Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1937-10-20
Text Of Landon's Speech

Congress adopted a neutrality act ct
the last session. The President took
it upon himself to repeal the princi-
pie Of the act. Now the job for the
Congress will be to decide whether the
Presidents own policy is to be fol-
lowed or whether we are to adhere
to the policies which the last Congress
adopted.
Ample Time Allowed
For Test Of Novel Theories.
am not surprised that the Ameri-
can people have been willing to grasp
at anything that might appear to be
new and different. We must remem-
Der that II is hard to think straight
on an empty stomach. We must re-
member that when you are cold and
hungry and you don't know where
your next meal is coming from, you
can't become very much interested in
abstract principles of government. But
now we have had ample time to md
out how some of the new theories are
working out. We have had time o
appreciate that social progress would
have been years ahead today II we had
followed constitutional methods dur
ing the last four and one-half years.
I do not believe in the Constitution
because / think it is sacred. l rev.
erence it because 1t Is 50 intensely
practical-because it works when you
give it a chance to work.
rA 1atQlV
about liberty and freedom as some
thing belonging to the mind and to
the soul. Liberty and freedom, after
all. are merely means to an end.
The four great scourges OF the aver
age man are unemployment, sickness,
accident and penniless old age. I'm
less liberty and freedom can help us
overcome them, liberty and freedom
are nothing but empty phrases.
Liberty and Freedo~,
Must Mean Something Tangible.
The liberty and freedom for which
our forefathers fought meant some
thing concrete, tangible and immedi-
ately beneficial Today 1t must mean
something just as definite h lis II
we are TO fight for its preservation.
Liberty and freedom should enable
all who want to work to get good jobs
at good wages. Liberty and freedom
should mean that men and women
have decent hours of work and salts
factory working conditions. Liberty
and freedom should mean that a
man have leisure to SEend with ms
wife and children and the right TO
an old age of peace and comfort.
Freedom must mean that with reason
able effort a man can acquire these
things as a matter OF right and not
because some kind-hearted employer
is willing to let him have them.
Liberty and freedom should mean
a fair distribution OF the rewards OF
production and should prevent an
unhealthy concentration OF wealth
and economic power in individual
hands or government. Liberty and
freedom sho, mean that Il man may
have the opportunity TO acquire pos
sessions of his own, business OF his
own. and that the corner grocer or
the little factory worker will not be
Disseminated against, eith-r by great
privileged competitors or by govern
ment. Liberty and freedom should
mean the right to fair earn Z
power and decent standard OF living
to the farmer. Liberty and freedom
should mean the right to support a
government which provides the OPP
portunity to happiness and economic
security an the free choi to critl-
CHE or oppose it if a man does not
agree with it. And, Of course, liberty
and freedom must mean the oppor-
tunitv to worship as ores conscience
dictates. and the right to fair trial.
Republican Party ands
For Constitutional Solutions.
This i; the kline OF liberty and free
dom thrt YOU and I an. the Re-
publican party Of today stand for.
If our party did not stand for these
things you and ! would not want to
be Republicans.
But there is one additional feature
that distinguishes US. We believe tnat
we IAN solve our problems as Tree
men under a constitutional govern
ment. in which we have voice IN
the sol ton of our problems. we
do not believe we are helpless, IN
competent and unable to solve our
own problems. We do not believe we
must turn our problems over to any
one man to tell us hat we must 90
in order to be wise and competent
We do not believe at it is necessary