets to 
the heart of a lot that is wrong with our public discourse these days. 
The 24/7 news machine, the Internet, and talk radio, devote vast 
amounts of time speaking about what matters little, and not enough 
talking about the things that matter most. We all feel that government 
could work better. The question is in how to make that happen. We must 
not surrender to bumper-sticker politics that entice one to believe 
that solutions to great challenges are simple and quick.
  The legacy of Senator Byrd's life suggests that we all need to be 
more responsible in making government work. Citizens and those who are 
elected need to put aside the extremes of partisanship to effectively 
address the complex needs of the country.
  Senator Byrd was in awe of the Founders for their ability to set 
aside their partisanship and work to build a nation. He admired the 
Framers of the Constitution for their understanding of history and of 
human nature. While he could play partisan politics with the best of 
them and while he was loyal and dedicated to West Virginia, he never 
forgot that his role as a Senator was to look out for the whole nation, 
not just one party, or one place. It is certain that he would agree 
that our Constitution does not need changing so much as our moral 
compass needs adjusting.
  Let us ``remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have 
set,'' and let us all follow Senator Byrd's example of keeping our 
perspective on the things that matter much, and not get lost wasting 
our time on those that matter little. Senator Byrd is gone now, but our 
job to work to keep this Republic is an ongoing duty, one that each 
generation must take up so our Union can endure, and prosper.
  I will be visiting Boone County to celebrate our Constitution and the 
invaluable lessons Senator Byrd left with us. Constitution Day was dear 
to Senator Byrd's heart because it was a day of reflection on the very 
thing that does matter much to the future of this nation.
  To learn more about the Byrd Center, its collection and programs, 
please visit its Web site at: www.byrdcenter.org. Ray Smock is Director 
of the Robert C. Byrd Center for Legislative Studies, Shepherd 
University in Shepherdstown, WV, and is a former Historian of the U.S. 
House of Representatives.

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