Dinner for Retiring Members of Congress Remarks at the White House Dinner.

I hope I didn't interrupt anyone's meal. I presume you're through by now.

First of all, I'd like to say that Rosalynn and I are deeply honored and very pleased to have all of you here this evening in a religious time of our year. Of all the folks in Washington, I know you gave up more for Lent than anyone else- [laughter] —your seat in the House and Senate. But the country's given up even more by being deprived of your service in the future.

Frank Moore figured out today that the cumulative experience represented among the Members of Congress here tonight is more than 400 years. And we still haven't been able to get an energy bill through. [Laughter]

I know that all of you now are thinking about what you'll do after you leave the Congress this next January. If you haven't chosen a second career yet, I wish that some of you would consider mining coal. [Laughter] It would be a lot of help to us here. We have made some progress today. And I hope that the miners and coal operators will get together perhaps without too much delay.

I have a few comments to make. I was a little bit hesitant to get up here. I noticed in the paper when Congressman Otis Pike was asked why he was leaving the Congress, he said he was tired of wasting his time listening to drivel. [Laughter] I hope that Congressman Pike will excuse me just for a few minutes this evening. [Laughter]

We have represented here tonight almost every committee of Congress. We have some of the most powerful and influential Members who have ever served in Washington, the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and others. And we have the two most senior Members of Congress who will be retiring at the end of this year, men who have been here since—for more than 40 years. In fact, we have three at my table, who have each served more than four decades.

We have the only two Members of Congress, I think, here tonight, who were born before this century. We've got a former Governor, Dewey Bartlett. We've got a former candidate for Vice President, who's a fine and wonderful gentleman.

We have also some men who have shown a great deal of courage. John Moss, whose service in the Congress I deeply admire, was one of the first men who ever brought to the forefront of our Nation's consciousness the right of American citizens to have access to Government records on them. And the Freedom of Information Act was caused by his long and tenacious battle for that fight against deprivation of privacy. Before many people began to worry about the Vietnam war, Charles Whalen was speaking out in a very courageous way. Shirley Pettis, after the tragic death of her husband, volunteered her services to our country. And Dewey Bartlett, who hasn't been feeling well lately, has courageously served his country as well.

We've got some famous people here tonight that I've admired for a long time who served on the House Judiciary Committee during the impeachment proceedings, at a time when our Nation's spirits were desperately low and there was a genuine doubt about the integrity of many public servants in Washington and there was also some concern about the competence of some of the Members of Congress. And to have the television cameras focused on these men and women who did such a superb job, both Democrats and Republicans, transformed our Nation's spirit and let us weather one of the most serious threats to the confidence in Government among the American people that we've ever experienced.

Three of those are retiring this year, Barbara Jordan—and, Barbara, we're going to miss you—and Jim Mann and Charlie Wiggins, all of whom were very famous, and rightly so.

I said over tonight at the banquet—I was feeling good when I came in here this evening—the vote on the B-1 and the vote on the Panama Canal treaties, I was in high spirits. But as I sat through the evening meal and looked at my own table and realized what I was going to be losing next year as President, a sober and sad feeling came over me.

It's going to be very difficult for me as President to get along next year without this group of superb leaders. And on behalf of the American people and as President of our country, I want to thank all of you for the tremendous service that you have already given to our Nation and let you know how much I appreciate what you've done for me in my first year as President.

Thank you very, very much.

You may have noticed from the dessert, the cherry pie, that today is George Washington's birthday. And we're eating in a room that honors George and Martha Washington.

He was the only President who didn't live in this house. He lived in Philadelphia and in New York when he served his two terms as President. He faced tremendous challenges, and of course, the times were quite different. In those early days, the' President never shook hands with people. It was considered a proper thing for a person when they addressed a President to bow, and the President would bow in return.

I personally like the new handshaking days myself. I don't think I would have ever been elected to this office had I just bowed to people in factory shift lines. [Laughter] But George Washington obviously set an example for service that's stood us in good stead.

Tonight, we are commemorating public service, that's been demonstrated by all of you, in honoring George Washington with a fine program. We have, reading the part of George Washington—repeating words that he actually used during his lifetime about public service—an Academy Award winning actor, Cliff Robertson. And along with him, reading the words of Martha Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and perhaps some other more minor characters, Jill Eikenberry and Philip Anglim.

So, Cliff Robertson, I wish you all would come forward now, and Jill and Philip.

[At this point, the entertainment began. Following its conclusion, the President resumed speaking.]

I know all of you have appreciated what .Jill and Philip and Cliff have done for us tonight. I know all of you had thoughts that went back through history, and you can see some very close compatibilities here with Washington's time and even our own modern day.

Presidents are still afflicted with officeseekers [laughter] —and I think I will use a back garden and a cowbell so that I can escape on occasion. [Laughter]

I think all of you will recognize the truth in what Washington said about pouring legislation into the Senate saucer, where it slowly, slowly cools. [Laughter]

Of course, the most vivid comparison, I think, between Washington's life and what is occurring here tonight is the voluntary resignation from public office and superb service to our country of dedicated men and women.

On behalf of the people of our country, I thank all of you.