[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Pages 10945-10947]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           WEST VIRGINIA DAY

  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President and fellow Senators, have you noticed how 
everyone seems a little happier today? Their smiles are brighter, their 
greetings are a little more gracious and their thank yous are more 
sincere. Have you noticed how the sun seems to be shining brighter 
today and food tastes better today? The air seems sweeter today.
  The Senator from Pennsylvania does not know what a great day this is.
  That is, no doubt, because today is June 20, and that means it is 
West Virginia Day. All over the country, it is June 20th. All over the 
world, it is June 20th. That means all over the country, and all over 
the world, it is West Virginia Day.
  It was 139 years ago today that West Virginia, by an act of Congress 
and the signature of President Abraham Lincoln, became the thirty-fifth 
state of our Union.

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  The birth of the State of West Virginia was not an easy delivery. It 
involved great labor pains, and blood, sweat, and tears. West Virginia 
was born in the middle of our country's bitter, divisive, and bloody 
Civil War, and there were serious constitutional questions involved in 
her delivery.
  But goodness and righteousness prevailed and West Virginia, 
predicated upon its allegiance to the Constitution and the republic, 
became a State, and here I am. Had that not happened, I would not have 
been here. This Union may not have survived.
  It all began on that great and glorious day of June 20th, 1863--and 
what a great and glorious day it was. It was a day a local newspaper, 
the Wheeling Intelligencer, called a ``great gala day.'' The newspaper 
reported that ``thousands of people from abroad'' joined with the new 
state officials and the ``entire population'' of Wheeling, the city 
where the official ceremony took place, to celebrate the occasion.
  Business was suspended. Workers were given the day off.
  Flags were everywhere--everywhere, on all the street corners, along 
all the streets. Flags of all sizes were flown from every housetop and 
every business in the city. It was reported that flags were as ``thick 
as the locusts that were then occupying the suburbs and surrounding 
countryside.''
  The ceremonies included brigade bands playing patriotic songs, and 
units of the West Virginia militia parading through the town. There 
were countless toasts and even more cheers for the United States and 
for its new state, the State of West Virginia.
  And, of course, there were political speeches.
  The man considered the ``father of West Virginia,'' Francis H. 
Pierpont, declared:
  May we [meaning West Virginia]--may we from this small beginning 
today, grow to be the proudest state in all the glorious galaxy of 
States that form the Nation.
  Waitman T. Willey, one of the State's first two U.S. Senators, 
proclaimed:
  What we have longed for and labored for and prayed for is [now] a 
fixed fact. West Virginia is a fixed fact.
  West Virginia is a fixed fact.
  The first Governor of the State, Arthur Boreman, a 39-year-old man 
with a full-flowing black beard, promised to do everything in his power 
``to advance the agricultural, mining, and manufacturing, and 
commercial interests of the State.''
  After the speeches, 35 little girls representing the 35 states of the 
Union, sang more patriotic songs and the band played the ``Star 
Spangled Banner.''
  The day closed with a ``brilliant display of fireworks'' over the 
Ohio River.
  The next day, the New York Post reported:
  [B]orn amid the turmoil of the Civil War and cradled by the storm . . 
. the 35th State is now added to the American union.
  The New York Times echoed the words of Senator Willey with the 
headline that read ``West Virginia is now a fixed fact.''
  The State of West Virginia was a ``fixed fact,'' but its future was 
not. The State's childhood and adolescence were to be as difficult and 
tumultuous as its birth.
  The State of West Virginia soon became an economic colony of 
northeastern, absentee landlords, the infamous Robber Barons of the 
late nineteenth century, who ruthlessly exploited the State for its 
rich natural resources.
  Other problems came piling on. From the Monongah mine disaster of 
1907, when I believe 361 miners lost their lives, the worst coal-mine 
disaster in American history, to the Marshall University plane crash of 
1970, the worst sports tragedy in American history, the people of West 
Virginia came to know and suffer many and various forms of tragedy, 
including the Silver Bridge collapse at Point Pleasant, the Buffalo 
Creek Slag Dam collapse in Logan County, as well as a multitude of 
deadly mine explosions and disastrous floods.
  And for too long, the State suffered from economic backwardness.
  Through it all, the courageous, patriotic, and dedicated people of 
West Virginia have remained loyal to their country and their 
government.
  They have continued to supply the nation with the energy it needs to 
heat our homes, to light these Chambers, fuel our battleships, and 
power our massive industries.
  And the people of West Virginia have served our country in times of 
war as well as peace. West Virginians have fought and died in our 
nation's wars, including World War II, Korea and Vietnam, far beyond 
proportion to West Virginia's population size.
  Meanwhile, the people of West Virginia have struggled to overcome 
exploitation and oppression by joining unions and electing political 
leaders who would better represent them. It took decades and it took 
tremendous effort, but, as I have said, the spirit of West Virginia is 
to ``endure and to prevail.'' The people of West Virginia endured and 
they have prevailed.
  One of my favorite Roman philosophers, Seneca, said, ``Fire is the 
test of gold; adversity, of strong men.''
  Today, many strong men and women have brought West Virginia to the 
brink of vast social and economic change. The State is cultivating new 
economic growth and prosperity as a result of a bumper crop of better 
roads, new technology, and forward-looking leadership. Traditional 
industries are being augmented by fresh business activity, flexible 
manufacturing, leading-edge and information-age high technology.
  People across America are discovering West Virginia. They are coming 
to West Virginia to camp, hike, fish, raft our white waters, and ski 
our slopes.
  They are discovering the natural wonders of my State--that West 
Virginia is truly one of the most beautiful states in the union. With 
its rushing, trout-filled mountain streams, its majestic rolling green 
hills, picturesque villages and towns, magnificent forests, scenic 
State parks, no wonder the State has been depicted in song and verse as 
being ``almost heaven.''
  People are discovering what West Virginians already knew, that the 
State is a great place to just relax and enjoy life. In the early 
morning hours, you can sit back in your favorite chair looking east, 
and enjoy the most beautiful sight in the world: the sun rising over 
the beautiful, rolling green hills of West Virginia. A few hours later, 
you can turn your chair around and look to the west, and enjoy the 
second most beautiful sight in the world, the sun setting over those 
beautiful, rolling green hills of West Virginia.
  Mr. President, in the inaugural ceremony on June 20, 1863, the 
Reverend J.T. McClure offered the inaugural prayer, in which he stated:

       We pray Thee, almighty God, that this State, born amidst 
     tears and blood and fire and desolation, may long be 
     preserved and from its little beginning may grow to be a 
     might and a power that shall make those who come after us 
     look upon it with joy and gladness and pride of heart.

  Mr. President, this child of ``tears and blood and fire and 
desolation'' did grow.
  Today, on this anniversary of the birth of West Virginia, as the 
Reverend Mr. McClure predicted, one may look upon my state of West 
Virginia ``with joy and gladness and pride of heart.'' I am reminded of 
the words of the English poet, William Blake, who wrote: ``Great things 
are done when men and mountains meet.''
  Congratulations, West Virginia! Happy birthday, West Virginia! You 
have not merely endured, you have prevailed!
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, 139 years ago today, on June 20, 
1863, West Virginia became the 35th State admitted to the Union. The 
only State born of Civil War, West Virginia was signed into existence 
by the hand of Abraham Lincoln.
  I am both proud and grateful to be a West Virginian and to represent 
my State in the U.S. Senate. I am also glad to have this opportunity to 
reflect on some of the features that make my home State so very 
special. Aside from my State's distinct heritage of industry and 
agriculture, one of its most defining characteristics is its 
extravagant natural beauty. Blessed with icy native trout streams, 
majestic deep-

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forest hardwood stands, and lush groves of rhododendron, West Virginia 
is almost heaven to many people.
  West Virginia is home to three of the Nation's most famous rivers: 
The Shenandoah and Potomac to the east, and the Ohio River along the 
State's entire western border. These and many other rivers, streams, 
and mountain lakes provide great places to fish or canoe on a relaxing 
weekend or sunny afternoon.
  The New River, which is thought to be the world's oldest river, 
tumbles through ancient limestone canyons and provides some of the 
world's premier whitewater rafting. The more serene waters at Harpers 
Ferry were praised by our Nation's third President when he wrote: ``The 
passage of the Patowmac through the Blue Ridge is perhaps one of the 
most stupendous scenes in Nature. This scene is worth a voyage across 
the Atlantic.'' President Jefferson was right, and the millions of 
people who visit the Mountain State regularly to ski our mountains, 
raft our rivers, marvel at the brilliant autumn foliage, and enjoy our 
hospitality agree.
  Thousands of miles of trails and scenic roads wind through the 
State's National Forest, State Parks, and countless mountain passes, 
luring hikers and bikers of all ages and from around the world. Seneca 
Rocks, the most dramatic rock formation in the east, is a visual feast 
and rock climbers' paradise. The State is also home to a wide variety 
of wild vegetation and animal life found nowhere else in America, and 
protests 20 threatened and endangered plant and animal species. West 
Virginia truly earns its label of ``wild and wonderful.''
  The people of West Virginia remain its greatest asset. West 
Virginians are industrious, hard-working, unpretentious, 
straightforward, open and fun-loving. They value common sense and 
fairness, and have a deeply rooted connection to the land and 
attachment to home.
  On this West Virginia Day, I am joining all West Virginians in 
celebrating the abundance of our natural beauty. We are truly blessed 
in West Virginia to have such a bounty of natural resources. As we 
strive to promote our economic growth, I hope we will also be mindful 
of our responsibilities to the land. West Virginia's environment is a 
special resource, a national treasure that must be preserved and 
protected for future generations.
  I am proud to represent my home State of West Virginia, and deeply 
honored to stand here today to recognize the 139th anniversary of the 
Mountain State.

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