[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 9]
[House]
[Pages 12656-12657]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  2145
   BENJAMIN FRANKLIN REQUESTS PRAYER IN THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Boozman) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. 
Conaway).
  Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my good colleague from 
Arkansas for assisting and allowing me to speak tonight.
  Mr. Speaker, over the next 3 or 4 days, a partisan tone will be 
exhibited in these Chambers, harsh rhetoric will be exchanged on both 
sides, some of it intentional, some of it in the heat of the moment, 
some of it out of simple frustration with not being able to convince 
ourselves of issues that are going on, but nevertheless, partisanship 
that is communicated back to America and America's despair that we will 
ever get past this partisanship.
  Is there some way for us to listen to you and you listen to me and 
let us thoughtfully consider our positions and then make those 
compromises that

[[Page 12657]]

have to be made in order to deal with the issues that face this 
country?
  It is not brand new. Two hundred twenty-one years ago, Benjamin 
Franklin observed the same partisanship, the same ugly tone going back 
and forth and came upon a solution that he communicated to President 
Washington in a letter. And I would like to read some of that letter 
into the Record tonight, because that solution I think would stand us 
in good stead as well.
  Reading from Benjamin Franklin's letter to George Washington:
  ``In this situation of this Assembly, groping as it were in the dark 
to find political truth, and scarce able to distinguish it when 
presented to us, how is it happened, Sir, that we have not hitherto 
once thought of humbly applying to the Father of lights to illuminate 
our understandings.
  ``And have we now forgotten that powerful Friend? Or do we imagine 
that we no longer need His assistance? I have lived, Sir, a long time, 
and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth, 
that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to 
the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise 
without His aid? We have been assured, Sir, the sacred writings, that 
`except the Lord build the House they labor in vain that build it.'
  ``I firmly believe this, and I also believe without His concurring 
aid we shall succeed in this partial building no better than the 
builders of Babel. We shall be divided by our little partial local 
interests; our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall 
become a reproach and bye word down to future ages. And what is worse, 
mankind may hereafter from this unfortunate instance, despair of 
establishing Governments by human wisdom and leave it to chance, war 
and conquest.
  ``I therefore beg leave to move that henceforth prayers imploring the 
assistance of Heaven and its blessings on our deliberations, be held in 
this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business, and that one 
or more of the Clergy of this City be requested to officiate in that 
Service.''
  Mr. Speaker, we observe that tradition today. Every morning our House 
Chaplain and maybe one of our constituents from back home will come and 
pray and seek God's wisdom on our deliberations. As effective as that 
is, Mr. Speaker, I would argue that 435 members of this House observing 
that tradition of daily seeking out the plea that Solomon had in II 
Chronicles 1:10 in which he asked God for wisdom and knowledge that he 
might govern this great people, that 435 of us and 100 on the other end 
of this building, on our knees every day, seeking wisdom, guidance and 
knowledge as how we would reduce the partisanship, how we would try to 
strive valiantly to come to conclusions and compromise with each other 
that deal with the problems that face this country.
  Our constituents are crying out for it. None of us go home that we 
don't come across somebody who has asked, why do you constantly argue 
with each other and fuss and fight? Get something done.
  Benjamin Franklin knew a solution 221 years ago, Mr. Speaker. I would 
argue that that solution is more powerful today, and it is clearly more 
needed today by this body than even 210 years ago.

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