Evening star., 1944-07-20
9y the Associated Press,


to the Democratic National Con-
Dention:
Democrats of this great conven-
ton and my fellow Americans:
In this solemn hour, as repre-
sentatives of the common people
of every State and territory tn this
Nation. we meet again to reafnrm
our faith In Democratic principles
and to give an accounting OF our
stewardship. But in this greatest
crisis in history, America and the
world have q right to ask more OF
us. They are entitled to know
. where we stand and what our aims
and purposes as q great polltlcal
party are. We are here to answer.
Our aim is complete and speedy
victory.
Our goal is a just and abiding
peace.
Our promise to a world at peace
is responsibility and cooperation.
Obligation to Fighters.
Our pledge to America at peace
Is a Government responsive to the
needs and hopes of every citizen,
even the humblest; a Government
which will not shirk or fail. but VIII
fulfill with gratitude and fidelity
our sacred obligation to our return
ing service men and women.
The keynote of this convention
and of Americas heart and mind Is
not being founded here tonight. II
4 being thundered by our fighting
il,en around the world; by those AT
home who provide the food for them
and us, by the workers who provlde
the munitions of war, by the rank
and file of our citizens who, through
taxes and bond purchases, provide
the money required to pay our part
of the daily cost of this global war:
This keynote is being sounded loud
and clear by the roaring, swlrane
thousands of our fighter planes
our slashing bombers and our
mighty Super Fortresses OF the air
II comes from the deadly throats
of the many, many guns on the oat-
tile units of our powerful fleets
not lust one great feet or two or
three. but seven Of them, the great
est Navy in history. 1t comes from
the blazing flrepower set and kept
in motion by our men who fight on
the ground, the infantry-yes, ana
the invincible marines. May Goo
bless them and keep them-au OF
them, our fighting men and women,
and give them the sustaining
strength to match their glorious
spirit. 1t is they. who since Pearl
Harbor. have been and now are
sounding the keynote OF America S
unyielding purpose, of Democracy's
aims and hopes.
Answer for Hitler.
Let us be in tune with the spirit
Of that keynote. Hitler, in his blind
ignorance and fury called us a
"decadelt soft Democracy Our
f1ghting men have given him his
answer-the greatest all-American
team of all times-the team OF all
Americans, Democrats and Republi-
cans alike, has given him his an
swer! The farmers-the workers.
the rank and file of our citizens
the armed forces of our Nation
Democratic but not decadent are
marching, tramping and climbing
with our Commander in Chief to
victory!
There is no easy way to win this
greatest Of all wars. either at home
Of abroad. AS oM~fghting men
battle and slash their way closer
and closer to Berlin and Tokyo, they
will meet harder and sterner tasks.
The same is true where We fight.
Our sacrifices will still be hard
and stern. We know that in the |
long shadows we yet must travel,
there will be in the words of mighty
Churchill: Blood, toll, tears and
sweat" That is our portion-that
we can and will endure - but
wouldn't it really be terrible if in
addition to all of these We should
be compelled to suffer the afiiction
and disaster of another Hoover ad-
ministration?
Hoover's Choice.
In this hall last month the Re-
publicans nominated as their candi-
date for President the man selected |
for them four years ago by Herbert !
Hoover. AS America looked on she
saw the mantle of Herbert Hoover,
not falling upon, but being placed
upon the shoulders of this cherished |
disciple, Thomas E. Dewey. What |
she did not see, but what will be-
come more and more apparent, is
that the mantle has become the !
Shroud.
When the same convention snub- |
bed and sidetracked Wendell Willkie,
the last vestige of liberal leadership
of the Republican party was buried
under an avalanche of reactionary
sentiment from which it cannot
soon emerge.
Tallyrand said: The Bourbons
were incapable either of learning
anything or of forgetting anything"
To give these modern Bourbons,
these Republican leaders, control
of the Nation for the next four
years would bring about the certain
return of 1882 1t would be to invite
disaster without even the chance
of coming in on wing and
prayer"
! Assails Old Guard.
The OLD Guard is again In the
saddle in the COP. hoping to run
rampant over liberalism in America
in November as they did over their
own ranks here three short weeks
ago
:. In their blindness the Republicans
have charted a course America will
not follow
: In their hatred they have
matched fight they cannot win.
= The forces of democracy will ac-
cept their challenge and defeat
them-either on the issue OF what
they did not do and cannot do or
on the issue of what we have done
and will do.
I have never in my lifetime seen