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House Speech Polish Constitution Day, May 3, 1960
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4525761
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House Speech Polish Constitution Day, May 3, 1960
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Gerald R. Ford Congressional Papers
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1960
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The original documents are located in Box D15, folder "House Speech Polish Constitution
Day, May 3, 1960" of the Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at
the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Copyright Notice
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of
photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. The Council donated to the United
States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.
Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public
domain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to
remain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid
copyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
REMARKS
of
Rep. Gerald R. Ford, Jr.
May 3, 1960
Mr. Speaker,
The people of Poland have experienced the greatest national glory
and have known the extreme in misery and degradation. In the past 1000
years the Polish nation has had its "golden age" but it has also been
partitioned out of existence. It has known peace and war, freedom and
alavery, democracy and dictatorship, culture and savagery. It is one of
the great nations of man and as such has experienced all the joys and all
the sorrows of mankind. But the Polish people, whenever or wherever they
lived, have kept alive the spirit of freedom, the essence of culture, the
zest for life, and the best of qualities which we admire in all people.
It is fitting that the United States House of Representatives should
take a few minutes today to pay special tribute to this people and nation.
One hundred and sixty-nine years ago today on May 3, 1791 a new Consti-
tution was proclaimed in Poland. This constitution provided for an
heredity limited monarchy and a cabinet of ministers which was to be
responsible to the central legislature. It so impressed and frightened
Poland's neighbors that a second partition of Poland in 1793 folbred the
first of 1772.
When the third partition occurred in 1795, Thaddeus Kosciuska led
FORD : LIBRARY DERALD n
&
a movement against the partitioners, but his forces were defeated.
This was the same Thaddeus Kosciuska who served as an officer in
George Washington's revolutionary army and was the engineer in charge
of the construction of fortifications at West Point from 1778 to 1780.
He was a "freedom fighter" both in Europe and America, and we Americans
owe a special debt of gratitude to this Polish patriot.
Coming into the 20th Century, we are all familiar with the speech
of the Polish Foreign Secretary Josef Beck on May 5, 1939 when he said,
"The Poles do not know the concept of peace at any price." Subsequent
history is all too well known. But the aspirations and ideals of the
Polish "freedom fighters" of a thousand years remain. The American and
the Polish peoplesare one in these aspirations and ideals.
We all endorse, therefore, I'm sure, the recent announcement of the
Postmaster General that there will be issued this fall a U.S. "Champion
of Liberty" postage stamp commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the birth
of Ignace Jan Paderewski, another eminent Polish patriot, and champion of
liberty. As a statesman and a musician, Paderewski exhibited anew the
true spriit of Poland.
LIBRARY
ROMAN C. PUCINSKI
COMMITTEE:
11TH DISTRICT, ILLINOIS
EDUCATION AND LABOR
Congress of the United States
house of Representatives
Washington, D. C.
April 29, 1960
Dear Colleague:
Congressman Machrowicz, Congressman
Kluczynski, and several other Members have asked
me to request time to commemorate the 169th An-
niversary of Poland's Constitution Day.
I thought you would like to know that
we have put away one hour on Tuesday, May third,
for this special annual tribute.
Sincerely yours,
Ronem C. Perensur
Roman C. Pucinski
Member of Congress
RCP:cs
173-664
1960
169
1791
FORD is LIBRARY GERALD
*
H1 0
THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
WASHINGTON 25, D. C.
*
*
LEGISLATIVE REFERENCE SERVICE
POLISH CONSTITUTION DAY
Prepared According to the Instructions of the
Honorable Gerald R. Ford
Arshag 0. Sarkissian
Foreign Affairs Division
May 3, 1960
POLISH CONSTITUTION DAY
When people are suffering in misery and misfortune, their
thoughts invariably turn back to their happier and inspiring days.
This is particularly true of the Poles who, after enduring the oppressive
yoke of foreign rule and after making great sacrifices for freedom,
find themselves once more trapped in their homeland behind the Iron
Curtain which has been imposed by Communist totalitarianism. Today,
on the 169th anniversary of their first democratic Constitution, the
Poles everywhere join hands in the commemoration of this historic event.
The adoption of the Constitution of 1791 constitutes one of the brightest
and most significant landmarks in Poland's history, and certainly it
marks the most significant date in her political and constitutional
history.
That Constitution made Poland a constitutional monarchy, one in
which the monarch's powers were brought under the law, and a cabinet
type of government with ministerial responsibility was established.
Many ancient class distinctions and privileges were wiped out, and the
government was strengthened by expanding the electorate. Local landlords'
arbitrary powers over the peasants were abolished, and the latter were
placed under the protection of the law. And, what was perhaps more
important in those days in that part of the world, this Constitution
guaranteed religious freedom. In this and in many other respects, the
Polish Constitution of 1791 was in the vanguard of democracy's advance
into Central and Eastern Europe.
- 2 -
Of course we know that the Constitution never had the chance to
be tested. Foreign invasion and the eventual partition of Poland
prevented the implementation of that Constitution. However, the
spirit of that historic document has always been cherished by the
Poles. By marking its 169th anniversary they want to show the free
world that they still cherish the fine democratic and progressive
ideals of their Constitution of 1791.