December 17, 1979
Page 36522
SENATOR RANDOLPH'S TIMELY WARNING
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, last week, in Wheeling, W. Va., 1,700 persons from West Virginia and the Upper Ohio Valley areas in Pennsylvania and Ohio joined in a nonpartisan salute to our colleague, Senator JENNINGS RANDOLPH.
I have been a Member of the Senate with Senator RANDOLPH since we were both elected in 1958. I have been privileged to serve with him on the Environment and Public Works Committee during all of the years that have intervened and under his chairmanship for the last decade or more.
There is not a more effective or more dedicated, more committed Member of this body than my good friend, Senator JENNINGS RANDOLPH.
In connection with the tribute that was paid to him in Wheeling last week, a most appropriate editorial appeared in the Wheeling News-Register on Thursday, December 13, entitled, "Senator Randolph's Timely Warning."
One paragraph in that editorial caught my attention:
So this country's "Man for All Seasons," Senator Jennings Randolph, speaks another timely warning for the nation. While he acknowledges that there is no parallel between Iran and the United States, the dangers, however, "inherent in a breakdown of individual responsibility, are vividly portrayed by events in Iran."
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that that editorial tribute be printed in the RECORD at this point.
There being no objection, the editorial was ordered to be printed in the RECORD, as follows:
SENATOR RANDOLPH'S TIMELY WARNING
If ever there was a "Man for All Seasons," U.S. Senator Jennings Randolph of West Virginia deserves such acclaim and so it is fitting that the area's leaders join tonight in a non-partisan salute to this outstanding representative of the people for his long years of faithful public service to the State of West Virginia and the country he loves.
We would not attempt again to list here the numerous examples of his foresight and leadership that date back to those first 100 days of the administration of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, when Senator Randolph was a freshman member of the House of Representatives. Those who speak at the Wheeling Civic Center this evening at the dinner honoring the Senator can elaborate on his amazing record of accomplishments from helping the blind and the handicapped to assuring the future welfare of a major area basic industry.
Instead, we believe it appropriate to call attention to Senator Randolph's current thoughtful and intelligent perception of the American scene at a time when others who are of the Senator's age already have settled deep into retirement and inactivity.
At a recent workshop on citizen education held in Chevy Chase, Maryland, Senator Randolph called attention to the urgent need for a revival of good citizenship and virtue which made our nation strong over the years. He warned of the danger of allowing government to become the concern "of the few, by the few, and for the few."
The handwriting already is on the wall and Senator Randolph, who warned of the today's energy crisis as long as 30 years ago, now is signaling of a new danger that might become tomorrow's national tragedy.
He noted how in 1978, only 34 percent of America's voters exercised their responsibility. This represents a modern low for voter turnout.
Senator Randolph cited how less than 28 percent of President Carter's fellow citizens voted for him in the Presidential election of 1976. Less than three of every 10 eligible voters chose the President.
He said, "The voters of the United States no longer establish policy and elect our leaders and representatives by majority vote. A majority of the minority are serving this function — setting the course for the majority who choose not to vote. I submit that, as a Nation, we are courting disaster if we are not able to reverse this trend. Education for citizenship is a priority."
Ever alert to the changing scene of the moment, the Senator from West Virginia in pleading for a rebirth of individual responsibility, brought the current crisis in Iran into focus as it applies to our own shortcomings.
"We are witnessing evidence of tragedies which do occur in the absence of individual responsibility," he told his audience. "Hordes of a foreign country's citizens exhort profanities on our Republic while Americans are held hostage by a tyrannical regime."
He explained how beneath the Ayatollahs are hundreds of Vicars who pass judgment on both religious and public affairs. Below the Vicars are approximately 180,000 Mullahs, one for every 200 citizens, who minister directly to the people and between the Mullahs and the Vicars are an additional 100,000 religious men known as "Hafex" working directly with the population.
Senator Randolph asks and answers: "Can an Iranian citizen exercise individual responsibility in this climate? It is doubtful."
A select few, the Ayatollahs, do all the thinking for an entire nation. In the Senator's view, the radical and irrational behavior of the Iranian citizenry is the product of a lack of individual thought and independent expression.
So this country's "Man for All Seasons," Senator Jennings Randolph, speaks another timely warning for the nation. While he acknowledges that there is no parallel between Iran and the United States, the dangers, however, "inherent in a breakdown of individual responsibility, are vividly portrayed by events in Iran."
Once again Senator Randolph has issued the clarion call for all Americans urging a rebirth of good citizenship. His message is clear — voter participation is critically impertant to sustaining a democracy.