Evening star., 1938-07-09
~ the Associated Press,

|
noon tollotOs::
I am glad to be back in Kentucky.
Every time have come into tn,
State in the past few years have no
been able to forget a certain trip which
made across large part of Kentuck,
in the autumn Of 1932-six years ago
On that occasion, though I had beer
travelling in many States, what saw
in Kentucky stirred me more deeply
than had been stirred in my life-ex'
cept in the days during the World Wa
when I saw the misery and the SUI.
fering on the field Of France.
On my Kentucky visit in 1892 my
train moved slowly from Covington t.
Louisville and then in southeasterly
direction, through villages and farming
sections and mining districts As ",
stopped at small stations crowds con.
gregated. Hunger stared out at nj
from the faces of men and women anc
little children.
Stand at Train Shivering
For Want Of Clothes.
It was a chill day and for the actua'
want Of clothes people stood there
shivering. They were looking up al
two men. One was q candidate fol
the presidency who was going about
the country telling people that the ma
tional situation was grave-so grave
that the time for promises had come to
an end and the time for action was at
hand.
The other man on that train plat
form was Senator from Kentucky-a
man Of experience in the affairs Of his
State and of the Nation-a man who
had fought valiantly as a member OF
the then Democratic minority, against
doing nothing and in favor of action
to meet growing needs.
On that days trip 1 know that Sen
ator Barkley and were thinking little
in terms of partisan politics. We were
thinking in terms of American needs
not just Kentucky's needs-but the
deep-seated wants that had come into
the lives Of millions of people scat
tered throughout every State in the
Nation. Tears were in our eyes. We
were affected not alone by misery but
by fortitude-because we realized that
these people still had faith-faith in
the institutions of the United States
faith in the Government OF the United
States-faith that their Government
would, before it was too late, come
through.
Talked Over Many Things
That Had to Be Done.
On that trip, too, between stops,
your Senator and I talked of many
things. We talked of economic condi-
tions and social conditions-of the
thousands of things that had to be
done in the East, in the Middle West
and in the South and in the Far West
If America as nation was to carry on.
I shall never forget that day because
I saw things with my own eyes that
made me think more deeply about the
fundamentals of life than had ever
thought before, and because had an
opportunity, that day, to talk Of these
things with a great American who
had been on the firing line" for years
and had striven to avert disaster and
was willing and able to give practical
advice for the cure Of it.
I will not recount the progress Of
the intervening years. You know the
story of them as well as do. I wish
that could follow that same railroad
route today. I wish that I could
look into the faces of the same men
and women and children I saw then.
And if you could do it, I know very
we'll that the facts of today would give
the lie to those who seek the overthrow
of this administration by telling you,
as they have been telling you for six
months or more, that conditions in the
United States can be compared with
the conditions of 1882. You and l
have the intelligence and first hand
knowledge to laugh at this kind of
political bally-hoo
No Longer Half Starved
And Half Clothed.
will not go into the story Of these
six years. You know that your bank
deposits are safe; that the problem
of unemployment is far less serious;
that more wheels of industry are
turning; that the farmers are better
of in hundred ways. and most i'm
portant Of all, that our people are not
y o1o 1,ol ct~
But I do want to speak to you
briefly Of one part Of the broad policy
of your Government during these six
years-only part, mind you, but an
essential part of very big whole.
In the winter of 1928, because of
inaction on the part Of the Federal
Government. thousands of communities
and many of the States of the Nation
were facing bankruptcy. And as Gov
ernor Of New York for four years, be-
cause could get no assistance from
Washington, I had been compelled
with the approval of my State Legisla-
ture to care for the human needs of
tens Of thousands of the citizens of
that State. Because I could get no as
sistance from Washington, was COM
PEELED to create State deficits-to put
the State treasury into the "red"-in
order to fed the destitute and give work
to the unemployed; in order to care
for the thousands Of people who had
become dependent on the State for food
and shelter.
And, when left Albany, the deficit
Of the State of New York was nearly
a hundred million dollars.
Experience Was One
Facing Most States.
That was the experience of most
States. They could get no help from
the National Government to meet ma
tional problems. They were in debt
and their borrowing capacity was close
to an end. That was also the expert
ence of hundreds of cities and coun-
ties. Taxes were not being paid to
them and if they had had to liquidate
they would have been insolvent.
Your Federal Government-theo one
u