The Daily Alaska empire., 1936-04-27
A GREAT POLITICAL SPEECH

When President Roosevelt recently spoke in Balti nore before gathering of young people and sounde he clarion call of youth and portrayed anew his in faith in the nation and it's people, grudg ng critic apparently unable to find special fault orted to the old sally and called it great politics peech."
 And indeed it was, but the New York World Tee ram asks, what made it so? That newspaper the ives it's interpretation able one, in this manner The President offered no panaceas He made no big claims of accomplishments. He drew no general indictment oi his enemies. He didn't even mention the name of a political party, utter partisan war whoop. He did none q of those things usually associated with polti- cal oratory. Sf .t
 But what it takes for political speecnmak- ing in common times does not ring the bell in these uncommon times And the President rang the bell last night He did it by refraining from shallow partisan commonplaces and by turn ing his thoughts and the thoughts of his au- dience, to those deeper human concerns to those problems which touch the welfare and happiness of all of us, problems which give rise to our human fears and doubts, problems upon whose solution depend our human hopes and aspirations.
 There he stood the head of a government of human beings. Before gathering sponsor ed by an organization of young people and, through them, to the whole population he talk ed of the simple aspirations of youth:-
 "+ An opportunity to make hon. est living; reasonable chance to improve your condition in life as you grow older; practical assurance against want and suffering in your old age and with it all the right to participate in the finer things of ife--good health, clean amusement and part in the satisfaction of the arts the sciences and religion"
 And of what youth working for those ob- jectives has a right to- expect:---
 "* < That those in authority will do ev erythng in their power to help restore condi- tions that will make employment and oppor ! tunity possible; more than that, that you will be protected, in so far as is humanly possible, from the physical and mental and spiritual ravages of economic and social maladjust- ment"
 These are not the words of man weary of stewardship, disappointed disusioned de- sparful. These the words of who despite three years of disappointment and illustration, does not wrap himself in hair shirt
 When there is no vision the people perish, and without leadership that sounds the note of hope the spirit droops.
 In days that still dark, at time when such problems unconquered unemployment continue to beset us, such words as these spell leadership, hope and vision-all three:-
 T, for one, do not believe that the of the pioneer IS at an end, only believe that the era for pioneering has changed. The per- iod of geographical pioneering is largely fin ished. But, my friends, the period of social pioneering is only at it's beginning. And make no mistake about 1.-the same qualities of hero ism and faith and vision that were required to bring the forces of nature into subjection will be required--in even greater measure to bring under proper control the forces of modern society. There is task which - for importance and for magnitude-calls for the best that you and have to offer.
 You ought to thank God tonight if re- gardless of your years, you are young enough in spirit to dream dreams and see visions dreams and visions about greater and finer America that is to be; if you young enough in spirit to believe that poverty be les sened; that the disgrace of involuntary employment can be wiped out that class hatreds can be done away with that peace at home and abroad can be maintained, and that one day a generation may possess this land, blessed beyond anything we now know with those thngs-material and spiritual that make mans life abundant If that is the fashion of your dreaming, then I say:-Hold fast to your dream. America needs it." That was why it was great political speech.