Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-10-07
Text of Hoover Speech
President Urges Faith in America's Historic Ideals
Declaring Nations Problems Today Are Those
Of Growth Instead of Those of Decay.

voted generations have secured them
to us.
1t is never amiss for us to review
these principles, that we uphold our
faith in them, that we search our
fidelity to them. that by stretch of our
vision over the vast pageant of our
accomplishment we should gain
courage to meet the difficulties of
the day.
Our political system was a revolt
from dictatorship, whether by in
dividuals or classes. It was founded
upon the conception that freedom was
lnalienable, and that liberty and free
dom should rest upon law, and that law
should spring from the expressed wis
oom of the representatives of the
majority of the people themselves. This
government was not in itself new
human ideal, but the Constitution,
which provided its framework, with the
checks and balances which gave 1t
stability, was of marvellous genius. Yet
OF vastly more Importance than even
the machinery of government was the
inspired charter of the rights of men
which it guaranteed. Under them we
hold that all men are created equal.
that they are equal before the law, and
that they should be safeguarded in
liberty and, as we express 1t latterly,
in equality of opportunity to every in
dividual that he may achieve for him.
self and for the community the best to
which his character, his ability, and
his ambition entitle him.
No student of American history can
fail to realize that these principles and
Ideals grew largely out Of the religious
origins and spiritual aspirations Of our
people. From them spring at once the
demand for free and universal educa-
nnlnrt1nifU
the ladder to leadership should be free
for every new generation, to every boy
and girl. 1t is these human rights and
the success of government which has
maintained them that have stimulated
the initiative and effort in each in
dividual, the sum of which has been the
gigantic achievement of the Nation.
They are the precious heritage Of
America, far more important, far more
valuable, than all the riches In land and
mines and factories that we possess.
Never had these principles and ideals
been assembled elsewhere and combined
into government. This is the American
system.
We have lived and breathed it. We
have seldom tried even to name it..
Perhaps we might we'll abandon efforts
to define it, for things of the spirit can
be little defined. Some have called it
corrupted by political use. Some have
called it individualism, but it is not an
mdividulism which permits men to
override the equal opportunity Of
others. BY its enemies it is called cap
italism, and yet under its ideals capt.
tai Is but an instrument. not master
Some have called it democracy, yet
democracy exists elsewhere under So
cial ideals which do not embrace equal
ity of opportunity.
Expresses Spirit and Environment.
Ours is system unique in America
an expression of the spirit and environ
ment OF our people-it is just Ameri-
can.
Parallel with us, other PHILOSOPHERS
OF society and government have con-
tinued or developed and new ones have
come into the world, born of the spirit
OF other peoples and other environ
ments. 1t Is a function of freedom
that we should search their claims with
open mind, but it Is function of COM
mon sense that we should reject them
the moment they fail in the test. From
experience in many lands have some
times compared some of these systems
to race. In the American system,
through free and universal education,
we train the runners, we strive to give
to them an equal start, our Govern
ment Is the umpire of its fairness. The
winner Is he who shows the most con-
SclentiouS training. the greatest ability,
the strongest character Socialism or
its violent brother, BolShevism, would
compel all the runners to end the race
equally; it would hold the swiftest to
the speed of the most backward. An
archy would provide neither training