Evening star., 1949-11-04

FhSSoA eAACAA, oA1o ~ WILL Aot P4CVdA
today.
The people of the. United States
know the way to progress. II the
people have the true facts-and
eventually they always get the true
facts-no one can hold them back
for very long.
| Today, of course, we are no
longer concerned with expanding
the territory of the United States.
We are concerned with expanding
our economy and the opportunities
Of our people. We are concerned
with increasing our agricultural and
industrial production, and our
standards of living. These are our
great frontiers today. And the ad-
vances which we can make on these
frontiers are just as important to
the general welfare as the territorial
advances we made in Jeffersons
time.
/. New World Before Us.
We have, in fact, whole new
world before us, the world of in
creased opportunity and wider free
dom that our new technology and
increasing abundance make pos
sible. We have set our faces toward
that new world and we are going to
make it a reality.
Our economic frontiers can be ex-
panded only if we follow sound
public policies. We must rely, as
we have always relied, upon the
spirit of initiative and free enter
prise. But we know that it is
necessary for the Government to
follow policies that will make it
| possible for initiative and free en-
terprise to, succeed At the same
time, there is wide disagreement on
what specific measures the Govern
ment should adopt and for those
benefit.
The reactionaries hold that Gov-
ernment policies should be designed
for the special benefit of small
groups Of people who occupy posi-
tlons OF wealth and influence. Their
theory seems to be that If these
groups are prosperous, they will
pass along some of their prosperity
to the rest of us. This can be de-
scribed as the 'trickle down theory"
The vast majority of us reject
that theory as totally wrong.
We know that there will be more
prosperity for all if all groups have
a fair share of the wealth of the
country. We know that the coun-
try will achieve economic stability
and progress only if the benefits of
our production are widely distrib-
uted among all citizens.
For Welfare of All.
We believe that it is the Federal
Governments obligation, under the
Constitution, to promote the gen.
eral walfare of all our people-not
just a privileged few.
The policies we advocate are
based on these convictions.
We maintain that farmers, like
businessmen, should receive a fair
price for the products they sell.
We maintain that workers are en-
titled to good wages and to equality
of bargaining power with their en-
ployers.
We believe that small business,
and co-operatives, should have a
fair opportunity of achieve success,
and should not be smothered by
monopolies.
We hold that our great natural
resources should be protected and
developed for the benefit of all our
people, and not exploited for private
greed.
We believe that old people and the
disabled should have an assured in
come to keep them from being de-
pendent on charity.
We hold that families should have
protection against loss of income
resulting from accident, illness or
unemployment.
We hold that our citizens should
have decent housing at prices they
can afford to pay.
Policies for Progress.
We believe in assuring educational
opportunities for all Our young peo-
pie in order that we may have an
enlightened citizenry.
We believe in better health and
medical care for every one-not just
for the few.
We hold that all Americans are
entitled to equal rights and equal
opportunities under law, and to
equal participation in our national
life, free from fear or discrimina-
ton.
These are the policies that spell
progress for all our people, they
are the best assurance Of pros
perity for every one-including the
very people who attack them most
bitterly. These policies mean more
democracy In this country, not less.
They mean more personal freedom
for all Americans. not less. They
are our staunch shield against COM
munism and against every other
form of totalitarianism. They are
the means by which we will achieve
the better world we seek.
Nevertheless, there are people
who oppose these policies. There
are people who are afraid Of more
democracy and greater freedom for
all our citizens today, just as there
were in Jefferson's day. There are
people who contend that these pro-
grams for the general welfare will
cost too much, just as the reaction
aries in Jefferson's day contended
that 1000, 900 was too much to pay
for million square miles of new
territory. They we're wrong in JEFF
ferson's time, and they are wrong
today.
Investment in Future.
The expenditures which we make
today for the education, health and
security of our citizens are invest
ments in the future of our country,
just as surely as the Louisiana pur-
chase was an investment in the
| future.
The expenditures which we make
to develop our natural resources, to
conserve our soil and our forests,
and to make cheap electric power
available to farms, homes and fac
tories, are equally good investments
in the future of our country.
The process of growth continues
for us just as it did In Jeffersons S
lo~, re x,o,. %t{rir - ~,,~~ -. =