Evening star., 1937-10-13
Text of Roosevelt's SFireside Chat
Legislative Program Outlined Embraces Crop Use Act
President Declares Aim of New Deal Is Make
PROPERTY More

The text of President Roosevelt
"nreside chat" follows:
This afternoon have issued a
proclamation calling special ses-
sion of the Congress to convene on
Monday, November Is. 1887.
I do this in order to give the Con-
gress an opportunity to consider
important legislation before the
regular session in January and to
enable the Congress to avoid a
lengthy session next year, extend
Ing through the Summer.
know that many enemies of de-
mocracy will say that it is bad busi-
ness, bad for the tranquility of the
country, to have special session.
even one beginning only six weeks
before the regular session. But I
have never had sympathy with the
point of view that a session of
the Congress is an unfortunate in
trusion Of what they call politics"
into our national affairs. Those
who do not like democracy want
to keep legislators at home. But
the Congress is an essential instru-
ment of democratic government;
and democratic government can
never be considered an intruder into
the affairs of democratic nation.
I shall ask this special session to
consider Immediately certain i'm
portant legislation which my recent
trip through the Nation convinces
me the American people imme-
diately need. This does not mean
that other legislation, to which
am not referring tonight, is not i'm
portant for our national well-being.
But other legislation can be more
readily discussed at the regular ses-
sion.
President Must
Think Of Future Years.
Any one charged with proposing
or judging national policies should
have first-hand knowledge of the
Nation as a whole.
That is why again this year
have taken trips to all parts of the
country. Last Spring 1 visited the
Southwest. This Summer 1 made
several trips in the East. Now I
am just back from trip all the
way across the continent, and later
this Autumn hope to pay my an
nual visit to the Southeast.
For President especially it is
. duty to think in national terms.
He must think not only of this
year but of future years when
some one else will be President.
He must look beyond the average
OF the prosperity and well-being
OF the country, for averages easily
cover up danger spots of poverty
and instability.
He must not let the country be
deceived by merely temporary
prosperity which depends on waste
full exploitation of resources which
cannot last.
He must think not only of keep
ing us out of war today, but also
OF keeping us out Of war in genera
tions to come.
The kind of prosperity we want
1s the sound and permanent kind
which is not built up temporarily
at the expense OF any section or
any group. And the kind of peace
we want Is the sound and perma-
nent kind, which is built on the
cooperative search for peace by
all the nations which want peace.
Thy People
Shall Be My People,"
The other day I was asked to
state my outstanding impression
gained on this recent trip. I said
that 1t seemed to me to be the
general understanding on the part
OF the average citizen of the broad
objectives and policies which have
just outlined.
Five years Of fierce discussion
and debate-five years of informa-
tion through the radio and the
moving picture-have taken the
whole Nation to school in the Ma
tons business. Even those who
nave most attacked our detectives
have, by their very criticism, en-
couraged the mass Of our citizens
to think about and understand the
issues involved, and understanding,
to approve.
Out of that process we have
learned to think as a Nation. And
out OF that process We have learned
to feel ourselves Nation. AS never
before in our history, each section
OF America says to every other Sec
tion, Thy people shall be my peo-
pie"
For most of the country this has
been a good year-better in dollars
and cents than for many years
Tar better in the soundness of its
prosperity. And everywhere I went
I found particular optimism about
the good effect on business which is
expected from the steady spending
by farmers of the largest farm in
come in many years.
But we have not yet done all that
must be done to make this pros
perity stable. The people of the
United States were checked in their
efforts to prevent future piling up
OF huge agricultural surpluses and
the tumbling prices which inevi-
tably follow them. They were
checked in their efforts to secure
reasonable minimum wages and
maximum hours and the end of
child labor. And because they were
checked, many groups in many
parts Of the country still have less
purchasing power and a lower
standard of living than the Nation
as whole can permanently allow.
Americans realize these facts.
That is why they ask government
not to stop governing simply be-
cause prosperity has come back a
long way.
They do not look on government
- an interloper in their affairs. On
the contrary, they regard it as the
most effective form Of organized
self-help.
Common Wisdom