Senate Committee on the Judiciary spoken about this matter, but our colleague, Senator Bayh, has also spoken out on this matter, joined in with the voice of no less than the President of the United States. Today, here in the Senate more than a quarter of the Senators support the legislation. The bottleneck in this body has been finally broken. This is very important. And I feel personally indebted to the people whom I have mentioned.

The real question, when one puts all of the peripheral issues to one side, is very fundamental. Is Dr. Martin Luther King great enough to warrant a public, legal holiday in his name?

It is a legitimate question, which has to be answered by every Member of the Congress.

Was Dr. King great enough to warrant a public, legal holiday in his name-a law passed and enacted by the Congress and signed by the President of the United States?

I hope that for any Member of this body who has to seriously debate or go to the records or would want to seek research on this question, will earnestly do so. And I offer myself to assist him in that discovery.

In my judgment, it is really quite simple. If one understands that Christopher Columbus discovered this country and is remembered for it, and that George Washington founded this Nation and is remembered for it, it seems to me inescapably clear that Martin Luther King kept this country together and has caused the rebirth and reaffirmation of us all to the ideals of freedom, justice, and peace.

It seems entirely appropriate that Columbus, Washington, and King would in fact be the three individuals singled out for national permanent, public recognition.

When we say we want a public holiday named after Martin Luther King I think we are saying something to the past, we are speaking to the present, and we are also speaking to the future of this country. It is enormously important that not just a black hero be recognized, not just a man who founded and reinfused the civil-rights movement be honored. No. It is really much, much more than that.

It is our expression of understanding at the Federal level that Martin Luther King, the man, his ideas and his legacy, are the very cement that brings and binds this Nation together. It expresses our understanding that he is the embodiment of a national movement for justice that aroused this Nation in the 20th century in the great unselfish way that he lived, and the great way that he died and that Martin Luther King of all people must be singled out for the reverence and the honor that is implicit in making his birthday a national public holiday.

If all of us in the Congress who are and will be called upon to cast a ballot in this matter would examine it from these premises, I feel absolutely certain that this bill will be passed this year, in the first year of this 96th session of Congress.

I am very, very happy to join the other Representatives who urge the passage of this legislation-119 Congressmen right now, and the numbers grow every week-because the move is on. The country desperately needs this legislation at this time.

The Martin Luther King National Holiday bill is a timely piece of legislation. And I think that the judgment reflected in the endorsement

of the cosponsors of this bill will prove to be correct, eminently sound, and to the satisfaction of the majority of the people of this country, not just now but for all time.

Thank you very much.

Representative GARCIA. I would just like to add a few words to what you said, Congressman.

I represent the south Bronx, which has been given a lot of publicity over the past several years. But I represent a community that is largely black and Hispanic.

I share your sentiments, because I can remember that during the early sixties, when I was first entering into elective office as a member of the State legislature, that there was a very cooling effect that Dr. King's participation caused.

There were times in the south Bronx and in east Harlem, which I represented as a State senator, when, in fact, young people wanted to take to the streets. It was only because of that nonviolent approach that we were able to subdue those heated feelings and to keep things going keep things going in an orderly fashion.

I welcome the testimony. I think it is excellent.

I would like to hope that 1979 is a year that we honor this man who deserves to be honored so much.

Senator KENNEDY. I just want to thank you, Congressman, for your testimony.

I remember that at the time of the anniversary celebration of the Martin Luther King Center for Social Change in Atlanta, when you chaired the forum on this particular issue, the nature of the discussion-the debate that was held at that time I remember the constructive comments that were made at that time by those who gathered at that particular occasion.

I know that these comments today come from deep down in your soul and heart as well as your mind. You have given this a lot of thought. You know the meaning of this issue, as do Ambassador Young and Senator Bayh.

I want to join in welcoming you here before the committee.
Thank you very much.

Mr. McDonald had indicated a desire to testify. Then he called and asked if his statement could be made a part of the record.

[The prepared statement of Congressman Larry P. McDonald follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF CONGRESSMAN LARRY P. McDONALD

Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the opportunity to appear here today and to testify in opposition to S. 25, a bill to designate Martin Luther King Day as a Federal holiday. I regret that my testimony cannot be more detailed, but there was a great deal of difficulty in determining from your staff whether I would be permitted to testify and whether that would be in person and when. I received final word just yesterday morning at 10:30. However, I do want to go on record on the matter, in spite of not being able to present a complete statement.

In my strong view, Martin Luther King is at best a controversial figure, and history has not yet made its final judgment on the man; so, I feel this legislation is premature. Certainly from what we know, our Federal Government-meaning the Executive Branch-had very mixed feelings about Mr. King when he was living and the manner in which he was going about reaching his "Civil Rights" goals. The other questions that arise are those of cost and a plentitude of Federal holidays. Each Federal holiday costs the government hundreds of millions of dollars to pay our Federal employees for not working and enactment of this bill would add to our already bad fiscal problem. There is also the question of paying

essential government employees millions of additional dollars to keep the government moving during yet another Federal holiday. We now have nine Federal holidays.

This whole subject of Mr. King is an emotion-charged one and I, therefore, hope to give detailed testimony on this legislation at a later date, either to this committee or to another appropriate committee.

Thank you.

Senator KENNEDY [continuing]. We have other statements of other Members of the Congress as well as of other Senators. They will be made a part of the record at the appropriate place.

I would ask Mrs. King if she would be good enough to come forward.

We welcome Mrs. King as our-first of all—a long-time friend. She is a person who has appeared before our Judiciary Committee on a number of different occasions.

Mrs. King is certainly a person who personifies the hopes and dreams of her husband. She has been tireless in fighting for the cause of human rights and social justice-not just for blacks in this country but for all Americans.

Coretta King has been eloquent. She doesn't shake the rafters, but her eloquence shakes the conscience of the American people. Mrs. King, we look forward to hearing your testimony.

STATEMENT OF CORETTA SCOTT KING, CENTER FOR
SOCIAL CHANGE

Mrs. KING. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and your distinguished colleagues.

I am deeply honored to have been invited to testify on behalf of S. 25, the Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday bill.

[The prepared statement of Mrs. Coretta King follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF MRS. CORETTA KING

Chairman Kennedy, Senator Bayh, your distinguished colleagues, I am honored to have been invited to testify on behalf of S. 25, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday bill.

For more than a decade, we at the Martin Luther King, Jr. center for social change have been working toward the day when Martin's birthday, January 15, becomes a federal holiday. We strongly believe that, in this fiftieth anniversary year of Martin's birth, the time is now right to begin a major legislative drive to make his dream a reality.

Our reasons for taking this action go beyond personal feelings, for we deeply believe, along with millions of Americans of good will, that, in the interest of improved human relations in our country, there should be a national holiday honoring a black American. A national holiday each January 15 would be much more than a focal point for honoring the contributions of blacks to American history. In addition, it would serve as an annual reminder to Americans of all races that there is a vital relationship between nonviolent protest and the promise of democracy.

It may be argued that, throughout American history, there have been many black historical figures other than Martin who deserve to be honored with a holiday in their name-from Crispus Attucks to Harriet Tubman to Booker T. Washington to name just a very few. But it should be remembered that previous black leaders necessarily addressed issues that tended to concern blacks exclusively, while Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke to us all.

It is also true that Martin Luther King, Jr. was the first to lead a mass-based movement which nonviolently struggled for justice and achieved significant social' and legal reforms that improved the lives of millions of Americans.

In addition, perhaps more than any other black American, the name of Martin Luther King, Jr. is widely known throughout the World. Even in countries that have no black citizens one can find buildings, streets and organizations which bear his name. My father-in-law, Dr. Martin Luther King, Sr. recently returned from a mission to eastern Europe. He was deeply moved by the fact that, in Hungary alone, there were no less than five churches named after Martin. It is clear that people who are yearning for freedom everywhere regard Martin as an outstanding example of what is right about America.

At present, fourteen states and hundreds of cities and towns across America. observe Martin's birthday as a legal holiday. In addition, hundreds of private businesses are closed and several major labor unions have secured a January 15 holiday under their collective bargaining contracts. It is undoubtedly accurate to say that millions of Americans already have a day off on January 15 and the pros-pects that the number will increase, with or without Federal legislation, are bright indeed because the holiday drive has steadily gathered momentum at the state and local level over the last five years.

Mr. Chairman, I fully expect that the principal opposition to S. 25 will come from those who contend that another Federal holiday is just "too expensive." The opponents of this legislation will undoubtedly try to hang a price tag on S. 25 in the name of fiscal responsibility. For those who are sincere in their concern, this is a legitimate question, which I will shortly address. But to those who would use this issue as a smokescreen to avoid dealing with the real importance of this bill, I can only say that this is the most reprehensible evasion of all.

At the most simplistic level, it appears that reducing the number of working days for Federal employees even by one would cost the taxpayers something, however small. But any attempt to make an accurate estimate on the real net cost is futile because it is impossible to calculate the offsetting increase in Government revenues that would naturally occur as a result of the increased holiday-related economic activity of millions of consumers.

Those who suggest that the United States cannot afford another holiday must also bear the burden of explaining how the European democracies can afford to maintain a standard of four weeks paid vacation throughout industry and government without any apparent ill-effects on their economies. Perhaps the most revealing example is the German economy, which presently boasts the world's strongest

currency.

Another point I would make to challenge the economic argument against S. 25 is that it is fitting and proper that American workers deserve another paid holiday. The last time Congress voted a new federal holiday since 1942. Since that time there has been a substantial increase in the gross national product. Is it not fair that working people should share in the fruits of economic expansion, even if it is generated by automation and new technologies?

The final issue that must be faced as we consider the economic impact of adding another holiday to the federal workweek is the economic role of slavery in the growth of America's prosperity. Few reputable historians would deny the role of slavery in America's arrival to the forefront of the industrial revolution in the late nineteenth century. And, it would be hard to imagine how American industry could have financed its expansion without the enormous pool of unpaid agricultural labor that was available until the Emancipation Proclamation in 1862. I am not asking for reparations to the black community. No amount of money can compensate for the brutal injustice of slavery in the United States. But, given the hundreds of years of economic sacrifice and involuntary servitude of America's blacks, is it too much to ask that one paid holiday per year be set aside to honor the contributions of a black man who gave his life in an historic struggle for social decency?

I think that deep in our hearts we all know the answers to the questions I have · just raised. The economic case against S. 25 is, at base, logically and morally untenable and I would ask all of its proponents to honestly address these questions. In the days after my husband's assassination Congress was inundated with petitions calling for a holiday for Martin Luther King, Jr. I know for example, that one radio station in Newark, New Jersey collected over 250,000 signatures endorsing a national holiday in honor of Martin's life and work. But, in retrospect, it is probably better that this tidal wave of national sympathy did not carry the

day because the passage of time has only underscored the vital importance of his extraordinary contributions, a development which should encourage massive bipartisan support of S. 25 and H.R. 15.

At the time we could not have known the full effects of his campaign for full voting rights for all Americans. In the years after the passage of the voting rights act of 1965, millions of blacks went to the polls for the first time and elected thousands of blacks at every level of representative government. The result was a more than tenfold increase in the number of black office holders in the south alone by 1973.

Equally, the struggle Martin led for desegregation of public accommodations, which resulted in the civil rights act of 1964, has changed for all time the way we relate to each other. And, it has set the stage for the entry of some 25 million citizens into the mainstream of American society, A process which is still underway. The full effects of Martin's successful campaign for desegregation of educational institutions is still being felt. There can be no question that our country has been greatly strengthened by the growing role of educated blacks in American society. Finally, I am convinced that the anti-war movement, which forced a reluctant president to negotiate an end to our horrible national nightmare in Vietnam, owes a good deal of its success to the nonviolent strategy that Martin taught a generation of concerned students as well as to his active leadership of the peace movement beginning in 1967.

A holiday on Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday would therefore be a day of reflection on the value of the nonviolent method for advancing justice, equality and peace in America and throughout the world.

It would be a signal that America does indeed respect the legitimate aspirations and contributions of black people. It would also be the first national holiday in honor of an American who gave his life in a labor struggle and it would serve as an inspiration to young people who will be challenged to excellence by the impressive array of accomplishments of a man who was the youngest person ever to win the Nobel Peace Prize at the age of 35.

Mr. Chairman, Senator Bayh and all of the cosponsors of S. 25 and H.R. 15, in closing I want to express my admiration for the courage you have shown in your support of this legislation. I am well aware that your commitment comes at a time when it is fashionable to oppose even the slightest increase in benefits for Government workers. I hope that today I have helped to dispel some of the concerns that this bill might be economically unsound.

Let me assure you that you have the wholehearted endorsement of the Martin Luther King, Jr. center for social change as well as the support of many millions of Americans.

I want to say how deeply moved I am that you, Mr. Chairman, have given leadership to this legislation and my good friend, Senator Bayh, and, of course, Chairman Garcia, and others who are supporting it—and to be here with my colleagues, and good friends, Andy Young and John Conyers.

I might say that Congressman Conyers has, I know, been carrying this torch for a long time, since 1968. And we are very grateful to him for keeping it alive.

I am extremely pleased that today I appear here to give testimony on what we feel is an important issue and a cause that we would hope that most Americans would support.

I believe that the majority of the right-thinking Americans will. For more than a decade, we at the Martin Luther King, Jr., Center for Social Change have been working toward the day when Martin's birthday, January 15, becomes a Federal holiday. We strongly believe that in this 50th anniversary year of Martin's birth, the time is now right to begin a major legislative drive to make this dream a reality. It is already underway, as we made it an important agenda item and as we celebrated his birthday this last January.

You, Mr. Chairman, made a very important statement in support of it at our annual celebration in Atlanta. We thank you for that-as