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    "label": "Lincoln Day Dinner, Jacksonville, FL, May 26, 1973",
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    "title": "Lincoln Day Dinner, Jacksonville, FL, May 26, 1973",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/4526499",
    "collections": [
        "Gerald R. Ford Congressional Papers",
        "Speeches"
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    "subjects": [
        "Republican National Committee (U.S.)",
        "Administration goals and achievements"
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    "ocrText": "The original documents are located in Box D34, folder \"Lincoln Day Dinner, Jacksonville,\nFL, May 26, 1973\" of the Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at\nthe Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.\nCopyright Notice\nThe copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of\nphotocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. The Council donated to the United\nStates of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.\nWorks prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public\ndomain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to\nremain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid\ncopyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.\nDistribution: 20 copies with\nM OFFICE COPY\nCONGRESSMAN\nNEWS\nGERALD R. FORD\nHOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADER\nRELEASE\n--FOR RELEASE AT 6 P.M. SATURDAY--\nMay 26, 1973\nExcerpts from a Speech by Rep. Gerald R. Ford at a Lincoln Day Dinner May 26, 1973\nat Jacksonville, Fla.\nOver the years one of the extraordinary aspects of American life has been\nour eagerness to strive for betterment of American society. This has been true from\nthe very beginning of this nation almost steadily down to the present day.\nToward the end of the Sixties, however, this striving for betterment seemed\nto be lost in America. It became lost in the confusion generated by governmental\npermissiveness, revolutionary strife, and a foreign policy which lacked backbone\nand direction.\nJust over four years ago a Democratic President and a Democratic Congress\nwere running this country.\nFour years ago we had over a half million men in Vietnam, with 300 dying\nevery week. This nation and China faced each other over a gulf of hostility and\nignorance while Russia and the United States continued a spiraling arms race which\nwas headed toward nuclear disaster.\nRioting wracked our cities. The cry we heard was \"burn, baby, burn.\" Fully\none-half of the women in this country were afraid to walk in their own neighborhoods\nat night. Even breathing the air and drinking our water was becoming dangerous.\nToday we have the leadership of a Republican President, Richard Nixon. And\ntoday, for the first time since 1945, the threat of nuclear war is diminishing, not\nincreasing. All of our men and POW's are home from a Vietnam which is almost at\npeace. Crime rates have come down. Employment is at a record level of over\n83 million, and unemployment is at its lowest level in 2½ years. We are creating\nnew jobs at an unprecedented rate, and with less damaging environmental impact than\never before.\nLook at the Republican record. We are virtually free from war. Racial\nrioting is only a bad memory. Our college students now are more interested in\nlearning than burning. Americans are living better today than ever before.\n(more)\nDigitized from Box D34 of the Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library\nPage 2\nOf course we have our troubles. Inflation has become worse in America\nrecently. It's running at a 5 per cent rate for the latest 12 months. But the\nrise in the cost of living is 8 per cent in Italy and Britain, 7 per cent in France\nand West Germany, and 13 per cent in Israel.\nThen there are the weird events that have shaken Washington to its\nbureaucratic and congressional foundations. But I feel that so much attention has\nbeen focused on these unfortunate and regrettable events that Americans are beginning\nto lose sight of what's right with their country and what this nation's relationship\nis to the rest of the world.\nPresident Nixon's achievements have been tremendous. We must not let those\nachievements be eroded by the current clamor over the overzealous actions of a\nrelatively small number of men. And we must remember, too, that the irrational\nconduct of these men is not the conduct of the Republican Party. The Party is\nrepresented by its elected officials--the President, the Vice-President, Republican\nmembers of Congress, and elected party officials. From that point of view, the\nstrength, purposes, goals and ideals of the Republican Party are as strong as ever.\nThe Republican Party--the party of Abraham Lincoln--is a great party. Its\ngoals are embraced by the vast majority of Americans.\nThe Republican Party--like most Americans--believes in fiscal restraint, fully\naware of the horrendous impact of deficit financing on the people's pocketbook in\nthe form of either increased taxes or increased inflation.\nThe Republican Party--like most Americans--believes in returning power to\nstate and local governments through Federal revenue sharing and insistence that\nlocal communities and not faceless and arbitrary bureaucrats make local decisions.\nThe Republican Party--like most Americans--believes in helping those who\ncannot help themselves, but in otherwise preserving the liberty and freedom of\nindividuals in this great country to work out their own destinies.\nNow, how can we accomplish these great goals of the Republican Party and the\nAmerican people? We can achieve these objectives by electing more people to\nCongress who believe in these fundamental goals and principles, by electing more\nRepublicans in Florida and the South.\nThere are, of course, Democrats in the South, including Florida, who share\nthe Republican Party's ideals. Their thinking coincides with Republican philosophy.\nThey, like John Connally, would feel much more comfortable in the Republican Party\nthan in the party of the New Deal, the Fair Deal, the New Frontier and the Great\nSociety. They feel downright uncomfortable in the party which stands for\ncentralization of all power in Washington.\nWe have to move in new directions. We have to move in the direction of\nPresident Nixon's New Federalism, and Floridians--Democrats and Republicans--can\nhelp. Let's bring government back to the people. We can do it, if we all try.\n# # #\n20 copies u/m. 7 only\nOFFICE COPY\nCONGRESSMAN\nNEWS\nGERALD R. FORD\nHOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADER\nRELEASE\n--FOR RELEASE AT 6 P.M. SATURDAY--\nMay 26, 1973\nExcerpts from a Speech by Rep. Gerald R. Ford at a Lincoln Day Dinner May 26, 1973\nat Jacksonville, Fla.\nOver the years one of the extraordinary aspects of American life has been\nour eagerness to strive for betterment of American society. This has been true from\nthe very beginning of this nation almost steadily down to the present day.\nToward the end of the Sixties, however, this striving for betterment seemed\nto be lost in America. It became lost in the confusion generated by governmental\npermissiveness, revolutionary strife, and a foreign policy which lacked backbone\nand direction.\nJust over four years ago a Democratic President and a Democratic Congress\nwere running this country.\nFour years ago we had over a half million men in Vietnam, with 300 dying\nevery week. This nation and China faced each other over a gulf of hostility and\nignorance while Russia and the United States continued a spiraling arms race which\nwas headed toward nuclear disaster.\nRioting wracked our cities. The cry we heard was \"burn, baby, burn.\" Fully\none-half of the women in this country were afraid to walk in their own neighborhoods\nat night. Even breathing the air and drinking our water was becoming dangerous.\nToday we have the leadership of a Republican President, Richard Nixon. And\ntoday, for the first time since 1945, the threat of nuclear war is diminishing, not\nincreasing. All of our men and POW's are home from a Vietnam which is almost at\npeace. Crime rates have come down. Employment is at a record level of over\n83 million, and unemployment is at its lowest level in 2½ years. We are creating\nnew jobs at an unprecedented rate, and with less damaging environmental impact than\never before.\nLook at the Republican record. We are virtually free from war. Racial\nrioting is only a bad memory. Our college students now are more interested in\nlearning than burning. Americans are living better today than ever before.\n(more)\nPage 2\nOf course we have our troubles. Inflation has become worse in America\nrecently. It's running at a 5 per cent rate for the latest 12 months. But the\nrise in the cost of living is 8 per cent in Italy and Britain, 7 per cent in France\nand West Germany, and 13 per cent in Israel.\nThen there are the weird events that have shaken Washington to its\nbureaucratic and congressional foundations. But I feel that so much attention has\nbeen focused on these unfortunate and regrettable events that Americans are beginning\nto lose sight of what's right with their country and what this nation's relationship\nis to the rest of the world.\nPresident Nixon's achievements have been tremendous. We must not let those\nachievements be eroded by the current clamor over the overzealous actions of a\nrelatively small number of men. And we must remember, too, that the irrational\nconduct of these men is not the conduct of the Republican Party. The Party is\nrepresented by its elected officials--the President, the Vice-President, Republican\nmembers of Congress, and elected party officials. From that point of view, the\nstrength, purposes, goals and ideals of the Republican Party are as strong as ever.\nThe Republican Party--the party of Abraham Lincoln--is a great party. Its\ngoals are embraced by the vast majority of Americans.\nThe Republican Party--like most Americans--believes in fiscal restraint, fully\naware of the horrendous impact of deficit financing on the people's pocketbook in\nthe form of either increased taxes or increased inflation.\nThe Republican Party--like most Americans--believes in returning power to\nstate and local governments through Federal revenue sharing and insistence that\nlocal communities and not faceless and arbitrary bureaucrats make local decisions.\nThe Republican Party--like most Americans--believes in helping those who\ncannot help themselves, but in otherwise preserving the liberty and freedom of\nindividuals in this great country to work out their own destinies.\nNow, how can we accomplish these great goals of the Republican Party and the\nAmerican people? We can achieve these objectives by electing more people to\nCongress who believe in these fundamental goals and principles, by electing more\nRepublicans in Florida and the South.\nThere are, of course, Democrats in the South, including Florida, who share\nthe Republican Party's ideals. Their thinking coincides with Republican philosophy.\nThey, like John Connally, would feel much more comfortable in the Republican Party\nthan in the party of the New Deal, the Fair Deal, the New Frontier and the Great\nSociety. They feel downright uncomfortable in the party which stands for\ncentralization of all power in Washington.\nWe have to move in new directions. We have to move in the direction of\nPresident Nixon's New Federalism, and Floridians--Democrats and Republicans--can\nhelp. Let's bring government back to the people. We can do it, if we all try.\n# # #"
}