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Flint, MI, March 21, 1955
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4525720
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Flint, MI, March 21, 1955
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Gerald R. Ford Congressional Papers
Speeches
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1955
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The original documents are located in Box D14, folder "Flint, MI, March 21, 1955" of the
Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford
Presidential Library.
Copyright Notice
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of
photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. The Council donated to the United
States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.
Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public
domain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to
remain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid
copyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Digitized from Box D14 of The Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
Liucoln Day openh introduction
Flirt, Nuclugan. - March 21, 1955
Thank you, Mr. Chairman,
I am truly pleased to be here this evening. but am
at a loss to know why you folks want another Ford in Flint. From
what I read in the papers, the Fords and the Chevrolets are
battling it out to the bitter end, with a split decision based
on different ground rules. Your speaker this evening is not the
only member of the Congress whose name by chance is identified
with one of America's great industries. According to the Congres-
sional Directory you might have brought in a Frazier from Tennessee.
Or if you wanted the heavy weights, there are the two Macks,
Peter and Russell from Illinois and Washington. But I'm just a
Ford from Grand Rapids. or course, my city does build some Fisher
bodies which, if I remember correctly, help to improve a General
Motors product.
The 10,000 employees and the three GM plants may be
the reason Grand Rapids has been able to retain its long standing
distinction as Michigan's second city. Now I have no intention of
entering into a dispute carried on recently by the Flint Journal
and the Grand Rapids Press as to which city is the more populous.
But the latest official report of the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce
puts us ahead of you by 14,000 souls. But more startling is the
fact that Grand Rapids pumps on the average 9 million gallons of
FORD i LIBRARY GERALD
Page 2
water per day more than does your city. That may make us thirstier
but not watter, I hope. or course I don't know what the Flint
felks drink, and pass no judgment on your taste or rate of
consumption. Nevertheless we like you just the same.
I was troubled just a bit though to read in Bill Pyper's
column column recently that the names of neither of our cities
were changed by the Communists in the Great Soviet Encyclopedia.
While Bay City became Bei-Siti, Grand Rapids was merely hyphenated
and Flint remained just plain Flint. I don't know if they were
trying to ignore us, or if they just couldn't socialize these two
great industrial centers of Michigan.
In either case we are proud of our achievements in
the industrial world, of our men of labor, and our men of management.
We share this common pride tonight.
GERALD FORD