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Passing
of a Patriot
Cong. Gerald Solomon Dies
For years many have fought
against granting statehood to Puerto Rico without
protections for our precious common language. And
for many years, it was just one man who stood
between that reasonable position and chaos: Cong.
Gerry Solomon (R-New York), a courageous, strong
man who loved his country and its people.
In 1998, under Solomon's
steadfast leadership, the House defeated Puerto
Rican statehood by just one vote. Solomon stood
against a multi-million dollar onslaught of
lobbyists and Administration officials. His
position was a principled one; as a former
Marine, Gerry Solomon knew what was needed to
protect our country and he did not flinch from
doing his duty no matter what the political cost.
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Cong. Solomon rose
from humble beginnings to become Chairman of the powerful
House Rules Committee, controlling floor debates for all
legislation. He was a member of the Republican leadership
from the time the House switched control in 1994. He was
the only member of the Republican leadership to stand
fast on the Puerto Rican statehood issue.
He retired after the 1998
elections. Although not public at the time, Solomon
battled heart disease. He passed away at 71 on October
26, 2001.
He was active until the
end, working with a coalition to improve border security
against terrorism. He belonged to the generation of
leaders who understood and protected the role of English
in our society. We will miss him.
Some Excerpts from Cong. Gerald Solomon
(1930-2001):
From "Equal Partners, Common Bonds,"
by Cong. Gerald Solomon and Toby Roth, The Washington
Post, July 4, 1996:
"We believe that, like the 50
states that preceded it into the Union, a state
of Puerto Rico would have to be prepared to
become an equal partner in the United States. One
of these conditions would involve adopting the
English language. If Puerto Rico chooses to
become our 51st state, its language would have to
be English.
"Both of our congressional
districts are close to the border with Canada,
where Quebec has edged ever closer to separation.
That country's near breakup this past year over
linguistic and cultural differences left us with
a profound impression of the fragility of
nations. If a nation that is so similar to our
own can come so close to unraveling, can we
afford to take our own national unity for granted
any longer?"
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The
ELPAC Report