Evening star., 1939-10-24
.SecurityLacksv Vital
Health Program,
Wagner Asserts
Accomplishments Dwarf
Needs, Senator Tells
Radio Forum Audience

Senator Robert F. Wagner, Demo-
crat, of New York spoke on Ma
tional Health and National Defense"
last night in the National Radio Fo-
rum, arranged by The Star and
broadcast over a Nation wide net
work of the National Broadcasting
Co. The text of his address follows:
My friends:
In addressing you tonight on an
important domestic issue, I am
mindful that your thoughts are CEN
tered for the most part on happen
ings abroad. The course of events
on European battlefronts holds for
all of us a morbid fascination, born
of horror that such things can be
in a civilized age, born of fear that
the flames of war may somehow leap
the ocean barrier.
In this crisis, the President, the
Congress and all the American peo-
pie are motivated by single
thought and a single objective-to
keep this Nation in the path of
peace. No appearance of temporary
advantage, no ties of sympathy or
wiles of propaganda, must weaken
that peaceful purpose. America S
destiny will be fulfilled, not by be-
coming party to the deep-seated
rivalries of Europe, but by fostering
life, liberty and the pursuit of hap
,piness right here at home.
Must Watch Other Ramparts.
At time of world upheaval, many
Americans are concerned about the
possible invasion of this continent
by PHILOSOPHERS of government alien
to our own. To discourage, and If
necessary, to repel any armed ag-
gression from without, we have built
mighty defenses on land and sea and
in the air. These defenses must
and will be further strengthened.
But our citadel of democracy can
not be defended by force Of arms
alone. The danger of alien encroach-
inent is not lessened if in building
up our armaments we neglect to
watch on other ramparts. If under
the stress of the European war, we
allow intolerance or subversive
movements to spread their contagion
in our midst, if we relax our pro-
lection of civil liberties, if we per-
init our social gains to be impaired
or their further growth to be ar
rested, then American democracy
will indeed have been conquered
conquered without firing a shot
Against any such surrender to the
enemy within our gates, the Ameri-
can people must redouble their eter-
nal vigilance.
About a year ago, when the mo-
rale of the democratic world was at
very low cbl, stressed lesson
from history which I think it appro-
pirate to recall IN the present hour
THE fatal weakness of a despotic
government is internal, just as the
enduring strength of a free people
lies within themselves. No autocrat
has ever had enough armies to pro-
tect him in the long run against the
resurgence of the human spirit in
his own country. No democratic
government has ever declined, unless
it was first undermined from within
by denial of the equality and free
dom of opportunity upon which de-
mocracy rests"
Awaken to Strength.
All our efforts in the last six years
have been devoted to projecting that
ideal of equality and freedom of
opportunity into every phase of our
economic life. For that reason, the
steady retreat of democracy overseas
has been paralleled by the steady
advance of democracy in the New
World all about us. New weapons
Of air power and sea power have