Evening star., 1941-02-13
Text of WiNkie Address
1910 Nominee Calls on Republicans
To Lead Fight for Aid to Britain

y
ing somehow that through these
difficult times a united America
would arise and save us in this
world of turmoil.
The history of party Government
In the United States follows a fairly
simple pattern: Parties in the
United States are born in times of
great crisis and struggle-perhaps
sometimes they are reborn in such
periods. The first two political
parties were the Federalist and the
Democratic party-or as then was
called, the Republican party. And
they grew out Of the struggles and
the necessary problems In connec-
ton with the establishment of our
Government.
And in a few years the Federalist
party died and the Democratic party
went on because the Federalist party
became party of negation while
the Democratic party under the
leadership of Thomas jefferson re-
mained the positive party.
And then in the time of Andrew
Jackson there arose the Whig party
"a party of opposition, a party of
negation, party that offered no
other program to Jackson's except
that Jackson was wrong. 1t existed
some Is years and then great
moral issue arose in America and
because the Whig party found MOTH
ing in that issue except compromise,
except the adoption of cliches. ex-
cept the playing of local prejudices,
it passed away and in its place in
the struggle for freedom came the
Republican party.
Founded for Freedom.
We were founded to preserve free
dom-that was the reason for us
coming into being.
And if we will but remember that
we cannot fail. But if we become
like the Whig party-merely the
party of negation, merely the party
of opposition, merely those vino find
fault and who in one of the critical
moments of history find nothing
nobler to do than compromise-this
great party will pass from the scene.
And I'm here to speak to you tonight
to challenge you to a higher destiny
than the destiny of compromise and
negation and failure and death.
This group has said it so well here
tonight. The Democratic party in
the struggle out of which the Re-
publican party was born as the
champion of freedom-the Demo-
cratic party was the champion of
slavery but at least it was the cham
pion of something and it survived.
Here we are at this moment in
This peaceful ballroom untouched,
happy, gay and buoyant, little
troubled. And yet within a distance
that I recently travelled by round
about way within three days, bombs
are dropping, destroying cities lived
in by free men-free men like us
and some men rise and say that's
no problem of ours-let's preserve
America alone
Although he made some stops on
the way, it took Abraham Lincoln
IL days to travel from Springfield,
ILL.,, to Washington to be inaugurated
President of the United States. And
it took George Washington, be-
neve, if my historical remembrance
is correct, eight days to travel from
Mount Vernon to New York to be
inaugurated. And, as I say, within
the last two weeks by much round
about way I Travelled l0-20-30
times as far as they went in three
days. and thus the world has COL
lapSed in size.
Golden Opportunity.
I doubt if in the history of parties
any party had such golden oppor-
tunitv as presents itself to the Re
publican party tonight. Where Is
the Republican that Is not enamored
of it? Where is the Republican that
doesn't want to meet the challenge
of this newer day?
If the Republican party now to-
night and tomorrow and the next
day begins to preach positive doc
trine; If we begin to say here are
free men like ourselves struggling
to preserve themselves; here is war
that will determine the course of
American history; here is war that
the outcome of which will deter
mine whether or not the standard
of living of every man in the world
will be raised or lowered; here is
an international situation that by
reason of its very chaos offers the
opportunity to America for world
leadership-not alone world leader
ship that can follow this war. not
alone an economic system in Amer
ica but an economic system through
out the world that will offer to all
men a fuller life than has ever been
known or ever can be achieved with
in the narrow limits of any nation.
It's always true in times of trouble
that real opportunities come. Just
as a party cannot live in negation,
so a system or an theology cannot
live in negation.
Look back across the pages of his
tory. Any ideology, any belief, any
religion, any system of government