Dominick Vincent Daniels Quotes
I believe there is still room for tradition in society, even as we race forward toward the 21st century. A tradition we must keep alive is the setting aside of a single day each year to honor the veterans of this Nation. And this day should remain the same, and should not be changed around to suit some arbitrary holiday schedule.
Congress established Armistice Day as a federal holiday in 1938. In 1954, the holiday was renamed “Veterans Day,” expanding its scope to include veterans of all U.S. wars. Twelve years later, Congress once again altered the holiday and moved the observation of the historic anniversary to the fourth Monday in October. Moving the solemn day angered veterans’ groups, and 46 states refused to comply with the federal holiday change. Congress reconsidered. In 1975, the House passed a bill returning the holiday to its traditional day of observation, November 11. What is ironic is that the “tradition” which Daniels and others wanted to keep, had only been created in 1938. In the historical “tradition” of America, there was no holiday to memorialize Veterans. In this case 35 years was sufficient to establish a “hallowed tradition.”
Dominick Vincent Daniels, 1908-1987, U. S. Congressman (Democrat, NJ), House Debate, 1975
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
Dominick Vincent Daniels was an American Democratic Party politician who represented New Jersey's 14th congressional district from 1959–1977.
