Montana labor news., 1935-09-12
FEDERAL SOCIAL
SECURITY MEASURE
Says Measure VIII Protect 3d.
00O,000 Persons and Provide
for the United States an Eco
nomic Structure of Vastly
Greater Soundness."

0e(l 00AsiA<cc
WASHINGTON, D. C.-President
Roosevelt signed the Social Security
Bill in the presence of a number OF
notables interested il unemployment
insurance, old-age pensions and child
health protection. The group included
Chairman Harrison OF the Senate FL
nance Committee, Chairman Doughton
OF the House Ways and Means Com
mittee; Secretary OF Labor Frances
Perkins; Z. A. Witte, chairman of the
Social Security Commission which
made the researches on which the bill
was based; Senator Wagner of New
York and Representative Lewis Of
Maryland, co-authors of the measure ;
Senator La Toilette OF Wisconsin,
Senator King OF Utah, Senator Loner-
gan OF Connecticut and Senator CUT
fey OF Pennsylvania.
In a brief address to the group Mr.,
Roosevelt said that although the meas
ure will afford some degree of protec-
ton to 100000 people subject to the
hazards OF unemployment and old-age
indigency, and an increase in services
for children and the sick, it would prob
ably never be possible to insure the
whole population against all the vicis-
STUDIES Of life.
He also expressed his conviction that
the bill would provide a vastly improved
economic structure.
The Presidents remarks at the sign
ing ceremony follows:
Protects Millions.
To-day hope of many years stand
ing is in large part fulfilled. The civ
ilization OF the last hundred years, with
its startling industrial changes, has
tended more and more to make life un-
secure. Young people have ONE tc
wonder what would be their lot when
they came to old age. A man with a
job has wondered how long the job
would last.
This social security measure gives
at least some protection to 100000
OF our citizens, who will reap direct
benefits through unemployment com
pensation, through old-age pensions anC
through increased services for the pro-
lection OF children and the prevention
of i'll health.
We can never insure 100 per cent
OF the population against 100 per cent
OF the hazards and vicissitudes OF life
But we have tried to frame a law which
will give some measure Of protection
to the average citizen and to his fam
lily against the loss OF a job and against
poverty-ridden old age.
Sounder Economic Structure.
This law, too, represents a corner
stone in a structure which is being
built but is by no means complete
structure intended to lessen the force
OF possible future depressions, to act as
a protection to future Administrations
OF the Government against the neces-
sity Of going deeply into debt to furnish
relief to the needy-a law to flatten out
the peaks and valleys OF deflation and
of inflation-in other words, a law that
will take care Of human needs and at
the anne time provide for the Uniteo
States an economic structure of vastly
greater soundness.
q congratulate all of you ladies ano
gentlemen, all Of you in the Congress.
in the executive departments and all Of
you who com from private life, and
thank you for your splendid efforts in
behalf Of this sound, needed and patri-
otto legislation.
IF the Senate and the House Of Rep
resentatives in this long and arduous
session had done nothing more than
pass this bill, the session would be re-
garded as historic for all time"