Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-09-03

heart of America, and l am
grateful for the opportunity to
share this experience with you.
I'd like to tell you a little story
about how Labor Day started.
AS nearly as l can find out,
the idea was first suggested by
Peter Mcclure, a leader of the
Carpenters Brotherhood, in
1882. MCGUIRE w"s Immediate
ly denounced as a radical" and
an, "agitator." and someone
suggested that the next thing
you knew labor would be de-
.manding a weeks vacation every
summer. There was a Repub-
lican administration in office at
the time.
Grandfather Presided
But IL years later, in 1894.
Congress passed an act making
the first Monday in September
a legal holiday. I hardly need
tell you that by this time we
had a Democratic administra-
ton and a Democratic Con-
greSs. And furthermore the man
who was presiding in the Senate
on June %. 1894, the day that
law was passed. was the Vice
President of the United States.
His name was Adlai E. Steven
son. He was my grandfather.
l don't like taking credit for
something / had nothing to do
with. But when l hear these
Republicans claiming they in
vented things like peace and
prosperity - well, if they did.
then Labor Day is something my
grandfather thought up all by
himself, and we Stevensons are
mighty glad you could all get
the day off to come to our
family picnic.
am particularly glad to be
here today with three diStin-
guished Americans who have
contributed so much to the
values we celebrate.
Praises williams, Mcnamara
No leader in our country has
done more, I think, to make
State government an instrument
for serving the responsible in
terests of working people u
along with all other human
if1terests-than has your great
young Gov. Mennen Williams.
: Nor has any voice in Washing
ton in these past two years
spoken out more plainly and ef-
fectively for the rights of labor
than that of Senator Pat Nc
Namara.
e 1t is a special privilege for me
to join you in saluting here to-
day. on its goth anniversary, one
of democracy's truly great Or
CARNATIONS, the United Automo-
bile Workers. and its president,
my friend, one of freedoms tru-
est and most effective servants
Walter Reuther.
AS you may suspect, / have
come here today not only to OBJ
serve with you the Labor Day
tradition, but also eto talk poll
tics. And because 1 do not want
to keep you too long / propose to
get right down to business.
Voters Urged to Register
First, let me say just a word
about that basic political duty OF
citizenship in a democracy which
rises above any partisan issue. /
remind you all-Democrats, in
dependents and Republicans
alike-that if you haven't regis
tered you must do so between
now and october 8. This is a
mighty small price to ask for the
precious right of self-govern-
ment.
/ want to talk with you today
about the program of the Demo-
cratic Party for our future as a
people.
l have called this a program
for a new America.
l have said that among other
things the new America must
be, and can be-yes. and is 60
ing to be-a place where power
~ is abolished and our abun-
dance is used to enrich the lives
Of every family"
Sets National Goals
But to say this isn't enough.
Words are cheap in an election
year 1t is the responsible cam
didate'S obligation to set forth
his ideas about Americas future.
propose to do this-and to try
to say here today what the eco
nomic goals in the new America
must be, and how we must set
out to reach them.
l start from this simple be-
lief. That the only economic
goals that count are those that
mean something in terms OF
peoples lives.
Let the Republicans talk If
they will about being liberal in
human affairs and conservative
In economic affairs Their
blindness is that they see unem-
ployment in a factory and de-
preston on a farm and the cost
of living as only economic prob
lens. They see business as an
end in itself, progress as some
thing you measure on a slide
rule, and prosperity as statistic.
These are false values. They
create the smugneSs, the COM
placency. the self-satisfaction
which are today's great danger
in America. They are what this
election is about.
Source Of Prosperity
We are told that America is
prosperous. And 1t is--in part.
We are thankful and we are
proud. Twenty years Of Demo-
cratic stewardship Of this Ma
tion's affairs went into building
this prosperity building II up