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    "localId": "12010213",
    "label": "Press Release, Remarks by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Senators Alexander Wiley and Homer Ferguson, and Congressman George Dondero at the Signing of the St. Lawrence Seaway Bill",
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    "title": "Press Release, Remarks by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Senators Alexander Wiley and Homer Ferguson, and Congressman George Dondero at the Signing of the St. Lawrence Seaway Bill",
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    "url": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/eisenhower/598943/598943_0004.pdf",
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    "ocrText": "IMMEDIATE RELEASE\nMay 13, 1954\nJames C. Hagerty, Press Secretary to the President\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nREMARKS OF THE PRESIDENT, SENATOR WILEY AND\nSENATOR FERGUSON, AND REPRESENTATIVE DONDERO\nAT THE SIGNING OF THE ST. LAWRENCE SEAWAY BILL,\nTHE CONFERENCE ROOM OF THE WHITE HOUSE, MAY 13, 1954.\nCongressman Dondero: Mr. President, the people of the United States,\nthrough their Congress, have determined that they will participate with\ntheir good neighbor to the north, Canada, in the construction of the St.\nLawrence Seaway. It has been the dream of many decades. It is one of\nthe greatest waterways in the world, and will be one of the great arteries\nof commerce in the world. I think that it will contribute much to the\neconomic welfare and also to the national defense of both the United States\nand Canada.\nMr. President, five of your predecessors advocated and endorsed the build-\ning of the St. Lawrence Seaway. It has been delayed thirty or forty years,\nand now under your great leadership this mighty project, the master project\nof the North American continent, is to become a reality.\nI want.to add just one more thought, and that is this: that in the days to come,\nthe American people, the Canadian people, the continent of North America,\nwill receive great benefit from what we are doing now.\nI am proud to be a Member of the 83rd Congress, to have had some part in\nbringing this very happy day about, as Chairman of the Committee on Public\nWorks of the House of Representatives,\nTo you, Mr. President, and your Administration, must go the credit for\nbringing about the beginning of this great project, Only one thing remains\nnow, to make the Seaway an assured fact, and that is your signature to the\nbill before you.\n********\nSenator Wiley: Mr. President, I want to congratulate you. History will\nnow record that at long last the dream - yes, the hope, of countless millions\nis being fulfilled.\nBack of us stands the Ambassador of Canada. It is a symbol that we are\nunited in the greatest effort the two nations ever undertook, in building a\nWaterway here that will mean happiness, health and prosperity for countless\nmillions to come,\nAcross the river we have held hands. Now we cannot part. We are one in\na great adventure -- to build for the future of America,\nI congratulate you and the American people.\nmore\n(o VER)\n-2-\nSenator Ferguson: Mr. President, Mr. Ambassador, Members of Congress:\nThis is really a great occasion, know it will be historic because it is a\nsymbol of friendship between the United States and our friend, Canada, to\nthe north.\nComing from Michigan, one of the border states, this has been a dream for\nmany years. Mr. President, when we look at this map we can see that soon\ntransportation can come into the heartland of America. Transportation,\nwhether it be by ship, plane, railroad, truck or automobile is the lifeblood\nof commerce and trade. And I know that history will say that we today were\nlooking into the future.\nIt means a better United States, and a better world, I am sure. This\noccasion is really one that we can all be happy about -- that this Administra-\ntion could bring this about,\n*********\nThe President: I am very happy, in the presence of this distinguished\ncompany, to sign this bill.\nI think it is particularly fortunate that we have with us the Ambassador from\nCanada, because this bill is intended to set in motion the great project which\nwill operate to the benefit of both our countries.\nThis marks, of course; the legislative. culmination of an effort that has\ntaken thirty years to reach this point. Now work can begin on the great\nproject itself. That work, we all hope, will progress rapidly without\ninterruption to a successful completion, so that the benefits of this great\nproject can come to all our people on both sides of that great river.\n######"
}