Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-01-26
ext of
Smith
Speech

of Alfred e. Smiths adj
dress before the American
u Liberty League last night
follows:
Mr.. chairman, members and
guests Of the American Liberty
League and my friends listening in,
Is I have been told by the news
papers, from all parts Of the United
States.
At the outset Of my remarks let
me make one thing perfectly clear.
I am not a candidate for any
nomination by any party at any
time. and what is more do not
intenu to even lift my right hand
to secure any nomination from any
party at any time.
Further than that I have no ak
to grind. There Is nothing per-
soma. in this whole performance in
solar as I am concerned. I have
no feeling against any man. woman
or child in the United States.
I am in possession of supreme
happiness and comfort. I repre-
sent no group, no man, and I speak
for no man or no group, but I do
speak for what believe to be the
best interests of the great rank and
file Of the American people. In
which class belong.
Inspired by Strong
Love Of America.
Now am here tonight, also, be-
cause I have great love for the
United States Of America. I love
1t for what I know 1t has meant to
mankind since the day Of its In
stitution.
I love it because I feel 1t has
grown to be the great stabilizing
force in world civilization. I love
it above everything else for the OPP
portunity that it offers to every
man and every woman that desires
to take advantage of it. No man
that I know Of or that probably
ever read of has any more reason
to love it than I have.
It kept the gateway open for me;
It is . matter Of common knowl-
edge throughout the country, and
do not state it boastfully, because
1t Is well known, that, deprived by
poverty in my early years Of an
education, that gateway showed me
how 1t was possible to 60 from q
newsboy on the sidewalks of New
York to the governorship Of the
greatest State in the Union.
Now listen: I have 5 children
and L have 10 grandchildren and
you take it from me. want that
gate left open not alone for mine.
am not selfish about it, not for the
minute. but for every boy and girl
in the country, and in that respect
I am not different from every
father and mother in the United
States.
Now. think it over for q minute.
Figure it out for yourself. It Is
possible for your children's sue
cesses to be your successes.
First Inauguration
and Its Meaning.
remember distinctly my first
Inauguration as Governor of New
York. I am not sure that the
young folks understand it thor
oughly. but there were three people
at that Inauguration that did
understand it, and one was my
mother, the other was my sister.
and the third was my wife. They
understood. They were with me
In al Of the early struggles.
Now. am here for another rea-
son. am here because I am 4
Democrat.
I was born in the Democratic
party and I expect to die in it.
And / was attracted to 1t in my
youth because I was led to believe
that no man owned it. Further
than that. that 20 group of men
owned it, but on the other hand,
that it belonged to all the plain
people in the United States.
Now I must make q confession.
It is not easy for me to stand up
here tonight and talk to the
American people against the Demo-
cratic administration. That Is not
easy. It hurts me.
But can call upon innumerable
witnesses to testify to the fact that
during my whole public life I put
patriotism above partisanship.
And when I see danger-I say
danger. that is, the stop, look and
listen" to the fundamental urin-
ciples upon which this Govern
ment Of ours was organised-it II
dimcult for me to refrain from
speaking up.
Now. what are these dangers that
I see?
The hrst Is the arraienment Of
class against class. It has been
freely predicted that II We were
ever to have civil strife again in this
country, It would come from the
appeal to passion ana prejudice
that comes from the demagogue
that would incite one class Of our
people agatns the other.
In my time I have met some good
and bad industrialists; ] have met
some good and bad flnanciers, but
! have also met some gUod and bad
labor, and this I know, that per-
manent prosperity Is dependent
upon both capital and labor alike.
Permanent Prosperity
Based Upon Laber.
And I also know that there can
be no permanent prosperity In this
country until industry Is able to
employ labor, and there certainly
can be no permanent recovery upon
any governmental theory Of soak
the rich o. soak the poor.
Even the children In our high
schools--and let It be said to the
glory q oaS educational instita-