1963 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD ENTRIES
ECONOMY, COMMERCE, AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES
1963 1st Session, 88th Congress
Irish potato futures: prohibit trading (see bill S. 332), 601.
601; January 18, 1963; Notice only of the introduction of a Muskie bill, S.332, to prohibit trading in Irish potato futures. There is no introductory text. The Congressional Record prints a brief notice of all the bills introduced on the same day. Introductory statements, the bill texts and other materials explaining the nature of the legislation usually appear at a later point in the Record.
Businessman's Look at Impact of Foreign Trade in New England, by H. King Cummings, before New England Managers Institute, 1721.
1721; February 4, 1963; Muskie inserts in a speech by the President of Guilford Industries, a Maine company, on the goal of embracing international trade.
Irish potatoes: establish acreage allotments for (see bill S. 829), 2390.
2390: February 18, 1963; Notice only of the introduction of S.829, a Muskie bill to establish acreage allotments for potato growers.
Farmers Home Administration loans - potatoes, 2399.
Potatoes: marketing quotas through acreage allotments, 2399.
National Potato Advisory Board: establish, 2400.
Text of S. 829, to establish acreage allotments on Irish potatoes, 2400.
Analysis of S. 829, to establish acreage allotments on Irish potatoes, 2403.
2399; February 18, 1963; Muskie makes introductory remarks on his bill, S. 829, to establish acreage allotments for potato growers, along with a text of the bill and a section-by-section analysis. The condition of the Maine potato industry has been a long-standing concern of all Maine’s congressional delegation and Muskie spent a lot of time and energy attempting to help the industry gain stability through a wide range of legislative approaches. This bill, for example, is a duplicate of the bill he introduced in the previous Congress.
Area Redevelopment Act: extend and improve (see bill S. 1163), 5031.
5031; March 28, 1963; Muskie is added as a cosponsor of a Douglas (D-Illinois) bill, S.1163, the Area Redevelopment Act.
Cosponsorship of a bill is a common way for Senators to indicate their support for a proposal or an idea. In the case of this bill, which was a major public works initiative, the measure was also a priority of President Kennedy’s and therefore enjoyed broad Democratic support. Muskie represented a state with areas of persistent high unemployment and was a strong and consistent supporter of public works programs throughout his career.
Shipyards in Time of Challenge, Senator McIntyre, 5161.
5161; March 28, 1963; Muskie inserts a speech by McIntyre, a Democratic Senator from New Hampshire, on the subject of Naval Shipyards, given before a meeting of the East Coast District Metal Trades Council. Maine is home to two major shipyards: The Bath Iron Works and the Portsmouth-Kittery Naval Shipyard.
Eugenie II: document as U.S. vessel (see bill S. 1322), 6439
6439; April 11, 1963; This is a notice only of a Muskie introduction of a private bill, S.1322, granting full coastwise privileges to the Eugenie II, a vessel owned by a Maine constituent.
At this time, the law required Congress to grant its assent to the chartering of private pleasure vessels. Commercial vessels, such as fishing boats, were routinely chartered by the Coast Guard. Private, non-commercial boat owners had to request such legislation from their representatives in the Congress. Because this was routine private legislation, Muskie made no introductory remarks, as would be normal for a public legislative bill.
Today the Coast Guard has regulations in place that permit the chartering of private recreational vessels without the need for Congressional intervention. At the time Muskie was sponsoring bills such as this, recreational boating was a much smaller leisure activity than it is today.
Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937: amend (see bill S. 1506), 8184
8184; May 9, 1963; Muskie is added as a cosponsor of a Neuberger (D-Oregon) proposal to amend the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act, S.1506.
Amend: Agriculture: bill (H.R. 4997) to extend feed grain program, 8689.
8689; May 15, 1963; Muskie is listed as a cosponsor of an Aiken (R-Vermont) amendment to the feed grain bill, H.R.4997, which would prohibit the federal government (through the Commodity Credit Association) granting favorable prices for government-owned feed grain in one part of the country when doing so disadvantages another part of the country, in particular, the northeast.
Area redevelopment program: bill (S. 1163) to increase authorizations, 11602-11606.
Telegrams: Maine's ARA programs (sundry), 11603-11606.
Editorial: The Wrong Direction, from Portland (Maine) Telegram, 11605.
Aid to Business Fights Joblessness, by David G. Mutch, in Christian Science Monitor, 11605.
11602 - 11606; June 25, 1963; In debate on the Area Redevelopment Act, Muskie makes a floor statement describing the need for the bill, and includes messages from assorted Maine agricultural groups, as well as newspaper editorials all testifying to this fact.
Reference of S. 332, 14412.
14412: August 7, 1963; Muskie asks that the Banking Committee be discharged from consideration of S.332, the bill prohibiting trading in futures of Irish potatoes on commodity exchanges and that the bill instead be referred to the Agriculture and Forestry Committee.
To ask that a Committee be discharged from consideration of a bill is a means by which conflicts of Committee jurisdiction are often concluded. After negotiation with Committee chairmen and Members, if an agreement can be reached that a particular bill should fall within the purview of another Committee, a formal request to achieve this must be made on the Senate floor. Sometimes jurisdictional switches are achieved when a bill’s sponsor agrees that some element of the bill will be retained by the original Committee, sometimes, after a review of the bill and comments from the Administration, a Committee will determine that it does not want to deal with a bill.
Northeast Airlines: removal from New York-Miami run, 14594, 14595.
14594, 14595; August 8, 1963; In a discussion of a CAB (Civil Aeronautics Board) decision to disallow Northeast Airlines’ routes from New England to Florida, Muskie points out that as Governor of Maine he supported Northeast’s request for the route five years previously on the grounds that if the carrier became more profitable it could help improve air access to Maine and northern New England in general. Kennedy (D-Massachusetts) also makes this point.
The Civil Aeronautics Board was an agency which allocated flights to all regions of the country and negotiated with the airlines for particularly lucrative landing slots at a time when airline service was under direct government regulation. When the entire industry was deregulated in 1978, CAB went out of business.
New England Fish and Seafood Parade Dinner, by, 18191.
18191; September 26, 1963; Senator Kennedy (D-Massachusetts) inserts the text of a Muskie speech given to the sixth annual New England fish and seafood parade dinner at Boston, Massachusetts. Muskie discusses the problems and challenges that have faced the New England fishing industry in the past and the industry’s current needs. This speech is one of the earliest in which Muskie speaks of the incursion of foreign fishing vessels into U.S. territorial waters, a subject to which he later devoted much effort.
Fishing vessels: bill (S. 1006) to correct inequities in construction of, 18558.
18558; October 2, 1963; In debate over the degree to which the fishing industry should or should not receive government subsidy, Muskie joins in to point out that other governments subsidize their fleets and that the U.S. does little or nothing to make sure U.S. fishermen can exploit the coastal fisheries which are being increasingly harvested by foreign vessels.
Advertisement: northeast story, by Bob Mudge, in Bangor News, 19068.
Northeast Airlines: CAB decision, 19068-19070.
Civil Aeronautics Board: Northeast Airlines decision, 19068-19070.
19068-19070; October 9, 1963; During debate over the Civil Aeronautics’ Board decision to deny Northeast Airlines a permanent N.Y.-Miami route (although Northeast had been operating a route with a temporary permit for several years), Muskie inserts an airline pilot’s article about the Northeast situation into the Record.
Before the deregulation of commercial airlines, the Civil Aeronautics Board regulated the routes which airlines could fly, with the primary goal of assuring adequate air transportation services to all parts of the country. It was believed that without regulation, airlines would abandon smaller communities. As a result, there were intense political pressures deployed to have the CAB adopt particular routes. The agency was abolished with airline deregulation in the late 1970s.
Agriculture: bill (S. 1915) to encourage reduction of excess marketings of milk, 19109, 19110.
19109, 19110; October 9, 1963; In debate on S.1915, a bill to reduce excess marketing of milk, Muskie engages in a colloquy with Senator McCarthy (D-Wisconsin) over whether the latter’s amendment would help those Maine farmers who sell their milk under Maine state law as well as those who sell under the federal program.
Resolution: commending Senator Hart by National Conference on Weights and Measures, 19513.
Truth-in-packaging legislation, 19513.
19513; October 15, 1963; Muskie inserts a resolution adopted by the National Conference on Weights and Measures, in praise of Senator Hart (D-Michigan) who had introduced the Truth in Packaging Act, a consumer bill designed to standardize labeling so as to avoid misleading and confusing packaging. This was one of the first federal consumer protection proposals.
National bank loans: liberalize conditions for forest tracts (see bill S. 2259), 20163.
20163; October 24, 1963; Muskie is listed as an original cosponsor S.2259, a McIntyre (D-New Hampshire) bill to increase the limits on the amounts and duration of loans made by the national banks for the practice of sustainable forestry from 40 percent of the stumpage value to 60 percent, and from terms of 10 years to 15.
Agriculture loans: authorize in certain areas for farmers and ranchers (see bill S. 2307), 21899.
Aroostook County, Maine: farm credit. 21899.
Farmers Home Administration loans in distressed areas, 21899.
21899; November 14, 1963; Muskie introduces a bill, S. 2307, permitting expansion of the emergency loan authority of the Farmers Home Administration to make available funds on the grounds of economic hardship for the benefit of Aroostook potato farmers. His brief introductory remarks can be read here.
Maine benefits from area redevelopment program, by Maine Department of Economic Development, 22002
Maine benefits, 22002.
22002; November 15, 1963; Muskie inserts a Maine State Department of Economic Development press release which describes the productive uses to which Area Redevelopment Act funds are being put in Maine. Senators who favor particular programs like to make the record that the programs they favor have a beneficial effect. This is most effectively done by way of third-party articles or information, testifying that a program or project has filled a need or produced a benefit.
ENERGY
1963 1st Session, 88th Congress
Hydroelectric Power, American Public Power Association, by, 9384.
9384; May 23, 1963; McIntyre (D-New Hampshire) inserts in Extension of Remarks a Muskie speech on hydroelectric power, given before the American Public Power Association, in which he discusses the importance of hydroelectric generation as a source of peaking power output and a complement to thermal power generation. The paucity of local energy supplies in New England and the relatively higher electricity costs paid by New England residents was a continuing problem that Muskie tried to deal with throughout his career.
President Gets Air View of Quoddy Project Site, by May Craig in Portland (Maine) Telegram, 19858.
19858; October 12, 1963; Muskie inserts a speech by President Kennedy, plus news articles on the occasion of Kennedy’s visit to Maine, which includes a flight over Passamaquoddy to view the area of the proposed tidal power project. May Craig’s is one of a number of news stories inserted in the Record.
ENVIRONMENT, PARKS, HISTORIC PRESERVATION, WILDLIFE
1963 1st Session, 88th Congress
Air pollution control program: accelerate, extend, and strengthen (see bills S. 432, 444). 801,
801; This page reference is in error. The page contains Senator Ribicoff’s (D-Connecticut) introductory remarks on his bill, S.432, but no Muskie text. Muskie later cosponsored the bill, and acted as the floor manager for it when it passed the Senate later in the year.
20532: October 30, 1963; Muskie is added as a cosponsor of S.432, a Ribicoff (D-Connecticut) bill to revise the existing 1955 Air Pollution Control Act.
Federal Water Pollution Control Administration: establish (see bill S. 649). 1430.
1430; January 31, 1963; Notice only of the introduction of Muskie’s bill, S.649, to establish a Federal Water Pollution Control Administration. The Congressional Record prints a brief notice of a bill introduction together with all the bills introduced the same day. Introductory statements, the bill texts and other materials explaining the nature of the legislation usually appear at a later point in the Record.
Water pollution: aid cities in building sewers and sewage treatment plants, 1454.
Text of S. 649 to amend Federal Water Pollution Control Act,1455.
Analysis of S. 649 to amend Federal Water Pollution Control Act, 1456.
1454, 1455, 1456; January 31, 1963; Muskie introductory statement on S.649, a bill to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to establish an agency within the Department of Health, Education and Welfare with primary responsibility for water pollution control, and to raise the existing limits on federal aid to municipalities for the costs of waste water treatment. The statement and a section-by-section analysis of the bill can be read here.
Water and air pollution treatment works: assist small business to obtain (see bill S. 737), 2089.
Water and air pollution treatment works: deduct from income tax expenditures for construction or acquisition of (see bill S. 736), 2089.
2089; February 11, 1963; Muskie is listed as a cosponsor of S. 736 and S. 737, two Ribicoff (D-Connecticut) bills to provide help to small businesses in obtaining water and pollution treatment equipment.
Under then-current law, the costs of pollution treatment works had to be capitalized and the cost deducted over the useful life of the plant. But treatment plants are not a profit-producing investment, so the bill S.736 treats these costs as a current expense deduction and allows them to be taken immediately, as is done under President Kennedy’s proposal for equipment used for research projects.
The other bill, S. 737, authorizes direct federal loans to small corporate entities for help in purchasing pollution control equipment. It is modeled on a provision the Senate tried to include in the 1947 Water Pollution Control Act, but which was not retained in the final form of the bill.
Letter: Disposal of Ellis Island, to Senator Case of New Jersey, by, 3886
3886; March 11, 1963; In a discussion of the idea of giving Ellis Island to a New Jersey training center for troubled children, Senator Kuchel (R-California) inserts a statement by Senator Clifford Case (R-New Jersey) describing a bill he has introduced which would accomplish this. The Case statement includes references to hearings held by the Subcommittee on Intergovernmental Relations in New York in 1962 to examine alternative disposal projects for Ellis Island, and a the text of a letter from Muskie to Case about this specific proposal.
Amend: Mass transportation systems: bill (S. 6) to assist in development of, 5623.
Mass transportation systems: bill (S. 6) to assist in development of, 5623.
5623; April 3, 1963; During debate on the Urban Mass Transportation bill, S.6, Muskie joins Cannon (D-Nevada) to cosponsor an amendment that would reduce the maximum amount of federally guaranteed loans for mass transit projects from $500 million to $375 million, which mirrors an earlier reduction in direct grants for mass transit projects. The amendment reflects the relative newness of the obligations that could be undertaken for funding mass transit and the unpredictable extent of the government’s potential liability in this new field.
Paderewski, Ignace Jan, 8199.
Dedication of Paderewski Memorial Tablet in Arlington National Cemetery, by President Kennedy and others. 8200.
10th Anniversary of Paderewski's Interment in Arlington National Cemetery, by Michael Kwapiszewski, 8200.
8199; 8200; May 9, 1963; Muskie speaks briefly about the dedication of a memorial marker to Paderewski at Arlington National Cemetery, primarily to insert a speech by Senator Williams (D-New Jersey) and President Kennedy, as well as the remarks of the President of the Polish American Congress, Michael Kwapiszewski. As the highest-ranking elected official of Polish descent serving in Congress at this time, Muskie was actively involved in the Polish-American community’s efforts to celebrate Polish heritage and the contributions of Poles to the United States.
Alaska Public Sale Act: bill (S. 535) to extend principles of equitable adjudication, 11364.
Interstate Highway System: bill (S. 1416) to provide for submission of certain cost estimates, 11366.
General Services Administration: bill (S. 1139), relative to air conditioning, 11368.
11362-11369; June 24, 1963; Muskie acts as floor manager for a series of bills reported by the Public Works Committee, which are all approved by voice vote. Several of these bills do not appear individually listed in the Record. Noncontroversial minor bills would be reported by the Committee, and unanimous consent agreements would be made for their approval on voice vote. Under the Senate Rules at this time, such minor bills had to be individually called up and passed during a session of the Senate and with the active participation of a Senator. Today, many of these are handled by paperwork at the close of the day’s session.
Unanimous consent agreements are an integral element of the Senate’s operations. Unlike the House of Representatives, whose rules include specific guidelines for passage of non-controversial bills, the Senate has no regular rule to streamline operations. Under Senate Rules, each individual Senator must give assent to any suspension of the regular rules. Once such a suspension of the rules has been accepted by all one hundred Senators, the result is a unanimous consent agreement. The underlying logic of this system is based on the preservation of the right of unlimited debate for every Senator.
The floor management of minor bills such as the following was often a chore given to more junior Senators who served on the Committee of jurisdiction. The bills Muskie managed on this occasion were:
S. 535, extending a 3-year deadline for finalizing Alaskan land sales made under a 1940 law.
S.1139, Jurisdiction over the air conditioning systems in government buildings in the District of Columbia is returned to each of the agencies occupying those buildings rather than to the General Services Administration.
S.1416, shortens by one year the time by which estimated costs for the completion of the interstate highway system must be given Congress to be the basis for apportioning funds for the fiscal years 1967 through 1971. Its purpose was to eliminate a conflict in the underlying legislation between the time that Congress had to apportion funding and the time the Commerce Secretary was required to inform the states what their share would be.
S.622; to encourage collective bargaining between workers and management on the Alaskan railroads.
S.1122; authorizing a land exchange between Powell, Wyoming and the Presbyterian Retirement Facilities Corporation.
S.1523; changing the operations of the Beach Erosion Board, an entity established by the 1930 Rivers and Harbors Act, to conform to the intent of the 1962 revision of that Act by making the Board’s study function exclusively federally-financed and the studies performed by the Army Corps of Engineers.
S.626, raising the limit of federal payments for construction engineering on primary, secondary and urban road projects financed with federal dollars (but excluding interstate highway dollars) from 10% to 15%.
S.254; granting authority to the Architect of Capitol to acquire privately held property behind the Supreme Court and to turn it into Supreme Court grounds property.
H.R.5860; amending the Packers and Stockyards Act of 1921 to permit livestock producers and processors to create promotional, research and education programs without federal oversight.
Committee on Public Works: filing of minority views, 18730
18730; October 3, 1963; Muskie requests the consent of the Senate to file a report on S.649, the Clean Water Act, during a recess or adjournment of the Senate. Senate Rules require that reports be filed during a session of the Senate. To suspend this rule, Senators must ask the unanimous consent of the Senate to file after the Senate has adjourned or while it is in recess. This is a routine consent request made by many different committees throughout the course of a session.
Committee on Public Works, 18753, 21268.
18753; October 7, 1963; Muskie reports that the Public Works Committee has filed a report on S. 649, the Clean Water Act (Report Number 88-556), during the recess
21268: November 7, 1963; Muskie gives notice that the Public Works Committee is reporting on three air pollution control bills, S.432 and H.R.6518, Report Number 88-638.
Water Pollution Control Act -- proposed legislation, 18773.
18773; October 7, 1963; Muskie inserts a letter from the Iron and Steel Institute and points out in advance of the debate that the Institute is supportive of his proposed Clean Water Act.
The demonstration of outside support for controversial legislation is one of the ways Senators work to reduce opposition. Although third-party support rarely persuades a hostile Senator to switch positions on a bill, a strong demonstration of support can help deflect an uninterested Senator from becoming antagonistic. Each individual bill and each separate debate creates its own environment of claimed costs and damages, so Senators seek to blunt these criticisms in advance as much as possible.
We Are Poisoning the Air, by Senator Ribicoff, in Look magazine, 19114.
19114; October 9, 1963; Muskie inserts a Ribicoff (D-Connecticut) article from Look magazine on clean air into the record and pays tribute to Ribicoff’s actions when he served as Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare and doubled the budget for pollution control, demanded that auto makers install equipment to lessen pollution, and convened a national convention in December 1962 on air pollution.
Water Pollution Control Act: bill (S. 649) to amend. 19641-19651
Water Pollution Control Federation, 19647
Letter: Water pollution bill (sundry), 18773, 19642, 19643, 19758
19640- 19651; October 16, 1963; Muskie opens debate on S.649, the Water Pollution Control Act, describing the provisions of the bill, and includes letters of support from government agencies and environmental groups. He responds to a Proxmire(D-Wisconsin) question about the attitude of the States towards the structure of the new bill, and inserts a report from the Water Pollution Control Federation, an association of state-level water pollution agencies to answer part of the question. To read this portion of the debate, click here.
19661- 19673; Muskie and Cooper (R-Kentucky) engage in a lengthy exchange over their differing interpretations of the authority the bill would grant to the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare with respect to setting water quality standards. Muskie contended that the Secretary already enjoyed such authority; Cooper contended the bill contained an unprecedented grant of authority which would give the Secretary the right to virtually dictate land use and zoning in the nation’s river basins. To read this portion of the debate, click here.
19758; October 17, 1963; The day after the debate and passage of the bill, Muskie inserts three late-breaking letters into Record from the Departments of Interior and Labor, and the General Services Administration, which serve to respond to some of the claims made by opponents that these departments did not either want or need the proposed bill. Muskie explains these letters here.
Letter: Air pollution legislation, by G.H. Decker, 22327.
22327: November 19, 1963; Responding to a claim by Dirksen (R-Illinois) that the air pollution control bill would take too much authority away from state and local governmental bodies, Muskie says that such concerns were addressed during work on the bill in response to the complaints of the Manufacturing Chemists’ Association and inserts a letter from that organization which reflects the Association’s support for the significant changes made in the bill to meet their concerns.
Air pollution: bills (S. 432; H.R. 6518) to improve existing program , 22322-22331, 2234, 24083-24085.
Patent Policies of Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, by Manuel B. Hiller. 22324.
Patents Resulting From Publicly Financed Research, 22324.
22322-22331: November 19, 1963; When debate begins on S.432, the Clean Air Act, Muskie makes opening remarks describing the air pollution problem and the way the bill would approach a solution, and accepts a Neuberger (D-Oregon) amendment to make sure scientific inventions financed by the research funds in the bill do not become private patents. Senator Dirksen (R-Illinois) offers a statement by his state’s Manufacturers’ Association opposing federal legislation on the grounds that air pollution control should be and remain a state and local matter.
2234: Muskie makes the routine announcement that the Senate will insist on its amendments to the Clean Air Act, thus asking for a conference between the Senate and House to reconcile differences between the two versions of the bill passed in each chamber. Because both Houses of Congress must agree on all elements of a bill before it can be placed before the President to be signed into law, temporary committees of conference are created to meet and iron out differences in the two versions of the bill as passed by each House. Service on a conference committee can be extremely significant to the final shape that a law takes.
24083-24085: December 10, 1963; Following the conference, Muskie brings the conference report on the Clean Air Act to the floor, where it is approved on a voice vote under the House bill number, H.R.6518. Muskie’s explanation of the differences between the two bills and how they were reconciled appears here.
National Cultural Center Act: amend to authorize funds and designate as John Fitzgerald Kennedy Memorial Center (see bill S. 2341), 23755.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy Memorial Center: rename National Cultural Center as (see S.J. Res. 136), 23755.
23755: December 9, 1963; The notice of introduction of a bill, S.2341, authorizing funds for the John Fitzgerald Kennedy Memorial Center for the Arts and a resolution, S. J. Res. 136, renaming the former National Cultural Center for the late President, includes a listing of all the cosponsors, including Muskie. This renaming occurred not long after the assassination of the President, so it is not surprising that virtually all members of the Senate are listed as cosponsors of both measures.
NATIONAL SECURITY/FOREIGN AFFAIRS
1963 88th Congress, 1st Session
Appointed to Mexico Interparliamentary Group, 3514.
3514; March 4, 1963; Notice only of the appointment of Muskie to serve on the Mexico Interparliamentary Group, by the Vice President, Lyndon B. Johnson. Like many Senators, Muskie served on a range of bilateral and international commissions. Because the Senate has the Constitutional role of ratifying treaties and confirming ambassadors, it is common to find international commissions and other groups created to help give Senators who do not serve on the Foreign Relations Committee a broader exposure to the kinds of challenges the U.S. government faces in its relations with other nations. To read a report of Muskie’s experience in Mexico, click here.
Excerpt from testimony of Arthur Sylvester before Committee on Government Operations relative to TFX contract, 4208-4218.
4218; This index entry is an error. The page specified reflects statements by Senator Karl Mundt, a Republican from South Dakota. The Congressional Record Index was compiled by hand, and the practice of typing all Senators’ names in upper case letters resulted in several confusions between Muskie and Mundt in the Index.
4295; March 14, 1963; Congressman Thaddeus J. Dulski (D-New York) inserts a Muskie speech in Extensions of Remarks. The speech was given to several groups in Buffalo, and sets forth Muskie’s thinking about the competition between the West and Communism. To read the text, click here.
TFX Controversy, by Max Freedman, in Washington Post, 5087
5087; March 28, 1963; Muskie inserts an article by Max Freedman from the Washington Post about the TFX controversy. The contract for the TFX (Tactical Fighter Experimental) plane was given, by the decision of Defense Secretary Robert McNamara, to General Dynamics instead of to Boeing, although earlier evaluations by the Air Force had favored Boeing. The decision became a lightening rod for criticism of McNamara, and led to an investigation by the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, a subcommittee of the Government Operations Committee, on which Muskie served.
Revolution in the Pentagon by Theodore H. White, in Look magazine, 6485.
6485; April 11, 1963; Muskie inserts a lengthy article by Theodore H. White as part of an effort to defend Secretary of Defense Robert MacNamara against critics of the TFX (Tactical Fighter Experimental) procurement contract. The article provides background on the changes that McNamara wrought in the Defense Department at the time.
TFX Dispute Centers on Contract Pioneering, by John G. Norris in Washington Post, 8300.
8300; May 13, 1963; With the TFX (Tactical Fighter Experimental) airplane procurement scandal in its second month, Muskie inserts a Washington Post article by John G. Norris which describes the testimony given by opponents of the Defense Secretary, Robert McNamara, in their descriptions of the differences in the procurement proposals for an experimental fighter plane from General Dynamics and Boeing.
Nuclear tests: favor ban on those that contaminate atmosphere or oceans (see S. Res. 148) 9415.
9415; May 27, 1963; Muskie is listed as one of the cosponsors of a Dodd (D-Connecticut) resolution, S.Res. 148, expressing the sense of the Senate that nuclear tests which contaminate the atmosphere or the oceans should be banned. The resolution was introduced while the Test Ban Treaty was under discussion in Geneva, mostly on the grounds that a test ban on atmospheric and oceanic tests is easy to monitor and can be implemented without delay. At this time, talks in Geneva had already dragged on for five years, with the Soviet Union holding to its position that there should only be a complete test ban, not a partial one.
Newsletter: Alliance for Progress and Mexico, by, 9978
9978; June 4, 1963; Moss (D-Utah) inserts a Muskie newsletter, “Letter to Maine” about Muskie’s visit to Mexico as a member of the Third Interparliamentary U.S.-Mexico Conference. Read the text of this newsletter here.
Foreign aid: conditional discontinuance to Diem regime in South Vietnam (see S. Res. 196), 16852.
16852; September 12, 1963; Muskie is listed as a cosponsor of a Church (D-Idaho) resolution. S. Res. 196, to express the sense of the Senate that economic and military aid to the government of South Vietnam should be discontinued unless the regime ended its persecution of the Buddhists. In South Vietnam, clashes between the government and Buddhists had been taking place since May, when the army fired on a group of Buddhists in Hue and killed nine. Several weeks later, young Buddhists began to immolate themselves with gasoline in protest, and an escalation of protests and government repression began which was one of the factors in the collapse of the Diem government.
Disarmament: ratification of nuclear test ban treaty, 17424-17426.
17424; September 18, 1963; During the debate on Executive M, as the proposed nuclear test ban treaty was known, Muskie gives his view, discusses the reservations and conditions that have been proposed to be added to the treaty, and announces his support.
Disarmament: veterans organizations favoring, 17463.
Nuclear test ban treaty by U.S. Council of World Veterans Federation, 17463.
17463; September 19, 1963; Muskie reproduces a resolution of the U.S. Council of the World Veterans Federation, a group comprised of DAV, AMVETS, AVC (American Veterans’ Committee), the Military Order of the Purple Heart, the Paralyzed Veterans of America, the Blinded Veterans of America, in support of the nuclear test ban treaty.
Foreign fishing vessels: bill (S. 1988) to prohibit within U.S. territorial waters, 18500.
18500; October 1, 1963; During the debate on S.1988, a bill to prohibit the presence of foreign fishing vessels within the territorial waters of the United States, Muskie remarks that although a Bartlett (D-Alaska) amendment does not go as far as it could, it represents a good first step nonetheless. Muskie was referring to the fact that the amendment provided only for fines of foreign vessels caught within the 3-mile territorial waters, even though several nations, including the Soviet Union and Canada were asserting territorial rights over 12 miles, something the U.S. was not doing at this time.
Muskie’s comment congratulated Bartlett on his bill and said it served notice to other countries that U.S. was alert to encroachments on its waters.
University of Maine, by John F. Kennedy, 19856
J.F.K. Speaks at University of Maine, by Donald C. Hansen in Portland (Maine) Telegram, 19856
Editorial: Foreign Policy Poultice from Washington Post, 19859
19856, 19859; October 2, 1963; When President Kennedy visited Maine and viewed the tidal power potential at Passamaquoddy Bay, he also made a speech at the University of Maine, in which his comments were directed to the foreign policy situation facing the U.S. with respect to Berlin and Cuba. Berlin at the time was a divided city within what was Democratic Republic of Germany (East Germany). Muskie included the speech, a Maine news story and an editorial from the Washington Post among the articles he placed in the Record after this visit.
Foreign aid: bill (H.R. 7885) authorizing funds, 20830
Letter: Fishery products in food-for-peace program, by David H. Hart and Carl Wright, 20830 Food for peace program: fish products, 20830
20830; October 31, 1963; During debate on the foreign assistance bill, H.R.7885, Muskie supports a Bartlett (D-Alaska) amendment which would have amended the Food for Peace program to include the sale of surplus fisheries products. His statement discusses the surplus of certain fish products facing Maine suppliers, and urges support for the amendment.
Amend: Foreign aid: bill (H.R. 7885) authorizing funds, 21353
21353; November 7, 1963; When Gruening (D-Alaska) calls up his amendment to H.R. 7885, the foreign aid bill authorization, Muskie is listed as one of the cosponsors. The amendment was broadly worded to deny aid to any government waging an aggressive war, but it was directed to General Nasser, of Egypt, who was at this time aggressively seeking to impose Egyptian leadership in the Middle East. Citing the example of the 1962 attacks on Yemen by Nasser, and the contemporary Egyptian willingness to throw its weight around, with respect to such matters as the assassination of the King of Jordan, and unrest in Lebanon, the amendment was actually an aid cut-off aimed primarily at Egypt.
Communist bloc: bill (S. 2310) to prohibit guarantee of Export-Import Bank of payment of obligations, 22748, 22749.
Excerpt from President Kennedy's address at University of Maine, 22749
22748. 22749: November 26, 1963; During debate on S.2310, a bill to prohibit the provision of payment guarantees by any government agency, particularly the Export-Import Bank, to any party selling products to a communist country, Muskie made the argument that the export license for wheat to the Soviet Bloc, which President Kennedy had recently approved, was in the interests of both parties and should be pursued. His statement quotes at length from the Kennedy speech given in Maine the previous month.
Christening of U.S.S. Josephus Daniels, by, 24499.
24499: December 13, 1963; Senator Lister Hill (D-Alabama) remarks on the U.S.S. Daniels include the text of the speech Muskie made at the ceremony, along with those of others.
Appointed to Canadian-American Interparliamentary Conference, 24937.
24937; December 18, 1963; Muskie is named as one of several Senators appointed by the President Pro Tempore to the Canadian-Interparliamentary Conference. Maine’s location on the Canadian border meant that Muskie had a lengthy and very active interest in U.S.-Canada relations throughout his tenure in the Senate.
HUMAN RESOURCES PROGRAMS
1963 1st Session, 88th Congress
Packaging or labeling of certain commodities: prohibit unfair and deceptive methods of (see bill S. 387). 638.
638; February 21, 1963; Muskie is listed as an original cosponsor of S.387, the Hart (D-Michigan) Truth in Labelling Act. When a Senator is an “original cosponsor” of a bill, it reflects strong support for the proposal, may sometimes indicate co-authorship, and is often a way Senators choose to endorse projects that fall within the jurisdiction of Committees on which they do not serve. For example, this bill was at the time the principal consumer protection issue at the federal level. Cosponsoring this bill at the time of its introduction is a stronger endorsement than merely voting for it when it reaches the Senate floor for debate and passage.
Aged: hospital insurance program under social security for (see bill S. 880), 2770.
2770; February 21, 1963; Muskie is listed as an original cosponsor of S.880, an Anderson (D-New Mexico) bill to provide for a system of hospital insurance for the elderly under the Social Security Act. At this time, the average monthly benefit paid under Social Security was $90.59, and increasing numbers of older Americans found health care unaffordable. A 1960 bill called the Kerr-Mills Act, under which states had the choice of accepting federal funds to provide some medical care had not been implemented by all the states, and was criticized for its narrowness. Pressure to enact a program such as the one that became Medicare were increasingly common at this time. The Anderson bill was the principal Medicare proposal in 1963.
Maine: rejection of right-to-work law, 7974
Letter: Proposed right-to-work law in Maine, by H. L. Gosselin, 7974, 7975
7974, 7975; May 8, 1963; Muskie reports that the Maine Legislature has again rejected a state-level right-to-work law, and inserts a letter from Henry Gosselin, the President of Bates Mills, opposing right-to-work laws as needless exacerbations of sound labor-management relations in Maine.
Radio debate: Medicare for the aged with Senator Mundt, on Reviewing Stand Program, 20111
20111; October 22, 1963; Transcript of radio debate between Muskie and Mundt (R-South Dakota) on the proposal to create a program of medical care for the elderly. Growing problems with the health care system, particularly with regard to access by the elderly to adequate health care, was at this time a constant topic of debate and difference between the Democratic and Republican parties. At a time when Congressional debate was neither broadcast nor televised, this debate was one of the forums in which that discussion was brought before the American people. Read the debate here.
WHO Names Excesses that can Cause Cancer, from Washington Post, 24085.
24085: December 10, 1963; Muskie inserts a Washington Post article which reports that the World Health Organization has published a summary of substances which included air pollution (along with cigarette-smoking, artificial colorants, excessive sun exposure, etc.) as a potential
cause of cancer.
GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS
1963 1st Session, 88th Congress
Committee on Government Operations, 399, 5250
Committee on Government Operations: study of intergovernmental relationships between Government and States and municipalities (see S. Res. 45), 399, 401.
399, 401; January 16, 1963; Muskie introduces S.Res. 45, a Senate resolution which authorizes the Committee on Government Operations to undertake a full examination and study of relations between the federal state and local governmental units, including the reports of Advisory Council on Intergovernmental Relations on the same subject.
5250; April 1, 1963; Muskie briefly describes what the Intergovernmental Relations Subcommittee has been doing, including its hearing on the disposition of Ellis Island, and inserts a press release on the new Subcommittee’s first questionnaire.
Committee on Government Operations: filing of report, 1456.
1456; January 31, 1963; Muskie makes a routine request for a 60-day extension for the Committee on Government Relations to file a report.
Federal grants-in-aid: coordinated review of State and local applications for certain (see bill S. 855), 2501.
2501; February 19, 1963; Notice only of Muskie’s introduction of S.855, a bill to provide for a coordinated review of state and location applications for federal grant funds.
Federal grants-in-aid: coordinate review of State and local applications, 2514.
Text of S. 855, to coordinate review of State and local applications for Federal grants-in-aid, 2525.
2514, 2515; February 19, 1963; Muskie makes introductory remarks on his bill, S.855, which requires a planning agency at the state level to review grants in those program areas affecting urban development. The bill implements a recommendation of the Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, and is a duplicate of a 1962 bill on the same subject matter.
(The bill text page citation of page 2525 in the Index is mistaken by one digit; the bill text is actually found on page 2515.)
Appointed on Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, 3788.
3788; March 8, 1963; Muskie is appointed by Vice President Johnson to serve on the Advisory Commission in Intergovernmental Relations. Muskie served on the Commission from its creation, in which he was instrumental. Senate service on outside bodies of this type lapses at the end of a Congress, so members must be reappointed if they are to serve in the future.
Public health grants-in-aid: provide greater flexibility to states in use of certain (see bill S. 1051), 3789.
3789; March 8, 1963; Notice only of Muskie introduction of S.1051, a bill designed to provide greater flexibility to the states for the use of certain public health grants.
Public health services: simplifying of Federal grants-in-aid to States, 3795.
3795; March 8, 1963; Muskie introductory remarks on S.1051, a bill to provide for greater flexibility for the states in the use of public health grants. This is a bill which in essence provides for a form of block grants in place of the existing narrowly targeted programs by permitting governors to move funds from one program to another depending on local priorities. This is the reintroduction of a bill first proposed in 1962.
Resolution (S. Res. 45) to authorize study of Intergovernmental relationships, 4248-4249.
4248-4249; March 14, 1963; Debate on the passage of S. Res. 45, a resolution to authorize the Governmental Affairs Committee to conduct a study of intergovernmental relationships. The resolution has the effect of funding the newly-created Subcommittee on Intergovernmental Relations, which Muskie chairs.
The creation and perpetuation of additional subcommittees almost always draws criticism and questions in the Senate, because every new committee formed implicitly creates a threat to the jurisdictional reach of an existing committee. At this time, the Subcommittee was only five months old, and was not widely welcomed by senior members of the Senate. The debate includes minute questioning by Senator Ellender (D-Louisiana) about the level of funding the subcommittee had the previous year, what it had done and its plans for the coming year.
Subcommittee on Intergovernmental Relations: report, 5250.
Press release: intergovernmental relations, issued by, 5251.
5250, April 1, 1963; Muskie issues the Government Operations Committee’s report, “Intergovernmental Relations”, Report 88-84, and describes the hearings held and other actions taken during the first five months of work by the Subcommittee on Intergovernmental Relations, which was created the prior year.
Advisory Commission in Intergovernmental Relations: fourth annual report, 6483-6485.
6483-6485; April 11, 1963, Muskie introduces the fourth annual report of the Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations and describes the studies the Commission has carried out and the policy recommendations it has made.
Subcommittee on Intergovernmental Relations: notice of hearings, 7945, 7946, 9292, 14412
7945, 7946; May 8, 1963; Muskie announces hearings by the Intergovernmental Relations Subcommittee on S.855 and S.915, bills dealing with metropolitan area planning;
9292, May 23, 1963; Muskie announces hearings by the Intergovernmental Relations Subcommittee to be held in New York City on “Government in Metropolitan Areas” on June 7, 8, and 10.
Local governments: tax increases, 8290.
It's the Rising State-Local Levies That Make U.S. Taxpayers Cry "Uncle," by Frank C. Porter, in Washington Post, 8290
8290; May 13, 1963; Muskie speaks briefly on the growth of state and local governments and on the willingness of those governments to demand tax resources from their own residents, and includes an article about this process from the Washington Post. In the following years, Muskie’s Intergovernmental Relations Subcommittee intensively investigated the question of local tax burdens as property taxes nationally continued to rise, a process which culminated in the 1978 California state referendum to cap property taxes.
Commission on Rural Life: establish (see bill S. 1697), 10555.
10555; June 16, 1963; Muskie is listed as an original cosponsor of Senator Hartke’s (D-Indiana) bill, S.1697, which would have created a Commission on Rural Life. At this time, substantial attention was being paid to the growing pains of metropolitan and suburban areas and Senators from those states where a substantial proportion of the residents remained in rural townships sought to re-emphasize the needs of their constituents. Maine has always had a substantial population in smaller cities and townships, so despite Committee assignments, which led to Muskie’s activism in the field of urban renewal, he remained very sensitive to the needs of rural America. This bill was based on an idea first discussed by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1909.
Counties' Comeback, by Mitchell Gordon, in Wall Street Journal, 15935.
15935; August 27, 1963; Muskie inserts a news item from the Wall Street Journal describing the changes in county governments as a result of the spread of urban areas and the difficulties cities and their suburbs face in keeping up with the need for services and infrastructure. The article notes that county governments all over the country are being revitalized by new demands from county residents for pollution controls, transportation improvements and other services. Muskie’s deep interest in urban growth and federalism led him to insert many such articles over the years.
Federal grants-in-aid: periodic review, 16291, 20803, 21476-21478
Periodic congressional review (see bill S. 2114), 16291.
Text of S. 2114, to provide review of Federal grants-in-aid, 16292.
16291; September 4, 1963; Muskie introduces S.2114, a bill to provide for periodic review of federal grant programs. This is a bill he reintroduced repeatedly in his early years in the Senate and reflects his enduring concern with the idea of creating a mechanism to force Congress to perform its oversight responsibilities and close out programs which outlive their purpose. His introductory statement can be read here.
20803: October 31, 1963; Muskie announces that 31 Senators now cosponsor his bill to provide for an automatic five-year review of grant programs, and traces the history of the growth of this means of federal-state interaction as he explains the importance of his bill. The text of this statement can be read here.
21476-21478: November 18, 1963; Muskie describes in detail the problem of equalization of federal grants and the different allocation methods and cost-sharing formulas used in existing programs, as well as the need to review those formulas for fairness and efficiency. Muskie worked to incorporate the concept of states’ own financial efforts, as well as states’ financial conditions into the formulas that allocated federal funds to the states.
Federal Union Under Fire, by Fred J. Cook, in Progressive magazine, 17463.
17463; September 19, 1963; Muskie inserts in the Record an article from Progressive magazine about the interests behind a series of proposed constitutional amendments which were spawned in part as a reaction to Baker v. Carr, the one-man one-vote ruling.
Interdependence Between States and Federal Government, President Kennedy before National Conference of State Legislative Leaders, 18678.
18678; October 3, 1963; Muskie inserts in Record a text of President Kennedy’s phone message to the Conference of State Legislative Leaders, in which the President reaffirms his belief in the federal system and in improving the way it works.
No More Nashville, Mitchell Gordon in Wall Street Journal, 18678
18678; October 3, 1963; Muskie inserts a news article by Mitchell Gordon from the Wall Street Journal, describing a new effort at creating a metro-wide governmental structure in Nashville and Davidson County, in Tennessee. The issue of whether county governments were an obsolete institution was one of those being debated at the time, and Muskie was interested in exploring the different ways that localities tried to update their county systems.
Report: Activities of Subcommittee on Intergovernmental Relations by, 19161.
19161; October 10, 1963; Senator Ervin (D-North Carolina) reproduces a report by Muskie about the activities of the Subcommittee on Intergovernmental Relations. Senator Ervin served on the Subcommittee along with Muskie.
Hearings on bill to adjust legislative jurisdiction over certain Federal enclaves: print additional copies (see S. Res. 236), 24637.
24637; December 16, 1963; Muskie introduces a resolution, S. Res. 236, providing for the printing of 2000 additional copies of hearings on S.815, a bill to adjust legislative jurisdiction over certain Federal enclaves.
CONSTITUTIONAL LAW, CIVIL RIGHTS, CIVIL LAW
1963 1st Session, 88th Congress
Foreword: Freedom of Speech and Press in America by E. G. Hudon; W.O. Douglas, A790.
A790: February 10, 1963; Muskie discusses a book on the First Amendment written by E.G. Hudon, the assistant librarian at the Supreme Court, who is a native of Brunswick Maine. He inserts the introduction to the book, written by Justice Douglas, which supports the book’s focus on the First Amendment.
Columbus Day: make a legal holiday (see bill S. 108), 898.
898; January 24, 1963; Muskie is added as a cosponsor to a Boggs (D-Delaware) bill, S.108, making Columbus Day a legal federal holiday.
Immigration and Nationality Act: amend (see bill S. 747), 2012.
2012; February 7, 1963; Muskie is listed as an original cosponsor of a Hart (D-Michigan) bill, S.747, to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act. This is a bill Hart first introduced in 1962, and which has President Kennedy’s support. The bill would have abolished national-origins quotas on immigrants, and would have incorporated a number of piecemeal changes made to immigration law in the postwar years as the U.S. accepted an influx of war refugees and then postwar refugees from the communist Eastern European countries.
Voting in Federal elections: further secure and protect rights of (see bill S. 666), 3142.
3142; February 28, 1963; Muskie is added as a cosponsor of a Dodd (D-Connecticut) bill, S.666, designed to enforce the voting rights of black Americans by requiring that any oral literacy examination be transcribed verbatim, that all literacy tests be even-handedly applied to those seeking registration to vote, and banning the practice of using unrelated answers as a pretext for denying voter registration. At this time, 11 states with black populations of fifty percent or more had registered just five percent of black Americans to vote. The Dodd bill was an effort to prevent the use of literacy tests in a discriminatory manner without seeking to ban literacy tests directly, something that opponents of civil rights laws argued was an unconstitutional infringement on the right of states to establish voter qualifications.
Commission on Civil Rights: extend for 4 years (see bill S. 1117), 4528.
4790; March 25, 1963; Muskie is added as a cosponsor of a Hart (D-Michigan) bill, S.1117, to extend for four years the Commission on Civil Rights and to expand the scope of its functions, fulfilling one of the recommendations in President Kennedy’s Civil Rights Message of February. The page number cited in the Record is in error.
Registration and voting rights: protect constitutional (see bill S. 1283). 5951
5951; April 9, 1963; Muskie is shown as an original cosponsor of a Hart (D-Michigan) bill, S.1283, to protect the constitutional right to register and vote. This bill incorporated much of President Kennedy’s approach to voting rights; it would have made the presumption that anyone with a 6th grade education was literate, appointed a series of voting “referees” where state practices inhibited voter registration, and would have speeded up court appeals in cases where registration was denied. This, like the Dodd bill Muskie also cosponsored, was one of a number of efforts to legislatively correct the massive denial of voting rights in the Southern states. At this time, the Justice Department had filed 22 suits against voting denials, compared with 10 filed in the eight years under President Eisenhower, evidence that the Kennedy Administration intended to pursue civil rights issues more aggressively than its predecessor.
Our Nation of Immigrants, before American Immigration and Citizenship Conference, by, 7028.
7028; April 24, 1963; Hart (D-Michigan) inserts a Muskie speech at New York’s Plaza Hotel to the American Immigration and Citizenship Conference, where Muskie describes his father’s experience as an immigrant and the reasons he supports a change in immigration law from quotas based on national origins, which was the law at the time.
Law Observance and Individual Rights, by David L. Bazelon, before Federal Bar Association, 8410.
8410, May 14, 1963; Muskie inserts the text of Judge David L. Bazelon’s Law Day speech, which discusses the rate of violent crime in the District of Columbia and the varied claims made as to the cause of it, as well as assorted contemporary proposals for the increased use of police dogs and preemptive arrests.
Public accommodations: eliminate discrimination in (see bill S. 1732). 11083, 1173, 11541
Civil rights: voting right, public accommodations, employment opportunity, and for other purposes (see bill S. 1731), 11083,1173, 11541
11083; June 19, 1963; Introduction of two civil rights bills by Mansfield (D-Montana), the Senate Majority Leader. S.1731 was the Kennedy Administration package, covering all civil rights issues, the other, S.1732, consisted of Title II of the Administration bill, the public accommodations provisions. S.1731, the Administration bill, was sent to Judiciary; S.1732 was sent to Commerce, whose Chairman, Senator Magnuson, was a cosponsor of the bill. Although Muskie’s name does not appear directly in connection with the bills’ introduction, he is one of several Senators who signed on as cosponsors before the measures’ introduction.
1173; June 19, 1963; Later on the same day, Humphrey lists all cosponsors, including Muskie.
11541: June 25, 1963; A more definitive list of cosponsors of both bills is published; Muskie’s name appears.
At this period, the reign of the Southern Democrats in the Senate was still strong. Because of seniority, Southern Democrats held many Committee Chairmanships. Legislation they disagreed with generally did not emerge from their Committees. In this instance, because the Chairmanship of the Judiciary Committee was held by Senator Eastland of Mississippi, an opponent of civil rights legislation, the effort was made to split those parts of the bill which had implications for interstate commerce to the more welcoming jurisdiction of Commerce Committee Chairman Magnuson, of Washington state.
Immigration and Nationality Act: amend to abolish national origins quota system (see bill S. 1932), 13751.
13751; July 31, 1963; Muskie is listed as a cosponsor of a Hart (D-Michigan) bill, S.1932, to abolish the national origins quota system in immigration law. This bill contains the elements of immigration reform which President Kennedy requested, and Senator Hart introduced it as a vehicle through which both his own earlier immigration reforms and the President’s proposal could be considered.
District of Columbia Home Rule Bill, 22654.
22654: November 21, 1963; House of Representatives: In a House floor statement, Rep. Findley (R-Illinois) expresses his support for the idea of giving the District of Columbia back to Maryland (in lieu of D.C. self-government) and cites in its defense a Senate Government Operations Committee bill, S.815, which would permit the head of a federal agency to surrender to a state government such degree of legislative authority over federal installations or land as deemed necessary. Muskie is quoted very briefly in this context. The Government Operations bill and D.C. self-government have no connection to each other, so it is an irrelevant citation. The bill is designed to deal with the taxing authority of states in federal enclaves. There is no analogy to the Constitutional status of the nation’s capital.
At this time, the District of Columbia was governed by an appointed commission, and District residents could not vote for or against any commissioner. Congress, citing Section 8, Article 1 of the Constitution (“To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, be Cession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States . . .) long resisted granting any degree of self-government to the citizens of the District of Columbia. Congress still reviews and changes the District’s budget, even though the taxes are raised by an elected Mayor and City Council, something no other city or State would tolerate.
MISCELLANEOUS
1963 1st Session, 88th Congress
Dworshak, Henry C.: eulogy, 3317.
Chavez, Dennis: eulogy, 3329.
Kerr, Robert S.: eulogy, 3351.
Hale, Frederick: eulogy, 19071
Kefauver, Estes: eulogy, 20200.
3317, 3329, 3351; March 1, 1963; Muskie joins other Members of the Senate in eulogies for three recently deceased members of the Senate, Senator Henry C. Dworshak, Republican of Idaho, Senator Dennis Chavez, Democrat of New Mexico, and Robert S. Kerr, Democrat of Oklahoma.
19071; October 9, 1963; Muskie speaks on the death of a former Maine Senator, Frederick Hale, who served from 1917 through 1941, and died at 88.
20200; October 24, 1963; Muskie joins other Senators in eulogies for Senator C. Estes Kefauver, Democrat of Tennessee, who died in office. He was famous for his investigation of organized crime.
It is a long-standing Senate tradition to eulogize Senators who leave the body either by reason of death, retirement, or defeat. When Senators die in office, tributes by their colleagues are collected and reproduced for the benefit of surviving family members and the community in which the Member lived. In exceptional circumstances, booklets of such tributes are printed by the Government Printing Office for wider distribution. And in extremely exceptional circumstances, individuals such as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis are honored by such tributes and booklets. After Senator Muskie’s death, the transcript of his funeral service and Senate tributes were printed as a booklet and distributed to interested parties.
Citations: May Craig and Don Larrabee, by American Legion, Department of Maine, 5088.
5088; March 28, 1963; Muskie enters into the Record the citations offered by the Maine Department of the American Legion for distinguished journalism to May Craig and Don Larrabee, two Maine reporters who covered Capitol Hill and national news stories.
Memorials of legislature, Maine, 6352, 7169, 9413, 9945, 10926
6352; April 10, 1963; Senator Margaret Chase Smith, for herself and Muskie, inserts in the Record a Resolution of the Maine State Legislature urging that the terminus of the Interstate Highway System in Maine be placed beyond Houlton at the northern border;
7169, April 26, 1963; Senator Smith, for herself and Muskie, insert a Resolution by the Maine State Legislature in favor of including domestically fished stocks of seafood in the food-for-peace program;
9413, May 27, 1963; Maine State Legislature Resolution in favor of the development of the full hydroelectric power potential of Passamaquoddy Bay and the Upper St. John River;
9945, May 27, 1963; Notice only of the Maine State Resolution in favor of the development of the hydroelectric power potential of Passamaquoddy Bay and the Upper St. John River.
10926; June 17, 1963; Senator Smith, for herself and Muskie, introduces a joint resolution of the Maine legislature to exempt certain carriers from the minimum rate regulation in the transportation of bulk commodities, agricultural and fish products. The resolution takes the form of advocating federal legislation to lift the minimum rate set by the Interstate Commerce Committee on Maine carriers.
Traditionally, a State’s senior Senator is the one to whom the State legislature sends resolutions intended to be presented to the Congress, and they are usually presented during morning business on behalf of both of the State’s Senators. In some instances, such resolutions can reflect the priorities of a Senator – as the food-for-peace resolution and the hydroelectric power resolution reflect Muskie legislative priorities.
Cooper, Maj. L. Gordon: congratulations on orbital flight (see S. Res. 143), 8864.
8864; May 16, 1963; Muskie is listed as one of the 100 member of the Senate cosponsoring the resolution, S. Res. 143, offering the Senate’s congratulations to astronaut Major Gordon Cooper on his orbital flight. It is a tradition of long standing for the Senate to offer resolutions congratulating those who have achieved some national distinction.
Kennedy, John F.: eulogy, 24119.
Editorial: John F. Kennedy Eulogies (sundry) 24119-24125.
Newsletter: Death of John F. Kennedy, by, 24119
Assassination of President Kennedy, by, 24120.
Death of President Kennedy by Cumberland County Women's Democratic Club, 24125
24119 - 24125: December 11, 1963; Muskie speaks about the death of President John F. Kennedy and inserts in the Record assorted Maine press editorials, his own newsletters, a letter from the University of Maine at Orono (where Kennedy spoke a month before his assassination). For a flavor of the period, these can be read here.
Maine Basketball Finals, Boston Globe, J. Nason, A1841.
A1841: April 1, 1963; In Extensions of Remarks, Muskie inserts a Boston Globe news story about the two Maine high school basketball teams which are the best in New England. Maine’s love affair with high school basketball is one of the enduring facts about the State, and Maine’s Senators generally share the passion.
POLITICS, CAMPAIGN REFORM
1963 88th Congress, 1st Session
Federal elections: prevent corrupt practices in (see bill S. 559), 1173
1173; January 28, 1963; Muskie is listed as a an original cosponsor of a Long (D-Missouri) bill, S.559, to modernize and improve the existing campaign finance law, a 1925 statute entitled the Federal Corrupt Practices Act. The bill would have applied the law to primary as well as general elections, and to political campaign committees operating within a single state, as well creating new limits on presidential election campaign spending, and a tax incentive for donations to candidates.
Eby Pines Rally, Senator Tom McIntyre, 17589.
17589, September 19, 1963; Muskie inserts the text of a speech by Senator McIntyre (D-New Hampshire) at a Democratic Party Rally at Eby Pines Picnic Grounds in Bristol, Ind. McIntyre gives credit to Indiana Senator Vance Hartke (D-Indiana) who encouraged him to compete for the New Hampshire Senate seat held by Republican Styles Bridges, and encourages Democrats not to try to prevent change in the country but to master it, a typical political potboiler speech.
SENATE RULES, PROCEDURES, ASSIGNMENTS, HOUSEKEEPING
1963 88th Congress, 1st Session
Committee on the Organization of the Congress (Joint) : establish (see S. Con. Res. 1), 194.
194; January 14, 1963; Muskie is listed as an original cosponsor of a Clark (D-Pennsylvania) resolution, S. Con. Res. 1, setting up a Joint Committee for the purpose for the purpose of reorganizing the Congress, which had not been modified since passage of the 1946 Legislative Reorganization Act. This was proposed in tandem with a Humphrey (D-Minnesota) proposal to amend the filibuster rule, and Republican efforts, led by Senator Case (R-New Jersey) to reform Congress.
Proposals to modernize the legislative branch are in some respects perennial; there is always some member of the House or Senate who feels that the legislature can be operated more efficiently. At this particular time, with the recent accession of two new states, the overlapping jurisdictional problems where several committees sought to take on the same subjects, the continued difficulty in enacting civil rights laws and the apparent stranglehold of the Southern Democrats on the posts of power in the Senate and the House, proposals for reorganization were perhaps more frequent.
Rule XXII Should Be Changed, by, 1920.
1920; February 6, 1963; During the debate on reform of Rule 22, the filibuster rule, Muskie is listed as one of the 50 Senators who have signed a statement in favor of reforming Rule 22 by changing from a requirement of a two-thirds vote to end debate to a three-fifths vote.
The filibuster is the name given to the exercise of the Senate’s unlimited right to debate. When that right is exercised, no other action can take place in the Senate. The Senate rule of “unlimited debate” has undergone modifications since the beginning of the body’s history. At this time, the rule was that two-thirds of Senators present and voting were required to vote affirmatively to end debate in order to bring a filibuster to a close. Efforts were made repeatedly to reduce the two-thirds voting requirement so that the Senate could not be tied up and prevented from acting by the votes of just one-third-plus-one of those present. These reform efforts were strongly and successfully resisted until 1975.
Senate rules: amend relative to germaneness of debate (see S. Res. 89), 2502
2502; February 19, 1963; Muskie is listed as a cosponsor of S. Res. 89, a Pastore (D-Rhode Island) resolution on germaneness of debate. This proposal would have provided that following each day’s morning business (when bills are presented and messages from the House and the President received), there would be 4 hours during which debate would have to be directly relevant to the pending business of the Senate.
Under the Senate Rules, neither debate nor amendments to bills are required to be relevant to the underlying issue, except in the case of amendments to appropriations bills. But in general debate, no Senator can be ruled out of order for speaking on an unrelated subject, or offering unrelated amendments to a bill. This fact has long annoyed many Members of the Senate, who see it as a mechanism by which some Senators can waste their colleagues’ time, and legislative opponents can frustrate action without having to make themselves accountable for doing so directly.
Like other reform proposals, there are always efforts to make the Senate more efficient, to move its business more quickly, and to prevent time-wasting. This was one such effort. In general, these efforts tend to fail because it is exceedingly rare that all 100 Senators are equally inconvenienced by dilatory speeches and motions at the same time. Those who are inconvenienced naturally seek reform. Those who are not are content to leave themselves with the freedom of future action available which exists under the Senate rules.
Elected to Committee on Banking and Currency, 2924.
Elected to Committee on Government Operations, 2924.
Elected to Committee on Public Works 2924.
2924; February 25, 1963; The list of Senate Committee assignments announced by the Senate Majority leader, Mansfield (D-Montana), appears in the Record, and Muskie is shown as having been assigned to the Banking, Government Operations and Public Works Committee. In each new Congress, as Senators retire or are defeated for reelection and new Senators are elected, memberships of the Committees must be assigned anew. Senators from each Party make the choices for their members, and the new Committee assignments are routinely published in the Congressional Record.
Reference of S. 915, by, 6744.
6744; April 23, 1963; Muskie announces that a bill, S.915, to provide for land-use planning in metropolitan areas, is being assigned from the Banking Committee to the Committee on Government Operations. Changes in Committee referrals of a bill at this time had to be formally announced on the Senate floor.
Appointed conferee, 13715, 2234
13715; July 30, 1963; Muskie is appointed as a conferee on H.R.6016, a bill dealing with the Waurika reservoir project, Oklahoma.
2234: November 19, 1963; Muskie is named as a conferee to the Clean Air Act.
Because both Houses of Congress must agree on all elements of a bill before it can be placed before the President to be signed into law, temporary committees of conference are created to meet and iron out differences in the two versions of the bill as passed by each House. Service on a conference committee can be extremely significant to the final shape that a law takes. In the first of these two cases, Muskie is a conferee on a minor bill in which he has no personal interest, but which the Public Works Committee has handled. In the case of the Clean Air Act, Muskie was the floor manager for the bill and a pivotal member of the Senate conference committee.
American Foundation for Continuing Education: Capitol Hill seminar, 15877.
Capitol Hill seminar, 15877.
15877; August 26, 1963; Muskie makes a statement about the inception of a seminar program for professional Congressional staff to examine issues in depth, describes what the pilot program has done and congratulates all involved for undertaking a promising career development program.
Tributes in the Senate, 17426, 2234
17426; September 18, 1963; Senator Mansfield (D-Montana) praises Muskie at the conclusion of Muskie’s speech on the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.
2234: November 19, 1963; At the close of debate on the Clean Air Act, Senator Mansfield briefly pays tribute to Muskie’s efforts in successfully bringing two major pollution control bills to the floor and passing them in the current session.
There is a long tradition of Senatorial eloquence employed in the service of Senatorial comity. In the early years of the new Congress at the end of the 18th century, the use of elaborate courtesies in debate was an element of the efforts to prevent physical assaults in the Chamber. Although not always successful, the tradition gradually grew stronger. The tradition is maintained through elaborate verbal celebrations of landmarks in each Senator’s career by other Senators. Birthdays, anniversaries, consecutive vote counts, as well as retirements and deaths are all occasions when Senatorial colleagues offer up statements of congratulations, regret, and respect to each other. A very frequent occasion for courtesy is the close of a debate, when the Majority Leader expresses his admiration of the manner in which the bill’s floor manager has handled the debate. It is this tradition, among other factors, which accounts for the frequent description of the Senate as being the “world’s most exclusive club.”
BUDGET, TAXES, FISCAL POLICY
1963 1st Session, 88th Congress
Executive agencies: more effective evaluation of fiscal requirements of (see bill S. 537), 1064.
1064; January 25, 1963; Muskie is listed as one of 76 cosponsors of S.537, a McClellan (D-Arkansas) bill designed to more effectively evaluate the fiscal needs of the Executive Branch agencies. The McClellan bill would have created a Joint Committee on the Budget, with a combined staff serving each House of Congress, to streamline the appropriations process. Similar bills had been passed in the Senate in the prior six Congresses, but were never adopted by the House, which was insistent on its prerogative to originate appropriations bills. At this time, a feud between the House and Senate Appropriations Committee in the previous year had further exacerbated the problems of dealing efficiently with spending bills.
Muskie’s interest in improving the appropriations process led him to support numerous proposals such as this one, and ultimately culminated in the creation of the Budget process that now exists, and the Committee of which he became Chairman in 1975.
Amend: Income tax: bill (H.R. 8363) to reduce individual and corporate, 23084.
23084: December 3, 1963; In a floor statement about his amendment to a tax bill, Ribicoff (D-Connecticut) lists Muskie as one of a number of cosponsors of his amendment. The amendment would strengthen waste control efforts by making tax deductible the costs of construction of anti-pollution facilities. There is no Muskie text at this point.
TRADE, EXPORT SUBSIDIES, TARIFFS
1963 1st Session, 88th Congress
Tariff Act of 1930: amend to tighten loopholes in imports of waterproof cloth (see bill S. 941), 3111
3111; February 18, 1963; Muskie is listed as a cosponsor of a Talmadge (D-Georgia) bill, S.941, to abolish loopholes in the trade laws. This purpose of this bill is to prevent the manipulation of duty-free entry for textiles originating in U.S. possessions by giving meaningless “treatments” to textiles, thus turning otherwise ineligible foreign-produced fabric into fabric that qualifies for the more favorable trade treatment extended to U.S. possessions and also by-passing the textile import quotas.
Textile Industry: Imports, 24497.
Farmers Home Administration loans - two-price cotton, 24497.
24497: December 13, 1963; Muskie statement in support of H.R.6196, a bill to abolish the two-price system for cotton which was designed to relieve U.S. textile mills against lower priced foreign competition. Muskie further states that he prefers a Senate proposal, spearheaded by Talmadge (D-Georgia) and Humphrey (D-Minnesota), which would provide a price support within the domestic allotment, but allow unlimited planting and sale at lower world prices beyond the allotment. The two-price system was designed to subsidize exports by making them cheaper than sales to domestic mills.