Press Release, Speech of President Harry S. Truman, Los Angeles, California

"NATIONAL HOLD FOR RELEASE HOLD FOR RELEASE HOLD FOR RELEASE ARCHIVES AND RECORDS SERVICE September 23, 1948 CONFIDENTIAL: The following address of the President to be delivered in Gilmore Stadium, Los Angeles, California, tonight, Thursday, September 23, 1948, MUST BE HELD FOR RELEASE in morning newspapers of Friday, September 24, except papers in the Los Angeles Area, where release is to newspapers appearing on the streets NOT EARLIER THAN 9:30 p.m., C.d.s.t. Thursday, September 23 - or upon delivery, if earlier. NOTE: Release to radio is at 9:30 p.m., c.d.s.t., Thursday, September 23, 1948 - or upon delivery, if earlier. PLEASE USE CARE TO AVOID PREMATURE PUBLICATION OR RADIO ANNOUNCEMENT. CHARLES G. ROSS Secretary to the President I have come here tonight to tell you where I stand on the big issues before the country in this campaign. This is a championship fight. And I am convinced of one thing: the American people are sold on the idea that nobody deserves to win a championship fight running away. I do not believe that anybody is going to win this fight by running away from the record or ducking the issues. In our system, the people have the right to know exactly what our two major parties stand for on specific issues. They have a right to know who is for them and who is against them. The decisive battle has arrived. The people are going to have to choose one side or the other. The Democratic Party and I have nothing to conceal. We are proud of our record. The underlying struggle in this campaign, is a struggle between two sets of ideals. The Democratic ideal of America is summed up in the Four Freedoms: Freedom from Want; Freedom from Fear; Freedom of Worship; Freedom of Speech. The Republican ideal, as I have seen it in action, is summed up in the phrase, "Big business first. 11 Today, I regret to say certain great business interests are trying to corrupt American idealism. With the Republican Party as their instrument, they are waging a war against the aspirations of our people. These shrewd men aim to take advantage of the prosperity which you have attained in the last few years with Democratic government. They know that in times of prosperity, voters are not easily excited. They hope that this year a' large number of voters will not bother to go to the polls. That is their only chance of winning. Some of their franker spokesmen have said in SO many words that they are counting on a light vote on Election Day. With that in mind, they are trying their best to avoid any suggestion that there is something to fight about in this campaign. They are trying to lull you to sleep with "high-level" platitudes. They are saying in effect: "Everything is all right, and everything will go on being all right if you will just forget about politics and leave things to us." I wish from the bottom of my heart that that were true. I wish from the heart that it were possible to say to the American people, with sincerity, that it does not make any difference which party they elect this year, that everything will be all right, no matter what happens. But that is not true. As President of the United States, I know that everything will not be all right unless the American people exercise care and vigilance to keep the gains which they have won. These past two years have shown us evidence - frightening evidence - that if the country falls into the hands of the leaders of the Republican Party, everything is likely to be all wrong within a very short time. We in this country know how abruptly conditions can change. Just twenty years ago the Republicans were assuring us that everything was going to be all right. But a few months later everything was all wrong. OVER