Evening star., 1940-09-20
~ the Associated Press.

puUtU uH p CotucHLtut HOHttbCC.
For the past six days I have
been travelling across the great
Western half of our country. I
have gone through the fertile
fields of the Middle West, the
great spaces of the Southwest
and have come finally to this
beautiful land of Southern CAL
ifornia.
I have talked to thousands Of
your people here in the West,
and I have heard about some Of
your problems. Many of them,
Ike flood control, for example,
are of national Importance be-
cause they involve the conserva-
ton of our natural resources Of
human life and of property.
We have short-sighted men in
Washington who would have us
believe that America has reached
the limit of its growth. But out
here in the West the evidence is
all around us of the utter folly of
this counsel of despair. And that
folly has reached its final cli-
max in the effort to persuade the
people of America that there is
only one man-one indispensable
man-who is capable of leading
our country in these troubled
times.
No Man indispensable
But Common Sense Is.
Now there is no man indis-
pensable to this country. But I
can tell you something that is
indispensable. The indispensable
thing right now Is common sense.
We in this Nation are agreed
upon two great objectives. We
are determined to make our ma
tional defense so strong that no
nation-however great its mill
tary power and however ruthless
Its leaders-will dare to attack us.
And we are determined to create
the opportunity for our unem-
ployed fellow-citizens to go back
to work.
These two purposes go hand in
hand. We cannot be a strong
Nation when millions of our peo-
pie are without jobs. We cannot
become a strong Nation unless
all of our people join in the
work of making us strong. That
Is common sense. And common
sense also tells us what the an
swer is. The answer is increased
production.
Modern war is fought with the
products of industry. The task
of rearming America is thus pri-
marily task of mobilizing
and directing the enormous pro-
ductive capacity of American in
dustry.
But the actual production of
airplanes, tanks and guns is not
the only part that industry must
play in the job of making Amer
lea strong. A healthy, active.
expanding economy, producing
all the things our people need,
all the myriad engines of peace,
Is the very basis of defense. Un-
less we are strong within we
cannot be strong without.
Dynamic Character of System
Not Understood in Washington.
Ours is a dynamic system. It
depends upon the constant de-
development and growth of new
business, new enterprise, new op-
portunities for men to work and
to produce. We cannot stand still
behind the guns of our battle
ships. In order to be strong we
must grow.
All this is simple enough. All
this is common sense. Then why
Is it that for years we have had
idle money by the billions and
idle men by the millions? Why
Is it that during the past 10 years,
for the first time in our history,
we have failed to make any
economic growth?
The answer Is that the men
who have been determining our
national policies in Washington
have not believed In production.
They have not understood the
dynamic character of our system.
They believe that our economy
has reached maturity-become
static. They believe that there
Is no more room for expansion;
that increased production might
even be dangerous. They have
treated our country as If it had
no future. They have discour-
aged productive enterprise.
I have said that the issue Of
this campaign Is to preserve our
democracy. Democracy can per-
sist only so long as It's people
are busy. It Is rooted in expan-
sion and in hope.
I therefore propose to put an
end to this industrial stagnation.
I propose to establish in this
country the only kind of life that
YOU and I understand-a life of
good honest work and good honest
regard. .ou,oo
from an administration which
has proved itself incompetent
and not to be trusted with the
enormous powers that 1t has
acquired.
Fundamental Question
OF Business Is Profit.
How shall I do this? Let's re-
sort to common sense again.
The handspring of economic
activity In this country Is provided
by individual initiative by men
going into business and risking
success or failure.
What makes a man go into
business? Many Of you are busi-
nessmen. Think back minute.
What did you ask yourselves