[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16754]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     IN HONOR OF WEST VIRGINIA DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. NICK J. RAHALL II

                            of west virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 20, 2007

  Mr. RAHALL. Madam Speaker, I rise on this special day to honor my 
home among the hills, the great state of West Virginia. It was on June 
20, 1863, that West Virginia became the 35th state to enter the Union.
  The distinctiveness of West Virginia can be traced to its unique 
founding, as the only state to have been formed as a direct result of 
the Civil War, through Presidential proclamation.
  In a reaction to Virginia's overrepresentation of eastern planters in 
the state legislature and complicated further by the swirling political 
issues of the day, on June 11, 1861, delegates from Virginia's western 
counties met to nullify Virginia's secession from the Union. Fifty 
counties (all of present-day West Virginia except for the land that now 
comprises Mineral, Grant, Lincoln, Mingo, and Summers Counties) 
constituted the newly formed state and served as the genesis of the 
vibrant and diverse place we know today as West Virginia.
  The Constitution of West Virginia was approved in April of 1862, and 
in May of 1863, Arthur I. Boreman became our first governor. By June 
20, 1863, West Virginia was officially a sovereign state. The sheer 
beauty of West Virginia now stands in stark and welcome contrast to the 
ugly conflict from which it was born.
  Since its inception, West Virginia has been blessed with a striking 
landscape, placing it--we West Virginian believe--in a league all its 
own. The West Virginia state motto--Montani Semper Liberi--
``Mountaineers are always free,'' sums up our powerful love of liberty 
and pays homage to our beautifully rugged lands that have honed our 
grit and determination, while attracting thousands of visitors each 
year.
  West Virginia has historically been a leader in steel, glass, 
aluminum, chemical manufacturing, and natural gas industries. Small 
family farmers continue traditions that have served them for 
generations, providing, among other goods, some of the world's best 
apples. And our miners, who have long produced the coal that made our 
country strong, continue to dig to keep our national economy running.
  But, as the old saying goes ``nothing endures but change.'' And we 
are seeing a change in West Virginia. In fact, West Virginia's foray 
into new technology has provided new horizons for her residents, 
opening West Virginia for business while allowing us to remain wild and 
wonderful.
  West Virginia may be 144 years old today, but it is just beginning to 
blossom. Our future is as bright as an early summer morning sunrise 
over the Appalachian hills.
  Today, and every day, West Virginians thank the Lord for our 
bountiful blessings. We are kindred spirits, bound together in loyalty 
and love for our fine state. And everyday, wherever we may roam, we 
think of ``happy home'' and that place among the hills that truly is 
``Almost Heaven.''

                          ____________________