Evening star., 1936-01-04
-HE full text Of President
Rooseevlt's address to Con.
eress last night follows:

Il Mr.. President, MI. SPEAK.
or, Members Of the Senate and OF
the House of Representatives:
We are about to enter upon an
other year of the responsibility
which the electorate Of the United
States has placed in our hands.
Having come so far, 1t Is fitting THAI
we should pause to survey the
ground we have covered and the
path which lies ahead.
On the fourth day of March, 1888.
on the occasion of taking the oath
of office as President Of the United
States, I addressed the people OF
our country. Need I recall either
the scene or the national circum-
stances attending the occasion?
The crisis of that moment was al
most exclusively a national one.
In recognition Of that fact, so obW-
Gus to the millions in the streets
and in the homes Of America. I de-
voted by far the greater part OF
that address to what I called ana
the Nation called, critical days
within our own borders.
You will remember that on That
4th of March. 1888. the world pic
ture was an image Of substantial
peace. International consultation
and widespread hope for the bet
terine of relations between the
nations gave to all of use reason
able expectation that the barriers
10 mutual confidence, to increased
trade, and to the peaceful settle.
rnent of disputes could be progress
sively removed. In fact my only
reference to the field OF world
'policy In that address was in these
words-"I would dedicate this
Nation to the policy of the good
neiehbor-the neighbor who reso-
lutely respects himself and, because
he does so, respects the rights OF
'others-a neighbor who respects
his obligations and respects tne
sanctity of his agreements in ana
with a world of neighbors.
Western Nations Are
s"G0Od NelgnD0rs.
Ir. the years that have followed.
that sentiment has remained she
the dedication Of this Nation.
Among the nations of the great
Western Hemisphere the policy OF
the good neighbor has happily pre-
vailed. At no time in the four ana
"A half centuries Of modern civili-
4zation In the Americas has there
rexisted-in any year, and decade,
or any generation in all that time
a greater spirit of mutual under
.standing, Of common helpfulness.
and of devotion to the ideals OF
self-eovernment than exists TO-DAY
in the 81 American Republics ana
their neighbor, the Dominion OF
Canada. This policy Of the GOOD
neiehbor among the Americas is no
longer a hope-no longer an oo-
jective remaining to be accom-
-lished-it is a fact, active. present
~p.. 'nent and effective. In this
achievement, every American Ma
tion takes an understanding part.
There is neither war, nor rumor
of war. nor desire for war. the
y inhabitants of this vast area,
$50 100000 strong, spreading more
than 5000 miles from the Arctic TO
the Antarctic, believe in, and pro-
nose to follow, the policy OF the
good neighbor: They wish with all
their heart that the rest OF the
world might do likewise.
The rest of the world-Ah! there
is the rub.
Were I today to deliver an In.
aueural address to the people OF
the United States, could not
3 limit nv comments on world az
fairs to one paragraph. With much
. regret I should be compelled to de-
vote the greater part to world
affairs. Since the Summer OF that
: same year of 1888, the temper and
the purpose of the rulers OF many
of the great populations in Europe
: and in Asia have not pointed the
= way either to peace or to good Will
: among men. Not only have peace
: and good will among men grown
. more remote in those areas OF the
: earth during this period, but
point has been reached where the
: people of the Americas must take
co9nizance Of growing LII will, OF
marked trends towards aggression,
: of increasing armaments. OF short
= ening tempers-a situation which
( has in it many Of the elements
: that lead to the tragedy OF gen.
eral war.
On those other continents many
/, nations, principally the smaller
> ones, Is left to themselves, would
Z be content with their boundaries
and willing to solve within them
I selves and in cooperation with
their neighbors their individual
problems, both economic and So
cial. The rulers of those nations.
: deep in their hearts, follow these
peaceful and reasonable aspira-
tions of their peoples. These rulers
must remain ever vigilant against
! the possibility today or tomorrow
of invasion or attack by the rulers
| of other peoples who fail to sub
scribe to the principles of better
ing the human race by peaceful
means.
Grounds for Pessimism
In Peace Outlook.
Within those other nations
those which today must bear the
primary, definite responsibility for
jeopardizing world peace-what
hope lies? To say the least, there
are grounds for pessimism. It is
idle for us or for others to preach
that the masses of the people who
constitute those nations which are
dominated by the twin spirits of
autocracy and aggression are out
of sympathy with their rulers, that
they are allowed no opportunity to
express themselves, that they
would change things II they could.
That, unfortunately. Is not so
clear. It might be true that the
masses Of the people in those ma
tions would change the policies Of
their governments If they could be
allowed fun freedom and full ac-
cess to the processes of Demo-