Political Quotes

“Today I commemorate the anniversary of Oregon's statehood, which was secured this day in 1859. Oregon became the 33rd State to join the Union, and did so as a free State. At the time, there was no room for Oregon's new Senators in the Capitol, and construction immediately began on the Chamber we find ourselves in today. One hundred and forty-three years later, there seems to be plenty of room in the Congress for Oregon and the 17 States that followed her. From 'fifty-four forty or fight!' to my State's current motto, 'She flies with her own wings,' Oregon has always been emblazoned with the spirit of independence. Inaugurated by the arrival of Lewis and Clark at Fort Clatsop in 1805, this spirit of self-determination brought forth the pioneers from across the plains and over the snowy peaks of the Rockies and into Oregon Country. It is the marrow of the pioneers with their axes who forged high into Oregon's forested mountains to fell the timber needed to build an empire, and the farmers in the emerald valleys who pulled their plows through the soil to grow the crops that feed a nation.”