Thomas Daschle: “the time has come that, I daresay, every Member in this Chamber, Republican as well as Democrat, hoped would never come.…”

“the time has come that, I daresay, every Member in this Chamber, Republican as well as Democrat, hoped would never come. With the end of the 104th Congress, we must say goodbye to ``The Judge''--Senator Howell Heflin. Since he was first elected to the Senate in 1978, the senior Senator from Alabama has always shown himself to be a southern gentleman of the first order. His word is his bond; his integrity and dedication to public service is without question; and his love of country and devotion for the U.S. Senate is apparent to all who know him. During his 18 years in the Senate, Senator Heflin has been respectfully called the ``spokesman for Southern agriculture'' for his efforts to improve the life and work of America's farmers and to preserve his State's valuable agricultural heritage. He is also commonly and warmly referred to as ``The Judge,'' not only for his years of service as the chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, but for his efforts in State court reform, his extraordinary leadership in fighting crime and drug abuse, and his service on both the Senate Judiciary and Ethics Committees. Dozens of times I have observed my colleagues seek his advice on how to vote on legal issues. Mr. President, I would like to add another characterization of ``The Judge''--I think of Senator Heflin as ``Mr. Alabama.'' No Senator has more cherished or more ably respesented his or her State than the senior senator from Alabama.”