Back to Press Release, Speech of President Harry S. Truman, Dinner Honoring Senator Robert F. Wagner
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Press Release, Speech of President Harry S. Truman, Dinner Honoring Senator Robert F. Wagner
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608865293
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Press Release, Speech of President Harry S. Truman, Dinner Honoring Senator Robert F. Wagner
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1948-10-28
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1948
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IMMEDIATE RELEASE
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TRUMAR
REMARKS OF THE PRESIDENT AT A DINNER
"NATIONAL
HONORING SENATOR WAGNER, WALDORF-
ARCHIVES AND
RECORDS
ASTORIA hotel, NEW york, NEW YORK,
SERVICE"
OCTOBER 28, 1948, 9:42 P.M. E.S.T.
GOVERN WENT
Mr. Prosident: It's a groat privilogo to appoar tonight and add my
tributo to one of the truly groat mon of Amorican history, Robort F. Wagnor.
I served in tho Sonato ton years and I know him, and I still know him --
and I think ho's one of the groat mon of tho age. Bob Wagnor has made
untold contributions to this groat Country of ours. I know about his work
because some of the best days of my lifc wore sport in the Unitod Statos
Sonato, holping Sonator Wagnor writo his groat laws to bring socurity and
froodom to our Nation and our poople. Along with Franklin Roosovolt
ho stands for the vory heart and soul of the Now Doal -- and I'm proud
to bo an oxponont of the Now Deal:
Thoso mon and thoir groat achiovomonts brought now lifo and now hopo
to the Amorican pooplo, ospocially to tho poor and the undorprivilogod. Thoy
wore groat humanitarians.
And whon I think of the Now Doal and all that it moant, I can't holp
but think of another dinnor that was hold in tho Waldorf about a year ago.
That dinnor was hold to honor the fifty foromest business loadors. The
publicity about that dinner was very caroful to point out that tho
combined income of thoso fifty foromost businoss loadors was 7 million,
500 thousand dollars a year. 7 million, 500 thousand dollars a year! That's
an average of 150 thousand dollars C. year for cach one of thom.
Now, at every dinnor liko that thoy must have a spoaker. Thoy looked
around for a speakor who would bo able to talk the language of thoso who
make 150 thousand dollars a year. They didn't ask mo.
But they didn't have a groat dool of troublo finding a man who would.
Ho was practically within whistling distance -- it's about 150 milos from
horo to Albany. So they whistlod, and the speaker hurried right down horo.
Ho was anxious to make a name for himsolf -- because ho wants to be Prosidont.
Right horo in the Waldorf-Astoria ho roso up bofore the assomblod
millions -- dollars, not pooplo -- and bogen his spooch. This is how ho
started: "Follow victims of the Now Doal." Believo it or not, this man
thought it was funny to call the 150-thousand-dollar-a-yoar mon "Follow
victims of the Now Doal.'
I really don't think thoso mon had much to complain about. I think they
fared very woll under the Now Doal. And though you'll novor got thom to
admit it, thoso mon owe as much to Bob Wagnor as the working peoplo do. Whon
the Now Doal drove away doprossion and dospair it bonofitod all the citizons
of this groat Nation of ours -- rich as woll as poor. And for Bob Wagnor's
part in that all of us ought to be otornally gratoful to him.
Ho wroto tho National Labor Rolations Act, the groat charter of labor.
No groator law over wont on the statuto books of any nation than that. Under
the Wagner Act labor finally achioved its right to organizo unions of its own
choosing and to bargain collectivoly. Union momborship in our Country grow
from 2 million, 500 thousand in 1932, until today that momborship is
approaching 17 million union mombors.
Bob Wagnor thought of the wholo Nation. Ho was one of the chief
architocts of the Social Socurity v+ct. No man over contributod more to the
social woll-boing and socurity of any poople. Wo'ro working now to see that
tho Social Socurity Act is oxtonded -- extonded to all our wago-carrnors, to
the farmor, the domostic workor, the solf-omployed, and to all thoso'who nood
its protoction. Tho Ropublicans, though, don't liko that. They had, in thoir
platform of 1944, that they wore for the extension of Social Socurity -- but
the 80th Congross took a million out from under it. That's how thoy carriod
out thoir promisc.
Bob Wagnor wroto laws for railroad mon, too. Ho wrote laws to holp us
build housos. His hand can be soon in every docont pioce of logislation that
has come out of Washington since 1927. Wo aro horo tonight to honor Sonator
Wagnor. But no one man, no group of porsons, can rightly honor him tonight.
It's history that will honor him as ho really dosorves. History will toll of
the socurity and tho happinoss and the strongth this man brought to the pooplo.
The poople of oùr Country, the free poople of all the world, face tho futuro
with confidonco, knowing that Bob Wagner is with them in their strugglo to
achieve a peaceful and docont world in which to livc. And I want to say to you
poople horo -- my friends -- that I considered it a groat honor to serve in tho
Sonato with Bob Wagnor and to go along with him on thoso great forward-looking
piocos of logislation, with tho holp and advice of tho great loader at that time
whom I had to follow -- Franklin Roosovolt.
Thank you very much.