[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 5786-5787]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




CARL ELLIOTT AND LISTER HILL: TWO INDISPENSABLE GREAT ANGELS FOR PUBLIC 
                               LIBRARIES

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. MAJOR R. OWENS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 6, 2006

  Mr. OWENS. Mr. Speaker, on Friday, April 7, 2006, the University of 
Alabama School of Library and Information Studies and the University 
Libraries will conduct a Library Services Act 50th Anniversary Program 
honoring Congressman Carl Elliott and Senator Lister Hill, two great 
legislators who were the first great federal advocates for the Library 
Services and the National Defense Education Acts. As the only Librarian 
who has ever served in the Congress I was honored to be invited to 
speak at this commemoration; however, the scheduled vote on the budget 
prevented me from attending. The following are a portion of the remarks 
I prepared for that landmark occasion:
  In his 2001 inaugural address President Bush left us with one 
profound image: the specter of an ``Angel in the Whirlwind'' guiding 
the fate of our nation. Democracy in America has survived and expanded 
despite the numerous whirlwinds and storms. At several critical periods 
our ship of state could have been blown off course and been wrecked on 
the rocks. Always in the past, the churning American political process 
has produced the leadership capable of conquering crises and opening 
new vistas.
  Representative Carl Elliott and Senator Lister Hill were two leaders 
who opened new vistas. In the story of the making of America we can 
find many angels emerging from the whirlwind. Many of our greatest 
angels are unsung, unknown beyond a small circle. But the abundance of 
angels, ordinary and everywhere, has created the most fantastic nation 
on the face of the earth. Not from royal bloodlines or from pampered 
privileged classes but from the cradles in the tenements, from log 
cabins and shotgun shacks. Every citizen, all Americans are potential 
angels called by the voice of Thomas Jefferson to come forward and add 
your contribution to the ongoing miracle of America. Because we loudly 
assume that all persons are created equal we automatically break the 
chains of doubt and set our imaginations and spirits soaring to achieve 
at higher and higher levels, and to create new institutions.
  Lister Hill refused to let his regional origins interfere with his 
national visions. Carl Elliott did not allow a lack of wealth and high-
class status to limit his spirit and ambition. Both men focused 
intensely and accomplished missions that place them among the legions 
of great American angels.
  Just as school systems for the masses never existed before they 
emerged in America, so it was with public libraries. Yes, from the time 
of ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome there were libraries, but always they 
were the closely guarded property of the rich and available only to the 
elite. From the embryo implanted by Benjamin Franklin to the urban 
facilities provided by the generosity of Andrew Carnegie to the 
legislation of enduring federal support for libraries the American 
angels were in motion.
  To achieve the imprimatur of federal sponsorship was a life 
sustaining development for modem public libraries. Only a fellow 
legislator can imagine what Representative Elliott had to overcome to 
realize his dream. Politicians seldom dwell on systems and long-term 
goals that benefit citizens beyond their political district. Elliott 
was ridiculed as a man who was tinkering with the impossible. He was 
strongly advised to do what every other lawmaker was

[[Page 5787]]

attempting. To get reelected and be celebrated back home, he was told 
to get himself an appropriation to build a bridge. Get something 
concrete to show off that could be dedicated with a ribbon cutting and 
marching bands. If Elliott had accepted that practical but mundane 
proposition, oh what a devastating gap there would have been in the 
progress of library service in America. Carl had to be the pitcher in 
the House of Representatives and Lister had to be the catcher in the 
Senate in order for the game of public library expansion to go forward.
  Across the nation we can now boast of magnificent public libraries 
and library systems. The DNA of Elliott and Hill goes marching on. 
Other great library nurturing angels like Eileen Cooke of the ALA 
Washington Office boldly forged ahead in their spirit and played a 
major role in the legislation and administration of the E-Rate 
providing widespread utilization of computers and the Internet in 
libraries. A whole new dimension exciting the young and the old has 
been added to the information and education mission of public 
libraries.
  As a philosophical descendant of Elliott and Hill; and a more 
immediate child of the LSCA I arrived in Congress determined to raise 
the profile of libraries of all kinds to a level where they could never 
be forgotten and neglected again. Certainly I have been frustrated that 
the higher Federal appropriations have not been gained which I think 
libraries deserve in order to relieve some of the funding burden on 
State and local governments. But basically I will be leaving the 
Congress after 24 years contented that most of my concerns have been 
fulfilled. There are now many legislative advocates for libraries and 
they exist in both parties, Republican and Democratic. In politics that 
pinnacle of bipartisan support is the ultimate goal. The fight is no 
longer for recognition and survival as a national priority. The fight 
is for growth and the expansion which will provide opportunities for 
libraries to meet the new emerging challenges of education located away 
from campuses and outside of classrooms.
  Our libraries are indispensable institutions. President Clinton has 
described America as an indispensable nation. Carl Elliott and Lister 
Hill were indispensable great angels for this indispensable nation. Out 
of the limelight, with no headlines to encourage them they remained 
steadfast in their unglamorous mission. As early as 1919, the American 
Library Association was seeking federal support for libraries. But not 
until 1936 was there a small breakthrough which established the Library 
Services Division within the Office of Education. Through side doors 
such as the Tennessee Valley Authority and the WPA more federal support 
was garnered. But not until 1956 was the great breakthrough achieved; 
the Library Services Act was passed and later expanded in 1960. In the 
history of the House and the Senate there are few records of such 
longevity and perseverance in the unselfish pursuit of uplifting 
legislation.
  The rock-solid basic principle pioneered by Carl Elliott and Lister 
Hill is the proposition that wealth, financial well being, should not 
be the deciding factor in determining who has access to information and 
knowledge. Elliott and Hill understood that the growth and development 
of the State and region economy were inextricably interwoven with the 
intellectual growth and development of ordinary residents of the State 
and region. While public libraries were only a small part of the 
overall education effort they were the institutions with the greatest 
cost-benefits ratio. Huge opportunities were provided for large numbers 
of persons on the roads to upward mobility at the lowest possible 
costs. Oh, yes the investment in libraries and education pays great 
dividends.
  Long before the military leaders could comprehend it, Elliott and 
Hill understood that an educated populace was our nation's greatest 
asset for national security. From what was often labeled as an abstract 
dream of universal literacy reflected in their concern for rural 
libraries these two giant angels of American progress leaped to the 
hard-nosed preparations for a space age national defense system. The 
massive feats of science and engineering needed to develop the laser, 
satellites, spacecraft and rockets were made possible as a result of 
the initiatives of the National Defense Education Act. There is a clear 
connection between the vision and labor of Elliott and Hill and this 
nation's landing of a man on the moon.
  America, not by accident, is the richest, most powerful nation that 
the world has ever known. In comparison the great Roman Empire was 
merely a village. America is great because the unsung heroes, the 
invisible angels are always at work carrying out the details that make 
our democracy a success.
  There will be in America no aristocracy of the well informed. Know-
how shall never be a rare or scarce commodity. The government shall 
encourage all persons to pursue their fullest development. Beyond 
universal access to information, libraries will provide assistance with 
knowledge creation and utilization. In the appreciation and the 
application of wisdom librarians will continue to play a vital role.
  The vision and foresight of Carl Elliott and Lister Hill have been 
validated by time. Their concerns have become more relevant as we 
plunge further into the age of information. In America information will 
never become the weapon of elite dictatorships. Information, knowledge 
and the records of wisdom must be permanently supplied to the citizens. 
In many forms this library mission must carry on to maintain the land 
of the free, home of the brave, and the nation of the most thoroughly 
informed who are capable of that continuing oversight and vigilance 
necessary to guarantee that our great democracy will long endure.

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