December 29, 1970
Page 43835
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr.President, JOE TYDINGS of Maryland has served only one term in the Senate. In that time he has amassed a record of solid achievement for which he and the people of his State can be proud. It is a loss to the country that he will not be here to build on that record in the next 6 years.
As chairman of the District of Columbia Committee – the youngest chairman of a standing committee in either House – he worked tirelessly to solve the problems that afflict our large urban areas. He secured enactment of legislation dealing with crime control, court reform, representation of the accused, urban mass transit, air pollution, and consumer protection.
And he has been a staunch supporter of equal rights for all our people – as a floor leader of the Voting Rights Act in 1965 and 1970, as the author of legislation to eliminate discrimination in Federal juries, and as a supporter of open housing.
From the first day of his Senate career, JOE TYDINGS was determined to fight for what he believed was right, whether or not it was popular.
He fought hard for effective gun control legislation, knowing he faced the strong opposition of one of the most powerful lobbies in the country.
He pressed for passage of a controversial crime control bill in an election year, knowing it would hurt him at the polls.
He worked for reform of our antiquated electoral college system, knowing he faced opposition from those with a stake in the status quo.
He was, for too short a time, a valued member of the Subcommittee on Air and Water Pollution.
As such, he was an uncompromising fighter for more effective legislation to deal with environmental degradation.
Because of the commitment and convictions which were the foundation of his Senate work, the JOE TYDINGS' story does not end with his departure from the Senate. For he has shown that a young man with little seniority can make his voice heard in this Chamber, and effect great good for the country.
He has demonstrated that there are still men of conscience who will resist the pressures of the moment.
He leaves behind a record of conscience, of faith in the fundamental soundness of our democratic processes, of commitment to change when change is necessary.
We shall miss him in the Senate. But I am confident that the Nation has not heard the last of him.