By James L. Martin

The United States Senate will lose some of its luster when Senator Jesse Helms retires.

I worked for the late Senator Ed Gurney of Florida. When I informed Senator Helms of Senator Gurney’s death a few years ago, Senator Helms replied that in all the years that he served with him, that Ed Gurney was the one Senator that he always knew where he stood on the issues. That is quite a tribute from the most principled Conservative in the U.S. Senate.

Senator Helms took the U.S. Constitution as his bible. He reflected the courage of the Founding Fathers. He fought against federal encroachments at home and against the threats of Communism abroad. He stood as a torchbearer for freedom. We will not see the likes of another Jesse Helms in our lifetime. We wish him well in retirement and know that he will continue speaking out for Freedom and for the Constitution.