October 15, 1979
Page 28314
CAMP FIRE GIRLS MEMORIAL
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of Calendar Order No. 377.
Mr. BAKER. Mr. President, reserving the right to object — and I will not object — this matter is cleared on our calendar, and we have no objection to its consideration and passage.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The joint resolution will be stated by title.
The second assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
A joint resolution (S.J. Res. 83) to authorize the Camp Fire Girls of Cundys Harbor, Maine, to erect a memorial on Maine Avenue in the District of Columbia.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to the present consideration of the joint resolution?
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the joint resolution, which had been reported from the Committee on Rules and Administration with amendments as follows:
On page 2, line 1, strike "on Maine Avenue";
On page 2, line 10, strike "on Maine Avenue";
So as to make the joint resolution read:
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Camp Fire Girls of Cundys Harbor, Maine, is authorized to erect a memorial on public grounds in the District of Columbia, subject to authorization by the Secretary of the Interior as provided in section 2, in commemoration of the State of Maine. This memorial shall be in the form of a statue, and shall be entitled "The Maine Lobsterman".
SEC. 2. (a) The Secretary of the Interior is authorized to select, with the approval of the National Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission, a suitable site on public grounds in the District of Columbia, upon which may be erected the memorial authorized in the first section of this resolution. If the site selected is on public grounds belonging to or under the jurisdiction of the District of Columbia, the approval of the Mayor of the District of Columbia shall also be obtained.
(b) The design and plans for such memorial shall be subject to the approval of the Secretary of the Interior, the National Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission.
(c) Other than as to the land authorized for the erection of the memorial in the first section, neither the United States nor the District of Columbia shall be put to any expense in the erection of this memorial.
SEC. 3. The authority conferred pursuant to this resolution shall lapse unless (1) the erection of such memorial is commenced within five years from the date of enactment of this resolution, and (2) prior to its commencement, funds are certified available in an amount sufficient, in the judgment of the Secretary of the Interior to insure completion of the memorial.
SEC. 4. The maintenance and care of the memorial erected under the provisions of this resolution shall be the responsibility of the Secretary of the Interior.
Mr. COHEN. Mr. President, I urge my Senate colleagues to join Senator MUSKIE and me in supporting our legislation authorizing the Interior Department to place a copy of the famous "Maine Lobsterman" statue at a suitable location in Washington.
No one better embodies the unique characteristics of Maine's hardy citizens than do our lobstermen. That was why in 1939, when the State was seeking a centerpiece for its exhibit at the New York World's Fair, sculptor Victor Kahill was commissioned to depict a lobsterman at work.
The Kahill sculpture has become a Maine favorite. Copies are now on display in Augusta, Portland, and Harpswell. Over the years, several efforts have been made to place a copy in Washington, as a symbol of the lobstermen's contribution to Maine and of Maine's contribution to the Nation.
The current drive to bring the lobsterman to Washington is being led by the Camp Fire Girls of Cundys Harbor. But if the group is to have any hope of success in raising the funds needed for this project, authorizing legislation enabling the Secretary of the Interior to find a suitable site in Washington must be approved by the Congress.
Senator MUSKIE and I hope that this statue can be erected, as the Camp Fire Girls wish, on Maine Avenue along the waterfront. But first we need the support of the Senate for Senate Joint Resolution 83. I urge all my colleagues to approve this resolution.
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, Senate Joint Resolution 83, jointly sponsored by Senator COHEN and me, authorizes the Camp Fire Girls of Cundys Harbor, Maine, to erect a memorial in the District of Columbia.
The memorial the Camp Fire Girls have chosen to erect is a replica of the Victor Kahill sculpture of a lobsterman at work. It is a creation which symbolizes the independent spirit of our Maine citizens and our relationship to the sea. The cities of Augusta, Portland, and Harpswell each have a replica of the statue on exhibit.
There have been previous attempts to place this work in Washington to reflect one aspect of Maine's contribution to our Nation. The present impetus for this project must be credited to the Camp Fire Girls of Cundys Harbor under the leadership of Ruth Heiser. This legislation is a tribute to their perseverance and their belief that the special character of Maine's seagoing people ought to be recognized in our Nation's capital.
The Camp Fire Girls of Cundys Harbor, Senator COHEN, and I feel it would be appropriate to have the statue erected on Maine Avenue, particularly near the water.
I urge my colleagues to approve the resolution.
The amendments were agreed to.
The joint resolution was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading, read the third time, and passed.
The title was amended so as to read: A joint resolution to authorize the Camp Fire Girls of Cundys Harbor, Maine, to erect a memorial in the District of Columbia.
Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote by which the joint resolution was passed.
Mr. BAKER. I move to lay that motion on the table.
The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.