Speech of Senator Harry S. Truman at Jefferson City, Missouri

TRUMAN a ARCHIVES SERVICE" RECORDS AND THE HONORABLE OF MISSOURI:- SENATE AND HOUSE REPRESINTATIVES You OF THE STATE OF COVERAGE You can hardly estimate my feelings when I received a copy of your resolution asking me to address a joint session of the Legislature of this great State. I consider it a very high honor and I haven't the words to adequately express my appreciation. You, of course, are interested in the Congress of the United States just as I am interested in this honorable body and I am sure you have asked me here to discuss some of the things that ere of national interest. I shall endeavor to give you my views on some of the issues now pending in the Congress. Missouri honored me in 1934 by electing me as one of its two United States Senators. I consider that honor a very great responsibility and I have to the very best of my ability worked exceedingly hard to meet that responsibility. I had had no legislative experience and only about two and one-half years of law when I went to Washington. My whole experience in public service had been executive and administrative. When confronted with a highly responsible and technical command in the World War I tried my best to learn all about it. I have done the same thing with the Senate. The fact that I had been a life long student of world and United States history has been a very greet help. I was assigned to two of the Senete's busiest and most powerful committees-- Appropriations and Interstate Commerce. One controls the budget of the greatest government in the world and the other has very great influence on its transportation and communications. I found out very soon after I had settled down to a study of my duties that the business of a good legislatór is not to get things done quickly and efficiently as a good administrator has to do, but to prevent, if possible, the enactment into the law of the land many crazy and crackpot bills. I have found that much KRUMAND NARA