Press Release, Speech of President Harry S. Truman, Madison Square Garden, New York City

TREMAM AND NATIONAL IMMEDIATE RELEASE IMMEDIATE RELEASE ARCHIVES RECORDS AND LIBRARY SERVICE" REMARKS OF THE PRESIDENT AT MADISON GOVERN AS ACTUALLY SQUARE GARDEN, NEW. YORK, NEW YORK, AS. ACTUALLY DELIVERED OCTOBER 28, 1948, 10:34 P.M., E.S.T. DELIVERED Thank you vory much. Thank you. It is cortainly good to be horo tonight. You know, I was hero four years 880 on the samo orrand. It's always a pleasuro to como to this groat City -- ospecially when you so many friends. But thoro is a spocial roason why I am glad to be horo tonight. Now York is a mighty source of strongth in the battle we are waging to proservo liboral government in the Unitod Statos. It is the birthplace of many libord and progrossivo programs which have rostorod the strongth of the Nation during tho last sixtoon years. It is the State of those truo domocrats and groat Amoricans, Al Smith, Bob Wagnor, Horbort Lohman -- and abovo all, Franklin Roosovolt. It was horo in this Stato that these mon did so much to givo now lifo and now moaning to tho principlos of domocracy. And whon I say "democracy," I moan domocracy as we undorstand it in this country. Bocauso of thoir groat work our country, and the ontiro world, is a bottor placo in which to livo. Wo have como hóro tonight to this great gathering undor thò bannor of the Liberal Party -- a party which has donc SO muich for liboral causos. And I considor it an honor to bo horo with the Liboral Party under that bannor. Wo have como horo tonight with one mind and one purposo. We have como to plodgo onco more our faith in liboral govornmont, and to place in firm control of our national affairs thoso who boliovo with all thoir hearts in the principlos of Franklin D. Roosovolt. Now, I have a confossion to make to you horo tonight. For tho last two or throo' wooks I've had a quoor fooling that I'm boing followod, that semoono is:following mo. I folt it so strongly that I wont into consultation with tho Whito House physician. And I told him that I kopt having this fooling, that ovorywhoro I go thero's somobody following bohind mo. The Whito House physicia: told me not to worry. Ho said: "You koop ght on your way. Thoro is ono place where that follow is not going to follow you -- and that's in the Whito Houso. I think tho Doctor's right. I'm going to bc thoro, working for tho poople, for four more years because you believe that I'm trying to do the right thing. Now, thoro are somo othor places bosidos the Whito House whore this gontloman won't follow me. IIc won't follow me if I go into the record of the Domocratic and Ropublican Partios. Tho Republican candidata can follow me all tho way from Los Angoles to Madison Squaro Gardon, but tho Ropublican rocord rakos it cortain that ho will still be trailing along bohind whon the votes are countod. Ho is doing all ho can to mako you forgot that rocord. Ho doosn't daro talk about it. I havo novor in my life boon in a campaign whore the opposition refused absolutoly to discuss the issuos of the compaign. I can't undorstand that sort of an approach. But aftor I had analyzod the situation I came to the conclusion that tho rocord of the Ropublican Party is much too bad to talk about. The Ropublican candidato is trying to run on tho rocord of the Democratic Party -- of Franklin Roosovolt and mysclf. Ho's a "mo too" man. Lot's tako a look at the record and See why hc can't talk about the rocord of the Ropublican Party. Lot's go back a fow years. In 1928 tho Ropublicans clocted a woll-known officioncy onginoor namod Horbort Hoover, and thoy promised us ovorything. They told us if WO wantod prospority wo must voto Hoover. Woll, the pooplo foll for it. And I think this now candidato -- well, ho's not. a now candidato -- I think this socond-hand candidate thinks tho samo way. You know what a bitter exporience you had after that. Many of you horo tonight romomber 1932. Over in Contral Park moh and womon wore living in littlo groups of shacks made of cardboard and old boxos. They wore known as "Hoovorvillos. Out hero on Eighth Avonuo votorans wore solling applos. Raggod individualism, I supposo that's whát you would cal 1 it. Farm foroclosuros, homo-ownors' ovictions, starvation wagos, labor unions disruptod by company spics and thugs that was tho Ropublican rocord when thoy last had control of tho Govormiont. And, you know, thoro is a poculiar thing about this campaign. I have nover heard of a singlo Ropublican candidate for office point with prido to any Ropublican administration or any Republican Prosidont. (OVER)