Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 76.djvu/1292

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PUBLIC LAW 87-883-OCT. 24, 1962

[76 STAT.

Public Law 87-883 October 24, 1962 [S. J. R e s. 208]

Battle of Lake Erl^ Sesquicentennial Celebration Commission. Establishment. Membership.

JOINT RESOLUTION To establish a Commission to develop and execute plans for the celebration of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the Battle of Lake Erie, and for other purposes.

Whereas the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the renowned naval Battle of Lake Erie near Put-in-Bay, Ohio, will occur in September 1963; Whereas the decisive victory of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry on September 10, 1813, over the British naval forces in Lake Erie had profound results on the conclusion of the W a r of 1812 and the future of the United States as a nation; Whereas this victory of the small squadron commanded by Commodore Perry marked the only time in the history of the world that an entire British squadron surrendered to an enemy; Whereas Commodore Perry's report following this engagement, "We have met the enemy, and they are ours... two ships, two brigs, one schooner and one sloop", electrified the young Nation at that time and will ever be remembered in the annals of American history; Whereas the War of 1812 on the land and sea areas of the United States and Canada introduced these two great English-speaking nations to a period of one hundred and fifty years of permanent peace and mutual respect along an unfortified three-thousand-mile common boundary; Whereas this struggle resulted in memorializing the principle of international peace by arbitration and disarmament and lasting peace among nations; Whereas the enduring results of this conflict have cemented more strongly the cultural and economic ties which exist between Canada and the United States as a demonstration of peace and good will in a world today fraught with unrest and fear: Therefore be it Resolved by the Senate and, House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That (a) there is hereby established a commission to be known as the "Battle of Lake Erie Sesquicentennial Celebration Commission" (hereinafter referred to as the "Commission") which shall be composed of thirteen members as follows: (1) Four members who shall be Members of the Senate, to be appointed by the President of the Senate (two of whom shall be from the State of Ohio); (2) Four members who shall be Members of the House of Representatives, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives (two of whom shall be from the State of Ohio); (3) One representative of the Department of the Interior who shall be designated by the Secretary of the Interior and who shall serve as executive officer of the Commission; and (4) Four members to be appointed by the President of the United States.

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