Ask the Scholar
Document scope · 1 page
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory.
For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
323150683
label
South Dakota Centennial Celebration 9/18/89 [1]
core
doc
dtoType
document
citationUrl
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
323150683
contentType
document
title
South Dakota Centennial Celebration 9/18/89 [1]
citationUrl
identifierLocal
13503-002
collections
Records of the White House Office of Speechwriting (George H. W. Bush Administration)
Speech Draft Files
imageCount
1
hasImages
yes
source
import
hasTranscription
no
Source extras
naId
323150683
levelOfDescription
fileUnit
recordType
description
ocrSource
nara-archive
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
document
mediaId
a8759f1eec683f5b
ocrText
Originally Processed With FOIA(s):
FOIA Number:
S
FOIA
MARKER
This is not a textual record. This is used as an
administrative marker by the George Bush Presidential
Library Staff.
Record Group/Collection:
George H.W. Bush Presidential Records
Collection/Office of Origin:
Speechwriting, White House Office of
Series:
Speech File Draft Files
Subseries:
Chron File, 1989-1993
OA/ID Number:
13503
Folder ID Number:
13503-002
Folder Title:
South Dakota Centennial Celebration 9/18/89 [1]
Stack:
Row:
Section:
Shelf:
Position:
G
25
6
5
2
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
(Helena, Montana)
For Immediate Release
September 18, 1989
REMARKS OF THE PRESIDENT
AT SOUTH DAKOTA CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION
Sioux Falls Arena
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
11:10 A.M. CDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very, very much. Good morning,
Sioux Falls. And happy birthday, South Dakota. (Applause.) Don't
worry, I'm not going to try to sing it.
And thanks to the young men of the McCrossan Boys Ranch
for the ride in here. Apparently, when Teddy Roosevelt came to Sioux
Falls, they called that wagon Buckboard One. (Laughter.)
And we also want to thank -- I especially want to thank
Governor and Mrs. Mickelson for that warm welcome back to this state.
What a job he's doing for the state of South Dakota. (Applause.)
And it's always a pleasure to see my old friend, Bill Janklow, who
greeted us at the airport, as well as Walter Dale Miller, the
Lieutenant Governor of this state -- (applause) -- and the fine
delegation that represents the Sunshine State in Washington. I'm
delighted to see my friend, Larry Pressler, here today, very pleased
that he's with us. (Applause.)
We also would like to say hello to Ben Reifel. I had the
privilege of serving in Congress with Ben, a Native American who has
devoted his whole life to public service. And tomorrow is his 83rd
birthday, so let's here it for him. (Applause.)
And I'm also pleased to see another great United States
Senator here -- Montana's, your neighbor's -- Conrad Burns. New
Senator, doing a big job. (Applause.)
I also want to salute Mr. Ice -- 100 plus and going
strong -- right over here. The true spirit of this great state.
(Applause.) And also coming out with me from Washington on Air Force
One, the former Speaker Deb Anderson, now doing a big job for me and
for the country in the White House. She's with us today, too.
(Applause.)
And I want to thank these kids who did these essays --
the winning essays -- and then presented them to me earlier on. It's
a great thing. I just got a chance to glance at one of the papers --
to see these kids looking to the future, see them representing such
strong South Dakota principles in such a beautiful way. I think
we're lucky to have young people like this in any state. (Applause.)
You know, years ago when I first started thinking about
running for President, I went out for a long drive outside Washington
to think it over -- alone, and hoping that I'd be sent a sign to help
me decide. And sure enough, a sign appeared. And it said, "Only
2,000 miles to Wall Drug." (Laughter and applause.)
It is a pleasure to be back with you in South Dakota.
Home of some of nature's most wonderful creations -- the American
buffalo, the antelope, the prairie dog, the jack rabbit. The only
missing thing today -- the silver fox. And Barbara is not with us,
MORE
- 2 -
unfortunately (laughter) -- but I could get away with calling her
that; I'm her husband. (Laughter.)
It's true. When we went through the receiving line here,
several people mentioned her, and she wanted to be here. But she's
in the Panhandle of Texas this morning in Amarillo at Cal Farley's
Boy's Ranch -- a place not unlike the Mc Crossan Ranch here. And I
know that, like me, she's going to be very interested in reading
these essays that these South Dakota kids have put together for us.
And again, with talented kids like these and like those down below,
your state and mine can look forward to a great second century. And
America can look forward to a great tomorrow. I am optimistic about
the young people in this country. (Applause.)
Before the turn of the century, when your state was not
yet 10 years old, a former Ohio Congressman who had fought for
statehood came here to greet the returning heroes of the
Spanish-American War. South Dakota volunteers famous throughout
America for refusing to abandon their decimated ranks until
replacements could be shipped to the Philippines. The ex-Congressman
was President McKinley who praised South Dakota's early pioneers for
always setting up three things wherever their wagons stopped:
Schoolhouses, churches, and the American Flag. (Applause.)
And McKinley called South Dakota "A new and promising
state." And in your first 100 years, you've made good on that
promise. You've built a good state. A good place to call home --
(applause) -- good place to raise grain and livestock and barns, and
particularly a good place to raise families. Yours is a people that
draws strength and purpose from the land -- sinking deep roots,
feeding your country, and nurturing the dreams of your children.
And as a new century begins, South Dakota is also a good
place for forward-looking people, a place to invest in clean
technologies and the growing service industries. South Dakota is one
place that has never forgotten what made America great -- pride, hard
work, neighborliness, self-respect and respect for others. And as a
visitor to Sioux Falls wrote in 1814, "the spirit of the West is one
of faith" faith in God, faith in country, and faith in one
another. (Applause.)
Maybe you've heard the definition of "the real West" in
the old cowboy poem: "Out where the hand clasps a little stronger,
out where the smile lasts a little longer, that's where the West
begins."
Well, that's also where South Dakota begins. Still a
place where business is done with a handshake most of the time. Two
years after McKinley's visit to Sioux Falls, Teddy Roosevelt became
the youngest President in the United States history, and the only one
of this century to be enshrined at Mount Rushmore. Everyone knows
which four Presidents are found on that mountain. Less well-known is
that each was chosen not to represent an individual, but rather to
represent an American ideal. Washington represents freedom;
Jefferson, democracy; Lincoln for equality; and Roosevelt,
conservation.
In the American galaxy of ideas, conservation is rarely
ranked up there alongside freedom, democracy and equality. But it is
on Mount Rushmore, and it is in South Dakota, and it's time that that
tradition was rekindled everywhere. (Applause.)
Our stewardship of the Earth is brief. South Dakota sits
atop beds of oil and coal that eons ago were tropical swamps. Above
ground, the landscape is cut by hills and valleys and shaped by the
huge sheets of ice that covered this land in a later age. When the
glaciers retreated, they left behind a precious resource -- the rich,
fertile soil of South Dakota. No one here who witnessed the black
blizzards of the 1930s Dust Bowl needs to be told just how fragile
that resource is, or how important it is that we be responsible
MORE
- 3 -
stewards of these gifts.
And what is true for our farmlands is also true for our
forests and rivers and for our oceans, and for the oceans of
life-giving air that cover this planet.
Earlier this year, we introduced dramatic new proposals
to strengthen the Clean Air Act -- calling for major reductions in
acid rain and urban smog and other toxic emissions. And I said then
that our mission is not just to defend what's left, but to take the
offense -- to improve our environment across the board. It's not
enough to stop dirtying the air; we've got to clean it up. And to
help do that, we should remember the oldest, cheapest, and most
efficient air purifier on Earth -- trees.
Nature has powerful rejuvenative forces. But we need to
help them along. We need to reforest this bountiful land. As the
settlers here learned decades ago, planting trees can greatly reduce
erosion from wind and water. And as we are learning, tree-planting
can help clean the air by reducing carbon dioxide. For its
centennial year, your sister state to the north has pledged to plant
100 million new trees by the year 2000. Well, I've heard it said
around Sioux Falls anything North Dakota can do, South Dakota can do
better. (Applause.)
So I challenge you to come up with a pledge of your own
to join the new greening of America by foresting South Dakota with
centennial trees. And of course, reforestation is only one part of
our comprehensive and sometimes highly technical proposals to clean
up America's air. But trees possess a value that no high-tech
solution will ever match. Trees can reduce the heat of a summer's
day, quiet a highway's noise, feed the hungry, provide shelter from
the wind and warmth in the winter.
You see, the forests are the sanctuaries not only of
wildlife, but also of the human spirit. And every tree is a compact
between generations. The White House today is blessed by a tree
planted by John Quincy Adams; the southern magnolias of Andrew
Jackson; Dwight Eisenhower's trees -- oaks, I believe; George
Washington's home at Mount Vernon is still shaded by a dozen trees
planted by our first President -- a living link to our roots as a
nation and to the giant whose face adorns the Black Hills of this
state.
of course, not every President is blessed with a green
thumb. Five months ago, I planted an elm to mark North Dakota's new
campaign. It turned out they have some kind of moth disease.
(Laughter.) So in the interest of public safety here in Sioux Falls,
they specifically asked me not to dedicate a building. (Laughter.)
Well, so far, my luck in this tree business is about like -- as I had
in fishing.
Just as the government has a key responsibility in
reducing air pollution, the government can also act as a model and
leader in the greening of America. And it has. Last year, federal
efforts planted 340,000 acres of new trees. But that's only about
the size of Lincoln County. Private efforts and families and
businesses planted eight times that number -- enough to blanket an
area almost the size of the state of Connecticut. And clearly, the
real solution is at the grassroots level. Americans joining to shade
this land and to clean our air -- a new spirit of activism and
volunteerism to serve each other and save our planet.
The paper here last month said that today there are
exactly 28,334 trees in the city of Sioux Falls. Now, first of all,
I'd like to meet the guy who counted the last 334 trees right here in
Sioux Falls. But seriously, a people that counts its trees so
carefully knows how to value them. Each one makes a difference; and
so can each one of you.
MORE
- 4 -
And as we commemorate the year South Dakota became a new
star in the American Flag, the American Constellation, if you will, I
hope that every family in the state will become part of yet another
constellation -- a constellation that we've called 1,000 Points of
Light. Because you in South Dakota know what it takes to plant a
tree. It doesn't take a federal program, it doesn't take a great,
big Washington bureaucracy; and it sure doesn't take some fancy new
study. What it takes is a shovel. And it's a family project. You
can do it in your own homes -- literally in your own back yards. And
we can cultivate good character in our kids by cultivating cleaner
environment.
We need to plant new hedgerows around croplands, new
windbreaks around our homes and towns. And in the middle of this
century, we built the interstate highway system -- the greatest
ground transportation network since Rome. And now, let's make these
corridors beautiful -- quieter, greener, and cleaner.
On the plains of Texas where, for 12 years Barbara and I
raised our children, the story is told of a pioneer tradition that
said, "Plant plums for yourself, pecans for your grandchildren." A
hundred years ago, some far-sighted Texas settlers planted these tiny
pecan seedlings, and it took hours of back-breaking work, hauling
water in the hot prairie sun. But pecan trees take many years to
mature, and the settlers themselves would never live to enjoy shade
or food from the trees. It was called, therefore, "A Grandchildrens'
Grove."
Other settlers -- well, they wanted quick results, and
they planted the fast, quick-growing plum trees. And for a few
years, they got good fruit. Soon, the soft bark split, sprouting
tangled, barren plum bushes. And instead of enjoying the protection
of these tall stately pecan trees, the grandchildren who followed
were saddled with the hardship of clearing a thicket. It is planting
time now for your great state -- for South Dakota and for America,
and for all of Spaceship Earth. The choices that we make today can
either nurture and protect our children or bequeath them only another
generation of thickets and foul air.
So let us tap into the greatness of the American spirit.
Let us honor the pioneers who gave us this state by giving back to
generations yet to come. And 100 years from now, South Dakota will
still be a good place to raise children, cottonwood trees and other
precious living things. Enjoy this celebration. Enjoy the autumn
ahead. Good luck, God bless you, God bless the State of South
Dakota, and thank you for inviting me. Thank you very, very much.
(Applause.)
END
11:30 A.M. CDT
REMARKS: SOUTH DAKOTA CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION
SIOUX FALLS ARENA
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1989, 11:15 A.M.
THANK YOU GOVERNOR MICKELSON FOR YOUR WARM
INTRODUCTION. THANK YOU, EVERYONE. [[PAUSE]]
GOOD MORNING SIOUX FALLS! [[PAUSE]]
AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY SOUTH DAKOTA! [[PAUSE]] DON'T
WORRY -- I'M NOT GOING TO TRY TO SING. [[PAUSE]]
AND THANKS TO THE YOUNG MEN OF THE MCCROSSAN BOYS
RANCH FOR THE RIDE IN HERE. APPARENTLY WHEN TEDDY
ROOSEVELT CAME TO SIOUX FALLS, THEY CALLED THAT WAGON
"BUCKBOARD ONE."
AND IT'S ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO SEE MY OLD FRIEND
BILL JANKLOW, AS WELL AS YOUR GREAT SENATOR - LARRY
PRESSLER AND ONE OF HIS COLLEAGUES AND YOUR MONTANA
NEIGHBOR - SENATOR CONRAD BURNS. CONGRATULATIONS, TOO
TO TEACHER OF THE YEAR LINDA HILLESTAD, AND A COUPLE OF
AMAZING SOUTH DAKOTONS CLYDE ICE AND NELLIE HARBERTS.
- 2 -
WE'D ALSO LIKE TO SAY HELLO TO BEN REIFEL. I HAD
THE PRIVILEGE OF SERVING IN CONGRESS WITH BEN -- A
NATIVE AMERICAN WHO DEVOTED HIS WHOLE LIFE TO PUBLIC
SERVICE. AND TOMORROW IS HIS 83RD BIRTHDAY -- HAPPY
BIRTHDAY, BEN! [[PAUSE]]
YOU KNOW, YEARS AGO -- WHEN I FIRST STARTED
THINKING ABOUT RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT - -- I WENT OUT FOR
A LONG DRIVE OUTSIDE WASHINGTON, TO THINK IT OVER
ALONE, HOPING I'D BE SENT A SIGN TO HELP ME DECIDE.
SURE ENOUGH, A SIGN APPEARED. IT SAID: "ONLY 2,000
MILES TO WALL DRUG." [[PAUSE]]
IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE BACK WITH YOU IN SOUTH
DAKOTA, HOME OF SOME OF NATURE'S MOST WONDERFUL
CREATIONS: THE AMERICAN BUFFALO, THE ANTELOPE, THE
PRAIRIE DOG, THE JACK RABBIT. THE ONLY THING MISSING -
- THE SILVER FOX. [[PAUSE]]
- 3 -
BARBARA WANTED TO BE HERE, BUT SHE'S IN AMARILLO
THIS MORNING, AT CAL FARLEY'S BOYS RANCH -- A PLACE A
LOT LIKE THE MCCROSSAN RANCH HERE. AND I KNOW THAT,
LIKE ME, BARBARA'S GOING TO BE VERY INTERESTED IN
READING THE ESSAYS THAT THESE TERRIFIC SOUTH DAKOTA
KIDS HAVE PUT TOGETHER FOR US. WITH TALENTED KIDS LIKE
THESE TODAY, SOUTH DAKOTA CAN LOOK FORWARD TO A GREAT
SECOND CENTURY -- AND AMERICA CAN LOOK FORWARD TO A
GREAT TOMORROW. [[PAUSE]]
BEFORE THE TURN OF THE CENTURY, WHEN YOUR STATE
WAS NOT YET 10 YEARS OLD, A FORMER OHIO CONGRESSMAN WHO
HAD FOUGHT FOR STATEHOOD CAME HERE TO GREET THE
RETURNING HEROES OF THE SPANISH AMERICAN WAR -- SOUTH
DAKOTA VOLUNTEERS FAMOUS THROUGHOUT AMERICA FOR
REFUSING TO ABANDON THEIR DECIMATED RANKS UNTIL
REPLACEMENTS COULD BE SHIPPED TO THE PHILIPPINES.
THE EX-CONGRESSMAN WAS PRESIDENT MCKINLEY, WHO
PRAISED SOUTH DAKOTA'S EARLY PIONEERS FOR ALWAYS
SETTING UP THREE THINGS WHEREVER THEIR WAGONS STOPPED:
SCHOOL HOUSES, CHURCHES -- AND THE AMERICA FLAG.
- 4 -
MCKINLEY CALLED SOUTH DAKOTA A "NEW AND PROMISING
STATE." AND IN YOUR FIRST 100 YEARS, YOU'VE MADE GOOD
THAT PROMISE. YOU'VE BUILT A GOOD STATE, A GOOD PLACE
TO CALL HOME, A GOOD PLACE TO RAISE GRAIN AND LIVESTOCK
AND BARNS, AND A PARTICULARLY GOOD PLACE TO RAISE
FAMILIES. YOURS IS A PEOPLE THAT DRAWS STRENGTH AND
PURPOSE FROM THE LAND, SINKING DEEP ROOTS, FEEDING YOUR
COUNTRY AND NURTURING THE DREAMS OF YOUR CHILDREN.
AND AS A NEW CENTURY BEGINS, SOUTH DAKOTA IS ALSO
A GOOD PLACE FOR FORWARD-LOOKING PEOPLE, A PLACE TO
INVEST IN CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES AND THE GROWING SERVICE
INDUSTRIES.
SOUTH DAKOTA IS ONE PLACE THAT HAS NEVER FORGOTTEN
WHAT MADE AMERICA GREAT: PRIDE. HARD WORK.
NEIGHBORLINESS. SELF-RESPECT, AND RESPECT FOR OTHERS.
AND, AS A VISITOR TO SIOUX FALLS WROTE IN 1814, "THE
SPIRIT OF THE WEST IS ONE OF FAITH" -- FAITH IN GOD,
FAITH IN COUNTRY, AND FAITH IN ONE ANOTHER.
- 5 -
MAYBE YOU'VE HEARD THE DEFINITION OF "THE REAL
WEST" IN THE OLD COWBOY POEM: "OUT WHERE THE
HANDCLASP'S A LITTLE STRONGER, OUT WHERE THE SMILE
LASTS A LITTLE LONGER, THAT'S WHERE THE WEST BEGINS."
THAT'S ALSO WHERE SOUTH DAKOTA BEGINS: STILL A PLACE
WHERE BUSINESS IS DONE WITH A HANDSHAKE.
TWO YEARS AFTER MCKINLEY'S VISIT TO SIOUX FALLS,
TEDDY ROOSEVELT BECAME THE YOUNGEST PRESIDENT IN U.S.
HISTORY, AND THE ONLY ONE THIS CENTURY TO BE ENSHRINED
AT MOUNT RUSHMORE. EVERYONE KNOWS WHICH FOUR
PRESIDENTS ARE FOUND ON THE MOUNTAIN. LESS WELL KNOWN
IS THAT EACH WAS CHOSEN NOT TO REPRESENT AN INDIVIDUAL,
BUT RATHER, TO REPRESENT AN AMERICAN IDEAL.
WASHINGTON REPRESENTS "FREEDOM." JEFFERSON,
"DEMOCRACY." LINCOLN, FOR "EQUALITY." AND ROOSEVELT,
"CONSERVATION."
IN THE AMERICAN GALAXY OF IDEALS, "CONSERVATION"
IS RARELY RANKED UP THERE ALONGSIDE FREEDOM, DEMOCRACY,
AND EQUALITY. BUT IT IS ON MOUNT RUSHMORE, IT IS IN
SOUTH DAKOTA, AND IT'S TIME THAT TRADITION WAS
REKINDLED EVERYWHERE.
- 6 -
OUR STEWARDSHIP OF THE EARTH IS BRIEF. SOUTH
DAKOTA SITS ATOP BEDS OF OIL AND COAL THAT, EONS AGO,
WERE TROPICAL SWAMPS. ABOVE GROUND THE LANDSCAPE IS
CUT BY HILLS AND VALLEYS, SHAPED BY THE HUGE SHEETS OF
ICE THAT COVERED THIS LAND IN A LATER AGE. WHEN THE
GLACIERS RETREATED THEY LEFT BEHIND A PRECIOUS
RESOURCE: THE RICH, FERTILE SOIL OF SOUTH DAKOTA. NO
ONE HERE WHO WITNESSED THE "BLACK BLIZZARDS" OF THE
1930'S DUST BOWL NEEDS TO BE TOLD JUST HOW FRAGILE THAT
RESOURCE IS, OR HOW IMPORTANT IT IS THAT WE BE
RESPONSIBLE STEWARDS OF THESE GIFTS.
AND WHAT IS TRUE FOR OUR FARMLANDS IS ALSO TRUE
FOR OUR FORESTS AND RIVERS, FOR OUR OCEANS, AND FOR THE
OCEANS OF LIFE-GIVING AIR THAT COVER THIS PLANET.
EARLIER THIS YEAR WE INTRODUCED DRAMATIC NEW
PROPOSALS TO STRENGTHEN THE CLEAN AIR ACT, CALLING FOR
MAJOR REDUCTIONS IN ACID RAIN, URBAN SMOG, AND OTHER
TOXIC EMISSIONS. AND I SAID THEN THAT OUR MISSION IS
NOT JUST TO DEFEND WHAT'S LEFT -- BUT TO TAKE THE
OFFENSE, TO IMPROVE OUR ENVIRONMENT ACROSS THE BOARD.
- 7 -
IT'S NOT ENOUGH TO STOP DIRTYING THE AIR. WE'VE
GOT TO CLEAN IT UP. AND TO HELP DO THAT, WE SHOULD
REMEMBER THE OLDEST, CHEAPEST, AND MOST EFFICIENT AIR-
PURIFIER ON EARTH. TREES.
NATURE HAS POWERFUL REJUVENATIVE FORCES. BUT WE
NEED TO HELP THEM ALONG. WE NEED TO RE-FOREST THIS
BOUNTIFUL LAND.
AS THE SETTLERS HERE LEARNED DECADES AGO, PLANTING
TREES CAN GREATLY REDUCE EROSION FROM WIND AND WATER,
AND, AS WE ARE LEARNING, TREE PLANTING CAN HELP CLEAN
THE AIR BY REDUCING CARBON DIOXIDE.
FOR ITS CENTENNIAL YEAR, YOUR SISTER STATE TO THE
NORTH HAS PLEDGED TO PLANT 100 MILLION NEW TREES BY THE
YEAR 2000. WELL, I'VE HEARD IT SAID AROUND SIOUX FALLS
THAT ANYTHING NORTH DAKOTA CAN DO, SOUTH DAKOTA CAN DO
BETTER. [[PAUSE]] I CHALLENGE YOU TO COME UP WITH A
PLEDGE OF YOUR OWN -- TO JOIN THE NEW GREENING OF
AMERICA BY FORESTING SOUTH DAKOTA WITH CENTENNIAL
TREES.
- 8 -
OF COURSE, REFORESTATION IS ONLY ONE PART OF OUR
COMPREHENSIVE AND SOMETIMES HIGHLY TECHNICAL PROPOSALS
TO CLEAN UP AMERICA'S AIR. BUT TREES POSSESS A VALUE
NO HIGH-TECH SOLUTION WILL EVER MATCH: TREES CAN
REDUCE THE HEAT OF A SUMMER'S DAY, QUIET A HIGHWAY'S
NOISE, FEED THE HUNGRY, PROVIDE SHELTER FROM THE WIND
AND WARMTH IN THE WINTER. THE FORESTS ARE THE
SANCTUARIES NOT ONLY OF WILDLIFE, BUT ALSO OF THE HUMAN
SPIRIT. AND EVERY TREE IS A COMPACT BETWEEN
GENERATIONS.
THE WHITE HOUSE TODAY IS BLESSED BY AN ELM PLANTED
BY JOHN QUINCY ADAMS, THE SOUTHERN MAGNOLIAS OF ANDREW
JACKSON, AND DWIGHT EISENHOWER'S OAKS. GEORGE
WASHINGTON'S HOME AT MOUNT VERNON IS STILL SHADED BY A
DOZEN TREES PLANTED BY OUR FIRST PRESIDENT, A LIVING
LINK TO OUR ROOTS AS A NATION, AND TO THE GIANT WHOSE
FACE ADORNS THE BLACK HILLS OF THIS STATE.
- 9 -
OF COURSE, NOT EVERY PRESIDENT IS BLESSED WITH A
SIY
GREEN THUMB. FIVE MONTHS AGO I PLANTED AN ELM TO MARK
Centenural
NORTH DAKOTA'S NEW-CAMPAIGN. IT TURNED OUT TO HAVE
SOME KIND OF DISEASE. [[PAUSE]] SO IN THE INTEREST OF
PUBLIC SAFETY HERE IN Bloomfield SIOUX FALLS, THEY SPECIFICALLY
ASKED ME NOT TO DEDICATE A BUILDING. [[PAUSE]] so
FAR, I'M HAVING ABOUT AS MUCH LUCK PLANTING AS I DID
FISHING. [[PAUSE]]
JUST AS THE GOVERNMENT HAS A KEY RESPONSIBILITY IN
REDUCING AIR POLLUTION, THE GOVERNMENT CAN ALSO ACT AS
A MODEL AND LEADER IN THE GREENING OF AMERICA. AND IT
HAS: LAST YEAR, FEDERAL EFFORTS PLANTED 340,000 ACRES
OF NEW TREES. BUT THAT'S ONLY ABOUT THE SIZE OF
LINCOLN COUNTY. PRIVATE EFFORTS, FAMILIES AND
BUSINESSES PLANTED EIGHT TIMES THAT NUMBER -- ENOUGH TO
BLANKET AN AREA ALMOST THE SIZE OF CONNECTICUT.
CLEARLY, THE REAL SOLUTION IS AT THE GRASSROOTS LEVEL - -
- AMERICANS JOINING TOGETHER TO SHADE THIS LAND AND
CLEAN OUR AIR -- A NEW SPIRIT OF ACTIVISM AND
VOLUNTEERISM TO SERVE EACH OTHER AND SAVE OUR PLANET.
- 10 -
THE PAPER HERE LAST MONTH SAID THAT, TODAY, THERE
ARE EXACTLY 28,334 TREES IN THE CITY OF SIOUX FALLS.
NOW, FIRST OF ALL, I'D LIKE TO MEET THE GUY WHO COUNTED
THAT LAST 334. [[PAUSE]] BUT SERIOUSLY, A PEOPLE THAT
COUNTS ITS TREES SO CAREFULLY KNOWS HOW TO VALUE THEM.
EACH ONE MAKES A DIFFERENCE. AND SO CAN EACH ONE OF
YOU.
AND AS WE COMMEMORATE THE YEAR SOUTH DAKOTA BECAME
A NEW STAR IN THE AMERICAN FLAG -- THE AMERICAN
CONSTELLATION -- I HOPE EVERY FAMILY IN THE STATE WILL
BECOME PART OF YET ANOTHER CONSTELLATION -- THE
CONSTELLATION WE'VE CALLED "A THOUSAND POINTS OF
LIGHT."
BECAUSE YOU IN SOUTH DAKOTA KNOW WHAT IT TAKES TO
PLANT A TREE. IT DOESN'T TAKE A FEDERAL PROGRAM. IT
DOESN'T TAKE A NEW BUREAUCRACY. AND IT SURE DOESN'T
TAKE SOME FANCY NEW STUDY. WHAT IT TAKES IS A SHOVEL.
- 11 -
IT IS A FAMILY PROJECT YOU CAN DO IN YOUR OWN
HOMES LITERALLY -- IN YOUR OWN BACK YARDS. WE CAN
CULTIVATE GOOD CHARACTER IN OUR CHILDREN BY CULTIVATING
A CLEANER ENVIRONMENT. WE NEED TO PLANT NEW HEDGEROWS
AROUND CROPLANDS, NEW WINDBREAKS AROUND OUR HOMES AND
TOWNS. IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS CENTURY, WE BUILT THE
INTERSTATE HIGHWAY SYSTEM, THE GREATEST GROUND
TRANSPORTATION NETWORK SINCE ROME. NOW LET'S MAKE
THESE CORRIDORS BEAUTIFUL, QUIETER, GREENER -- AND
CLEANER.
ON THE PLAINS OF TEXAS, WHERE BARBARA AND I RAISED
OUR CHILDREN, THE STORY IS TOLD OF A PIONEER TRADITION
THAT SAID: "PLANT PLUMS FOR YOURSELF -- AND PECANS FOR
YOUR GRANDCHILDREN."
A HUNDRED YEARS AGO, SOME FAR-SIGHTED TEXAS
SETTLERS PLANTED TINY PECAN SEEDLINGS. IT TOOK HOURS
OF BACK-BREAKING WORK, HAULING WATER IN THE HOT PRAIRIE
SUN. BUT PECAN TREES TAKE MANY YEARS TO MATURE -- AND
THE SETTLERS THEMSELVES WOULD NEVER LIVE TO ENJOY SHADE
OR FOOD FROM THE TREES. IT WAS CALLED A
"GRANDCHILDREN'S GROVE."
REMARKS: SOUTH DAKOTA CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION
SIOUX FALLS ARENA
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1989, 11:15 A.M.
Governor Weckelson for your an troduction warm
THANK YOU THANK YOU, EVERYONE. [[PAUSE]]
GOOD MORNING SIOUX FALLS! [[PAUSE]]
AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY SOUTH DAKOTA! [[PAUSE]] DON'T
WORRY -- I'M NOT GOING TO TRY TO SING. [[PAUSE]]
AND THANKS TO THE YOUNG MEN OF THE MCCROSSAN BOYS
RANCH FOR THE RIDE IN HERE. APPARENTLY WHEN TEDDY
ROOSEVELT CAME TO SIOUX FALLS, THEY CALLED THAT WAGON
"BUCKBOARD ONE. "
and
feed
WE ALSO WANT TO THANK GOVERNOR AND MRS. MICKELSON
your
FOR THEIR WARM WELCOME. AND IT'S ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO
your great
SEE MY OLD FRIEND BILL JANKLOW, AS WELL AS LT. GOVERNOR-
senator - harry Pressler and one of his
WALTER DALE MILLER AND THE FINE DELEGATION THAT
colleagues and your mon tons neighting Denator
REPRESENTS THE SUNSHINE STATE IN WASHINGTON.
Conngal Burns.
[ [ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS OF SENATOR PRESSLER AND OTHER
CONGRESSMENTI.
teacher of the your
Congratulation ton henda
Hillestad and Na everyple of
anozing South Dahabons Clyde
Ice and nullie Has herts
REMARKS: SOUTH DAKOTA CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION
SIOUX FALLS ARENA
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1989, 11:15 A.M.
THANK YOU GOVERNOR MICKELSON FOR YOUR WARM
INTRODUCTION. THANK YOU, EVERYONE. [[PAUSE]]
GOOD MORNING SIOUX FALLS! [[PAUSE]]
AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY SOUTH DAKOTA! [[PAUSE]] DON'T
WORRY -- I'M NOT GOING TO TRY TO SING. [[PAUSE]]
AND THANKS TO THE YOUNG MEN OF THE MCCROSSAN BOYS
RANCH FOR THE RIDE IN HERE. APPARENTLY WHEN TEDDY
ROOSEVELT CAME TO SIOUX FALLS, THEY CALLED THAT WAGON
"BUCKBOARD ONE.'
AND IT'S ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO SEE MY OLD FRIEND
BILL JANKLOW, AS WELL AS YOUR GREAT SENATOR - LARRY
PRESSLER AND ONE OF HIS COLLEAGUES AND YOUR MONTANA
NEIGHBOR - SENATOR CONRAD BURNS. CONGRATULATIONS, TOO
TO TEACHER OF THE YEAR LINDA HILLESTAD, AND A COUPLE OF
AMAZING SOUTH DAKOTONS CLYDE ICE AND NELLIE HARBERTS.
- 2 -
WE'D ALSO LIKE TO SAY HELLO TO BEN REIFEL. I HAD
THE PRIVILEGE OF SERVING IN CONGRESS WITH BEN -- A
NATIVE AMERICAN WHO DEVOTED HIS WHOLE LIFE TO PUBLIC
SERVICE. AND TOMORROW IS HIS 83RD BIRTHDAY -- HAPPY
BIRTHDAY, BEN! [[PAUSE]]
YOU KNOW, YEARS AGO -- WHEN I FIRST STARTED
THINKING ABOUT RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT -- I WENT OUT FOR
A LONG DRIVE OUTSIDE WASHINGTON, TO THINK IT OVER
ALONE, HOPING I'D BE SENT A SIGN TO HELP ME DECIDE.
SURE ENOUGH, A SIGN APPEARED. IT SAID: "ONLY 2,000
MILES TO WALL DRUG." [[PAUSE]]
IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE BACK WITH YOU IN SOUTH
DAKOTA, HOME OF SOME OF NATURE'S MOST WONDERFUL
CREATIONS: THE AMERICAN BUFFALO, THE ANTELOPE, THE
PRAIRIE DOG, THE JACK RABBIT. THE ONLY THING MISSING -
- THE SILVER FOX. [[PAUSE]]
- 3 -
BARBARA WANTED TO BE HERE, BUT SHE'S IN AMARILLO
THIS MORNING, AT CAL FARLEY'S BOYS RANCH -- A PLACE A
LOT LIKE THE MCCROSSAN RANCH HERE. AND I KNOW THAT,
LIKE ME, BARBARA'S GOING TO BE VERY INTERESTED IN
READING THE ESSAYS THAT THESE TERRIFIC SOUTH DAKOTA
KIDS HAVE PUT TOGETHER FOR US. WITH TALENTED KIDS LIKE
THESE TODAY, SOUTH DAKOTA CAN LOOK FORWARD TO A GREAT
SECOND CENTURY -- AND AMERICA CAN LOOK FORWARD TO A
GREAT TOMORROW. [[PAUSE]]
BEFORE THE TURN OF THE CENTURY, WHEN YOUR STATE
WAS NOT YET 10 YEARS OLD, A FORMER OHIO CONGRESSMAN WHO
HAD FOUGHT FOR STATEHOOD CAME HERE TO GREET THE
RETURNING HEROES OF THE SPANISH AMERICAN WAR -- SOUTH
DAKOTA VOLUNTEERS FAMOUS THROUGHOUT AMERICA FOR
REFUSING TO ABANDON THEIR DECIMATED RANKS UNTIL
REPLACEMENTS COULD BE SHIPPED TO THE PHILIPPINES.
THE EX-CONGRESSMAN WAS PRESIDENT MCKINLEY, WHO
PRAISED SOUTH DAKOTA'S EARLY PIONEERS FOR ALWAYS
SETTING UP THREE THINGS WHEREVER THEIR WAGONS STOPPED:
SCHOOL HOUSES, CHURCHES -- AND THE AMERICA FLAG.
- 4 -
MCKINLEY CALLED SOUTH DAKOTA A "NEW AND PROMISING
STATE." AND IN YOUR FIRST 100 YEARS, YOU'VE MADE GOOD
THAT PROMISE. YOU'VE BUILT A GOOD STATE, A GOOD PLACE
TO CALL HOME, A GOOD PLACE TO RAISE GRAIN AND LIVESTOCK
AND BARNS, AND A PARTICULARLY GOOD PLACE TO RAISE
FAMILIES. YOURS IS A PEOPLE THAT DRAWS STRENGTH AND
PURPOSE FROM THE LAND, SINKING DEEP ROOTS, FEEDING YOUR
COUNTRY AND NURTURING THE DREAMS OF YOUR CHILDREN.
AND AS A NEW CENTURY BEGINS, SOUTH DAKOTA IS ALSO
A GOOD PLACE FOR FORWARD-LOOKING PEOPLE, A PLACE TO
INVEST IN CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES AND THE GROWING SERVICE
INDUSTRIES.
SOUTH DAKOTA IS ONE PLACE THAT HAS NEVER FORGOTTEN
WHAT MADE AMERICA GREAT: PRIDE. HARD WORK.
NEIGHBORLINESS. SELF-RESPECT, AND RESPECT FOR OTHERS.
AND, AS A VISITOR TO SIOUX FALLS WROTE IN 1814, "THE
SPIRIT OF THE WEST IS ONE OF FAITH" -- FAITH IN GOD,
FAITH IN COUNTRY, AND FAITH IN ONE ANOTHER.
- 5 -
MAYBE YOU'VE HEARD THE DEFINITION OF "THE REAL
WEST" IN THE OLD COWBOY POEM: "OUT WHERE THE
HANDCLASP'S A LITTLE STRONGER, OUT WHERE THE SMILE
LASTS A LITTLE LONGER, THAT'S WHERE THE WEST BEGINS."
THAT'S ALSO WHERE SOUTH DAKOTA BEGINS: STILL A PLACE
WHERE BUSINESS IS DONE WITH A HANDSHAKE.
TWO YEARS AFTER MCKINLEY'S VISIT TO SIOUX FALLS,
TEDDY ROOSEVELT BECAME THE YOUNGEST PRESIDENT IN U.S.
HISTORY, AND THE ONLY ONE THIS CENTURY TO BE ENSHRINED
AT MOUNT RUSHMORE. EVERYONE KNOWS WHICH FOUR
PRESIDENTS ARE FOUND ON THE MOUNTAIN. LESS WELL KNOWN
IS THAT EACH WAS CHOSEN NOT TO REPRESENT AN INDIVIDUAL,
BUT RATHER, TO REPRESENT AN AMERICAN IDEAL.
WASHINGTON REPRESENTS "FREEDOM." JEFFERSON,
"DEMOCRACY." LINCOLN, FOR "EQUALITY." AND ROOSEVELT,
"CONSERVATION."
IN THE AMERICAN GALAXY OF IDEALS, "CONSERVATION"
IS RARELY RANKED UP THERE ALONGSIDE FREEDOM, DEMOCRACY,
AND EQUALITY. BUT IT IS ON MOUNT RUSHMORE, IT IS IN
SOUTH DAKOTA, AND IT'S TIME THAT TRADITION WAS
REKINDLED EVERYWHERE.
- 6 -
OUR STEWARDSHIP OF THE EARTH IS BRIEF. SOUTH
DAKOTA SITS ATOP BEDS OF OIL AND COAL THAT, EONS AGO,
WERE TROPICAL SWAMPS. ABOVE GROUND THE LANDSCAPE IS
CUT BY HILLS AND VALLEYS, SHAPED BY THE HUGE SHEETS OF
ICE THAT COVERED THIS LAND IN A LATER AGE. WHEN THE
GLACIERS RETREATED THEY LEFT BEHIND A PRECIOUS
RESOURCE: THE RICH, FERTILE SOIL OF SOUTH DAKOTA. NO
ONE HERE WHO WITNESSED THE "BLACK BLIZZARDS" OF THE
1930'S DUST BOWL NEEDS TO BE TOLD JUST HOW FRAGILE THAT
RESOURCE IS, OR HOW IMPORTANT IT IS THAT WE BE
RESPONSIBLE STEWARDS OF THESE GIFTS.
AND WHAT IS TRUE FOR OUR FARMLANDS IS ALSO TRUE
FOR OUR FORESTS AND RIVERS, FOR OUR OCEANS, AND FOR THE
OCEANS OF LIFE-GIVING AIR THAT COVER THIS PLANET.
EARLIER THIS YEAR WE INTRODUCED DRAMATIC NEW
PROPOSALS TO STRENGTHEN THE CLEAN AIR ACT, CALLING FOR
MAJOR REDUCTIONS IN ACID RAIN, URBAN SMOG, AND OTHER
TOXIC EMISSIONS. AND I SAID THEN THAT OUR MISSION IS
NOT JUST TO DEFEND WHAT'S LEFT -- BUT TO TAKE THE
OFFENSE, TO IMPROVE OUR ENVIRONMENT ACROSS THE BOARD.
- 7 -
IT'S NOT ENOUGH TO STOP DIRTYING THE AIR. WE'VE
GOT TO CLEAN IT UP. AND TO HELP DO THAT, WE SHOULD
REMEMBER THE OLDEST, CHEAPEST, AND MOST EFFICIENT AIR-
PURIFIER ON EARTH. TREES.
NATURE HAS POWERFUL REJUVENATIVE FORCES. BUT WE
NEED TO HELP THEM ALONG. WE NEED TO RE-FOREST THIS
BOUNTIFUL LAND.
AS THE SETTLERS HERE LEARNED DECADES AGO, PLANTING
TREES CAN GREATLY REDUCE EROSION FROM WIND AND WATER,
AND, AS WE ARE LEARNING, TREE PLANTING CAN HELP CLEAN
THE AIR BY REDUCING CARBON DIOXIDE.
FOR ITS CENTENNIAL YEAR, YOUR SISTER STATE TO THE
NORTH HAS PLEDGED TO PLANT 100 MILLION NEW TREES BY THE
YEAR 2000. WELL, I'VE HEARD IT SAID AROUND SIOUX FALLS
THAT ANYTHING NORTH DAKOTA CAN DO, SOUTH DAKOTA CAN DO
BETTER. [[PAUSE]] I CHALLENGE YOU TO COME UP WITH A
PLEDGE OF YOUR OWN -- TO JOIN THE NEW GREENING OF
AMERICA BY FORESTING SOUTH DAKOTA WITH CENTENNIAL
TREES.
- 8 -
OF COURSE, REFORESTATION IS ONLY ONE PART OF OUR
COMPREHENSIVE AND SOMETIMES HIGHLY TECHNICAL PROPOSALS
TO CLEAN UP AMERICA'S AIR. BUT TREES POSSESS A VALUE
NO HIGH-TECH SOLUTION WILL EVER MATCH: TREES CAN
REDUCE THE HEAT OF A SUMMER'S DAY, QUIET A HIGHWAY'S
NOISE, FEED THE HUNGRY, PROVIDE SHELTER FROM THE WIND
AND WARMTH IN THE WINTER. THE FORESTS ARE THE
SANCTUARIES NOT ONLY OF WILDLIFE, BUT ALSO OF THE HUMAN
SPIRIT. AND EVERY TREE IS A COMPACT BETWEEN
GENERATIONS.
THE WHITE HOUSE TODAY IS BLESSED BY AN ELM PLANTED
BY JOHN QUINCY ADAMS, THE SOUTHERN MAGNOLIAS OF ANDREW
JACKSON, AND DWIGHT EISENHOWER'S OAKS. GEORGE
WASHINGTON'S HOME AT MOUNT VERNON IS STILL SHADED BY A
DOZEN TREES PLANTED BY OUR FIRST PRESIDENT, A LIVING
LINK TO OUR ROOTS AS A NATION, AND TO THE GIANT WHOSE
FACE ADORNS THE BLACK HILLS OF THIS STATE.
- 9 -
OF COURSE, NOT EVERY PRESIDENT IS BLESSED WITH A
GREEN THUMB. FIVE MONTHS AGO I PLANTED AN ELM TO MARK
NORTH DAKOTA'S NEW CAMPAIGN. IT TURNED OUT TO HAVE
SOME KIND OF DISEASE. [[PAUSE]] SO IN THE INTEREST OF
PUBLIC SAFETY HERE IN SIOUX FALLS, THEY SPECIFICALLY
ASKED ME NOT TO DEDICATE A BUILDING. [[PAUSE]] so
FAR, I'M HAVING ABOUT AS MUCH LUCK PLANTING AS I DID
FISHING. [[PAUSE]]
JUST AS THE GOVERNMENT HAS A KEY RESPONSIBILITY IN
REDUCING AIR POLLUTION, THE GOVERNMENT CAN ALSO ACT AS
A MODEL AND LEADER IN THE GREENING OF AMERICA. AND IT
HAS: LAST YEAR, FEDERAL EFFORTS PLANTED 340,000 ACRES
OF NEW TREES. BUT THAT'S ONLY ABOUT THE SIZE OF
LINCOLN COUNTY. PRIVATE EFFORTS, FAMILIES AND
BUSINESSES PLANTED EIGHT TIMES THAT NUMBER -- ENOUGH TO
BLANKET AN AREA ALMOST THE SIZE OF CONNECTICUT.
CLEARLY, THE REAL SOLUTION IS AT THE GRASSROOTS LEVEL -
- AMERICANS JOINING TOGETHER TO SHADE THIS LAND AND
CLEAN OUR AIR -- A NEW SPIRIT OF ACTIVISM AND
VOLUNTEERISM TO SERVE EACH OTHER AND SAVE OUR PLANET.
- 10 -
THE PAPER HERE LAST MONTH SAID THAT, TODAY, THERE
ARE EXACTLY 28,334 TREES IN THE CITY OF SIOUX FALLS.
NOW, FIRST OF ALL, I'D LIKE TO MEET THE GUY WHO COUNTED
THAT LAST 334. [[PAUSE]] BUT SERIOUSLY, A PEOPLE THAT
COUNTS ITS TREES SO CAREFULLY KNOWS HOW TO VALUE THEM.
EACH ONE MAKES A DIFFERENCE. AND SO CAN EACH ONE OF
YOU.
AND AS WE COMMEMORATE THE YEAR SOUTH DAKOTA BECAME
A NEW STAR IN THE AMERICAN FLAG -- THE AMERICAN
CONSTELLATION -- I HOPE EVERY FAMILY IN THE STATE WILL
BECOME PART OF YET ANOTHER CONSTELLATION -- THE
CONSTELLATION WE'VE CALLED "A THOUSAND POINTS OF
LIGHT."
BECAUSE YOU IN SOUTH DAKOTA KNOW WHAT IT TAKES TO
PLANT A TREE. IT DOESN'T TAKE A FEDERAL PROGRAM. IT
DOESN'T TAKE A NEW BUREAUCRACY. AND IT SURE DOESN'T
TAKE SOME FANCY NEW STUDY. WHAT IT TAKES IS A SHOVEL.
- 11 -
IT IS A FAMILY PROJECT YOU CAN DO IN YOUR OWN
HOMES -- LITERALLY -- IN YOUR OWN BACK YARDS. WE CAN
CULTIVATE GOOD CHARACTER IN OUR CHILDREN BY CULTIVATING
A CLEANER ENVIRONMENT. WE NEED TO PLANT NEW HEDGEROWS
AROUND CROPLANDS, NEW WINDBREAKS AROUND OUR HOMES AND
TOWNS. IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS CENTURY, WE BUILT THE
INTERSTATE HIGHWAY SYSTEM, THE GREATEST GROUND
TRANSPORTATION NETWORK SINCE ROME. NOW LET'S MAKE
THESE CORRIDORS BEAUTIFUL, QUIETER, GREENER -- AND
CLEANER.
ON THE PLAINS OF TEXAS, WHERE BARBARA AND I RAISED
OUR CHILDREN, THE STORY IS TOLD OF A PIONEER TRADITION
THAT SAID: "PLANT PLUMS FOR YOURSELF -- AND PECANS FOR
YOUR GRANDCHILDREN."
A HUNDRED YEARS AGO, SOME FAR-SIGHTED TEXAS
SETTLERS PLANTED TINY PECAN SEEDLINGS. IT TOOK HOURS
OF BACK-BREAKING WORK, HAULING WATER IN THE HOT PRAIRIE
SUN. BUT PECAN TREES TAKE MANY YEARS TO MATURE -- AND
THE SETTLERS THEMSELVES WOULD NEVER LIVE TO ENJOY SHADE
OR FOOD FROM THE TREES. IT WAS CALLED A
"GRANDCHILDREN'S GROVE."
- 12 -
OTHER SETTLERS WANTED QUICK RESULTS. THEY PLANTED
FAST-GROWING PLUM TREES. AND, FOR A FEW YEARS, THEY
GOT GOOD FRUIT. BUT SOON THE SOFT BARK SPLIT,
SPROUTING TANGLED, BARREN PLUM BUSHES. INSTEAD OF
ENJOYING THE PROTECTION OF TALL, STATELY PECAN TREES,
THE GRANDCHILDREN WHO FOLLOWED WERE SADDLED WITH THE
HARDSHIP OF CLEARING A THICKET.
IT IS PLANTING TIME NOW FOR SOUTH DAKOTA -- FOR
AMERICA --AND FOR ALL OF SPACESHIP EARTH. THE CHOICES
WE MAKE TODAY CAN EITHER NURTURE AND PROTECT OUR
CHILDREN -- OR BEQUEATH THEM ONLY ANOTHER GENERATION OF
THICKETS AND FOUL AIR.
LET US TAP INTO THE GREATNESS OF THE AMERICAN
SPIRIT. LET US HONOR THE PIONEERS WHO GAVE US THIS
STATE BY GIVING BACK TO GENERATIONS YET TO COME. AND
100 YEARS FROM NOW, SOUTH DAKOTA WILL STILL BE A GOOD
PLACE TO RAISE CHILDREN AND COTTONWOOD TREES AND OTHER
PRECIOUS LIVING THINGS.
ENJOY THE CELEBRATION. ENJOY THE AUTUMN AHEAD.
GOOD LUCK, GOD BLESS YOU. AND GOD BLESS AMERICA.
#
#
#
07220655
Document No.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
9/14/89
DATE:
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: SOUTH DAKOTA CENTENNIAL
SUBJECT:
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
STUDDERT
BATES
UNTERMEYER
BREEDEN
ROGERS
WINSTON
CARD
PINKERTON
CICCONI
DEMAREST
FITZWATER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
The attached has been forwarded to the President.
RESPONSE:
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
89 SEP 14 P12: 00
September 14, 1989
INFORMATION
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
THROUGH:
CHRISS WINSTON CW
FROM:
EDWARD MCNALLY ann
SUBJECT:
REMARKS FOR THE SOUTH DAKOTA CENTENNIAL
I. SUMMARY
Attached for your consideration and review are draft
remarks for your address at South Dakota's Centennial ceremony in
Sioux Falls next Monday.
II. DISCUSSION
At 11:15 a.m. on Monday, September 18, 1989, you are
scheduled to arrive at the Sioux Falls Arena to address a
"campaign-style" rally of approximately 8,000, gathered to hear
your address and to celebrate South Dakota's centennial.
Emphasizing South Dakota's pioneer heritage, the
suggested remarks include a pitch for a "1,000 Points of Light"
initiative to add private tree-planting efforts to our federal
reforestation campaign.
This initiative, intended to complement your Clean Air
Act and other environmental proposals, was developed by Jim
Pinkerton. This speech is the first of three environmental
speeches you will give on this trip.
(McNally/Simon)
September 14, 1989, 10:00 a.m.
Draft Four (B:SIOUX)
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: SOUTH DAKOTA CENTENNIAL CEREMONY
SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1989
11:15 A.M.
Thank you. Thank you, everyone. [[PAUSE]]
Good morning Sioux Falls! [[PAUSE]]
And HAPPY BIRTHDAY SOUTH DAKOTA! [[PAUSE]] Don't worry --
I'm not going to try to sing. [[PAUSE]]
And thanks to the young men of the McCrossan Boys Ranch for
the ride in here. Apparently when Teddy Roosevelt came to Sioux
Falls, they called that wagon "Buckboard One."
We also want to thank Governor and Mrs. Mickelson for their
warm welcome. And it's always a pleasure to see my old friend
Bill Janklow, as well as Lt. Governor Walter Dale Miller and the
fine delegation that represents the Sunshine State in Washington.
[Acknowledgements of Senator Pressler and other Congressmen].
We'd also like to say hello to Ben Reifel. I had the
privilege of serving in Congress with Ben -- a Native American
who devoted his whole life to public service. And tomorrow is
his 83rd birthday -- Happy Birthday, Ben! [[PAUSE]]
You know, years ago -- when I first started thinking about
running for President -- I went out for a long drive outside
Washington, to think it over alone, hoping I'd be sent a sign to
help me decide. Sure enough, a sign appeared. It said: "ONLY
2,000 MILES TO WALL DRUG. [[PAUSE]]
2
We're sure enjoying a friendly reception here. Outside one
lady even had a sign that said: "Add Bush to Mount Rushmore." I
thanked her, but protested it was too early for that. She said:
"On no, Mr. President. We were talking about adding a statue of
Barbara. [[PAUSE]]
Before the turn of the century, when your state was not yet
10 years old, a former Ohio Congressman who had fought for
statehood came here to greet the returning heroes of the Spanish
American War -- South Dakota volunteers famous throughout America.
for refusing to abandon their decimated ranks until replacements
could be shipped to the Philippines.
The ex-Congressman was President McKinley, who praised South
Dakota's early pioneers for always setting up three things
wherever their wagons stopped: School houses, churches -- and
the America flag.
McKinley called South Dakota a "new and promising state."
And in your first 100 years, you've made good that promise.
You've built a good state, a good place to call home, a good
place to raise grain and livestock and barns, and a particularly
good place to raise families. Yours is a people that draws
strength and purpose from the land, sinking deep roots, feeding
your country and nurturing the dreams of your children.
And as a new century begins, South Dakota is also a good
place for forward-looking people, a place to invest in clean
technologies and the growing service industries.
3
South Dakota is one place that has never forgotten what made
America great: Pride. Hard work. Neighborliness. Self-
respect, and respect for others. And, as a visitor to Sioux
Falls wrote in 1814, "the spirit of the west is one of faith" --
faith in God, faith in country, and faith in one another.
Maybe you've heard the definition of "the real West" in the
old cowboy poem: "Out where the handclasp's a little stronger,
out where the smile lasts a little longer, that's where the West
begins." That's also where South Dakota begins: Still a place
where business is done with a handshake.
Two years after McKinley's visit to Sioux Falls, Teddy
Roosevelt became the youngest President in U.S. history, and the
only one this century to be enshrined at Mount Rushmore.
Everyone knows which four Presidents are found on the mountain.
Less well known is that each was chosen not to represent an
individual, but rather, to represent an American ideal.
Washington represents "freedom." Jefferson, "democracy."
Lincoln, for "equality." And Roosevelt, "conservation."
In the American galaxy of ideals, "conservation" is rarely
ranked up there alongside freedom, democracy, and equality. But
it is on Mount Rushmore, it is in South Dakota, and it's time
that tradition was rekindled everywhere.
Our stewardship of the Earth is brief. South Dakota sits
atop beds of oil and coal that, eons ago, were tropical swamps.
Above ground the landscape is cut by hills and valleys, shaped by
the huge sheets of ice that covered this land in a later age.
4
When the glaciers retreated they left behind a precious
resource: the rich, fertile soil of South Dakota. No one here
who witnessed the "black blizzards" of the 1930's Dust Bowl needs
to be told just how fragile that resource is, or how important it
is that we be responsible stewards of these gifts.
And what is true for our farmlands is also true for our
forests and rivers, for our oceans, and for the oceans of life-
giving air that cover this planet.
Earlier this year we introduced dramatic new proposals to
strengthen the Clean Air Act, calling for major reductions in
acid rain, urban smog, and other toxic emissions. And I said
then that our mission is not just to defend what's left -- but to
take the offense, to improve our environment across the board.
It's not enough to stop dirtying the air. We've got to
clean it up. And to help do that, we should remember the oldest,
cheapest, and most efficient air-purifier on Earth. Trees.
Nature has powerful rejuvenative forces. But we need to
help them along. We need to re-forest this bountiful land.
As the settlers here learned decades ago, planting trees can
greatly reduce erosion from wind and water, and, as we are
learning, tree planting can help clean the air by reducing carbon
dioxide.
For its centennial year, your sister state to the north has
pledged to plant 100 million new trees by the Year 2000. Well,
I've heard it said around Sioux Falls that anything North Dakota
can do, South Dakota can do better. [[PAUSE]] I challenge you
5
to come up with a pledge of your own -- to join the new greening
of America by foresting South Dakota with centennial trees.
of course, reforestation is only one part of our
comprehensive and sometimes highly technical proposals to clean
up America's air. But trees possess a value no high-tech
solution will ever match: trees can reduce the heat of a
summer's day, quiet a highway's noise, feed the hungry, provide
shelter from the wind and warmth in the winter. The forests are
the sanctuaries not only of wildlife, but also of the human
spirit. And every tree is a compact between generations.
The White House today is blessed by an elm planted by John
Quincy Adams, the southern magnolias of Andrew Jackson, and
Dwight Eisenhower's oaks. George Washington's home at Mount
Vernon is still shaded by a dozen trees planted by our first
President, a living link to our roots as a nation, and to the
giant whose face adorns the Black Hills of this state.
of course, not every President is blessed with a green
thumb. Five months ago I planted an elm to mark North Dakota's
new campaign. It turned out to have some kind of disease.
[[PAUSE] ] So in the interest of public safety here in Sioux
Falls, they specifically asked me not to dedicate a building.
[ [[PAUSE] So far, I'm having about as much luck planting as I
did fishing. [[PAUSE]]
Just as the government has a key responsibility in reducing
air pollution, the government can also act as a model and leader
in the greening of America. And it has: last year, federal
6
efforts planted 340,000 acres of new trees. But that's only
about the size of Lincoln County. Private efforts, families and
businesses planted eight times that number -- enough to blanket
an area almost the size of Connecticut. Clearly, the real
solution is at the grassroots level -- Americans joining together
to shade this land and clean our air -- a new spirit of activism
and volunteerism to serve each other and save our planet.
The paper here last month said that, today, there are
exactly 28,334 trees in the city of Sioux Falls. Now, first of
all, I'd like to meet the guy who counted that last 334.
[[PAUSE]] But seriously, a people that counts its trees so
carefully knows how to value them. Each one makes a difference.
And so can each one of you.
And as we commemorate the year South Dakota became a new
star in the American flag -- the American constellation -- I hope
every family in the state will become part of yet another
constellation -- the constellation we've called "A Thousand
Points of Light."
Because you in South Dakota know what it takes to plant a
tree. It doesn't take a federal program. It doesn't take a new
bureaucracy. And it sure doesn't take some fancy new study.
What it takes is a shovel.
It is a family project you can do in your own homes --
literally -- in your own back yards. We can cultivate good
character in our children by cultivating a cleaner environment.
We need to plant new hedgerows around croplands, new windbreaks
7
around our homes and towns. In the middle of this century, we
built the interstate highway system, the greatest ground
transportation network since Rome. Now let's make these
corridors beautiful, quieter, greener -- and cleaner.
On the plains of Texas, where Barbara and I raised our
children, the story is told of a pioneer tradition that said:
"Plant plums for yourself -- and pecans for your grandchildren."
A hundred years ago, some far-sighted Texas settlers planted
tiny pecan seedlings. It took hours of back-breaking work,
hauling water in the hot prairie sun. But pecan trees take many
years to mature -- and the settlers themselves would never live
to enjoy shade or food from the trees. It was called a
"grandchildren's grove."
Other settlers wanted quick results. They planted fast-
growing plum trees. And, for a few years, they got good fruit.
But soon the soft bark split, sprouting tangled, barren plum
bushes. Instead of enjoying the protection of tall, stately
pecan trees, the grandchildren who followed were saddled with the
hardship of clearing a thicket.
It is planting time now for South Dakota -- for America --
and for all of spaceship Earth. The choices we make today can
either nurture and protect our children -- or bequeath them only
another generation of thickets and foul air.
Let us tap into the greatness of the American spirit. Let
us honor the pioneers who gave us this state by giving back to
generations yet to come. And 100 years from now, South Dakota
8
will still be a good place to raise children and cottonwood trees
and other precious living things.
Enjoy the celebration. Enjoy the autumn ahead. Good luck,
God bless you. And God bless America.
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
September 14, 1989
INFORMATION
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
THROUGH:
CHRISS WINSTON au
FROM:
EDWARD McNALLY and
SUBJECT:
REMARKS FOR THE SOUTH DAKOTA CENTENNIAL
I. SUMMARY
Attached for your consideration and review are draft
remarks for your address at South Dakota's Centennial ceremony in
Sioux Falls next Monday.
II. DISCUSSION
At 11:15 a.m. on Monday, September 18, 1989, you are
scheduled to arrive at the Sioux Falls Arena to address a
"campaign-style" rally of approximately 8,000, gathered to hear
your address and to celebrate South Dakota's centennial.
Emphasizing South Dakota's pioneer heritage, the
suggested remarks include a pitch for a "1,000 Points of Light"
initiative to add private tree-planting efforts to our federal
reforestation campaign.
This initiative, intended to complement your Clean Air
Act and other environmental proposals, was developed by Jim
Pinkerton. This speech is the first of three environmental
speeches you will give on this trip.
(McNally/Simon)
September 14, 1989, 10:00 a.m.
Draft Four (B:SIOUX)
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: SOUTH DAKOTA CENTENNIAL CEREMONY
SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1989
11:15 A.M.
Thank you. Thank you, everyone. [[PAUSE]]
Good morning Sioux Falls! [[PAUSE]]
And HAPPY BIRTHDAY SOUTH DAKOTA! [[PAUSE]] Don't worry --
I'm not going to try to sing. [[PAUSE]]
And thanks to the young men of the McCrossan Boys Ranch for
the ride in here. Apparently when Teddy Roosevelt came to Sioux
Falls, they called that wagon "Buckboard One."
We also want to thank Governor and Mrs. Mickelson for their
warm welcome. And it's always a pleasure to see my old friend
Bill Janklow, as well as Lt. Governor Walter Dale Miller and the
fine delegation that represents the Sunshine State in Washington.
[Acknowledgements of Senator Pressler and other Congressmen].
We'd also like to say hello to Ben Reifel. I had the
privilege of serving in Congress with Ben -- a Native American
who devoted his whole life to public service. And tomorrow is
his 83rd birthday -- Happy Birthday, Ben! [[PAUSE]]
You know, years ago -- when I first started thinking about
running for President -- I went out for a long drive outside
Washington, to think it over alone, hoping I'd be sent a sign to
help me decide. Sure enough, a sign appeared. It said: "ONLY
2,000 MILES TO WALL DRUG. " [[PAUSE]]
2
We're sure enjoying a friendly reception here. Outside one
lady even had a sign that said: "Add Bush to Mount Rushmore." I
thanked her, but protested it was too early for that. She said:
"On no, Mr. President. We were talking about adding a statue of
Barbara." [[PAUSE]]
Before the turn of the century, when your state was not yet
10 years old, a former Ohio Congressman who had fought for
statehood came here to greet the returning heroes of the Spanish
American War -- South Dakota volunteers famous throughout America
for refusing to abandon their decimated ranks until replacements
could be shipped to the Philippines.
The ex-Congressman was President McKinley, who praised South
Dakota's early pioneers for always setting up three things
wherever their wagons stopped: School houses, churches -- and
the America flag.
McKinley called South Dakota a "new and promising state."
And in your first 100 years, you've made good that promise.
You've built a good state, a good place to call home, a good
place to raise grain and livestock and barns, and a particularly
good place to raise families. Yours is a people that draws
strength and purpose from the land, sinking deep roots, feeding
your country and nurturing the dreams of your children.
And as a new century begins, South Dakota is also a good
place for forward-looking people, a place to invest in clean
technologies and the growing service industries.
3
South Dakota is one place that has never forgotten what made
America great: Pride. Hard work. Neighborliness. Self-
respect, and respect for others. And, as a visitor to Sioux
Falls wrote in 1814, "the spirit of the west is one of faith" --
faith in God, faith in country, and faith in one another.
Maybe you've heard the definition of "the real West" in the
old cowboy poem: "Out where the handclasp's a little stronger,
out where the smile lasts a little longer, that's where the West
begins.' " That's also where South Dakota begins: Still a place
where business is done with a handshake.
Two years after McKinley's visit to Sioux Falls, Teddy
Roosevelt became the youngest President in U.S. history, and the
only one this century to be enshrined at Mount Rushmore.
Everyone knows which four Presidents are found on the mountain.
Less well known is that each was chosen not to represent an
individual, but rather, to represent an American ideal.
Washington represents "freedom." Jefferson, "democracy."
Lincoln, for "equality." And Roosevelt, "conservation."
In the American galaxy of ideals, "conservation" is rarely
ranked up there alongside freedom, democracy, and equality. But
it is on Mount Rushmore, it is in South Dakota, and it's time
that tradition was rekindled everywhere.
Our stewardship of the Earth is brief. South Dakota sits
atop beds of oil and coal that, eons ago, were tropical swamps.
Above ground the landscape is cut by hills and valleys, shaped by
the huge sheets of ice that covered this land in a later age.
4
When the glaciers retreated they left behind a precious
resource: the rich, fertile soil of South Dakota. No one here
who witnessed the "black blizzards" of the 1930's Dust Bowl needs
to be told just how fragile that resource is, or how important it
is that we be responsible stewards of these gifts.
And what is true for our farmlands is also true for our
forests and rivers, for our oceans, and for the oceans of life-
giving air that cover this planet.
Earlier this year we introduced dramatic new proposals to
strengthen the Clean Air Act, calling for major reductions in
acid rain, urban smog, and other toxic emissions. And I said
then that our mission is not just to defend what's left -- but to
take the offense, to improve our environment across the board.
It's not enough to stop dirtying the air. We've got to
clean it up. And to help do that, we should remember the oldest,
cheapest, and most efficient air-purifier on Earth. Trees.
Nature has powerful rejuvenative forces. But we need to
help them along. We need to re-forest this bountiful land.
As the settlers here learned decades ago, planting trees can
greatly reduce erosion from wind and water, and, as we are
learning, tree planting can help clean the air by reducing carbon
dioxide.
For its centennial year, your sister state to the north has
pledged to plant 100 million new trees by the Year 2000. Well,
I've heard it said around Sioux Falls that anything North Dakota
can do, South Dakota can do better. [[PAUSE]] I challenge you
5
to come up with a pledge of your own -- to join the new greening
of America by foresting South Dakota with centennial trees.
of course, reforestation is only one part of our
comprehensive and sometimes highly technical proposals to clean
up America's air. But trees possess a value no high-tech
solution will ever match: trees can reduce the heat of a
summer's day, quiet a highway's noise, feed the hungry, provide
shelter from the wind and warmth in the winter. The forests are
the sanctuaries not only of wildlife, but also of the human
spirit. And every tree is a compact between generations.
The White House today is blessed by an elm planted by John
Quincy Adams, the southern magnolias of Andrew Jackson, and
Dwight Eisenhower's oaks. George Washington's home at Mount
Vernon is still shaded by a dozen trees planted by our first
President, a living link to our roots as a nation, and to the
giant whose face adorns the Black Hills of this state.
Of course, not every President is blessed with a green
thumb. Five months ago I planted an elm to mark North Dakota's
new campaign. It turned out to have some kind of disease.
[[PAUSE] So in the interest of public safety here in Sioux
Falls, they specifically asked me not to dedicate a building.
[[PAUSE]] So far, I'm having about as much luck planting as I
did fishing. [ [PAUSE]
Just as the government has a key responsibility in reducing
air pollution, the government can also act as a model and leader
in the greening of America. And it has: last year, federal
6
efforts planted 340,000 acres of new trees. But that's only
about the size of Lincoln County. Private efforts, families and
businesses planted eight times that number -- enough to blanket
an area almost the size of Connecticut. Clearly, the real
solution is at the grassroots level -- Americans joining together
to shade this land and clean our air -- a new spirit of activism
and volunteerism to serve each other and save our planet.
The paper here last month said that, today, there are
exactly 28,334 trees in the city of Sioux Falls. Now, first of
all, I'd like to meet the guy who counted that last 334.
[[PAUSE]] But seriously, a people that counts its trees so
carefully knows how to value them. Each one makes a difference.
And so can each one of you.
And as we commemorate the year South Dakota became a new
star in the American flag -- the American constellation -- I hope
every family in the state will become part of yet another
constellation -- the constellation we've called "A Thousand
Points of Light."
Because you in South Dakota know what it takes to plant a
tree. It doesn't take a federal program. It doesn't take a new
bureaucracy. And it sure doesn't take some fancy new study.
What it takes is a shovel.
It is a family project you can do in your own homes --
literally -- in your own back yards. We can cultivate good
character in our children by cultivating a cleaner environment.
We need to plant new hedgerows around croplands, new windbreaks
7
around our homes and towns. In the middle of this century, we
built the interstate highway system, the greatest ground
transportation network since Rome. Now let's make these
corridors beautiful, quieter, greener -- and cleaner.
On the plains of Texas, where Barbara and I raised our
children, the story is told of a pioneer tradition that said:
"Plant plums for yourself -- and pecans for your grandchildren."
A hundred years ago, some far-sighted Texas settlers planted
tiny pecan seedlings. It took hours of back-breaking work,
hauling water in the hot prairie sun. But pecan trees take many
years to mature -- and the settlers themselves would never live
to enjoy shade or food from the trees. It was called a
"grandchildren's grove. "
Other settlers wanted quick results. They planted fast-
growing plum trees. And, for a few years, they got good fruit.
But soon the soft bark split, sprouting tangled, barren plum
bushes. Instead of enjoying the protection of tall, stately
pecan trees, the grandchildren who followed were saddled with the
hardship of clearing a thicket.
It is planting time now for South Dakota -- for America --
and for all of spaceship Earth. The choices we make today can
either nurture and protect our children -- or bequeath them only
another generation of thickets and foul air.
Let us tap into the greatness of the American spirit. Let
us honor the pioneers who gave us this state by giving back to
generations yet to come. And 100 years from now, South Dakota
8
will still be a good place to raise children and cottonwood trees
and other precious living things.
Enjoy the celebration. Enjoy the autumn ahead. Good luck,
God bless you. And God bless America.
TRANSFER SHEET
BUSH PRESIDENTIAL MATERIALS PROJECT
COLLECTION BUSH PRESIDENTIAL RECORDS
ACC.NO: 93 - 01
OFFICE OF SPEECHWRITING
SPEECH FILE - DRAFTS
The following material was withdrawn from this segment of the
collection and trasferred to the
AUDIOVISUAL COLLECTION
BOOK COLLECTION
MUSEUM COLLECTION :
OTHER (SPECIFY: Computer
)
DESCRIPTION:
One Computer Diskette
SERIES
BOX NO.
Office of Speechwriting
Speech File - Drafts
30
FILE FOLDER TITLE:
South Dakota Centennial Celebration 9/18/89 [OA 3538] [1]
TRANSFERRED BY:
DATE OF TRANSFER:
GF
5/1/96
RECEIVED
BY:
DATE RECEIVED
5/1/96
REMARKS: SOUTH DAKOTA CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION
SIOUX FALLS ARENA
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1989, 11:15 A.M.
THANK YOU GOVERNOR MICKELSON FOR YOUR WARM
INTRODUCTION. THANK YOU, EVERYONE. [[PAUSE]]
GOOD MORNING SIOUX FALLS! [[PAUSE]]
AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY SOUTH DAKOTA! [[PAUSE]] DON'T
WORRY -- I'M NOT GOING TO TRY TO SING. [[PAUSE]]
- 2 -
AND THANKS TO THE YOUNG MEN OF THE MCCROSSAN Boys
RANCH FOR THE RIDE IN HERE. APPARENTLY WHEN TEDDY
ROOSEVELT CAME TO SIOUX FALLS, THEY CALLED THAT WAGON
"BUCKBOARD ONE."
AND IT'S ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO SEE MY OLD FRIEND
BILL JANKLOW, AS WELL AS YOUR GREAT SENATOR - LARRY
PRESSLER AND ONE OF HIS COLLEAGUES AND YOUR MONTANA
NEIGHBOR - SENATOR CONRAD BURNS.
- 3 -
CONGRATULATIONS, TOO TO TEACHER OF THE YEAR LINDA
HILLESTAD, AND A COUPLE OF AMAZING SOUTH DAKOTONS CLYDE
ICE AND NELLIE HARBERTS.
WE'D ALSO LIKE TO SAY HELLO TO BEN REIFEL. I HAD
THE PRIVILEGE OF SERVING IN CONGRESS WITH BEN -- A
NATIVE AMERICAN WHO DEVOTED HIS WHOLE LIFE To PUBLIC
SERVICE. AND TOMORROW IS HIS 83RD BIRTHDAY -- HAPPY
BIRTHDAY, BEN! [[PAUSE]]
- 4 -
You KNOW, YEARS AGO -- WHEN I FIRST STARTED
THINKING ABOUT RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT -- I WENT OUT FOR
A LONG DRIVE OUTSIDE WASHINGTON, TO THINK IT OVER
ALONE, HOPING I'D BE SENT A SIGN TO HELP ME DECIDE.
SURE ENOUGH, A SIGN APPEARED. IT SAID: "ONLY 2,000
MILES TO WALL DRUG." [[PAUSE]]
- 5 -
IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE BACK WITH YOU IN SOUTH
DAKOTA, HOME OF SOME OF NATURE'S MOST WONDERFUL
CREATIONS: THE AMERICAN BUFFALO, THE ANTELOPE, THE
PRAIRIE DOG, THE JACK RABBIT. THE ONLY THING MISSING - -
- THE SILVER Fox. [[PAUSE]]
BARBARA WANTED TO BE HERE, BUT SHE'S IN AMARILLO
THIS MORNING, AT CAL FARLEY'S Boys RANCH -- A PLACE A
LOT LIKE THE MCCROSSAN RANCH HERE.
- 6 -
AND I KNOW THAT, LIKE ME, BARBARA'S GOING TO BE VERY
INTERESTED IN READING THE ESSAYS THAT THESE TERRIFIC
SOUTH DAKOTA KIDS HAVE PUT TOGETHER FOR US. WITH
TALENTED KIDS LIKE THESE TODAY, SOUTH DAKOTA CAN LOOK
FORWARD TO A GREAT SECOND CENTURY -- AND AMERICA CAN
LOOK FORWARD TO A GREAT TOMORROW. [[PAUSE]]
- 7 -
BEFORE THE TURN OF THE CENTURY, WHEN YOUR STATE WAS
NOT YET 10 YEARS OLD, A FORMER OHTo CONGRESSMAN WHO HAD
FOUGHT FOR STATEHOOD CAME HERE TO GREET THE RETURNING
HEROES OF THE SPANISH AMERICAN WAR -- SOUTH DAKOTA
VOLUNTEERS FAMOUS THROUGHOUT AMERICA FOR REFUSING TO
ABANDON THEIR DECIMATED RANKS UNTIL REPLACEMENTS COULD
BE SHIPPED TO THE PHILIPPINES.
- 8 -
THE EX-CONGRESSMAN WAS PRESIDENT MCKINLEY, WHO
PRAISED SOUTH DAKOTA'S EARLY PIONEERS FOR ALWAYS
SETTING UP THREE THINGS WHEREVER THEIR WAGONS STOPPED:
SCHOOL HOUSES, CHURCHES -- AND THE AMERICA FLAG.
MCKINLEY CALLED SOUTH DAKOTA A "NEW AND PROMISING
STATE." AND IN YOUR FIRST 100 YEARS, YOU'VE MADE GOOD
THAT PROMISE.
- 9 -
YOU'VE BUILT A GOOD STATE, A GOOD PLACE TO CALL HOME, A
GOOD PLACE TO RAISE GRAIN AND LIVESTOCK AND BARNS, AND
A PARTICULARLY GOOD PLACE TO RAISE FAMILIES. YOURS IS
A PEOPLE THAT DRAWS STRENGTH AND PURPOSE FROM THE LAND,
SINKING DEEP ROOTS, FEEDING YOUR COUNTRY AND NURTURING
THE DREAMS OF YOUR CHILDREN.
- 10 -
AND AS A NEW CENTURY BEGINS, SOUTH DAKOTA IS ALSO A
GOOD PLACE FOR FORWARD-LOOKING PEOPLE, A PLACE TO
INVEST IN CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES AND THE GROWING SERVICE
INDUSTRIES.
- 11 -
SOUTH DAKOTA IS ONE PLACE THAT HAS NEVER FORGOTTEN
WHAT MADE AMERICA GREAT: PRIDE. HARD WORK.
NEIGHBORLINESS. SELF-RESPECT, AND RESPECT FOR OTHERS.
AND, AS A VISITOR TO SIOUX FALLS WROTE IN 1814, "THE
SPIRIT OF THE WEST IS ONE OF FAITH" -- FAITH IN GOD,
FAITH IN COUNTRY, AND FAITH IN ONE ANOTHER.
- 12 - -
MAYBE YOU'VE HEARD THE DEFINITION OF "THE REAL
WEST" IN THE OLD COWBOY POEM: "OUT WHERE THE
HANDCLASP'S A LITTLE STRONGER, OUT WHERE THE SMILE
LASTS A LITTLE LONGER, THAT'S WHERE THE WEST BEGINS."
THAT'S ALSO WHERE SOUTH DAKOTA BEGINS: STILL A PLACE
WHERE BUSINESS IS DONE WITH A HANDSHAKE.
- 13 -
Two YEARS AFTER MCKINLEY'S VISIT TO SIOUX FALLS,
TEDDY ROOSEVELT BECAME THE YOUNGEST PRESIDENT IN U.S.
HISTORY, AND THE ONLY ONE THIS CENTURY TO BE ENSHRINED
AT MOUNT RUSHMORE. EVERYONE KNOWS WHICH FOUR
PRESIDENTS ARE FOUND ON THE MOUNTAIN.
- 14 -
LESS WELL KNOWN IS THAT EACH WAS CHOSEN NOT TO
REPRESENT AN INDIVIDUAL, BUT RATHER, TO REPRESENT AN
AMERICAN IDEAL.
WASHINGTON REPRESENTS "FREEDOM."
JEFFERSON, "DEMOCRACY." LINCOLN, FOR "EQUALITY." AND
ROOSEVELT, "CONSERVATION."
IN THE AMERICAN GALAXY OF IDEALS, "CONSERVATION" IS
RARELY RANKED UP THERE ALONGSIDE FREEDOM, DEMOCRACY,
AND EQUALITY.
- 15 -
BUT IT IS ON MOUNT RUSHMORE, IT IS IN SOUTH DAKOTA, AND
IT'S TIME THAT TRADITION WAS REKINDLED EVERYWHERE.
OUR STEWARDSHIP OF THE EARTH IS BRIEF. SOUTH
DAKOTA SITS ATOP BEDS OF OIL AND COAL THAT, EONS AGO,
WERE TROPICAL SWAMPS. ABOVE GROUND THE LANDSCAPE IS
CUT BY HILLS AND VALLEYS, SHAPED BY THE HUGE SHEETS OF
ICE THAT COVERED THIS LAND IN A LATER AGE.
- 16 -
WHEN THE GLACIERS RETREATED THEY LEFT BEHIND A PRECIOUS
RESOURCE: THE RICH, FERTILE SOIL OF SOUTH DAKOTA. No
ONE HERE WHO WITNESSED THE "BLACK BLIZZARDS" OF THE
1930's DUST BOWL NEEDS TO BE TOLD JUST HOW FRAGILE THAT
RESOURCE IS, OR HOW IMPORTANT IT IS THAT WE BE
RESPONSIBLE STEWARDS OF THESE GIFTS.
AND WHAT IS TRUE FOR OUR FARMLANDS IS ALSO TRUE FOR
OUR FORESTS AND RIVERS, FOR OUR OCEANS, AND FOR THE
OCEANS OF LIFE-GIVING AIR THAT COVER THIS PLANET.
- 17 -
EARLIER THIS YEAR WE INTRODUCED DRAMATIC NEW
PROPOSALS TO STRENGTHEN THE CLEAN AIR AcT, CALLING FOR
MAJOR REDUCTIONS IN ACID RAIN, URBAN SMOG, AND OTHER
TOXIC EMISSIONS. AND I SAID THEN THAT OUR MISSION IS
NOT JUST TO DEFEND WHAT'S LEFT -- BUT TO TAKE THE
OFFENSE, TO IMPROVE OUR ENVIRONMENT ACROSS THE BOARD.
- 18 -
IT'S NOT ENOUGH TO STOP DIRTYING THE AIR. WE'VE
GOT TO CLEAN IT UP. AND TO HELP DO THAT, WE SHOULD
REMEMBER THE OLDEST, CHEAPEST, AND MOST EFFICIENT AIR-
PURIFIER ON EARTH. TREES.
NATURE HAS POWERFUL REJUVENATIVE FORCES. BUT WE
NEED TO HELP THEM ALONG. WE NEED TO RE-FOREST THIS
BOUNTIFUL LAND.
- 19 -
As THE SETTLERS HERE LEARNED DECADES AGO, PLANTING
TREES CAN GREATLY REDUCE EROSION FROM WIND AND WATER,
AND, AS WE ARE LEARNING, TREE PLANTING CAN HELP CLEAN
THE AIR BY REDUCING CARBON DIOXIDE.
FOR ITS CENTENNIAL YEAR, YOUR SISTER STATE TO THE
NORTH HAS PLEDGED TO PLANT 100 MILLION NEW TREES BY THE
YEAR 2000. WELL, I'VE HEARD IT SAID AROUND SIOUX FALLS
THAT ANYTHING NORTH DAKOTA CAN DO, SOUTH DAKOTA CAN DO
BETTER. [[PAUSE]]
- 20 -
I CHALLENGE YOU TO COME UP WITH A PLEDGE OF YOUR OWN --
TO JOIN THE NEW GREENING OF AMERICA BY FORESTING SOUTH
DAKOTA WITH CENTENNIAL TREES.
- 21 -
OF COURSE, REFORESTATION IS ONLY ONE PART OF OUR
COMPREHENSIVE AND SOMETIMES HIGHLY TECHNICAL PROPOSALS
TO CLEAN UP AMERICA'S AIR. BUT TREES POSSESS A VALUE
NO HIGH-TECH SOLUTION WILL EVER MATCH: TREES CAN
REDUCE THE HEAT OF A SUMMER'S DAY, QUIET A HIGHWAY'S
NOISE, FEED THE HUNGRY, PROVIDE SHELTER FROM THE WIND
AND WARMTH IN THE WINTER.
- 22 -
THE FORESTS ARE THE SANCTUARIES NOT ONLY OF WILDLIFE,
BUT ALSO OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT. AND EVERY TREE IS A
COMPACT BETWEEN GENERATIONS.
THE WHITE HOUSE TODAY IS BLESSED BY AN ELM PLANTED
BY JOHN QUINCY ADAMS, THE SOUTHERN MAGNOLIAS OF ANDREW
JACKSON, AND DWIGHT EISENHOWER'S OAKS.
- 23 -
GEORGE WASHINGTON'S HOME AT MOUNT VERNON IS STILL
SHADED BY A DOZEN TREES PLANTED BY OUR FIRST PRESIDENT,
A LIVING LINK TO OUR ROOTS AS A NATION, AND TO THE
GIANT WHOSE FACE ADORNS THE BLACK HILLS OF THIS STATE.
OF COURSE, NOT EVERY PRESIDENT IS BLESSED WITH A
GREEN THUMB. FIVE MONTHS AGO I PLANTED AN ELM TO MARK
NORTH DAKOTA'S NEW CAMPAIGN. IT TURNED OUT TO HAVE
SOME KIND OF DISEASE. [[PAUSE]]
- 24 - -
So IN THE INTEREST OF PUBLIC SAFETY HERE IN SIOUX
FALLS, THEY SPECIFICALLY ASKED ME NOT TO DEDICATE A
BUILDING. [[PAUSE]] So FAR, I'M HAVING ABOUT AS MUCH
LUCK PLANTING AS I DID FISHING. [[PAUSE]]
JUST AS THE GOVERNMENT HAS A KEY RESPONSIBILITY IN
REDUCING AIR POLLUTION, THE GOVERNMENT CAN ALSO ACT AS
A MODEL AND LEADER IN THE GREENING OF AMERICA. AND IT
HAS: LAST YEAR, FEDERAL EFFORTS PLANTED 340,000 ACRES
OF NEW TREES.
- 25 -
BUT THAT'S ONLY ABOUT THE SIZE OF LINCOLN COUNTY.
PRIVATE EFFORTS, FAMILIES AND BUSINESSES PLANTED EIGHT
TIMES THAT NUMBER -- ENOUGH TO BLANKET AN AREA ALMOST
THE SIZE OF CONNECTICUT. CLEARLY, THE REAL SOLUTION IS
AT THE GRASSROOTS LEVEL -- AMERICANS JOINING TOGETHER
TO SHADE THIS LAND AND CLEAN OUR AIR -- A NEW SPIRIT OF
ACTIVISM AND VOLUNTEERISM TO SERVE EACH OTHER AND SAVE
OUR PLANET.
- 26 -
THE PAPER HERE LAST MONTH SAID THAT, TODAY, THERE
ARE EXACTLY 28,334 TREES IN THE CITY OF SIOUX FALLS.
Now, FIRST OF ALL, I'D LIKE TO MEET THE GUY WHO COUNTED
THAT LAST 334. [[PAUSE]] BUT SERIOUSLY, A PEOPLE THAT
COUNTS ITS TREES so CAREFULLY KNOWS HOW TO VALUE THEM.
EACH ONE MAKES A DIFFERENCE. AND SO CAN EACH ONE OF
YOU.
- 27 -
AND AS WE COMMEMORATE THE YEAR SOUTH DAKOTA BECAME
A NEW STAR IN THE AMERICAN FLAG -- THE AMERICAN
CONSTELLATION -- I HOPE EVERY FAMILY IN THE STATE WILL
BECOME PART OF YET ANOTHER CONSTELLATION -- THE
CONSTELLATION WE'VE CALLED "A THOUSAND POINTS OF
LIGHT."
BECAUSE YOU IN SOUTH DAKOTA KNOW WHAT IT TAKES TO
PLANT A TREE. IT DOESN'T TAKE A FEDERAL PROGRAM. IT
DOESN'T TAKE A NEW BUREAUCRACY.
- 28 -
AND IT SURE DOESN'T TAKE SOME FANCY NEW STUDY. WHAT IT
TAKES IS A SHOVEL.
IT IS A FAMILY PROJECT YOU CAN DO IN YOUR OWN HOMES
-- LITERALLY -- IN YOUR OWN BACK YARDS. WE CAN
CULTIVATE GOOD CHARACTER IN OUR CHILDREN BY CULTIVATING
A CLEANER ENVIRONMENT. WE NEED TO PLANT NEW HEDGEROWS
AROUND CROPLANDS, NEW WINDBREAKS AROUND OUR HOMES AND
TOWNS.
- 29 -
IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS CENTURY, WE BUILT THE INTERSTATE
HIGHWAY SYSTEM, THE GREATEST GROUND TRANSPORTATION
NETWORK SINCE ROME. Now LET'S MAKE THESE CORRIDORS
BEAUTIFUL, QUIETER, GREENER -- AND CLEANER.
ON THE PLAINS OF TEXAS, WHERE BARBARA AND I RAISED
OUR CHILDREN, THE STORY IS TOLD OF A PIONEER TRADITION
THAT SAID: "PLANT PLUMS FOR YOURSELF -- AND PECANS FOR
YOUR GRANDCHILDREN."
- 30 -
J
A HUNDRED YEARS AGO, SOME FAR-SIGHTED TEXAS
SETTLERS PLANTED TINY PECAN SEEDLINGS. IT TooK HOURS
OF BACK-BREAKING WORK, HAULING WATER IN THE HOT PRAIRIE
SUN. BUT PECAN TREES TAKE MANY YEARS TO MATURE -- AND
THE SETTLERS THEMSELVES WOULD NEVER LIVE To ENJOY SHADE
OR FOOD FROM THE TREES. IT WAS CALLED A
"GRANDCHILDREN'S GROVE."
- 31 -
OTHER SETTLERS WANTED QUICK RESULTS. THEY PLANTED
FAST-GROWING PLUM TREES. AND, FOR A FEW YEARS, THEY
GOT GOOD FRUIT. BUT SOON THE SOFT BARK SPLIT,
SPROUTING TANGLED, BARREN PLUM BUSHES. INSTEAD OF
ENJOYING THE PROTECTION OF TALL, STATELY PECAN TREES,
THE GRANDCHILDREN WHO FOLLOWED WERE SADDLED WITH THE
HARDSHIP OF CLEARING A THICKET.
- 32 -
IT IS PLANTING TIME NOW FOR SOUTH DAKOTA -- FOR
AMERICA --AND FOR ALL OF SPACESHIP EARTH. THE CHOICES
WE MAKE TODAY CAN EITHER NURTURE AND PROTECT OUR
CHILDREN -- OR BEQUEATH THEM ONLY ANOTHER GENERATION OF
THICKETS AND FOUL AIR.
- 33 -
LET US TAP INTO THE GREATNESS OF THE AMERICAN
SPIRIT. LET US HONOR THE PIONEERS WHO GAVE US THIS
STATE BY GIVING BACK TO GENERATIONS YET TO COME. AND
100 YEARS FROM NOW, SOUTH DAKOTA WILL STILL BE A GOOD
PLACE TO RAISE CHILDREN AND COTTONWOOD TREES AND OTHER
PRECIOUS LIVING THINGS.
ENJOY THE CELEBRATION. ENJOY THE AUTUMN AHEAD.
GOOD LUCK, GOD BLESS YOU. AND GOD BLESS AMERICA.
#
#
#