Evening star., 1948-10-07
Text of Trunnon's Address in PhiIodeIphio
BY the Asseciotsd Press

BY the A.,eeiatsd Press
PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 7.-FolloiD-
ting is the te1t OF President Tru-
mans address in Philadelphia 3
Contention Hall last night:
I am glad to be mere tonight, and
to have this opportunity to discuss
with you some Of the issues In this
campaign.
am going to discuss some Of the
real issues-and discuss them in
plain language-just as I have been
doing all over the country.
A national election is great event
in the life CT free people. 1t gives
them a chance to decide their own
national destiny. In making this
decision, they are entitled to know
where the opposing parties and the
opposing candidates stand on vital
issues.
They are entitled to hear some
thing more than sweet lullabies
which Is all they are getting from
Republican candidates.
Issues That Count.
In this election, know very well
why the Republicans want to stick
to vague generalities and stay away
from specific Issues. It's because
on the issues that count with the
people the Republican Party is
wrong, and the Democratic Party is
right.
But we are going to take care of
that. We will tell the people where
the Democratic Party stands. And
since the Republicans are ashamed
to tell where they stand, we will
tell the people about that, too.
There was time few years ago
when the Republicans would come
out-even at election time-and
openly attack the Democratic New
Deal. But that didn't work 50 well.
They lost too many elections that
way. So they changed their tune
Then they began coming around
at election time with theme song
entitled, ME, too, but can do 1t
better" They lost few elections
that way, too, but they're still try
ing.
They tell you, Eve know the DEM
ocrats got you out of the last de-
preston that we got you into, but
they didn't do it so well and we can
do it better"
The Republicans tell you, "We
are all for labor's right to collective
bargaining which the Democrats
gave you, but we know better how
1t ought to work"
They say to the farmer, "We
know you are better OF than you
have ever been before, and the
Democratic farm program Is so
good that we are not against 1t any
more, but we could run it better"
Silent on Measures.
They don't talk much at election
time about how they fought against
these great progressive measures
tooth and nail. They just say, Turn
all these Democratic programs over
to us and we will take care Of every
thing. Just leave everything up to
the Republican Party and you won't
have anything to worry about"
Do you know what that sounds
like to me? 1t sounds like a com
pany union" It sounds like one OF
these generous employers who say
to the men and women who work
for them, "You don't need to form
q union. III do it for you-and the
union give you will be better than
yours because we won't be lighting
with each other"
That's what the Republican Party
Is trying to do now. They want to
take the industrial workers and the
white collar workers, and the farm
ers, and all the other plain people
Tn this country and roll them all
together in one big company union
and run it for. the benefit OF the
National Association Of Manufac-
turers.
They have all their promises
wrapped up in a package called
unity" which they guarantee to
cure more ills than any patent med
icine you ever saw. And they won't
tell you any more about what's IN
that package than a quack doctor
will tell you about what's IN his
magic cure-all.
don't believe the American peo-
pie are going to be taken IN by
that kind of quackery.
ta ", ytyoftU NJ rn11rCn
You believe in it and I believe IN it.
Unity of Free Men.
But we believe in the unity OF
free men. We believe in unity In
great causes.
We don't believe in the unity OF
slaves, or the unity of sheep being
led to the slaughter. We don't be-
lieve in unity under the rule OF big
business-and we shall fight 1t to
the end.
Now, some of these Republican
campaign orators have been going
around trying to sell the idea that
their kind of unity would strengthen
our voice in world affairs. Nothing
could be further from the truth.
The United States is the hope OF
the world because we are free
people and because we ar prosper
GUS. When these freedoms begin
to be cut down and when our great
prosperity begins to wane, under
the dead hand Of reaction, then our
chances of leading the world to
peace will surely be weakened.
There is another carefully cul-
tivated line of propaganda going
around to the effect that the Demo
cratic Party ought to be turned out
of office just because it has been In
power for 16 years. regard that as
q very strange argument.
Some things get better with age
That is true of the liberal principles
which we're given new life and
meaning under that great American
Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Are you ready to dsert those lib
eral principles now? I don't think
SO. I think you know how much
they mean to you and to the Nation
and to the world. I don't think
you've forgotten the depths o1
despair from which the Democratic
T.