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    "title": "Sigma Delta Chi, Columbus, OH, April 3, 1965",
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    "ocrText": "The original documents are located in Box D19, folder \"Sigma Delta Chi, Columbus, OH,\nApril 3, 1965\" of the Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the\nGerald R. Ford Presidential Library.\nCopyright Notice\nThe copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of\nphotocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. The Council donated to the United\nStates of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.\nWorks prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public\ndomain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to\nremain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid\ncopyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.\nDigitized from Box D17 of The Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library\nSpeech by Rep. Gerald R. Ford (R-Mich)\nSIGMA DELTA CHI Columbus, Ohio April 3, 1965\nThose of you who are concerned with the more obscure political\nhappenings in Washington may r ecall that I was elected Minority Leader\nof the House by a landslide vote of 73 to 67.\nThis triumph and the use of that word may be the over-statement of\nthe year\nshows that all you need is an allegation of virtue, a moderate\namount of hard work, and lots of luck.\nThe overwhelming mandate I received in January, and the unbroken\nrecord of successes since then, encourage me to appear before you tonight\nas an authority\non the problems of the oppressed minorities.\nAs was said two thousand years ago \"Where the carcass is, there\nwill the eagles gather together.' I am certain none of you are eagles.\nYou see, football is really my first love. I am a politican\nonly because of the job security!\nBut since Michigan wallopped Oregon State in the Rose Nowl by\n27 points, and, three days later Ford beat his opponent by only 6 points,\nperhaps I chose the wrong profession.\nFORDO & LIBRARY GERALD\nI have often wondered where I would now be if I had accepted Curly\nmore\nSigma Delta Chi\n-2-\nPackers\nLambeau's offer in 1934 to play fro ball with the Green Bay\nperhaps on the Supreme Court.\nParts. takez look at the new direction of the Republican\nIt's true that the new House Republican leadership hasn't won any\nspectacular legislative successes. This has been appropriately noted by\nsome\nBut we never campaigned on a platform that we could\ndouble our numbers and slice the opposition in half before November 1966 by\nsome strange sleight of hand or magic potion.\nAs you may know, the numbers on each side of the aisle in the House\nhave remained the same since November third--140 Republicans to 294 Democrats.\nThe odds are rough. But, to coin a phrase\nwith a little different twist\n\"we shall overcome.\"\nYou in your profession and those of us in my profession face the\nsame powerhouse but in a different way.\nThe White House and all its talented troops try to spoon-feed the\nnews media\nand they try to clobber us. The President has virtually unlimited\nresources working his will---- a veritable army of experts, authorities,\nresearchers, propagandists and the like.\nLIDRARY\nHe is also king pin of a branch of government that employes 21/2 million\ncivilians and controls the destinty of 2 million 600 thousand military personnel.\nmore\nSigma Delta Chi\n-2-\nPackers\nLambeau's offer in 1934 to play fro ball with the Green Bay\nperhaps on the Supreme Court.\nParts. tabs takez look ot the new direction of the Republican\nIt's true that the new House Republican leadership hasn't won any\nspectacular legislative successes. This has been appropriately noted by\nsome\nBut we never campaigned on a platform that we could\ndouble our numbers and slice the opposition in half before November 1966 by\nsome strange sleight of hand or magic potion.\nAs you may know, the numbers on each side of the aisle in the House\nhave remained the same since November third---140 Republicans to 294 Democrats.\nThe odds are rough. But, to coin a phrase with a little different twist\n\"we shall overcome.'\nYou in your profession and those of us in my profession face the\nsame powerhouse but in a different way.\nThe White House and all its talented troops try to spoon-feed the\nnews media\nand they try to clobber us. The President has virtually unlimited\nresources working his will a veritable army of experts, authorities,\nresearchers, propagandists and the like.\nGERALD\nHe is also king pin of a branch of government that employes 2½ million\ncivilians and controls the destinty of 2 million 600 thousand military personnel.\nmore\nSigmaDelta Chi\n-3-\nThese two groups have a payroll cost totalling $28 billion. and together\nthey will spend more than 127 billion tax dollars in fiscal 1966. I\nwish Republicans had this kind of a campaign fund!\nThis awesome power and the vast apparatus, if used improperly, could\nmean the withering away and eventually the death of the two-party system.\nthere is nothing constitutionally ordained about running our\ngovernment through two great political parties.\nllmost from the start our nation made such a choice, however.\nIt was a wise decision. We avoided the chaos of a multi-party government.\nWe avoided the loss of freedom of the single-party system. And we built into\ngovernment an additional set of checks and balances.\nNot only does a strong second party provide the electorate with\nlegislative alternatives, but also with a remarkably high level of\nhonesty and frankness.\nThe American news media has a noble tradition in demanding the facts,\nburtsing the bubble of propaganda, unstuffing the shirt and exposing the\ncorrupt.\nmore-\n1\nSigma Delta Chi\n4-\nYou of the journalistic profession can perform your job\nbetter if the relative strengths of our two parties are more nearly\nin balance and not so far out of kilter.\nWhen both the Executive and Legislative branches are dominated\nby the same political party, the Committees on government operations\nof the House and Senate which have broad investigating authority\nshould be under the control of the minority party. It smacks of\nlegalized collusion when we find the suspect and the District Attorney\nare blood relatives.\nTo make the Federal government function better, to help\nyou get the facts, Republicans in Congress believe this new idea would\nbe a step in the right difection.\nBy giving the minority party control of the two committees\nwith their sweeping authority to investigate\nthe majority party\nwould be constantly on notice that its actions or inactions were\nsubject to effective and critical review. The American people deserve\nthis kind of protection. an assurance that political righteousness\nof ALD FORD\nprevails in high places.\nmore\nSigmaDelta Chi\n-5-\nBy assuring in this way that the voice of the minority party is\nheard, there would be small chance that any cover-up or wrong-doing\nwould escape notice.\nThe news media would have the responsibility to objectively report\nthe work of the Committees on Government Operations of the House and\nSenate with the minority perty controlling the investigating authority.\nIt is safe to speculate, for example, that with such a set-up\nthere would be more public confidence that the real Bobby Baker story had\nbeen told.\nThe Democrats certainly have us overwhelmed numerically in\nCongress. We could throw up our hands and say \"what's the use?\" That's no\nanswer for the American people, for you or for ourselves. Fortunately,\nthere is a constructive ferment right now in the Republican Party.\nWe have already made some reorganization of our internal machinery.\n*he Research and Planning Committee is working on long-range policy.\nWe are creatin special task forces on major substantive in such rapid\nsuccession that one observer said we are setting up an \"anti-poverty\nprogram for Republican intellectuals.\"\n-more\nSigma Delta Chi\n-6-\nThe current, day-to-day legislative problems are dealt with\nby a policy committee, which is on the firing line often and long these\ndays.\nOn the basis of simple arithmetic, the Administration can slam-bang\nthrough just about anything it wants in this Congress, particularly by\ntwisting a few arms as it did in the Nasser victory on an appropriation\nbill a few weeks ago.\nNevertheless, we will win on some issues in this Congress. More\nimportantly, Republicans will build a record for a substantially stronger\nrepresentation after November 8, 1966.\nOur Republican strategy in the house will be diversified.\nWe'll be most grateful for any Democratic support, ****h North or South.\nTo compete with the administration we will offer:\n1. Opposition to Administration aims and methods whenwe think\nboth are wrong; but never obstructionism just for its own sake.\n2. Constructive alternatives to dministration S chemes when we\nfeel they are tackling the right problems, at home and abroad,\nin the wrong way.\nmore\nSigma Delta Chi\n-7-\n3. Workable programs, developed through task forces, to meet\nany problems the Administration is ignoring, neglecting or\nsidetracking. By the way, we refuse to concede that Democrats\nhave a monopoly on ideas for the solution of domestic or\nforeign difficulties.\n4. Wholehearted support for the President when we think he is\nright. Viet-Nam policy in the last few weeks is the prime\nexample. More and more Republicans have staunchly backed the\nPresident while more and more Democrats have changed their\ntune to favor immediate negotiation and a tail-between-our-legs\nwithdrawal.\nmore\nFORD :- LIBRAR CERALD j\nSpeech by Rep. Gerald R. Ford (R-Mich)\nSIGMA DELTA CHI Columbus, Ohio April 3, 1965\nThose of you who are concerned with the more obscure political\nhappenings in Washington may r ecall that I was elected Minority Leader\nof the House by a landslide vote of 73 to 67.\nThis triumpho end the use of that word may be the over-statement of\nthe year shows that all you need is an allegation of virtue, a moderate\namount of hard work, and lots of luck.\nThe overwhelming mandate I received in January, and the unbroken\nrecord of successes since then, encourage me to appear before you tonight\nas an authority on the problems of the oppressed minorities.\nAs was said two thousand years ago--- \"Where the carcass is, there\nwill the eagles gather together.\" I am certain none of you are eagles.\nYou see, football is really my first love. I am a politican\nonly because of the Job security!\nBut since Michigan wallopped Oregon State in the Rose Nowl by\n27 points, and, three days later Ford best his opponent by only 6 points,\nperhaps I chose the wrong profession.\nRALD\nI have often wondered where I would now be if I had accepted Curly\nSigma Delta Chi\n-2-\nPackers-------\nLambeau's offer in 1934 to play fro ball with the Green By\nperhaps on the Supreme Court.\nIt's true that the new House Republican leadership hasn't won any\nspectacular legislative successes. This has been appropriately noted by\nsome reporters. But we never campaigned on a platform that we could\ndouble our numbers and slice the opposition in half before November 1966 by\nsome strange sleight of hand or magic potion.\nAs you may know, the numbers on each side of the aisle in the House\nhave remained the same since November third--140 Republicans to 294 Democrats.\nThe odds are rough. But, to coin a phrase with a little different twist---\n\"we shall overcome.\"\nYou in your profession and those of us in my profession face the\nsame powerhouse but in a a different way.\nThe White House and all its talented troops try to spoon-feed the\nnews media-------------------- they try to clobber us. The President has virtually unlimited\nresources working his will---- a veritable army of experts, authorities,\nFORD & OERALD LIBRARY\nresearchers, propagandists and the like.\nHe is also king pin of a branch of government that employes 21 million\nand controls the destintv of 2 million 600 thousand military personnel.\nSigmaDelta Chi\n-3-\nThese two groups have a payroll cost totalling $28 billion....and together\nthey will spend more than 127 billion tax dollars in fiscal 1966. I\nwish Republicans had this kind of a campaign funds\nThis awesome power and the vast apparatus, if used improperly, could\nmean the withering away and eventually the death of the two-party system.\n*here is nothing constitutionally ordained about running our\ngovernment through two great political parties.\nAlmost from the start our nation made such a choice, however.\nIt was a wise decision. We avoided the chaos of a multi-party government.\nWe avoided the loss of freedom of the single-party system. And we built into\ngovernment an additional set of checks and balances.\nNot only does a strong second party provide the electorate with\nlegislative alternatives, but also with a remarkably high level of\nhonesty and frankness.\nThe American news media has a noble tradition in demanding the facts,\nburtsing the bubble of propaganda, unstuffing the shirt and exposing the\ncorrupt.\nmore-\nGERALO FORD LIBRARY\nSigma Delta Chi\n-4-\nYou of the journalistic profession can perform your job\nbetter if the relative strengths of our two parties are more nearly\nin balance and not so far out of kilter.\nWhen both the Executive and Legislative branches are dominated\nby the same political party, the Committees on government operations\nof the House and Senate---which have broad investigating authority--\nshould be under the control of the minority party. It smacks of\nlegalized collusion when we find the suspect and the District Attorney\nare blood relatives.\nTo make the Federal government function better, to help\nyou get the facts, Republicans in Congress believe this new idea would\nbe a step in the right difection.\nBy giving the minority party control of the two committees\nwith their sweeping authority to investigate- the majority party\nwould be constantly on notice that its actions or inactions were\nsubject to effective and critical review. The American people deserve ORD\nOTV\nthis kind of protection. assurance that political righteousness\nLIBRARY\nprevails in high places.\nmore\nSigma Delta Chi\n-4-\nYou of the journalistic profession can perform your job\nbetter if the relative strengths of our two parties are more nearly\nin balance and not so far out of kilter.\nWhen both the Executive and Legislative branches are dominated\nby the same political party, the Committees on government operations\nof the House and Senate--which have broad investigating authority-\nshould be under the control of the minority party. It smacks of\nlegalized collusion when we find the suspect and the District Attorney\nare blood relatives.\nTo make the Federal government function better, to help\nyou get the facts, Republicans in Congress believe this new idea would\nbe a step in the right difection.\nBy giving the minority party control of the two committees\nwith their sweeping authority to investigate the majority party\nwould be constantly on notice that its actions or inactions were\nsubject to effective and critical review. The American people deserve ORD\nALD\nthis kind of protection.\nassurance that political righteousness\nLIBRARY\nprevails in high places.\nmore\nSigmaDelta Chi\n5-\nBy assuring in this way that the voice of the minority party is\nheard, there would be small chance that any cover-up or wrong-doing\nwould escape notice.\nThe news media would have the responsibility to objectively report\nthe work of the Committees on Government Operations of the House and\nSenate with the minority party controlling the investigating authority.\nIt is safe to speculate, for exemple, that with such a set-up\nthere would be more public confidence that the real Bobby Baker story had\nbeen told.\nThe Democrats certainly have us overwhelmed numerically in\nCongress. We could throw up our hands and say \"what's the use?\" That's no\nanswer for the American people, for you or for ourselves. Fortunately,\nthere is a constructive ferment right now in the Republican Party.\nWe have already made some reorganization of our internal machinery.\nthe Research and Flamning Committee is working on long-range policy.\nWe are creating special task forces on major substantive in such rapid\nsuccession that one observer said we are setting up an \"anti-poverty\nFORD & LIBRARY GERALD\nprogram for Republican intellectuals.\"\n-more\nSigma Delta Chi\n-6-\nThe current, day-t@-day legislative problems are dealt with\nby a policy committee, which is on the firing line often and long these\ndays.\nOn the basis of simple arithmetic, the Administration can slam-bang\nthrough just about anything it wants in this Congress, particularly by\ntwisting 3 few arms as it did in the Nasser victory on an appropriation\nbill a few weeks ago.\nNevertheless, we will win on some issues in this Congress. More\nimportantly, Republicans will build a record for a substantially stronger\nrepresentation after November 8, 1966.\nOur Republican strategy in the house will be diversified.\nWe'll be most grateful for any Democratic support, Nroth North or South.\nTo compete with the administration we will offers\n1. Opposition to Administration aims and methods when we think\nboth are wrong; but never obstructionism just for its own sake.\n2. Constructive alternatives to Administration S chemes when we\nFORD\nfeel they are tackling the right problems, at home and abroad,\nGERA\nLIBRARY\nin the wrong way.\nmore\nSigma Delta Chi\n-7-\n3. Workable programs, developed through task forces, to meet\nany problems the Administration is ignoring, neglecting or\nsidetracking. By the way, we refuse to concede that Democrate\nhave a monopoly on ideas for the solution of domestic or\nforeign difficulties.\n4. Wholehearted support for the President when we think he is\nright. Viet-Nam policy in the last few weeks is the prime\nexemple. More and more Republicans have staunchly backed the\nPresident while more and more Democrats have changed their\ntune to favor immediate negotiation and a tail-between-our-legs\nwithdrawal.\nmore\nFORM LIBRARY GERALD RAR\nSigna Delta Chi\n-7-\n3. Workable programs, developed through task forces, to meet\nany problems the Administration is ignoring, neglecting or\nsidetracking. By the way, we refuse to concede that Democrate\nhave a monopoly on ideas for the solution of domestic or\nforeign difficulties.\n4. Wholehearted support for the President when we think he is\nright. Viet-Nam policy in the last few weeks is the prime\nexemple. More and more Republicans have staunchly backed the\nPresident while more and more Democrats have changed their\ntune to favor immediate negotiation and a tail-between-our-legs\nwithdrawal.\nmore\nGERALD LISANA\n+\nSpeech by Rep. Gerald R. Ford\nyou were ohio\nSIGMA DELTA CHI\nColumbus, Ohio\nthe\npetri April 3, 1965\nSam\n?\nFOR RELEASE ON DELIVERY\nAT 8 p.m. EST., April 3, 1965\nJim Rhodeo clarence Brown\nThose of you who are concerned with the more obscure political\nhappenings in Washington may recall that I was elected Minority Leader of\nthe House not so long ago by a landslide vote of 73 to 67.\nSome have described this as a triumph. Others say I have a shaky\nmandate. Whatever name is tagged on this political victory, it shows\nthat all you need is an allegation of virtue, a moderate amount of hard\nwork and lots of luck.\nAt this point I suspect my goodfriend Senator Everett McKinley Dirsken\nmight caution me that the oil can is mightier than the sword.\nIn any event, the skyrocketing victory or the nervous triumph- I\nachieved in January, and the unbroken record of successes since then, have\nencouraged me to appear here tonight as an authority\non the problems\nGERAL FORD VIBRARY\nof the oppressed minorities.\n-more-\n+\nSpeech by Rep. Gerald R. Ford\nApril you 3, were 1965 Ohio The\nSIGMA DELTA CHI\nColumbus, Ohio\nDeVictorate\nthe\nSam\n?\nFOR RELEASE ON DELIVERY\nAT 8 p.m. EST., April 3, 1965\nJim clarence Rhodes Brnn\nThose of you who are concerned with the more obscure political\nhappenings in Washington may recall that I was elected Minority Leader of\nthe House not so long ago by a landslide vote of 73 to 67.\nSome have described this as a triumph. Others say I have a shaky\nmandate. Whatever name is tagged on this political victory, it shows\nthat all you need is an allegation of virtue, a moderate amount of hard\nwork and lots of luck.\nAt this point I suspect my goodfriend Senator Everett McKinley Dirsken\nmight caution me that the oil can is mightier than the sword.\nIn any event, the skyrocketing victory\nor the nervous triumph--I\nachieved in January, and the unbroken record of successes since then, have\nFORD\nencouraged me to appear here tonight as an authority\non the problems\nGERALD\nLIBRARY\nof the oppressed minorities.\n-more-\n-2-\nAs was said two thousand years ago -- \"Where the carcáss is, there\nwill the eagles gather.\" I am certain none of you are here for such a\npurpose tonight.\nAs you know, football is really my first love. I am only a\npolitician because of the job security!\nBut since Michigan beat Oregon State in the Rose Bowl by 27 points,\nand, three days later Ford beat his opponent by only 6 points, perhaps I\nchose the wrong profession!\nI have often wondered where I would now be if I had accepted Curly\nLambeau's offer in 1934 to play pro ball with the Green Bay Packers --\nperhaps on the Supreme Court!\nIt's true that the new House Republican leadership hasn't won any\nspectacular legislative successes. This has been appropriately noted by\nsome. But we never campaigned on a platform that -- by some strange sleight\nof hand or magic potion -- we could double our numbers and slice the\nopposition in half before November 1966.\nBERALD FORD MORAGI\n-3-\nAs you well know, the numbers on each side of the aisle in the\nHouse have remained the same since November third -- 140 Republicans to\n294 Democrats. The odds are rough. But, to coin a phrase -- with a\nlittle different twist -- \"we shall overcome.\"\nYou in your profession and those of us in my profession face the\nsame powerhouse -- but in a different way.\nThe White House and all its troops try to spoon-feed you -- and\nthey try to clobber us. The President has virtually unlimited resources\nfor working his will -- a veritable army of experts, authorities, researchers,\npropagandists and the like.\nHe is also king pin of the branch of government that employes\n2½ million civilians and controls the destiny of 2 million 600 thousand\nan annerah\nmilitary personnel. These two groups have x payroll cost totalling\n$28 billion\nand together they will spend over 127 billion tax dollars\nin fiscal\n1966. 2 with Republicans had This kid 8\na campup found\n-4-\nThis awesome power and the vast apparatus, if used improperly,\ncould mean the withering away and eventually the death of the two-party\nsystem.\nThere is nothing constitutionally ordained about running our\ngovernment through two great political parties.\nBut almost from the start our nation made such a choice. It was\na wise decision. We avoided the chaos of a multi-party government. We\navoided the loss of freedom of the single-party system. And we built into\ngovernment an additional set of checks and balances.\nNot only does a strong second party provide the electorate with\nlegislative alternatives but also with a remarkably high level of honesty\nand frankness.\nOur American news media have a noble tradition in demanding the\nfacts, bursting the bubble of propaganda, unstuffing the shirt and exposing\nthe corrupt. You of the news media can perform your job better if the\nrelative strengths of our two parties are more nearly in balance and not\nso far out of kilter.\nGERALD FORD LIBRARY\n-5-\nWhen both the Executive and Legislative branches are dominated\nby the same political party, the Committees on Government Operations\nof the House and Senate, which have broad investigating authority,\nshould be under the control of the minority party. It smacks of legalized\ncollusion when we find the suspect and the District Attorney are blood\nrelatives. To make our Federal government function better, to help you\nget the facts, Republicans in Congress believe this new idea would be a\nstep in the right direction.\nHere would be a genuine vehicle to assure that the voice of the\nminority would be heard, that the majority would be constantly on notice\nthat its actions or inactions were subject to effective and critical review.\nHere would be an assurance the public through your help would know that\nany cover-up or wrongdoing would be improbable, if not impossible.\nIt is safe to speculate that with such a set-up there would be\nmore public confidence that the real Bobby Baker story had been told.\nASVN GERALD\n-6-\nThe Democrats certainly have us overwhelmed numerically in\nCongress. We could say, \"What's the use?\" That's no answer for the\nAmerican people, for you or for ourselves. Fortunately, there is a\nconstructive ferment right now in the Republican Party.\nWe have already made some reorganization of our internal machinery.\nunder chalie Andell\nThe Research and Planning Committee is working at long-range policy. We\nn\nare creating special task forces on major substantive issues in such\nrapid succession that one observer said we were setting up \"an anti-poverty\nprogram for Republican intellectuals.\"\nJohn Rhodes, with a beefed-up staff, is Policy Committee chairman,\nand this reorganized group will deal with current, day-to-day, legislative\nproblems.\nOn the basis of simple mathematics, the Administration can pass\nabout everything it wants to in this Congress, particularly if it twists\na few arms as it did in the Nasser victory on an appropriation bill a\nfew weeks ago. Nevertheless, we will win on some issues in this Congress.\n-7-\nMore importantly, Republicans will build a record for a substantially\nstronger representation after November 8, 1966.\nThe Republican strategy in the House will be diversified.\nWe'll be grateful for any Democratic support, North or South. To\ncompete with the Administration, we will offer:\n1. Opposition to Administration's aims and methods when we\nthink both are wrong; but never obstructionism just for its\nown sake.\n2. Constructive alternatives to Administration schemes when\nwe feel they are tackling the right problems, at home or abroad,\nin the wrong way. House Republicans have already recommended\nresponsible proposals this year in medicare, education, housing\nand Appalachia.\n3. Workable programs, developed through our task forces, to\nmeet the many problems the Administration is ignoring or\nneglecting. We refuse to concede that Democrats have a monopoly\nFORD is LIBRARY\non ideas for the solution of domestic or foreign difficulties.\n-8-\n4. Wholehearted support for the President when we think he\nis right. Viet Nam policy in the last few weeks is the prime\nexample. More and more Republicans have staunchly backed the\nPresident while more and more Democrats have changed their\ntune to favor immediate negotiation and tail-between-our-legs\nwithdrawal.\nOn the domestic scene we recall that the Congress has enacted\nthree laws on Civil Rights since 1957. Progress has been made in the\nSouth because there is a growing public conscience and sense of justice.\nYet even in 1964 far too many eligible Negroes of voting age were\nnot registered to vote in eleven Southern States. For some part of the\n2,800,000 who are unregistered, the franchise is unattainable regardless\nof their qualifications. In some islands of resistance, the Fifteenth\nAmendment to the Constitution is still being flouted.\n-9-\nThe Republican leadership insists this violation of constitutional\nrights must end prior to the 1966 election.\nThe achievement of this goal requires a new and strong Federal\nVoting Rights Law. This legislation should:\n(1) effectively and speedily end the unconstitutional denial\nof the right to vote everywhere in the United States;\n(2) terminate unreasonable standards for registration and\nvoting without interfering with the reasonable requirements\nestablished by the states;\n(3) terminate any discriminatory application of requirements\nfor registration and voting;\n(4) should not penalize areas which are not guilty of discrimination.\nThe Voting Rights bill which the Administration has submitted to the\nCongress falls short of meeting these standards.\n-10-\nThis bill appears to affect only the 18, possibly 20,\nstates which have some kind of literacy test as a qualification for\nvoting. It does not apply to four Southern states in which are found\n25 per cent of the unregistered Negroes of the South -- Arkansas,\nFlorida, Tennessee, and Texas. It does not apply to Smith County,\nTexas, with low voter turnout among a population of 27 per cent Negro.\nOn the other hand, it does apply to Aroostook County, Maine, where only\none per cent of the population is non-white.\nThis bill ignores those discriminatory practices used in the\nstates that do not employ literacy and similar tests.\nIn the literacy-test states it largely ignores discrimination\nthat touches less than 50 per cent of the population.\nThis bill introduces a strange kind of geographical discrimination.\nIt nullifies the literacy test in Martin County, North Carolina, where\n49.9 per cent of the voting-age population went to the polls in 1964, but\nit leaves the literacy test in full effect in Guilford County, North Carolina,\n-11-\nwhich registered a turnout of 52.5 per cent of its voting-age population.\nThis bill leaves untouched too much discrimination in too many\nplaces. If it is passed as drafted, the Congress will find itself\nstruggling with yet another voting rights bill in 1966 or 1967.\nThe Administration's bill will not accomplish all that must be\ndone. Under the leadership of Congressman William McCulloch of Ohio,\nI believe there will be a Republican Voting Rights bill in the House of\nRepresentatives that will be more comprehensive in its application. The\nRepublican members of the House Judiciary Committee, the members of the\nHouse Republican Task Force on the Right to Vote, and others, have been\nat work on such a bill for several weeks. They are considering, among\nother proposals, those made by Republican members of the Congress before\nthe President presented his bill. This more effective proposal will be\nready for consideration by the House Committee on the Judiciary.\nGERALD FORD CIRRANT\n-12-\nThis overall blueprint for Republican legislative action\nis based on what we conceive to be our duty to the 43 per cent of the\nAmerican electorate who put us in office, and to the people as a\nwhole who face ever-increasing Federal domination and erosion of their\nliberties unless an articulate opposition functions effectively.\nIt is based on the hard truth that the Republican Party to win\nin 1966 must earn and regain the respect of many millions of voters --\nand it can't do this by sitting on the sidelines and waiting for an\ninternational or domestic catastrophe to produce a call for a change of\nleadership.\nIt is based also on a profound conviction that something more\nthan talk of unity and consensus is demanded by the challenges of our\ntimes.\nWe subscribe to the observation of Senator Robert A. Taft in\n1951, endorsed by John F. Kennedy in 1960, that \"if you permit appeals\nto unity to bring an end to criticism, we endanger not only the\nconstitutional liberties of our country, but even its future existence.\"\n-13-\nWe raise the question of whether it is enough in these\ndays of danger and turmoil for our President to continue to act as\na consensus politician instead of a statesman who leads.\nWaiting for a consensus can and often does mean ignoring\nlittle problems until they become big ones.\nIt can and does mean inaction until the riots start --\nwhether in Saigon or in Selma.\nAs recently as January, the President was referring with\nsatisfaction -- according to some well-known columnists -- to our\npolicy in South Viet Nam as one of \"creative inaction.\"\nTo me, this is a fantastic concept -- better described,\nperhaps, as \"dynamic paralysis.\"\nYet this attitude was reflected in the State of the Union\nMessage, which suggested that the international scene was so improved\nthat we could all but forget it in favor of domestic affairs.\n-14-\nThe disarray of NATO is all but ignored by the Administration.\nNasser and Sukarno thumb their noses with seeming impunity.\nAnd the disruptive voices in the Democratic Party not only\nundercut the President in his conduct of foreign affairs at a time of\nnational crisis -- they also raise the very grave danger of a Communist\nmiscalculation as to our intentions in Viet Nam and Southeast Asia.\nWe believe in keeping the ball on the enemy's goal line --\nnot back-pedaling to our 20-yard line before starting the next play.\nThe President can always count on Republican support when his\nforeign policy is firm and decisive on the side of freedom and in the\nnational interest.\nBut if ever there was a time for broad-gauged revival of genuine\nbi-partisanship in foreign policy in the spirit of the late Senator\nArthur Vandenberg, that time is now.\nSenator Vandenberg, who was my fellow townsman, was largely\nresponsible for my getting into politics.\nFORD is LIBRARY BERALD\n-15-\nHe arrived at a thoughtful concept of the nation's best\ninterests in foreign policy matters which served the American people\nmagnificently well -- and it is a concept which I would be honored\nto help to expand beyond current policy in South Viet Nam.\nBut foreign policy bi-partisanship in the Vandenberg pattern\nmeans genuine consultation across party lines in determining policy --\nnot just using the Republicans for after-thought window dressing.\nIt does not mean merely a summons to the White House in a moment\nof crisis, and then calling in the photographers and announcing Republican\nendorsement of an Administration policy already determined.\nNor does it mean foreclosure of Republican criticism of foreign\npolicy when we are convinced the Administration is wrong.\nSome of our problems, particularly a lack of unity, have been\ncreated by Republicans. On behalf of America's future, I suggest that the\npresent political imbalance -- however self-inflicted -- is not a good thing.\nR-E080 & LIBRARY GERALD j\n-16-\nUnder our system, no Party can be doctrinaire, sectarian, narrow\nin its appeal, or misrepresented to have such an image, however unfair\nthe charge might be -- and still attract the majority of the electorate.\nThe high ground of moderation with unselfish unity is not only\ncommon horse-sense for a political Party -- it is also representative of\nthe people and in keeping with the underlying genius of the American\npolitical system.\nThe day-to-day rebuilding of Republican policy and the Party\nmust begin in the Congress -- and because all the House must face the\nvoters next year, the heaviest burden of the task must be carried in the House.\nWe aim to correct that imbalance -- to re-establish two-party\ngovernment. Far from lamenting our fate, House Republicans are wide open\nto fresh ideas and confident that new approaches, full participation, and\nrenewed dedication can earn new friends for the Republican Party, and make\nan important contribution to the future of America.\n#\nGERALD LIDRARY"
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