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Lincoln Day Dinner, Alameda, CA, February 10, 1967
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Lincoln Day Dinner, Alameda, CA, February 10, 1967
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The original documents are located in Box D21, folder "Lincoln Day Dinner, Alameda, CA,
February 10, 1967" of the Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at
the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Copyright Notice
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of
photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. The Council donated to the United
States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.
Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public
domain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to
remain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid
copyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Digitized from Box D21 of The Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
CONGRESSMAN
NEWS
GERALD R. FORD
HOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADER
RELEASE
FOR RELEASE ON DELIVERY AT 6 P.M.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1967
EXCERPTS FROM A LINCOLN DAY DINNER SPEECH BY REP. GERALD R. FORD, R-MICH.,
at ALAMEDA, CALIF.
We need massive state and local efforts to cure our urban and suburban ills.
We must provide federal dollar help to spark these efforts. But we must not smother
those efforts with layer after layer of bureaucratic fat. We must not force our
governors, mayors, and city officials to grope through a bureaucratic maze in the
hope of finding a pot of gold at the end of the twisting tunnel.
Do I exaggerate in speaking of a bureaucratic maze when I describe the federal
system of traditional grants-in-aid? Consider this if you will. There now are 170
federal aid programs. They draw their dollars from more than 400 separate
appropriations and are administered by more than 21 departments and agencies. There
are some 150 major bureaus and offices in Washington alone, and more than 400 other
offices "in the field."
This is why federal revenue-sharing appears to be the only road to fiscal
balance and fiscal sanity in this so-called Great Society.
* * *
The Republican Party has been derided in a variety of words and phrases in
recent years. We have been called negative, stick-in-the mud, neanderthal. I submit
that federal revenue-sharing is anything but negative. It is at once innovative and
yet conservative.
It is innovative because it represents a sharp departure from the status quo, the
traditional grant-in-aid. It is conservative because it uses an approach central
to the American system of government--reliance on state and local governments to
(MORE)
-2-
solve problems that are primarily state and local.
It is new because for some 35 years we have been pursuing solutions through
grants-in-aid. The grant-in-aid approach is the New Deal, the Fair Deal, the New
Frontier and the Great Society way. I say that if it ever worked, it no longer does.
* * *
Lincoln once told his supporters: "Revolutionize through the ballot box, and
restore the government once more to the affections and hearts of men by making it
express, as it was intended to do, the highest spirit of justice and liberty."
We had a revolution at the ballot box last November 8th. There had to be a
revolution for us to make a net gain of 47 seats in the House of Representatives.
* * *
We know that the grant-in-aid system is collapsing of its own weight and
complexity. Now we are joined in this view by columnist Walter Lippmann, a
commentator and thinker revered by most liberals.
Mr. Lippmann reports "wide revulsion against the expanding and heavy-handed
role played by the federal government." He says "the complex of welfare measures
has become quite unmanageable." "It seems probable," he declares, "that some
scheme for sharing federal revenues with the states will be adopted, if not in
this session of Congress, then later on."
Republicans have taken the lead on federal revenue-sharing. Lincoln said:
"Let none falter who thinks he is right." I think we are right.
We have become a party of reform and we must not falter. We must persevere
in the right, continue firm in our determination to restore to our state and local
governments their proper role in the American system.
Rhetoric aside, this is the way to make our system work, to make it work for
all the people, to do for them what needs doing and what they cannot do so well for
themselves.
#######
CONGRESSMAN
NEWS
GERALD R. FORD
HOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADER
RELEASE
FOR RELEASE ON DELIVERY AT 6 P.M.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1967
EXCERPTS FROM A LINCOLN DAY DINNER SPEECH BY REP. GERALD R. FORD, R-MICH.,
at ALAMEDA, CALIF.
We need massive state and local efforts to cure our urban and suburban ills.
We must provide federal dollar help to spark these efforts. But we must not smother
those efforts with layer after layer of bureaucratic fat. We must not force our
governors, mayors, and city officials to grope through a bureaucratic maze in the
hope of finding a pot of gold at the end of the twisting tunnel.
Do I exaggerate in speaking of a bureaucratic maze when I describe the federal
system of traditional grants-in-aid? Consider this if you will. There now are 170
federal aid programs. They draw their dollars from more than 400 separate
appropriations and are administered by more than 21 departments and agencies. There
are some 150 major bureaus and offices in Washington alone, and more than 400 other
offices "in the field."
This is why federal revenue-sharing appears to be the only road to fiscal
balance and fiscal sanity in this so-called Great Society.
* * *
The Republican Party has been derided in a variety of words and phrases in
recent years. We have been called negative, stick-in-the mud, neanderthal. I submit
that federal revenue-sharing is anything but negative. It is at once innovative and
yet conservative.
It is innovative because it represents a sharp departure from the status quo, the
traditional grant-in-aid. It is conservative because it uses an approach central
to the American system of government--reliance on state and local governments to
(MORE)
-2-
solve problems that are primarily state and local.
It is new because for some 35 years we have been pursuing solutions through
grants-in-aid. The grant-in-aid approach is the New Deal, the Fair Deal, the New
Frontier and the Great Society way. I say that if it ever worked, it no longer does.
* *
Lincoln once told his supporters: "Revolutionize through the ballot box, and
restore the government once more to the affections and hearts of men by making it
express, as it was intended to do, the highest spirit of justice and liberty."
We had a revolution at the ballot box last November 8th. There had to be a
revolution for us to make a net gain of 47 seats in the House of Representatives.
* *
We know that the grant-in-aid system is collapsing of its own weight and
complexity. Now we are joined in this view by columnist Walter Lippmann, a
commentator and thinker revered by most liberals.
Mr. Lippmann reports "wide revulsion against the expanding and heavy-handed
role played by the federal government." He says "the complex of welfare measures
has become quite unmanageable." "It seems probable," he declares, "that some
scheme for sharing federal revenues with the states will be adopted, if not in
this session of Congress, then later on."
Republicans have taken the lead on federal revenue-sharing. Lincoln said:
"Let none falter who thinks he is right." I think we are right.
We have become a party of reform and we must not falter. We must persevere
in the right, continue firm in our determination to restore to our state and local
governments their proper role in the American system.
Rhetoric aside, this is the way to make our system work, to make it work for
all the people, to do for them what needs doing and what they cannot do so well for
themselves.
#######
AN ADDRESS FOR LINCOLN DAY, 1967
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THIS IS A GREAT OCCASION. EVERY
LINCOLN DAY DINNER IS A GREAT OCCASION BECAUSE IT AGAIN
PROMPTS US TO DRAW UPON THE WISDOM OF ONE OF THE GREATEST
MEN THE WORLD HAS EVER KNOWN, OUR OWN ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
WHEN I SAY "OUR OWN ABRAHAM LINCOLN," I AM NOT SIMPLY
CLAIMING HIM FOR THE REPUBLICAN PARTY. LINCOLN WAS, OF
COURSE, A REPUBLICAN. BUT HE BELONGED TO ALL THE PEOPLE.
AND HE WAS A MAN FOR ALL AGES. THAT IS THE SOURCE OF HIS
GREATNESS. HE WAS TIMELESS; HE WAS HONEST; HE WAS...TO
USE HIS OWN PHRASE OF THE PEOPLE.
THIS NEED NOT BE AN ENTIRELY SOBER OCCASION. LINCOLN
WAS A GREAT WIT. HE LOVED A GOOD JOKE, AND HE HIMSELF
GERALD FORD LIBRARY
-2-
HAD A FINE FACILITY FOR TURNING A PHRASE.
HE WAS AT HIS WISEST AND WITTIEST, FOR INSTANCE, WHEN
HE SAID: "WOMAN IS MAN'S BEST PRESENT FROM HIS MAKER."
I HEREWITH DEDICATE THAT QUOTATION TO ALL THE WOMEN IN
THIS ROOM AND ALL OF THE WOMEN OF AMERICA, WHEREVER THEY
MAY BE...GOD BLESS THEM.
I MENTIONED EARLIER THAT LINCOLN WAS A REPUBLICAN. I
REPEAT THIS NOW BECAUSE THE HOUSE DEMOCRATIC LEADER, CARL
ALBERT OF OKLAHOMA, REMARKED LAST WEEK ON THE FLOOR OF THE
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES THAT "I KNOW IN MY OWN HEART THAT
IF ABRAHAM LINCOLN WERE LIVING TODAY, HE WOULD BE A DEMOCRAT."
NOW, CARL ALBERT IS A GOOD FRIEND OF MINE AND I ADMIRE
AND RESPECT HIM. BUT YOU AND I ALSO KNOW THAT CARL'S
R.FORD LIBRARY
STATEMENT ABOUT LINCOLN IS NOTHING BUT POLITICAL FLUFF.
-3-
I DO HAVE THIS HOPEFUL COMMENT TO MAKE ABOUT MR. ALBERT.
IF HE WAS SAYING THAT HE AGREES WITH LINCOLN'S POLITICAL
PHILOSOPHY SO NEATLY EXPRESSED IN HIS SPEECHES, THEN I THINK
CARL ALBERT IS IN THE WRONG PARTY.
THERE ARE MANY DEMOCRATS WHO SUBSCRIBE TO LINCOLNS
BASIC BELIEFS BUT UNFORTUNATELY HAVE NEGLECTED TO CARRY
THEM OUT.
LINCOLN APTLY EXPRESSED A FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE OF OUR
AMERICAN DEMOCRACY AND NOT ONLY PERSONAL CREDO WHEN HE SAID:
"THE LEGITIMATE OBJECT OF GOVERNMENT IS TO DO FOR A
COMMUNITY OF PEOPLE WHATEVER THEY NEED TO HAVE DONE, BUT
CANNOT DO AT ALL, OR CANNOT DO SO WELL FOR THEMSELVES,
IN THEIR SEPARATE AND INDIVIDUAL CAPACITIES. IN ALL THAT
THE PEOPLE CAN INDIVIDUALLY DO AS WELL FOR THEMSELVES,
FORD NIBRASK
-4-
GOVERNMENT OUGHT NOT TO INTERFERE."
DOES THIS MEAN THAT LINCOLN WAS AN EXPONENT OF LAISSEZ
FAIRE GOVERNMENT. THE IDEA THAT THAT GOVERNMENT IS BEST
WHICH GOVERNS LEAST? NOT AT ALL. THAT KIND OF GOVERNMENT,
IN THE EXTREME, COULD RESULT IN VIRTUAL ANARCHY.
BUT I THINK LINCOLN WOULD BE APPALLED BY THE PRESENT
PROFUSION AND CONFUSION OF GRANT-IN-AID PROGRAMS, THE OVER-
LAPPING AND CHAOS IN THE FEDERAL BUREAUCRACY, AND THE
EXTENT TO WHICH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS INTRUDED INTO
THE PERSONAL LIVES OF EVERY AMERICAN.
CARL ALBERT SAID THAT "IF ABRAHAM LINCOLN WERE LIVING
TODAY, HE WOULD BE A DEMOCRAT."
FORD
I SAY THAT IF LINCOLN WERE LIVING TODAY HE WOULD TURN
OVER IN HIS GRAVE.
GERAL
LIBRARY
-5-
I BELIEVE MOST AMERICANS, INCLUDING MILLIONS WHO CALL
THEMSELVES DEMOCRATS, AGREE WITH LINCOLN'S WARNING AGAINST
GOVERNMENT WHICH BECOMES SO BIG AS TO BECOME UNMANAGEABLE
AND AN UNNECESSARY AND UNDESIRABLE BURDEN FOR OUR CITIZENS.
WE HAVE STRIKING PROOF OF THIS TODAY. THE PROOF IS
CONTAINED IN THE TREMENDOUSLY FAVORABLE RESPONSE GENERATED
BY THE IDEA OF FEDERAL TAX-SHARING. THIS IS A PROPOSAL ON
WHICH REPUBLICANS HAVE TAKEN THE LEAD. IT FITS WITH REPUB-
LICAN PHILOSOPHY. IT WOULD GIVE STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
A SLICE OF FEDERAL INCOME TAX REVENUE WITHOUT FEDERAL STRINGS.
A RECENT GALLUP POLL INDICATED THAT SEVEN OUT OF TEN
ADULT AMERICANS--DEMOCRATS AND INDEPENDENTS AS WELL AS
REPUBLICANS--FAVOR FEDERAL REVENUE-SHARING. ANOTHER WAY
FORD
OF PUTTING IT IS THAT AMERICANS ARE BEGINNING ONCE MORE TO
LIBRARY
-6-
RECOGNIZE THAT MANY OF THEIR PROBLEMS ARE BEST SOLVED AT
THE STATE AND LOCAL LEVELS.
THE LAST ELECTION SHOWED THAT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE
AWAKENING TO THIS GREAT AND GROWING TRUTH--THAT WE CAN
ACHIEVE TRUE GREATNESS AS A NATION ONLY BY MEETING OUR
RESPONSIBILITIES FULLY AT ALL LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT, BY
FULLY UTILIZING THE VISION AND ABILITIES OF ALL OUR CITIZENS,
BY ATTACKING STATE AND LOCAL PROBLEMS WITH THE TALENTS OF
PEOPLE CLOSEST TO THEM.
WE NEED MASSIVE STATE AND LOCAL EFFORTS TO CURE OUR
URBAN AND SUBURBAN ILLS. WE MUST PROVIDE FEDERAL DOLLAR
HELP TO SPARK THESE EFFORTS. BUT WE MUST NOT SMOTHER THOSE
EFFORTS WITH LAYER AFTER LAYER OF BUREAUCRATIC FAT. WE
MUST NOT FORCE OUR GOVERNORS, MAYORS AND CITY OFFICIALS
-7-
TO GROPE THROUGH A BUREAUCRATIC MAZE IN THE HOPE OF FINDING
A POT OF GOLD AT THE END OF THE TWISTING TUNNEL.
DO I EXAGGERATE IN SPEAKING OF A BUREAUCRATIC MAZE
WHEN I DESCRIBE THE FEDERAL SYSTEM OF GRANTS-IN-AID? CONSIDER
THIS IF YOU WILL. THERE NOW ARE 170 FEDERAL AID PROGRAMS.
THEY DRAW THEIR DOLLARS FROM MORE THAN 400 SEPARATE
APPROPRIATIONS AND ARE ADMINISTERED BY MORE THAN 21
DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES. THERE ARE SOME 150 MAJOR BUREAUS
AND OFFICES IN WASHINGTON ALONE, AND MORE THAN 400 OTHER
OFFICES "IN THE FIELD."
THIS IS WHY FEDERAL REVENUE-SHARING APPEARS TO BE THE
ONLY ROAD TO FISCAL BALANCE AND FISCAL SANITY IN THIS
SO-CALLED GREAT SOCIETY.
EXPONENTS OF FEDERAL GRANTS-IN-AID ARGUE THAT THE
-8-
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS TO DICTATE SOLUTIONS BECAUSE STATE
AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS HAVE SHIRKED THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES.
STATE AND LOCAL LEADERS CONTEND THEY SIMPLY ARE SHORT OF
MONEY TO DO THE JOB PROPERLY.
LET'S JOIN THE ISSUE. LET'S GIVE THE STATES AND LOCAL
COMMUNITIES A GOODLY PORTION OF FEDERAL INCOME TAX REVENUE
WITH A CLEAR CHALLENGE TO MAKE GOOD ON THEIR PROBLEM-SOLVING
PROMISES.
I THINK THIS IS THE MAIN THRUST OF THE MANDATE EXPRESSED
BY THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AT THE POLLS LAST NOVEMBER 8TH.
AS ABRAHAM LINCOLN PUT IT: "THE MOST RELIABLE INDICATION
OF PUBLIC PURPOSE IN THIS COUNTRY IS DERIVED THROUGH OUR
POPULAR ELECTIONS."
-9-
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY HAS BEEN DERIDED IN A VARIETY OF
WORDS AND PHRASES IN RECENT YEARS. WE HAVE BEEN CALLED
NEGATIVE, STICK-IN-THE-MUD, NEANDERTHAL.
I SUBMIT THAT FEDERAL REVENUE-SHARING IS ANYTHING BUT
NEGATIVE. IT IS INNOVATIVE, YET CONSERVATIVE.
IT IS NEW BECAUSE IT REPRESENTS A SHARP DEPARTURE FROM
THE STATUS QUO, THE TRADITIONAL GRANT-IN-AID SYSTEM. IT
IS CONSERVATIVE BECAUSE IT USES AN APPROACH CENTRAL TO THE
AMERICAN SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT--RELIANCE ON LOCAL AND STATE
GOVERNMENTS FOR THE HANDLING OF PROBLEMS THAT ARE PRIMARILY
STATE AND LOCAL.
IT IS INNOVATIVE BECAUSE FOR SOME 35 YEARS WE HAVE BEEN
PURSUING SOLUTIONS THROUGH GRANTS-IN-AID. THE GRANT-IN-AID
ALD
APPROACH IS THE NEW DEAL, THE FAIR DEAL, THE NEW FRONTIER,
IBRAR,
-10-
THE GREAT SOCIETY WAY. I SAY THAT IF IT EVER WORKED IT
NO LONGER DOES.
WE MUST MOVE IN A NEW DIRECTION IF WE ARE AGAIN TO
PLACE THIS NATION ON THE PATH TO GREATNESS. I BELIEVE THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE PLACED THEIR FEET ON THAT PATH IN THE
ELECTIONS OF LAST NOVEMBER 8TH.
LINCOLN DESCRIBED THE POPULAR CALL FOR CHANGE IN THESE
WORDS: "REVOLUTIONIZE THROUGH THE BALLOT BOX, AND RESTORE
THE GOVERNMENT ONCE MORE TO THE AFFECTIONS AND HEARTS OF
MEN BY MAKING IT EXPRESS, AS IT WAS INTENDED TO DO, THE
HIGHEST SPIRIT OF JUSTICE AND LIBERTY."
WE HAD A REVOLUTION AT THE BALLOT BOX LAST NOVEMBER 8TH.
THERE HAD TO BE A REVOLUTION FOR US TO MAKE A NET GAIN OF ORD
47 SEATS IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. OF COURSE,
GERALD
LIBRARY
-11-
PART OF THAT REVOLUTION SPRANG FROM THE FACT THAT THE
PEOPLE REALIZED ALL TOO WELL THAT HE THAT DANCES MUST
ALWAYS PAY THE FIDDLER. LINCOLN DID NOT COIN THAT EXPRESSION
BUT, POLITICIAN THAT HE WAS, HE MADE GOOD USE OF IT.
LINCOLN COULD HAVE BEEN SPEAKING OF THE GREAT SOCIETY,
IN FACT, WHEN HE SAID: "IF ANY GENTLEMEN WHOSE MONEY IS
A BURDEN TO THEM CHOOSE TO LEAD OFF A DANCE, I AM DECIDEDLY
OPPOSED TO THE PEOPLE'S MONEY BEING USED TO PAY THE FIDDLER."
WE KNOW THAT THE GRANT-IN-AID SYSTEM IS COLLAPSING OF
ITS OWN WEIGHT AND COMPLEXITY.
NOW WE ARE JOINED BY COLUMNIST WALTER LIPPMANN, A
COMMENTATOR AND THINKER REVERED BY MOST LIBERALS.
IN A COLUMN APPEARING NATIONWIDE LAST JANUARY 25,
FORD TORARD
-12-
MR. LIPPMANN CITES MY DESCRIPTION OF THE 21 LAYERS OF FEDERAL
BUREAUCRACY RUNNING THE GRANT PROGRAMS AS A NEARLY
IMPENETRABLE "TANGLED THICKET."
HE THEN SAYS: "THE COMPLEX OF WELFARE MEASURES HAS
BECOME QUITE UNMANAGEABLE. IT IS HARD TO BELIEVE THAT THIS
ADMINISTRATIVE THICKET CAN BE PRUNED ITEM BY ITEM. AS A
RESULT THERE IS A MOUNTING DEMAND FOR SOME KIND OF DRASTIC
CHANGE - FOR A REFORM WHICH WILL REDUCE THE ROLE OF WASHINGTON
IN THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE CIVILIAN AFFAIRS OF THIS COUNTRY.
MR. LIPPMANN FURTHER STATES: "THERE IS A WIDE REVULSION
AGAINST THE EXPANDING AND HEAVY-HANDED ROLE PLAYED BY THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
...IT SEEMS PROBABLE THAT SOME SCHEME
FOR SHARING FEDERAL REVENUES WITH THE STATES WILL BE
ADOPTED, IF NOT IN THIS SESSION OF CONGRESS THEN LATER
GE ON. RALD GERALD LIBRARY FORD
-13-
IT WILL DO MUCH TO REMEDY THE IMBALANCE ARISING FROM THE
FISCAL POWER OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND THE COMPARATIVE
WEAKNESS OF THE STATE GOVERNMENTS."
LINCOLN SAID: "LET NONE FALTER WHO THINKS HE IS RIGHT."
I THINK WE ARE RIGHT. WE HAVE BECOME A PARTY OF REFORM
AND WE MUST NOT FALTER. WE MUST PERSEVERE IN THE RIGHT,
CONTINUE FIRM IN OUR DETERMINATION TO RESTORE TO OUR STATE
AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS THEIR PROPER ROLE IN THE AMERICAN
SYSTEM.
RHETORIC ASIDE, THIS IS THE WAY TO MAKE OUR SYSTEM WORK,
TO MAKE IT WORK FOR ALL THE PEOPLE, TO DO FOR THEM WHAT
NEEDS DOING AND WHAT THEY CANNOT DO FOR THEMSELVES.
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS A ROLE IN OUR LIVES, BUT IT
YORK FORD MERVEY
SHOULD LIMIT ITS THRUST TO THOSE PROBLEMS AND PROGRAMS
-14-
WHICH ARE TRULY NATIONAL IN CHARACTER AND WHICH DEMAND
FEDERAL DIRECTION.
WE ARE PAYING TRIBUTE TONIGHT TO A GREAT PRESIDENT OF
THE UNITED STATES, THE 16TH PRESIDENT, A GREAT REPUBLICAN,
ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
IT IS PARTICULARLY APPROPRIATE THAT WE DO SO AT THIS
TIME. BECAUSE NOW, JUST AS IN 1860 WHEN LINCOLN WAS NOMINATED
AND ELECTED, THIS UNION OF STATES IS IN CRISIS. AND NOW,
JUST AS IN THE CRISIS YEAR OF 1860, THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
OFFERS THE AMERICAN PEOPLE A WAY OUT OF THE WILDERNESS OF
DISUNITY, DISCORD, DISORDER AND MORAL DECAY WE ARE LOST
IN AS A NATION.
FORD
I FIRMLY BELIEVE A REPUBLICAN WILL BE ELECTED PRESIDENT
LIBRARY
OF THE UNITED STATES IN 1968. I BELIEVE WE HAVE AN
-15-
OPPORTUNITY TO GAIN CONTROL OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
AND TO STRENGTHEN OUR FORCES IN THE UNITED STATES SENATE.
IN MY VIEW, THE 1966 ELECTIONS MARKED A TURNING POINT
IN AMERICAN POLITICAL HISTORY, AND THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
HAS NO PLACE TO GO BUT FORWARD. WE HAVE THE RIGHT ANSWERS
TO THE PROBLEMS OF THE DYNAMIC SIXTIES AND SEVENTIES, AND
THE PEOPLE SENSED THAT IN NOVEMBER, 1966.
WE MADE THE COMEBACK OF THE YEAR IN 1966, BECAUSE WE
ARE THE PARTY OF INDIVIDUALISM, OPPORTUNITY AND TRUTH. AND
BECAUSE WE ARE THE PARTY OF THE PEOPLE.
LINCOLN SAID--AND WE SUBSCRIBE TO HIS WORDS:
"I BELIEVE EACH INDIVIDUAL IS NATURALLY ENTITLED TO DO
AS HE PLEASES WITH HIMSELF AND THE FRUITS OF HIS LABOR, SO
-16-
FAR AS IT IN NO WISE INTERFERES WITH ANY OTHER MEN'S RIGHTS."
AT ANOTHER TIME HE STATED, AND THIS IS BASIC REPUBLICAN
PHILOSOPHY:
"THAT MEN WHO ARE INDUSTRIOUS AND SOBER AND HONEST IN
THE PURSUIT OF THEIR OWN INTERESTS SHOULD AFTER A WHILE
ACCUMULATE PROPERTY AND AFTER THAT SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO
ENJOY IT IN PEACE IS RIGHT."
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE INTRINSICALLY A MORAL PEOPLE AND
HAVE A DEEP DEVOTION TO THE TRUTH. THIS CREATES DIFFICULTIES
FOR A POLITICAL PARTY WHICH SEEKS TO DECEIVE THEM. LINCOLN
PUT IT THIS WAY: "THE PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS MUCH NEARER THE
TRUTH THAN POLITICIANS SUPPOSE."
THERE IS ANOTHER FAMOUS LINCOLN STATEMENT ABOUT FOOLING
-17-
THE PEOPLE, BUT I WILL NOT QUOTE IT HERE FOR FEAR OF BEING
ACCUSED OF PETTY PARTISANSHIP.
WE WERE, IN FACT, RECENTLY CHARGED WITH SUCH MOTIVES.
MY REPLY WAS THAT IT IS THE DUTY OF THE LOYAL OPPOSITION
TO OPPOSE THE PRESIDENT WHEN WE BELIEVE HE IS WRONG.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN NEVER QUARRELED WITH THAT POINT OF VIEW.
IN TAKING THE FIELD AGAINST WHAT WE BELIEVE TO BE
MISTAKEN POLICIES, WE NEED ONLY BE MINDFUL OF LINCOLN'S
CALL TO DUTY: "LET US HAVE FAITH THAT RIGHT MAKES MIGHT,
AND IN THAT FAITH LET US TO THE END DARE TO DO OUR DUTY
AS WE UNDERSTAND IT."
WE WILL CONSTANTLY STRIVE FOR THE RIGHT AND STAND UP
FOR WHAT WE BELIEVE, KNOWING THAT "IF WE DO RIGHT, GOD WILL
BE WITH US, AND IF GOD IS WITH US, WE CANNOT FAIL." THANK YOU.
AN ADDRESS FOR LINCOLN DAY. 1967
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THIS IS A GREAT OCCASION. EVERY
LINCOLN DAY DINNER IS A GREAT OCCASION BECAUSE IT AGAIN
PROMPTS US TO DRAW UPON THE WISDOM OF ONE OF THE GREATEST
MEN THE WORLD HAS EVER KNOWN, OUR OWN ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
WHEN I SAY "OUR OWN ABRAHAM LINCOLN," I AM NOT SIMPLY
CLAIMING HIM FOR THE REPUBLICAN PARTY. LINCOLN WAS, OF
COURSE, A REPUBLICAN. BUT HE BELONGED TO ALL THE PEOPLE.
AND HE WAS A MAN FOR ALL AGES. THAT IS THE SOURCE OF HIS
GREATNESS. HE WAS TIMELESS; HE WAS HONEST; HE WAS...TO
USE HIS OWN PHRASE...OF THE PEOPLE.
THIS NEED NOT BE AN ENTIRELY SOBER OCCASION. LINCOLN
WAS A GREAT WIT. HE LOVED A GOOD JOKE, AND HE HIMSELF
GERALD LIBRARY GERALD R. FORD
-2-
HAD A FINE FACILITY FOR TURNING A PHRASE.
HE WAS AT HIS WISEST AND WITTIEST, FOR INSTANCE, WHEN
HE SAID: "WOMAN IS MAN'S BEST PRESENT FROM HIS MAKER."
I HEREWITH DEDICATE THAT QUOTATION TO ALL THE WOMEN IN
THIS ROOM AND ALL OF THE WOMEN OF AMERICA, WHEREVER THEY
MAY BE...GOD BLESS THEM.
I MENTIONED EARLIER THAT LINCOLN WAS A REPUBLICAN. I
REPEAT THIS NOW BECAUSE THE HOUSE DEMOCRATIC LEADER, CARL
ALBERT OF OKLAHOMA, REMARKED LAST WEEK ON THE FLOOR OF THE
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES THAT "I KNOW IN MY OWN HEART THAT
IF ABRAHAM LINCOLN WERE LIVING TODAY, HE WOULD BE A DEMOCRAT.
NOW, CARL ALBERT IS A GOOD FRIEND OF MINE AND I ADMIRE
AND RESPECT HIM. BUT YOU AND I ALSO KNOW THAT CARL'S
GERALD FORD LIBRARY
STATEMENT ABOUT LINCOLN IS NOTHING BUT POLITICAL FLUFF.
-3-
I DO HAVE THIS HOPEFUL COMMENT TO MAKE ABOUT MR. ALBERT.
IF HE WAS SAYING THAT HE AGREES WITH LINCOLN'S POLITICAL
PHILOSOPHY SO NEATLY EXPRESSED IN HIS SPEECHES, THEN I THINK
CARL ALBERT IS IN THE WRONG PARTY.
THERE ARE MANY DEMOCRATS WHO SUBSCRIBE TO LINCOLN'S
BASIC BELIEFS BUT UNFORTUNATELY HAVE NEGLECTED TO CARRY
THEM OUT.
LINCOLN APTLY EXPRESSED A FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE OF OUR
AMERICAN DEMOCRACY AND NOT ONLY PERSONAL CREDO WHEN HE SAID:
"THE LEGITIMATE OBJECT OF GOVERNMENT IS TO DO FOR A
COMMUNITY OF PEOPLE WHATEVER THEY NEED TO HAVE DONE, BUT
CANNOT DO AT ALL, OR CANNOT DO SO WELL FOR THEMSELVES,
IN THEIR SEPARATE AND INDIVIDUAL CAPACITIES. IN ALL THAT
THE PEOPLE CAN INDIVIDUALLY DO AS WELL FOR THEMSELVES,
GERALU LIBRARY
-4-
GOVERNMENT OUGHT NOT TO INTERFERE."
DOES THIS MEAN THAT LINCOLN WAS AN EXPONENT OF LAISSEZ
FAIRE GOVERNMENT. THE IDEA THAT THAT GOVERNMENT IS BEST
WHICH GOVERNS LEAST? NOT AT ALL. THAT KIND OF GOVERNMENT,
IN THE EXTREME, COULD RESULT IN VIRTUAL ANARCHY.
BUT I THINK LINCOLN WOULD BE APPALLED BY THE PRESENT
PROFUSION AND CONFUSION OF GRANT-IN-AID PROGRAMS, THE OVER-
LAPPING AND CHAOS IN THE FEDERAL BUREAUCRACY, AND THE
EXTENT TO WHICH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS INTRUDED INTO
THE PERSONAL LIVES OF EVERY AMERICAN.
CARL ALBERT SAID THAT "IF ABRAHAM LINCOLN WERE LIVING
TODAY, HE WOULD BE A DEMOCRAT."
I SAY THAT IF LINCOLN WERE LIVING TODAY HE WOULD
TURN D R: FORD LIBRARY
OVER IN HIS GRAVE.
-5-
I BELIEVE MOST AMERICANS, INCLUDING MILLIONS WHO CALL
THEMSELVES DEMOCRATS, AGREE WITH LINCOLN'S WARNING AGAINST
GOVERNMENT WHICH BECOMES SO BIG AS TO BECOME UNMANAGEABLE
AND AN UNNECESSARY AND UNDESIRABLE BURDEN FOR OUR CITIZENS.
WE HAVE STRIKING PROOF OF THIS TODAY. THE PROOF IS
CONTAINED IN THE TREMENDOUSLY FAVORABLE RESPONSE GENERATED
BY THE IDEA OF FEDERAL TAX-SHARING. THIS IS A PROPOSAL ON
WHICH REPUBLICANS HAVE TAKEN THE LEAD. IT FITS WITH REPUB-
LICAN PHILOSOPHY. IT WOULD GIVE STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
A SLICE OF FEDERAL INCOME TAX REVENUE WITHOUT FEDERAL STRINGS.
A RECENT GALLUP POLL INDICATED THAT SEVEN OUT OF TEN
ADULT AMERICANS--DEMOCRATS AND INDEPENDENTS AS WELL AS
REPUBLICANS--FAVOR FEDERAL REVENUE-SHARING. ANOTHER WAY
FORD
OF PUTTING IT IS THAT AMERICANS ARE BEGINNING ONCE MORE TO
LIBRARY
-6-
RECOGNIZE THAT MANY OF THEIR PROBLEMS ARE BEST SOLVED AT
THE STATE AND LOCAL LEVELS.
THE LAST ELECTION SHOWED THAT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE
AWAKENING TO THIS GREAT AND GROWING TRUTH--THAT WE CAN
ACHIEVE TRUE GREATNESS AS A NATION ONLY BY MEETING OUR
RESPONSIBILITIES FULLY AT ALL LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT, BY
FULLY UTILIZING THE VISION AND ABILITIES OF ALL OUR CITIZENS,
BY ATTACKING STATE AND LOCAL PROBLEMS WITH THE TALENTS OF
PEOPLE CLOSEST TO THEM.
WE NEED MASSIVE STATE AND LOCAL EFFORTS TO CURE OUR
URBAN AND SUBURBAN ILLS. WE MUST PROVIDE FEDERAL DOLLAR
HELP TO SPARK THESE EFFORTS. BUT WE MUST NOT SMOTHER THOSE
EFFORTS WITH LAYER AFTER LAYER OF BUREAUCRATIC FAT. WE
MUST NOT FORCE OUR GOVERNORS, MAYORS AND CITY OFFICIALS
GERALD FORD LIBRARY
-7-
TO GROPE THROUGH A BUREAUCRATIC MAZE IN THE HOPE OF FINDING
A POT OF GOLD AT THE END OF THE TWISTING TUNNEL.
DO I EXAGGERATE IN SPEAKING OF A BUREAUCRATIC MAZE
WHEN I DESCRIBE THE FEDERAL SYSTEM OF GRANTS-IN-AID? CONSIDER
THIS IF YOU WILL. THERE NOW ARE 170 FEDERAL AID PROGRAMS.
THEY DRAW THEIR DOLLARS FROM MORE THAN 400 SEPARATE
APPROPRIATIONS AND ARE ADMINISTERED BY MORE THAN 21
DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES. THERE ARE SOME 150 MAJOR BUREAUS
AND OFFICES IN WASHINGTON ALONE, AND MORE THAN 400 OTHER
OFFICES "IN THE FIELD."
THIS IS WHY FEDERAL REVENUE-SHARING APPEARS TO BE THE
ONLY ROAD TO FISCAL BALANCE AND FISCAL SANITY IN THIS
SO-CALLED GREAT SOCIETY.
FORD
GERALD
LIBRARY
EXPONENTS OF FEDERAL GRANTS-IN-AID ARGUE THAT THE
-8-
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS TO DICTATE SOLUTIONS BECAUSE STATE
AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS HAVE SHIRKED THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES.
STATE AND LOCAL LEADERS CONTEND THEY SIMPLY ARE SHORT OF
MONEY TO DO THE JOB PROPERLY.
LET'S JOIN THE ISSUE. LET'S GIVE THE STATES AND LOCAL
COMMUNITIES A GOODLY PORTION OF FEDERAL INCOME TAX REVENUE
WITH A CLEAR CHALLENGE TO MAKE GOOD ON THEIR PROBLEM-SOLVING
PROMISES.
I THINK THIS IS THE MAIN THRUST OF THE MANDATE EXPRESSED
BY THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AT THE POLLS LAST NOVEMBER 8TH.
AS ABRAHAM LINCOLN PUT IT: "THE MOST RELIABLE INDICATION
OF PUBLIC PURPOSE IN THIS COUNTRY IS DERIVED THROUGH OUR
POPULAR ELECTIONS."
FORD & LIBRARY
-9-
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY HAS BEEN DERIDED IN A VARIETY OF
WORDS AND PHRASES IN RECENT YEARS. WE HAVE BEEN CALLED
NEGATIVE, STICK-IN-THE-WUD, NEANDERTHAL.
I SUBMIT THAT FEDERAL REVENUE-SHARING IS ANYTHING BUT
NEGATIVE. IT IS INNOVATIVE, YET CONSERVATIVE.
IT IS NEW BECAUSE IT REPRESENTS A SHARP DEPARTURE FROM
THE STATUS QUO, THE TRADITIONAL GRANT-IN-AID SYSTEM. IT
IS CONSERVATIVE BECAUSE IT USES AN APPROACH CENTRAL TO THE
AMERICAN SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT--RELIANCE ON LOCAL AND STATE
GOVERNMENTS FOR THE HANDLING OF PROBLEMS THAT ARE PRIMARILY
STATE AND LOCAL.
IT IS INNOVATIVE BECAUSE FOR SOME 35 YEARS WE HAVE BEEN
ALD
PURSUING SOLUTIONS THROUGH GRANTS-IN-AID. THE GRANT-IN-AID
APPROACH IS THE NEW DEAL, THE FAIR DEAL, THE NEW FRONTIER,
-10-
THE GREAT SOCIETY WAY. I SAY THAT IF IT EVER WORKED IT
NO LONGER DOES.
WE MUST MOVE IN A NEW DIRECTION IF WE ARE AGAIN TO
PLACE THIS NATION ON THE PATH TO GREATNESS. I BELIEVE THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE PLACED THEIR FEET ON THAT PATH IN THE
ELECTIONS OF LAST NOVEMBER 8TH.
LINCOLN DESCRIBED THE POPULAR CALL FOR CHANGE IN THESE
WORDS: "REVOLUTIONIZE THROUGH THE BALLOT BOX, AND RESTORE
THE GOVERNMENT ONCE MORE TO THE AFFECTIONS AND HEARTS OF
MEN BY MAKING IT EXPRESS, AS IT WAS INTENDED TO DO, THE
HIGHEST SPIRIT OF JUSTICE AND LIBERTY."
WE HAD A REVOLUTION AT THE BALLOT BOX LAST NOVEMBER 8TH.
FORD
THERE HAD TO BE A REVOLUTION FOR US TO MAKE A NET GAIN OF
GERAL
LIBRARY
47 SEATS IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. OF COURSE,
-11-
PART OF THAT REVOLUTION SPRANG FROM THE FACT THAT THE
PEOPLE REALIZED ALL TOO WELL THAT HE THAT DANCES MUST
ALWAYS PAY THE FIDDLER. LINCOLN DID NOT COIN THAT EXPRESSION
BUT, POLITICIAN THAT HE WAS, HE MADE GOOD USE OF IT.
LINCOLN COULD HAVE BEEN SPEAKING OF THE GREAT SOCIETY,
IN FACT, WHEN HE SAID: "IF ANY GENTLEMEN WHOSE MONEY IS
A BURDEN TO THEM CHOOSE TO LEAD OFF A DANCE, I AM DECIDEDLY
OPPOSED TO THE PEOPLE'S MONEY BEING USED TO PAY THE FIDDLER."
WE KNOW THAT THE GRANT-IN-AID SYSTEM IS COLLAPSING OF
ITS OWN WEIGHT AND COMPLEXITY.
NOW WE ARE JOINED BY COLUMNIST WALTER LIPPMANN, A
COMMENTATOR AND THINKER REVERED BY MOST LIBERALS.
BERRLD FORD LIBRARY
IN A COLUMN APPEARING NATIONWIDE LAST JANUARY 25,
-12-
MR. LIPPMANN CITES MY DESCRIPTION OF THE 21 LAYERS OF FEDERAL
BUREAUCRACY RUNNING THE GRANT PROGRAMS AS A NEARLY
IMPENETRABLE "TANGLED THICKET."
HE THEN SAYS: "THE COMPLEX OF WELFARE MEASURES HAS
BECOME QUITE UNMANAGEABLE. IT IS HARD TO BELIEVE THAT THIS
ADMINISTRATIVE THICKET CAN BE PRUNED ITEM BY ITEM. AS A
RESULT THERE IS A MOUNTING DEMAND FOR SOME KIND OF DRASTIC
CHANGE-FOR A REFORM WHICH WILL REDUCE THE ROLE OF WASHINGTON
IN THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE CIVILIAN AFFAIRS OF THIS COUNTRY.
MR. LIPPMANN FURTHER STATES: "THERE IS A WIDE REVULSION
AGAINST THE EXPANDING AND HEAVY-HANDED ROLE PLAYED BY THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
IT SEEMS PROBABLE THAT SOME SCHEME
FOR SHARING FEDERAL REVENUES WITH THE STATES WILL BE
FORD LIBRARY
ADOPTED, IF NOT IN THIS SESSION OF CONGRESS THEN LATER ON
-13-
IT WILL DO MUCH TO REMEDY THE IMBALANCE ARISING FROM THE
FISCAL POWER OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND THE COMPARATIVE
WEAKNESS OF THE STATE GOVERNMENTS."
LINCOLN SAID: "LET NONE FALTER WHO THINKS HE IS RIGHT."
I THINK WE ARE RIGHT. WE HAVE BECOME A PARTY OF REFORM
AND WE MUST NOT FALTER. WE MUST PERSEVERE IN THE RIGHT,
CONTINUE FIRM IN OUR DETERMINATION TO RESTORE TO OUR STATE
AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS THEIR PROPER ROLE IN THE AMERICAN
SYSTEM.
RHETORIC ASIDE, THIS IS THE WAY TO MAKE OUR SYSTEM WORK,
TO MAKE IT WORK FOR ALL THE PEOPLE, TO DO FOR THEM WHAT
NEEDS DOING AND WHAT THEY CANNOT DO FOR THEMSELVES.
FORD
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS A ROLE IN OUR LIVES, BUT IT
LIBRARY
SHOULD LIMIT ITS THRUST TO THOSE PROBLEMS AND PROGRAMS
-14-
WHICH ARE TRULY NATIONAL IN CHARACTER AND WHICH DEMAND
FEDERAL DIRECTION.
WE ARE PAYING TRIBUTE TONIGHT TO A GREAT PRESIDENT OF
THE UNITED STATES, THE 16TH PRESIDENT, A GREAT REPUBLICAN,
ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
IT IS PARTICULARLY APPROPRIATE THAT WE DO SO AT THIS
TIME. BECAUSE NOW, JUST AS IN 1860 WHEN LINCOLN WAS NOMINATED
AND ELECTED, THIS UNION OF STATES IS IN CRISIS. AND NOW,
JUST AS IN THE CRISIS YEAR OF 1860, THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
OFFERS THE AMERICAN PEOPLE A WAY OUT OF THE WILDERNESS OF
DISUNITY, DISCORD, DISORDER AND MORAL DECAY WE ARE LOST
IN AS A NATION.
FORD,
I FIRMLY BELIEVE A REPUBLICAN WILL BE ELECTED PRESIDENT
OF THE UNITED STATES IN 1968. I BELIEVE WE HAVE AN
GERAL
IBRARY
-15-
OPPORTUNITY TO GAIN CONTROL OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
AND TO STRENGTHEN OUR FORCES IN THE UNITED STATES SENATE.
IN MY VIEW, THE 1966 ELECTIONS MARKED A TURNING POINT
IN AMERICAN POLITICAL HISTORY, AND THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
HAS NO PLACE TO GO BUT FORWARD. WE HAVE THE RIGHT ANSWERS
TO THE PROBLEMS OF THE DYNAMIC SIXTIES AND SEVENTIES, AND
THE PEOPLE SENSED THAT IN NOVEMBER, 1966.
WE MADE THE COMEBACK OF THE YEAR IN 1966, BECAUSE WE
ARE THE PARTY OF INDIVIDUALISM, OPPORTUNITY AND TRUTH. AND
BECAUSE WE ARE THE PARTY OF THE PEOPLE.
LINCOLN SAID--AND WE SUBSCRIBE TO HIS WORDS:
"I BELIEVE EACH INDIVIDUAL IS NATURALLY ENTITLED TO DO
AS HE PLEASES WITH HIMSELF AND THE FRUITS OF HIS LABOR, SO
POLIBRARY
LIBRARY
-16-
FAR AS IT IN NO WISE INTERFERES WITH ANY OTHER MEN'S RIGHTS."
AT ANOTHER TIME HE STATED, AND THIS IS BASIC REPUBLICAN
PHILOSOPHY:
"THAT MEN WHO ARE INDUSTRIOUS AND SOBER AND HONEST IN
THE PURSUIT OF THEIR OWN INTERESTS SHOULD AFTER A WHILE
ACCUMULATE PROPERTY AND AFTER THAT SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO
ENJOY IT IN PEACE IS RIGHT."
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE INTRINSICALLY A MORAL PEOPLE AND
HAVE A DEEP DEVOTION TO THE TRUTH. THIS CREATES DIFFICULTIES
FOR A POLITICAL PARTY WHICH SEEKS TO DECEIVE THEM. LINCOLN
PUT IT THIS WAY: "THE PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS MUCH NEARER THE
TRUTH THAN POLITICIANS SUPPOSE."
FORD
LIBRE
THERE IS ANOTHER FAMOUS LINCOLN STATEMENT ABOUT FOOLING
-17-
THE PEOPLE, BUT I WILL NOT QUOTE IT HERE FOR FEAR OF BEING
ACCUSED OF PETTY PARTISANSHIP.
WE WERE, IN FACT, RECENTLY CHARGED WITH SUCH MOTIVES.
MY REPLY WAS THAT IT IS THE DUTY OF THE LOYAL OPPOSITION
TO OPPOSE THE PRESIDENT WHEN WE BELIEVE HE IS WRONG.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN NEVER QUARRELED WITH THAT POINT OF VIEW.
IN TAKING THE FIELD AGAINST WHAT WE BELIEVE TO BE
MISTAKEN POLICIES, WE NEED ONLY BE MINDFUL OF LINCOLN'S
CALL TO DUTY: "LET US HAVE FAITH THAT RIGHT MAKES MIGHT,
AND IN THAT FAITH LET US TO THE END DARE TO DO OUR DUTY
AS WE UNDERSTAND IT."
WE WILL CONSTANTLY STRIVE FOR THE RIGHT AND STAND UP
RD
FOR WHAT WE BELIEVE, KNOWING THAT "IF WE DO RIGHT, GOD WILL LIBRER
BE WITH US, AND IF GOD IS WITH US, WE CANNOT FAIL." THANK YOU.
Dan Evans-
1966 was The year
Invoners
Congress
Tom Pelly-
AN
FOR
LINCOLN
of The Elephant Why
Drms Ruided
Legeolature Kings country.
Katherni may
ADDRESS
DAY,
1967
2
By
3
Too Conditions much power
-
REP. GERALD R. FORD, R-MICH.
-
Yinth
2
Candidates
Ladies and gentlemen, this is a great occasion. Every Lincol Day Dinner is a
3
Proprems
great occasion because it again prompts us to draw upon the wisdom of one 6f the
greatest men the world has ever known, our own Abraham Lincoln.
When I say "our own Abraham Lincoln," I am not simply claiming him for the
Republican Party. Lincoln was, of course, a Republican. But he belonged to all the
people. And ae was a man for all ages. That is the source of his greatness. He was
timeless; he was honest; he was to use his own phrase... of the people.
This need not be an entirely sober occasion. Lincoln was a great wit. He
loved a good joke, and he himself had a fine facility for turning a phrase.
He was at his wisest and wittiest, for instance, when he said: "Woman is man's
best present from his Maker."
I herewith dedicate that quotation to all the women in this room and all of
the women of America, wherever they may be God bless them.
I mentioned earlier that Lincoln was a Republican. I repeat this now because
the House Democratic Leader, Carl Albert of Oklahoma, remarked last week on the floor
of the House of Representatives that "I know in my own heart that if Abraham Lincoln
were living today, he would be a Democrat."
Now, Carl Albert is a good friend of mine, and I admire and respect him. But,
you and I also know that Carl's statement about Lincoln is nothing but political fluff.
I do have this hopeful comment to make about Mr. Albert. If he was saying
that he agrees with Lincoln's political philosophy 80° neatly expressed in his
speeches, then I think Carl Albert is in the wrong party.
There are many Democrats who subscribe to Lincoln's basic beliefs but unfortu-
nately have neglected to carry them out.
Lincoln aptly expressed a fundamental principle of our American democracy and
not only personal credo when he said: "The legitimate object of government is to do
for a community of people whatever they need to have done, but cannot do at all, or
cannot do so well for themselves, in their separate and individual capacities. In
all that the people can individually do as well for themselves, government ought not
to interfere."
Does this mean that Lincoln was an exponent of Laissez Faire government...the
idea that that government is best which governs least? Not all. That kind of
motatall. I counn not.
government, in the extreme, could result in virtual anarchy.
GERALD FORD LIBRARY
(MORE)
-2-
The traditional thread
I think Lincoln would be appalled by the present profusion and confusion of
grant-in-aid programs, the overlapping and chaos in the federal bureaucracy, and the
extent to which the federal government has intruded into the very personal lives of every
American.
speaking for The Democrate
1
Carl Albert said that "if Abraham Lincoln were living today, he would be a
n
Will some some Werenary that hame if Lincoln let me
Democrat."
say were living today he would turn over in his grave.
I believe most Americans, including millions who call themselves Democrats,
agree with Lincoln's warning against government which becomes so big as to
Unfatenately been The
unmanageable and'an unnecessary and undesirable burden for our citizens
as 2 and most 1 We have striking proof of this today. The proof is contained in the tremen- Ant by
americans are
President 4 his advisors
dously favorable response generated by the idea of federal tax-sharing. This is a
basic
proposal on which Republicans have taken the lead. It fits with Republican philosophy.
It would give state and local governments a slice of federal income tax revenue without
federal strings.
A recent Gallup Poll indicated that seven out of 10 adult Americans--Democrats
As more learn what this program means there wall be
and independents as well as Republicans--favor federal revenue-sharing. 1 Another way additional
of putting it is that Americans are beginning once more to recognize that many of converts
Heris the idea.
their problems are best solved at the state and local levels.
The last election showed that the American people are awakening to this great
and growing truth--that we can achieve true greatness as a Nation only by meeting our
responsibilities fully at all levels of government, by fully utilizing the vision and
abilities of all our citizens, by attacking state and local problems with the talents
of people closest to them.
We need massive state and local efforts to cure our urban and suburban ills.
We must provide federal dollar help to spark these efforts. But we must not smother
those efforts with layer after layer of bureaucratic fat. We must not force our
governors, mayors and city officials to grope through a bureaucratic maze in the hope
of finding a pot of gold at the end of the twisting tunnel.
Do I exaggerate in speaking of a bureaucratic maze when I describe effecting the a federal
system of grants-in-aid? Consider this if you will. There now are 170 federal aid
programs. They draw their dollars from more than 400 separate appropriations and are
administered by more than 21 departments and agencies. There are some 150 major
bureaus and offices in Washington alone, and more than 400 other offices "in the field."
This is why federal revenue-sharing appears to be the only road to fiscal
balance and fiscal sanity in this so-called Great Society.
expecting
FORD
Exponents of federal grants-in-aid argue that the federal government has to
1
dictate solutions because state and local governments have shirked their responsibilities
LIBRAR
(MORE)
-3-
State and local leaders contend they simply are short of money to do the job properly.
make available to
Let's join the issue. Let's give the states and local communities a goodly
portion of federal income tax revenue with a clear challenge to make good on their
problem-solving promises.
I-think this is the main thrust of the mandate expressed by the American
people at the polls last November 8th.
As Abraham Lincoln put it: "The most reliable indication of public purpose in
this country is derived through our popular elections."
The Republican Party has been derided in a variety of words and phrases in
recent years. We have been called negative, stick-in-the-mud, neanderthal.
I submit that federal revenue-sharing is anything but negative. It is innova-
tive, yet conservative.
It is new because it represents asharp departure from the status quo, the
traditional grant-in-aid system. It is conservative because it uses an approach
central to the American system of government--reliance on local and state governments
for the handling of problems that are primarily state and local.
tired, shopsorm
It is innovative because for some 35 years we have been pursuing solutions
old frohion
through grants-in-aid. The grant-in-aid approach is the New Deal, the Fair Deal, the
New Frontier, the Great Society way. I say that if it ever worked it no longer does.
We must move in a New Direction if we are again to place this Nation on the
path to greatness. I believe tha American people placed their feet on that path in
the elections of last November 8th.
Lincoln described the popular call for change in these words: "Revolutionize
through the ballot box, and restore the government once more to the affections and
hearts of men by making it express, as it was intended to do, the highest spirit of
justice and liberty."
We had a revolution at the ballot box last November 8th. There had to be a
revolution for us to make a net gain of 47 seats in the House of Representatives.
Of course, part of that revolution sprang from the fact that the people realized all
too well that he that dances must always pay the fiddler. Lincoln did not coin that
expression but, politician that he was, he made good use of it.
Lincoln could have been speaking of the Great Society, in fact, when he said:
"If any gentlemen whose money is a burden to them choose to lead off a dance, I am
decidedly opposed to the people's money being used to pay the fiddler."
We know that the grant-in-aid system is collapsing of its own weight and
complexity.
Now we are joined by columnist Walter Lippmann, a commentator and thinker
revered by most liberals.
(MORE)
-4-
In a column appearing nationwide last Januery 25, Mr. Lippmann cites my
description of the 21 layers of Federal bureaucracy running the grant programs as a
nearly impenetrable "tangled thicket.
He then says: "The complex of welfare measures has become quite unmanageable,
It is hard to believe that this administrative thicket can be pruned item by item.
As a result there is a mounting demand for some kind of drastic change--for a reform
which will reduce the role of Washington in the administration of the civilian affairs
of this country."
Mr. Lippmann further states: "There is a wide revulsion against the expanding
and heavy-handed role played by the federal government. It seems probable that
'some scheme for sharing federal revenues with the states will be adopted, if not in
this session of Congress then later on. It will do much to remedy the imbalance
arising from the fiscal power of the federal government and the comparative weakness
of the state governments."
Lincoln said: "Let none falter who thinks he is right."
I
think are right. We have become a party of reform and we must not falter.
We must persevere in the right, continue firm in our determination to restore to our
state and local governments their proper role in the American system.
Rhetoric aside, this is the way to make our system work, to make it work for
all the people, to do for them what needs doing and what they cannot do for themselves.
The federal government has a role in our lives, but it should limit its thrust
to those problems and programs which are truly national in character and which demand
federal direction: Auch as national defense
We are paying tribute tonight to a great President of the United States, the
16th President, a great Republican, Abraham Lincoln.
It is particularly appropriate that we do so at this time. Because now, just
as in 1860 when Lincoln was nominated and elected, this Union of States is in crisis.
And now, just as in the crisis year of 1860, the Republican Party offers the American
people a way out of the wilderness of disunity, discord, disorder and moral decay
we are lost in as a Nation.
I firmly believe a Republican will be elected President of the United States
in 1968. I believe we have an opportunity to gain control of the House of Representa-
tives and to strengthen our forces in the United States Senate.
In my view, the 1966 elections marked a turning point in American political
history, and the Republican Party has no place to go but forward. We have the right
an unequaled opportunity
that we had the
answers to the problems of the dynamic sixties and seventies, and the people sensed
the in November, 1966.
sensible solutions
for the future
(MORE)
-5-
We made the comeback of the year in 1966, because we are the party of
individualism, opportunity and truth. And because we are the party of the people.
Lincoln said--and we subscribe to his words:
"I believe each individual is naturally entitled to do as he pleases with
himself and the fruits of his labor, so far as it in no wise interferes with any
other men's rights."
At another time he stated, and this is basic Republican philosophy:
"That men who are industrious and sober and honest in the pursuit of their own
interests should after a while accumulate property and after that should be allowed
to enjoy it in peace is right."
The American people are intrinsically a moral people and have a deep devotion
to the truth. This creates difficulties for a political party which seeks to deceive
them. Lincoln put it this way: "The people are always much nearer the truth than
politicians suppose."
There is another famous Lincoln statement about fooling the people, but I will
not quote it here for fear of being accused of petty partisanship.
We were, in fact, recently charged with such motives. My reply was that
wrong. Abraham Lincoln never quarreled with that point of view. He hathe courage take to do
it is the duty of the Loyal Opposition to oppose the President when we believe he is
what was right The
In taking the field against what we believe to be mistaken policies, we need potitical
only be mindful of Lincoln's call to duty: "Let us have faith that right makes might, consequence
and in that faith let us to the end dare to do our duty as we understand it."
We will constantly strive for the right and stand up for what we believe,
knowing that "If we do right, God will be with us, and if God is with us, we cannot
fail." Thank you.
FORD is LIBRARY
AN ADDRESS FOR LINCOLN DAY, 1967
By
REP. GERALD R. FORD, R-MICH.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is a great occasion. Every Lincoln Day Dinner is a
great occasion because it again prompts us to draw upon the wisdom of one of the
greatest men the world has ever known, our own Abraham Lincoln.
When I say "our own Abraham Lincoln," I am not simply claiming him for the
Republican Party. Lincoln was, of course, a Republican. But he belonged to all the
people. And he was a man for all ages. That is the source of his greatness. He was
timeless; he was honest; he was to use his own phrase of the people.
This need not be an entirely sober occasion. Lincoln was a great wit. He
loved a good joke, and he himself had a fine facility for turning a phrase.
He was at his wisest and wittiest, for instance, when he said: "Woman is man's
best present from his Maker."
I herewith dedicate that quotation to all the women in this room and all of
the women of America, wherever they may be God bless them.
I mentioned earlier that Lincoln was a Republican. I repeat this now because
the House Democratic Leader, Carl Albert of Oklahoma, remarked last week on the floor
of the House of Representatives that "I know in my own heart that if Abraham Lincoln
were living today, he would be a Democrat."
Now, Carl Albert is a good friend of mine and I admire and respect him. But
you and I also know that Carl's statement about Lincoln is nothing but political fluff.
I do have this hopeful comment to make about Mr. Albert. If he was saying
that he agrees with Lincoln's political philosophy 80 neatly expressed in his
speeches, then I think Carl Albert is in the wrong party.
There are many Democrats who subscribe to Lincoln's basic beliefs but unfortu-
nately have neglected to carry them out.
Lincoln aptly expressed a fundamental principle of our American democracy and
not only personal credo when he said: "The legitimate object of government is to do
for a community of people whatever they need to have done, but cannot do at all, or
cannot do so well for themselves, in their separate and individual capacities. In
all that the people can individually do as well for themselves, government ought not
to interfere."
Does this mean that Lincoln was an exponent of Laissez Faire government the
idea that that government is best which governs least? Not at all. That kind of
government, in the extreme, could result in virtual anarchy.
(MORE)
-2-
But I think Lincoln would be appalled by the present profusion and confusion of
grant-in-aid programs, the overlapping and chaos in the federal bureaucracy, and the
extent to which the federal government has intruded into the personal lives of every
American.
Carl Albert said that "if Abraham Lincoln were living today, he would be a
Democrat."
I say that if Lincoln were living today he would turn over in his grave.
I believe most Americans, including millions who call themselves Democrats,
agree with Lincoln's warning against government which becomes so big as to become
unmanageable and an unnecessary and undesirable burden for our citizens.
We have striking proof of this today. The proof is contained in the tremen-
dously favorable response generated by the idea of federal tax-sharing. This is a
proposal on which Republicans have taken the lead. It fits with Republican philosophy.
It would give state and local governments a slice of federal income tax revenue without
federal strings.
A recent Gallup Poll indicated that seven out of 10 adult Americans--Democrats
and independents as well as Republicans--favor federal revenue-sharing. Another way
of putting it is that Americans are beginning once more to recognize that many of
their problems are best solved at the state and local levels.
The last election showed that the American people are awakening to this great
and growing truth--that we can achieve true greatness as a Nation only by meeting our
responsibilities fully at all levels of government, by fully utilizing the vision and
abilities of all our citizens, by attacking state and local problems with the talents
of people closest to them.
We need massive state and local efforts to cure our urban and suburban ills.
We must provide federal dollar help to spark these efforts. But we must not smother
those efforts with layer after layer of bureaucratic fat. We must not force our
governors, mayors and city officials to grope through a bureaucratic maze in the hope
of finding a pot of gold at the end of the twisting tunnel.
Do I exaggerate in speaking of a bureaucratic maze when I describe the federal
system of grants-in-aid? Consider this if you will. There now are 170 federal aid
programs. They draw their dollars from more than 400 separate appropriations and are
administered by more than 21 departments and agencies. There are some 150 major
bureaus and offices in Washington alone, and more than 400 other offices "in the field."
This is why federal revenue-sharing appears to be the only road to fiscal
balance and fiscal sanity in this so-called Great Society.
Exponents of federal grants-in-aid argue that the federal government has to
dictate solutions because state and local governments have shirked their responsibilities.
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State and local leaders contend they simply are short of money to do the job properly.
Let's join the issue. Let's give the states and local communities a goodly
portion of federal income tax revenue with a clear challenge to make good on their
problem-solving promises.
I think this is the main thrust of the mandate expressed by the American
people at the polls last November 8th.
As Abraham Lincoln put it: "The most reliable indication of public purpose in
this country is derived through our popular elections."
The Republican Party has been derided in a variety of words and phrases in
recent years. We have been called negative, stick-in-the-mud, neanderthal.
I submit that federal revenue-sharing is anything but negative. It is innova-
tive, yet conservative.
It is new because it represents asharp departure from the status quo, the
traditional grant-in-aid system. It is conservative because it uses an approach
central to the American system of government--reliance on local and state governments
for the handling of problems that are primarily state and local.
It is innovative because for some 35 years we have been pursuing solutions
through grants-in-aid. The grant-in-aid approach is the New Deal, the Fair Deal, the
New Frontier, the Great Society way. I say that if it ever worked it no longer does.
We must move in a New Direction if we are again to place this Nation on the
path to greatness. I believe tha American people placed their feet on that path in
the elections of last November 8th.
Lincoln described the popular call for change in these words: "Revolutionize
through the ballot box, and restore the government once more to the affections and
hearts of men by making it express, as it was intended to do, the highest spirit of
justice and liberty."
We had a revolution at the ballot box last November 8th. There had to be a
revolution for us to make a net gain of 47 seats in the House of Representatives.
Of course, part of that revolution sprang from the fact that the people realized all
too well that he that dances must always pay the fiddler. Lincoln did not coin that
expression but, politician that he was, he made good use of it.
Lincoln could have been speaking of the Great Society, in fact, when he said:
"If any gentlemen whose money is a burden to them choose to lead off a dance, I am
decidedly opposed to the people's money being used to pay the fiddler."
We know that the grant-in-aid system is collapsing of its own weight and
complexity.
Now we are joined by columnist Walter Lippmann, a commentator and thinker
revered by most liberals.
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In a column appearing nationwide last January 25, Mr. Lippmann cites my
description of the 21 layers of Federal bureaucracy running the grant programs as a
nearly impenetrable "tangled thicket."
He then says: "The complex of welfare measures has become quite unmanageable,
It is hard to believe that this administrative thicket can be pruned item by item.
As a result there is a mounting demand for some kind of drastic change--for a reform
which will reduce the role of Washington in the administration of the civilian affairs
of this country."
Mr. Lippmann further states: "There is a wide revulsion against the expanding
and heavy-handed role played by the federal government. It seems probable that
some scheme for sharing federal revenues with the states will be adopted, if not in
this session of Congress then later on. It will do much to remedy the imbalance
arising from the fiscal power of the federal government and the comparative weakness
of the state governments."
Lincoln said: "Let none falter who thinks he is right."
I think we are right. We have become a party of reform and we must not falter.
We must persevere in the right, continue firm in our determination to restore to our
state and local governments their proper role in the American system.
Rhetoric aside, this is the way to make our system work, to make it work for
all the people, to do for them what needs doing and what they cannot do for themselves.
The federal government has a role in our lives, but it should limit its thrust
to those problems and programs which are truly national in character and which demand
federal direction.
We are paying tribute tonight to a great President of the United States, the
16th President, a great Republican, Abraham Lincoln.
It is particularly appropriate that we do so at this time. Because now, just
as in 1860 when Lincoln was nominated and elected, this Union of States is in crisis.
And now, just as in the crisis year of 1860, the Republican Party offers the American
people a way out of the wilderness of disunity, discord, disorder and moral decay
WE are lost in as a Nation.
I firmly believe a Republican will be elected President of the United States
in 1968. I believe we have an opportunity to gain control of the House of Representa-
tives and to strengthen our forces in the United States Senate.
In my view, the 1966 elections marked a turning point in American political
history, and the Republican Party has no place to go but forward. We have the right
answers to the problems of the dynamic sixties and seventies, and the people sensed
that in November, 1966.
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We made the comeback of the year in 1966, because we are the party of
individualism, opportunity and truth. And because we are the party of the people.
Lincoln said--and we subscribe to his words:
"I believe each individual is naturally entitled to do as he pleases with
himself and the fruits of his labor, so far as it in no wise interferes with any
other men's rights."
At another time he stated, and this is basic Republican philosophy:
"That men who are industrious and sober and honest in the pursuit of their own
interests should after a while accumulate property and after that should be allowed
to enjoy it in peace is right."
The American people are intrinsically a moral people and have a deep devotion
to the truth. This creates difficulties for a political party which seeks to deceive
them. Lincoln put it this way: "The people are always much nearer the truth than
politicians suppose."
There is another famous Lincoln statement about fooling the people, but I will
not quote it here for fear of being accused of petty partisanship.
We were, in fact, recently charged with such motives. My reply was that
it is the duty of the Loyal Opposition to oppose the President when we believe he is
wrong. Abraham Lincoln never quarreled with that point of view.
In taking the field against what we believe to be mistaken policies, we need
only be mindful of Lincoln's call to duty: "Let us have faith that right makes might,
and in that faith let us to the end dare to do our duty as we understand it."
We will constantly strive for the right and stand up for what we believe,
knowing that "If we do right, God will be with us, and if God is with us, we cannot
fail." Thank you.