Press Release, Speech of President Harry S. Truman, Elyria, Ohio

IMMEDIATE RELEASE IMEDI TE RELEASE REAR PLATFORM REWARKS OF THE president TRUMAR AT ELYRIA, OHIO, october 26, 1948 AND ARCHIVES "NATIONAL AND 4:24 P.M., E.S.T. RECORDS SERVICE Thank you, thank you very much. I can't tell you how very much I appreciate this wonderful turnout here in Elyria. It is wonderful -- that fine band, these military contingents turning out to pay respects to the Commander- in-Chief. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it, and then to see all these good voters come out to find out what this is all about. I know one thing you are going to do, and that is to send Walter Huber to Congress. You can't help but do that after studying what the 80th Congress did to you. I am on e campaign to tell the American people the truth about the issues in this election. They are not getting the truth from the Republican candidate, who is trying to pretend that there aren't any issues He is just going around the country saying he likes state of the Democratic laws and programs of the last 16 years SO nuch that he would like tr run them for awhile, and his slogen is, "Me too, but I can do it better. I don't think you want a President like that. One of the big reasons why the American people have prospered since 1933 is because they have received the active support of the Government. The Demæ ratic Party has always believed in working for the people and with the people. The Republican Party doesn't believe that. They worked against the people for 12 years, from 1921 to 1933, and as a result we got the worst. depression in the history of this country. And when the Republicans got control of the 80th Congress 2 years ago they proved they haven't changed a bit. They began working against you and began working for special interests. I have had to come right out here and tell the American people just what is going on, just how their interests are being sabotaged by the Republicans. Perhaps a good name for this train ought to be, "The People's Special," because my campaign is being fought for the benefit of all the people. Let me give you one example of how the Republican Party has been working against you for the benefit of the big corporations. The Republicans don't believe in cooperatives because it means that bis business cen't get a rake-eff. The Republicans opened a Congressional investigation against cooperatives with noisy smears. The Republican Chairman of the investigating committee claimed that cooperatives were a threat to demacracy. He said this, end I quote him: "Communism will be on the march. Red Fascism will have arrived, and representative Government will have become : a farce end a delusion.' That is what the Republicans think of our cooperatives. You know that these wild and silly accusations are not true. Cooperatives right here in Lorain County have benefited the farmers, and the great prosperity of our farmers has brought benefits to all the businessmen in this area. I talked about cooperatives as an example to show you how the Republicen leaders think in terms of doing whatever they can to help big business and special interests, and nothing for the farmer and the working man. They think the same way about the working man, the small businessmen, and the white-collar man as they do about the farmer. This November уди will have your choice at the polls. You can vote for the Party that believes in working for and with the people, or you can vote for the Party that is interest- ed only in doing things for special interests. If you want over