Congressional Record—Senate S6850
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S6850 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE December 8, 2016 But if there is one thing we know RECOGNITION OF THE MINORITY mentioned, my dad was a miner, a about HARRY, he doesn’t give up easily. LEADER hard-rock miner, an underground It wasn’t long before the two of them The PRESIDING OFFICER. The miner, but work wasn’t very good in were heading off on their first date. As Democratic leader is recognized. Searchlight. The mines during World many dates do, it started with a movie War II were especially gone—all over f and ended—as no dates do—with America but especially in Nevada. Landra push-starting his car. HARRY THANKING MITCH MCCONNELL There were a few things that went on worried, as many of us might, that this Mr. REID. MITCH, thank you very after the war, promotions. He would could well be their first date and their much for those nice remarks. work, and sometimes they would pay last date. But then he looked over at Mr. President, I have heard for him, sometimes there were bad checks Landra. She smiled as she pushed along years—especially from the press and that would bounce. Sometimes they beside him. He said it was the kind of others—how do you get along with wouldn’t pay him, they would just smile that said: Who cares about the MITCH MCCONNELL? It is obvious it is leave. car? I am with you. It was a smile that not very good. My mom worked really hard. We had has stayed with him ever since. HARRY It is simple, everybody. He and I un- this old Maytag washer. There were said: ‘‘There are moments that turn a derstand our relationship. We are both lines outside. She worked really hard. life . that stay with you until the lawyers. I have been to court lots of Searchlight had about 250 people last breath, [and] this was one of those times, over 100 jury trials, and when I then. It had seen its better days. moments for me.’’ would go to those trials, I would really Searchlight was discovered in 1898 fix on my opponent. How could he feel when gold was discovered, and for 15 or The Reids have never been strangers 18 years, it was a booming, booming to pushing through challenges. They that way about an issue? He is wrong on the law, he is wrong on the facts, town. It was one of the most modern have confronted a lot over nearly six and we are going to take care of this in cities in all of Nevada. It had elec- decades in marriage. But hand in hand, court. tricity—turn of the century, elec- sweat on the brow, they have always Fortunately, I was fairly blessed with tricity. It had a telegraph. It had tele- moved forward together. Through it my trials; it turned out OK most of the phones. It had a fire station, all, Landra has never stopped smiling time. But MITCH and I understand that firetrucks. It had roads with signs on and HARRY has never stopped counting is what we do here. When the trial was them designating the name of the every lucky star for Landra. His idea of over—I have walked out of a courtroom street. It had a railroad. When I grew the perfect night out is still a quiet with Neil Galatz or whoever it was—it up, that was all gone. Searchlight, as I night in with her. Landra is his con- was over with. It was gone. We were said, had 250 people. fidant, his high school sweetheart, and friends. We were there, each doing our So people may ask: How did my his best friend. She is his everything. thing to effect our cause, and that is mother work so hard in a town with 250 For a guy who grew up with nothing, what we do here. people? We had at that time no mines, that is something. MCCONNELL and REID don’t need to be but 13 brothels at one time in Search- HARRY REID didn’t have an easy hugging out here every day. That is not light—13, not over time but at one childhood. He faced tragedy from a what we do. We are advocates for our time. The biggest was the El Rey Club. young age. There were times when he cause. I do the very best I can; he does So that tells everyone what wash my just wanted to leave Searchlight and the very best he can. And he laid that mom did, from the casinos and from never look back, but these experiences out just fine a few minutes ago. the brothels. She worked really hard. helped shape him too. This is a guy So this is not a love session for REID She ironed. She washed. As I look back on my growing up in who has seen it all. He has been on the and MCCONNELL, although I want ev- Searchlight, I never felt, during the wrong side of electoral nail-biters, and eryone here to know that MITCH time I was a boy, that I was deprived of he has been on the other side of them MCCONNELL is my friend. He and his anything. I never went hungry. Some- too. He even won a primary against wonderful wife have been kind and times we didn’t have, I guess, what my somebody named ‘‘God Almighty.’’ thoughtful to us. I have said that be- fore; let me repeat it. When Landra was mom wanted, but we were fine. HARRY will now retire as the longest But as I look back, it wasn’t that in that very dreadful accident, they serving U.S. Senator from his State good, I guess. We had no inside toilet. were there—letters, flowers. They took with some three decades of Senate We had a toilet outside. You had to care of us. When Landra had the dev- service behind him. It is clear that walk about 50 yards to that because my astating breast cancer, they were HARRY and I have two very different dad didn’t want it close to the house, there. When I hurt myself, MITCH world views, two different ways of and we had a good time, even with called me. doing things, and two different sets of that. My poor mother, what a wonder- So everybody go ahead and make up legislative priorities, but through the ful woman she was. Sometimes, my all the stories you want about how we years we have come to understand younger brother and I sometimes, just hate each other. Go ahead. But we some things about one another, and we to be funny, when my mother would go don’t. If it makes a better story, go to the toilet, which had tin walls—it have endeavored to keep our disagree- ahead and do it, but maybe somebody was made out of tin—and we would ments professional rather than per- should write this. sonal. We have also found some com- throw rocks at that. ‘‘Let me out,’’ she Thank you very much, MITCH. mon ground through baseball. OK, everybody, now my final speech. would say. It doesn’t sound like much I hardly know what it is like to serve fun, but it was fun at the time. f When I started elementary school, here without HARRY—he came into of- FAREWELL TO THE SENATE there was one teacher for grades one fice just a couple short years after I through four and then another teacher did—but I do know this: Come next Mr. REID. Mr. President, the history for grades five through eight, but when month, you will know where to find of Searchlight starts this way, the first I got to the fifth grade, there were not him. He will be right next to Landra, paragraph of that book: enough students for two teachers so writing new chapters, making new Searchlight is like many Nevada towns and one teacher taught all eight grades. I memories, and continuing a love story cities: it would never have come to be had gold not been discovered. Situated on rocky, learned at that time in that little that began with a smile more than 50 school that you can really learn. I have years ago. windy, and arid terrain without artisan wells or surface water of any kind, the place we never ever forgotten a woman by the Today the Senate recognizes the call Searchlight was not a gathering spot for name of Mrs. Pickard. I can still see Democratic leader for his many years Indian or animal. her with those glasses, just a stereo- of service to Nevada, to the country, Searchlight. It is a long way from type spinster teacher—but she was a and to his party. We wish him and Searchlight in the U.S. Senate. teacher. She taught me that education Landra the best as they set off on their I grew up during World War II in was good, to learn is good. When I next journey. Searchlight. As Senator MCCONNELL graduated, we had a large graduating VerDate Sep 11 2014 07:46 Dec 09, 2016 Jkt 069060 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G08DE6.003 S08DEPT1 rfrederick on DSK30MX082PROD with SENATE December 8, 2016 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S6851 class: six kids. The Presiding Officer tion. I worked really hard, long hours. I walked out of that event that night from Nevada should feel good about I took all the hours they would give a different person, a new man.