Date: 1982-11-30
Speaker: PHILIP M. CRANE (republican)
Chamber: H

I thank the gentleman for yielding. I find a personal kind of anguish in losing all of these folks in daytoday service here. But as the gentleman pointed out correctly. I do not think that we have seen the last of them by any means. And I know they will maintain an ongoing commitment to public service. Mr. Speaker. in the case of BOB McCLony. back in 1982. with the reapportionment at that time. I inherited seven townships from what was Boss old district. and then. of course. after this most recently gerrymandering. BoB was in a position where he chose not to seek reelection. and I inherited a much larger geographic area from him. I will say that BoB certainly did his job well in representing that district and he bequeathed to me with his departure real "elephant country." because of the yeoman service he had provided. because in the process. of course. there were certain partisan consequences that the people who liked BOB increasingly liked Republicans too. So I am grateful for what Bon did to me as my former congressional neighbor. Mr. Speaker. it is again with mixed emotions that we take part in this tribute to another Illinois colleague. Congressman BOB McCLORY. who is retiring from this body upon the adJournment of the 97th Congress. Before addressing remarks in my own behalf. I would like at this point to submit it for inclusion in the REconD the statement which was issued on January 13 by BOB. who with his attractive wife. Doris. at his side made his retirement announcement at a press conference in the historic House Judiciary Committee Room. where he devoted his principal legislative service as a member and is now the ranking Republican member of the House Judiciary Committee. That statement is as follows: I have called this press conference to discuss important decisions and plans which will affect my lifeand those hundreds of thousands of citizens whose interests I have represented in the U.S. Congress for almost 20 years. First. let me emphasize that my decisions should not indicate any desire to abandon or terminate my congressional service. My jobs here in the U.S. House have not been comnleted. My desire for service and my capacity for service are as strongor stronger than ever. Several factors over which I have no control have contributed to make this extremely difficult. A blatantly political decision of a Federal court in Chicago has undermined my congressional district centered in Lake. Kane. and McHenry Counties. Townships and communities have been severed from their natural environs in a disruptive and debilitation manner. A congressional redistricting which has no legitimate genesis was designed by the Democratic leader of the Illinois House of Representatives and developed in large part during the actual Federal court proceedings in Chicago. The remap as approved represents the extreme to which judicial activism can be carried and applied. The judges undertook the prerogatives of a legislative body and of political pollsters in speculating on the future political inclinations of Illinois voters in applying a socalled doctrine of "political fairness" never previously applied by a court in producing a courtordered remap. The realities of the Federal judges usurpation of political authority is to doom the future of as many as four orfive Republican Members of the U.S. House of Representatives. I probably would not have to be one of the victims of this Democratic courtordered scenario. But. for a number of reasons. I have reached a firm resolve not to seek reelection in Illinois 10th Congressional District. First. I do not relish a divisive. bitter. expensive. and potentially selfdefeating campaign against another younger and capable Republican colleague. Literally hundreds of constituents and friends with whom I have spoken admit to an attachment to both Congressman John Porter and me. I want to relieve them of the dilemma of supporting one or the other of us. The financial commitments of a primary fight would impose burdens on friends and supporters when they are already committed to other national. State. and local races. Political campaign funds should be directed rationallynot recklessly or needlessly. Ten years. agofollowing a courtordered redistricting I entered into a great new area to build up a political followingand to serve new constituent interests. Now. a decade later. I must weigh the physical. organizational and financial problems of developing political bases in densely populated areas of Cook County. The interests of my Lake County constituents and the Cook County residents of the 10th District are substantially similar. However. a primary battle could be disruptive of those interests and could pit one group against the other. Finally. I am concerned about the welfare of the Republican Party in the 1982 and 1984 elections. I had hoped for my reelection and the election of a Republican majority in the U.S. House this year. I even had hopes of becoming chairman of the House Judiciary Committee in the next Congress. All careers on Capitol Hill must come to a close some time. Some Members voluntarily retire. Some are defeated at the polls. Only a few of us are redistricted out of office. In my case. I attribute my decision today to the action of the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday affirming a Federal court in Chica go which is forcing the termination of the political careers of two or perhaps more Illinois Republican Members of the U.S. House. Let me add that I am making my decision with no bitterness and no regret for any actions I have taken in the court proceedings. In addition. my decision is entirely voluntary and is based upon no conversations importing promises of political or private rewards of any kind. Im grateful to my wife Doris for her steadfast support during this trying period. She has shared with me these hours and days of searching and praying for answers to our dilemma. She alone has participated with me in this statement. We are confident that our friends and supporters will understand this decision and will acquiesce in the reasons for my withdrawal from the primary race. I beg all my constituents and backers to lend their support to the campaign of my friend and colleague. JouN PORTER in the March Republican primary.