Evening star., 1951-04-15

My fellow Americans:
/ This is meeting of Democrats
More important than that. it is {
meeting of Americans. It is {
injecting of Americans who put thu
welfare of their country first.
This is a time when all Amer.
''licans should put their country
first. This is no time for bushes.
Jas usual or for politics as usual.
i There are some people. / an
sorry to say, who are playing petty
politics. right now. with the fu-
Iture Of the country and the peace
lof the world. Those people seem
Ito think that it is more important
Ito win the next election than il
us to prevent another world war
gI don't want any Democrat te
]have such IDEAS.
I want every Demo ocrat to put
patriotism above politics.
T Our country is in deadly dan
tger. We face a powerful and
RUTHLESS enemy. The only way we
Jean prevail over that enemy il
afor every man and woman in this
country to put. national interest
aabove personal interest.
/ What we are trying to do is to
Establish peace in the world. And
1.-THE only way you can have peace
in the world is to bring about in
Iternational law and order.
+ The men we are honoring here
tonight Thomas jefferson and
Andrew JackSon-knew that.
IS In their day, the United States
WAS small and weak
/ Nevertheless, Jefferson and
jackson stood UP for international
tlaw and order. They worked for
peace. but they would not stoop
ITO appeaSement. They knew that
fthe9 United States could not be
safe unless it was willing to fight
for what was right.
When jefferson was President
our merchant ships were attacked
by the Barbary pirates who ruled
the North Coast of Africa. These
pirates lived by robbery and human
slavery. They were collecting huge
sums of money in tribute from
European nations. Then the
Barbary pirates began to demand
that the United States pay them
millions of dollars for leaving our
ships alone. They were arrogant
and they were brutal, and they
got away with it until someone
finally stood up against them.
Jefferson decided to put a stop
TO the whole thing. He knew that
there were times when a country
has to fight against international
crime. He sent the United States
Navy to Africa. He sent the
Marines ashore at Tripoli. He car
Iried the battle to the enemy nearly
5000 miles away from the United
States.
We smashed the power of those
bandits and we won the praise
and gratitude of the world. The
Pope at that time, Plus VII. de-
clared, "the American commander
Wath . small force and IN al sshort
space of time. has done more for
the cause of Christianity than
the most powerful nations of
Chrlstendom have done for ages"
Jefferson did not believe this
Nation could submit to pirates
and neither do we.
No Room for Piracy.
Now. as then, there is no room
for piracy in free world.
Now, as then, there are times
when our country has to fight for
law and order.
Today, however, the danger we
face is not just a gang of pirates
in one part of the world.
1t is danger that threatens
every nation on earth, every re-
llglous faith. every home and every
person in this land. 1t is the danger
that arises from the plans of the
kremlin to conquer the civilized
world.
The rulers of the Kremlin have
abandoned any serious attempt to
improve the lives of the people
they control. They are taking the
men and women and the resources
under their control and welding
them into a mighty machine for
war and conquest.
They think they can divide the
democratic nations and overthrow
them one by one.
II they can do that, they will
succeed in isolating and surround
ling the United States.
Then we should either have to
fight terrible war. against great
Iodds-or yield to the demands of
the Kremlin.
Either alternative would be a
QCopC4dIC OIlS.
We must meet this threat just
as firmly as Jefferson met the
threat of the Barbary pirates.
There is no higher purpose to
which we can dedicate ourselves
as Democrats and Americans.
For five years. we have been
checking and countering the
threats of Communist expansion
all around the world. We have
been helping to strengthen free
nations to stand up and resist this
pressure. Our policy thwarted the
Soviet master plan of expansion.
So the Communist leaders re-
sorted to open aggression.
This called for a showdown.
; The free world gave its answer.
We went to the defense of
Korea.
When we did that, nearly every
one in the United States approved.
Nearly every one but the Com
munists agreed that it was the
only thing to do. But now, there
are people who say we should not
have done it. There are people
vino say we should get out of
Korea. 4,-
These people are making ter
riloIe mistake. ~tstss.