Address at the Voice of Democracy Awards Luncheon by Commissioner of Education Earl McGrath

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ADDRESS* Ladies and gentlemen, we meet today to honor four young people who have come to Washington as winners of the national Voice of Democracy contest. Despite the extraordinary growth of this competition within a period of three years, s'ome of you may not know all about it, and a brief word concerning it may be in order. The contest was started in 1947. Under its terms, youngsters in the second, third and fourth years of high school are asked to write and speak on the subject, "I Speak For Democracy." In its first year, the competition attracted 35,000 young people in 37 States. In its second year, 250,000 competed, with final representatives from 48 States, the District of Columbia and Alaska. Last year, 1949, over 1,000,000 young people in all' States, two terri- tories and the District were entrants. Community and county winners from public, parochial and private schools entered the State contest. State and territorial winners, their voices transcribed on records, were heard in semi-finals by the national judges The four youngsters--two boys and two girls--who are our guests today are the four co-ecual national winners for 1949. During their stay with us, they are to meet. with the President, the Congress, the principal executive departments and agencies, the Supreme Court and to spond many happy hours touring our national shrines. Today, in *By Earl James McCrath, U. S. Commissioner of Education, Federal Security Agency, Washington, D. C., before the Voice of Democracy Awards Luncheon, Ninth Annual Science Talent Search, Washington, D. C. , February 22, 1950 Published in Station Management, March 6, 1950, issue, p. 17.