Cord Byrd: “on June 20, 1863, in the midst of the great Civil War, in which father fought against son and brother fought against…”

“on June 20, 1863, in the midst of the great Civil War, in which father fought against son and brother fought against brother, a new star in the constellation that we see on that flag was born. It was the 35th star. The great State of West Virginia became a separate government. Its motto, quite appropriate, considering the history of its birth, is ``Montani semper liberi''--``Mountaineers are always free.'' And so I salute my State on its birthday, which will be on tomorrow, as I said; 1863-1998, 135 years, its 135th birthday. Happy Birthday, West Virginia! Mr. President, I invite my friends in the Senate to visit West Virginia. When I was in the State legislature, 52 years ago, we had only 4 miles of divided four-lane highways. Think of it--4 miles of divided four-lane highways in all of West Virginia, 52 years ago. Then commenting on that fact was Raul Tunley, writing in the Saturday Evening Post of February 6, 1960, when he said, with reference to West Virginia's highway system, that it was not to be compared with the highway systems of its neighboring States. His exact words were ``Its [highway system] is decades behind that of its neighbors.'' That was 1960. I was in the Senate at that time, and those words were seared on my memory.”