Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-09-24

Seattle.
In 1882, Candidate roosevelt
said that our number one prob
lem was jobs. He was right that
time. In 1886, when Mr.. Roose-
welt was again a candidate, our
number one problem was still
Jobs.
And now. in 1910, Mr.. Roose-
welt is still a candidate-and our
number one domestic problem is
still jobs.
The only difference is that to-
day, Candidate Roosevelt is no
longer talking about that SUBJ
ject. Some time back, the New
Dealers gave up talking about
jobs and just talked about un-
employment.
According to no less authority
than Harry Hopkins, large
number of our people will always
be out Of work.
That proposition I totally re-
ject. But I am not going to talk
about unemployment tonight. I
came here to talk about the cure
for unemployment. I came here
to talk about jobs.
Two Ways to Find Work,
For Ourselves and For Another.
Now, there are two ways for
people to find work. One way is
for them to work for themselves.
Most farmers, many retail store
operators, service station keepers
and other small businessmen
have that kind of job.
The other way to get work
Is to find an employer who will
hire you. Most of us Americans
would like ultimately to 60 in
business for ourselves, to be our
own employers. But We can't all
do that. Even if we are ulti-
mately able to work for ourselves,
we have to start by working for
somebody else. So, for most Of us,
getting a job means simply ind
ing an employer. Now, there are
two kinds of employer systems
In the world, and only two.
Under one system, almost all
Of the people work for private
employers. That is the system
we have in democratic countries.
Under the other system. almost
all of the people work for one
employer, namely, the State. That
is the case in Russia. and in
effect in Germany and the other
dictator countries.
Under a dictatorship there need
never be any unemployment. The
State tells you what you must do,
where you must do it, and how
you must do it. You are sent
away from home to work in the
fields, or to build Notifications, or
to dig in the mines, or to do any
thing else you are told. You have
a Job under those conditions. but
for that job you have paid an in
tolerable price. You have bought
that job with your freedom.
Stands for System Already
Decided in America.
We in America have made our
decision with regard to that
issue. We want to work for and
with private employers to find
new ways of creating jobs. And
we believe in the freedom OF the
workers to take whatever jobs
they want-whatever jobs pro-
vide them with the most worth
while life and the most hopeful
opportunities.
That Is the system I stand for.
And if, you elect me President,
that is the system you will get.
Now let us look a little more
closely at the problems facing
those OF us who work for en-
ployers in a free enterprise sys-
tenn.
I want to be very frank about
these problems and very specific.
To begin with. I think we must
be careful not to dramatic these
problems in a purely political
way. BY that I mean that we
must not fall into the error
the fatal error-of believing that
one political party Is for labor.
and the other not. I think my
speeches and writings put me on
record as being willing to give
credit wherever credit is due.
But If there is one kind Of person
more dangerous to our democracy
than another, it is the smooth
politician who claims everything
for his side and grants nothing
to the other side. For instance,
take the National Labor Rela-
lions Act. When it was passed,
this act was long overdue.
America Jagged behind every
progressive nation in the world
in protecting the fundamental
rights of labor to organize and
bargain collectively. But the
New Deal has issued tons of
propaganda to claim exclusive
credit for that act. Whereas in
reality the National Labor Re-
lations Act was modelled closely
on the Railway Labor Act OF
1926 which was passed by a Re-
publican administration.
Now let me tell you straight
from the shoulder. I stand for
every one of the social gains that
labor has made. I stand for the
National Labor Relations Act
and the right of free collective
bargaining. I stand for mini
mum wages and maximum
hours, and for legislation to en-
force them. I stand for social
security benefits and believe that
they should be extended to other
groups who do not yet enjoy
them. ! believe that we should
be insured against unemploy-
ment, and that our old age
should be protected by adequate
pensions.
These are minimum guaran-
tees. They are minimum stand
ards below which society dare
not fall. No American can con-
template the future with an easy
mind or an easy conscience I'M
1Ass he can see in that future a