ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, April 13, 1996 TAG: 9604150048
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: FOREST
SOURCE: RICHARD FOSTER STAFF WRITER
In his native Poland, Lech Walesa fought for democracy and the rights of laborers. Friday afternoon, he fought for Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest.
After a brief tour of Jefferson's Bedford County retreat, which is now being restored by a nonprofit corporation, Walesa stood in front of its cracked white columns and crumbling bricks and shook his head.
"It's beautiful and it's colorful, and the good Lord gave you too much beautiful things," Walesa said through an interpreter. But, he added, "If the world saw the condition of this building, they would be upset. Poland is a poor nation, but something like this would never have occurred there. It's unthinkable."
Poplar Forest, Walesa said, is "holy to your nation."
"It's not only your property, it's the property of all civilization, and you have to take care of it," said the former Polish president, who is an admirer of Jefferson. "When I talk with the great leaders of your nation, I will tell them all about this, and I'm sure they will not be pleased with it."
Poplar Forest was privately owned for many years and had fallen into considerable disrepair by 1984, when the Corporation for Jefferson's Poplar Forest was formed to restore the unique octagonal building and its surrounding properties back to the state they were in when Jefferson lived there.
Over the last 12 years, the corporation has raised almost $14 million, much of which came from the corporate and private donors who came to hear Walesa's speech. So far, the corporation has purchased back most of Jefferson's land and is almost finished with renovating the home's exterior, which includes rebuilding a skylight that Jefferson designed for the roof.
"My criticisms may be considered impolite," Walesa said, "But that's way the I am. I'll praise the good and condemn the bad."
During his 20-minute news conference, Walesa did much of that while speaking of his presidency and talking of why communism cannot be reborn in Eastern Europe.
Democracy, pluralism, a free-market economy and human rights are necessities for any nation that wants to be a part of the world community, Walesa said. "This is why even Russia has no choice," he said. "It must adapt itself to the world."
In Poland, Walesa said, he will watch the process of reforms closely to make sure that the new president, a former Communist, continues to observe the democratic process. Walesa would also like to see Poland be admitted to NATO and the European Union.
As for his recent return to the shipyards of Gdansk, Walesa said now that the Polish Parliament has approved a pension for him, he's not sure if he will continue in his job as an electrician.
"I'm not afraid of any work. Every type of work is appropriate and needed for the society," he said. But he also wondered, as an electrician, "Will I be able to work in the international arena and deal with my responsibilities on the national level? I'm not sure this can be done. We'll see."
Sporting gold pins of the Virgin Mary and Solidarity, his labor union, on his lapel, the Roman Catholic Walesa said: "I'm a man of faith. ... Faith's allowed me to be the ex-president and in that role, I hope to do as much as possible.
"In the future," he mused, "Maybe we'll select ex-presidents instead of current presidents, because the ex-president will have done more than the current president."
This was Walesa's last stop on his one-week American tour. He also visited Connecticut and Massachusetts. The bulk of the money that he received for speaking here came from a private, anonymous donor.
LENGTH: Medium: 69 linesby CNB