Evening star., 1940-09-21
Text of Roosevelt Address

Nation would go on the rocks in q
very few years"
1t may seem ungracious for . very
new degree holder to say this to
this audience OF older degree hold
ers, but my authority for this view
is a great educator, noted for mis-
efforts to disseminate college edu-
cation throughout the country.
1. agree with him thoroughly in
his estimate of the superior ability
of the whole Of the voters to pass
upon political and social issues in
free and unhampered elections, as
against the exclusive ability of a
smaller group of individuals at the
top of the social structure.
Judgment Of All People.
On candidates and on election is
sues, I would rather trust the ag-
gregate judgment of all the people
in a factory-the president, all the
vice presidents, the board of direc-
tors, the managers, the foremen,
plus all the laborers-rather than
the judgment of the few who may
be financially interested. On such
questions the aggregate total judg-
ment of farm owner, the farmer
and all the farm hands will be
sounder than that Of the farm owner
alone. I would rather rely on the
aggregate opinion, on matters af-
fecting government, of a railroad
president, Its Superintendents, It's
engineers, foremen. brakemen, con-
| ductors, trainmen, telegraphers. por-
| tiers and all the others, than on the
sole opinion Of the few in control
of management or the principal
stockholders.
Only too often in our political his
tory the few at the top have tried
to advise or dictate to the many
lower down how they should vote.
Selfish Seekers for Power.
Even today in certain quarters
there are, I regret to say, demands
for return of government to the
control of those few, who, because
of business ability or economic
omniscience-I took four years Of
economics while I was an under
graduate at Harvard and all I was
taught is not In our text books
today. The older I grow the less
omniscient I become in regard to
economics and I think most of US
do. People who are supposed to
have that ability are supposed to
be just touch above the average
of our citizens. As in the days of
Hamilton, we of our own generation
should give them all credit for pure
intention and high ideals. Never
thelesS, their type of political think
ing could easily lead to government
by selfish seekers for power and
riches and glory. For the great
elite, curtailment or even abolition
Of free elections might be adopted
as the means of keeping them in
power.
can never forget that some we'll
meaning people have even recently
seriously suggested that the right to
vote be denied to American men and
women who through no fault of their
own had lost their jobs and. in order
to keep the family and the home
going, were working on works relief
projects.
AS long as periodic free elections
survive, no set of people can perma-
nently control government. In the
maintenance of free elections rests
the complete and enduring safety of
our form of government
No Dictator Dares an Election.
No dictator in history has ever
dared to run the gauntlet of really
free election.
These fundamental truths have
become commonplace among Amer
leans, but it is well constantly to
keep them in mind in order to
understand what has happened in
other lands. A decade ago, for ex-
ample, the German people despaired
OF the processes of their democracy,
which were based on the free use
of the franchise. They were willing
to lend ear to q new cult called
"Nazi-ism"-a minority group which
professed extraordinary patriotism,
and offered bread and shelter and
better government through the rule
OF a handful of persons boasting of
special aptitude for government. In
those days loudly professed en-
phasis was placed by this special
group on their own purity of pur-
pose. Nothing was ever said about
abolishing free elections.
You and I know the subsequent
history Of Germany. The right of
free elections and the free choice
Of heads of government were sud-
denly wiped out by q new regime
still processing the same purity of
purpose. It is travesty on fact
to claim that there is any free choice
Of public ofiicials in that nation to-
day, or that there ever has been
one since 1888.
What Jefferson prophesied might
happen in this country If the philoS.
ophy of the restricted vote and of
government by special class was
adopted did actually happen in
Germany before our very eyes.
New Conditions, New Requirements
Many years ago, speaking in San
Francisco, pointed out that new
conditions imposed new require
} ments upon government and upon
those who conducted government
As Jefferson wrote long time ago;
IT know also that laws and institu-
, tions must go hand in hand with
! the progress Of the human mind
''' AS new discoveries are made
| new truths disclosed, and manners
. and opinions change with the