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    "localId": "4525892",
    "label": "Testimonial Dinner for Representative Stanley R. Tupper, Portland, ME, October 30, 1965",
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    "id": "4525892",
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    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "Testimonial Dinner for Representative Stanley R. Tupper, Portland, ME, October 30, 1965",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/4525892",
    "collections": [
        "Gerald R. Ford Congressional Papers",
        "Speeches"
    ],
    "subjects": [
        "Great Society",
        "Legislation",
        "Poverty programs"
    ],
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    "ocrText": "The original documents are located in Box D19, folder \"Testimonial Dinner for\nRepresentative Stanley R. Tupper, Portland, ME, October 30, 1965\" of the Ford\nCongressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential\nLibrary.\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 The Council donated to the United\nStates of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.\nWorks prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public\ndomain.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 D19 of the Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and\nSpeech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library\nHarb\nREADING TEXT\nfor Kiss Virgin\nheals\nPortland, Maine\n27t\nOctober 30, 1965\nBur\nMass\nI\nHumant clos Hands STAN relich Turpir\nTestimonial dinner for Rep. Stanley R. Tupper\nIt is a special pleasure to be in the Pine Tree State with you\nHelp\nto salute Stan Tupper, a fine team-player and a great help in\nst Priguess\nkeeping the Republican oppressed minority in the House in\nTo\nfighting trim.\nThe First District of Maine is fortunate to have a man of Stan's\ndedication, stature and knowledge as a Representative in Congress.\nHis warm personality, his quick sense of humor, and his desire to\nhelp his fellowman has won deep respect on both sides of the aisle.\nI have high hopes that Republican ranks in the House will\nbe increased with the election of many more excellent Representatives\nlike Stan Tupper!\nIt will be a real pleasure to watch the Democrats when we can\nFORD & LIBRARY SERALD\nlegislate from a better position of strength. During the past session,\nwhen the White House sent messages to Congress, the Democrats didn't\nknow whether to clap their hands or click their heels!\nPortland, Maine\nB\nThe invitation to speak here tonight was quite unusual.\nIt went something like this:\n\"Dear Congressman Ford:\n\" The First District of Maine has by tradition enjoyed\noutstanding speakers and programs.\"\nThe letter listed several fine orators.\nThen the invitat ion concluded: \"We hope you will\naccept. Until now we have had exceptionally excellent\nprograms!\"\n-\n-\n-\nI will follow the advice of my wife Betty tonight.\nKISS\n(INTO MAIN TEXT)\nPortland Md.\n1\nAmong the qualities of virtue is strength. Our Nation is built\non a foundation consisting of the people and their strength.\nOur Nation's strength has been in its balanced government, in\nstatesmanship at the top of the Executive branch, in a Congress\nworking its will. Please note that I speak in the past tense.\nWhat is the state of our Union today?\nIs it strong when a President puts his personal popularity and\nambition first?\nIs it secure when the common man battles in vain with phantom shadows\nthat emerge from an awesome bureaucracy to cloud his life?\nIs it steadfast when the leader orders \"get going\" instead of\nsaying \"let's get going together\"?\nmore\n2\nIs it financially sound when the national debt is greater than\nthat of all the other nations in the world combined?\nIs our Nation headed in the right direction when poverty is\nperpetuated for political exploitation and purpose?\nwhen\nindividual incentive is destroyed?.\nwhen one man's taxes\nare used to pay another man's rent?.... when we have a welfare\nstate?\nWhere is the liberty envisioned by the founding fathers of this\nNation?\nLet us carefully examine what has happened to precious liberty\nin the shambles of contradiction that is the Great Society.\nDuring the next few months the degree of Federal interference\nand heavy-handedness in individual affairs will dangerously increase.\nThe voices of the people will be even more muffled and muted.\nPotomac paternalism---already stifling and frustrating the states\nand the people will grow and expand.\n-more-\n3\nFortunately, there are, however, some fresh signs of hope that\nCongress is beginning to exercise its own right of liberty by\nstiffening against White House arm-twisting.\nMany members on both sides of the aisle have linedup in what amounts\nlearn\nto a legislative revolt. And, I'm happy to that even some Democrats\nare starting to mend their ways and join Republicans in refusing to be\nrubber stamps for the Administration! It is not enough-but we are\nmaking progress.\nIt is significant that some powerful Democrats are shaken by\nExecutive branch controled Congressional action.\nSenator Mansfield very recently proposed that the nextsession of\nthe 89th Congress \"spend less time on new legislation and more time\ncorrecting oversights in legislation\" adopted this year.\nThe Senate Majority Leader also said:\n\"We have passed a lot of major\nbills at this session, some of them very hastily, and they stand in\nextreme need of going over for loopholes, rough corners, and particularly\nfor an assessment of current and ultimate cost\n(more)\n4\nIt is somewhat assuring to learn that Senator Mansfield apparently\nis awakening to the shocking cost of the Great Society.\nThis year alone, 20 major public laws spawned in the White House\nto maintain its alleged Great Society authorize new spending of an\nestimated $16,767,300,000 in fiscal 1966. This fantastic spending\nis over and above so-called regular e xpenditutes!\nVice President Humphrey is reported as referring to the \"huge\nlegislative tonnage dropped on our doorstep.\" I question his use\nof the word \"dropped.\" The word really should be \"shoveled.\"\nAt least some Democrats apparently agree with Republicans that\nthere is a place for responsible dissent and constructive criticism.\nThe Democrats talk about the independence in their Great Society?\nLet's examine the truth of the Great Society in search of the\nalleged independence.\n-more-\n5\nIts programs are dressed in purity of name. It holds a tempting\noffer of all the good things in life without bothering to consider\nthe cost to every American and the future generations.\nFor example, Its czars conduct a so-called war on poverty. They by-pass the states.\nSubstantial contracts, substantial arrangements, substantial funds\nare directly linked with Washginton and the local governing units.\nThe states are forced to stand on the sidelines. Thank goodness for\nour republican Governors who work so valiantly to keep a semblance\nof control over their state's own business\nRepublicans have long realized that the way to beat poverty is by\nproviding jobs. The Great Society's remedy is to compensate those\nwho are not working and to blame society for the disadvantaged.\nRepublicans believe that government can have a heart--without losing\nits head.\nThe Office of Economic Opportunity was set up to find jobs for the poor.\nAnd, about all the poor really get is advice.\n-more-\n6\nOne poverty project of $65,000 gobbled $57,000 of the money for\nbureaucratic salaries and spent nearly all the rest for office\nequipment.\nIn the Office of Economic Opportunity one of every 18 employees\nare paid salaries in excess of $19,000. In the Defense Department,\nby contrast, one of 1,000 workers is paid $19,000 a year.\nEnough evidence has come to light to raise serious doubts about\nthe Job Corps program. Instances of criminal and immoral behavior\nsuggest inadequate selection processes for trainees and a breakdown\nof discipline.\nDemocrats play fast and loose with tax dollars and the haunting\nshadow of inflation covers the land. Millions of Americans have\nless to spend on food, clothing, --the necessities and dwindling\nsavings accounts as inflation works its silent and deadly way into\nthe Nation's economy.\n-more-\n7\nThere is strong reason to believe that much Federal spending is\nmishandled under the Democrat Administration. Along with this misuse\nof funds has come misleading information and suppression of what\nshould be public records.\nIn Washington, the symbol of the Administration has become known\nas Uncle Sham. It is indeed sham. More news releases, but fewer\nfacts, are turned out by Administration propogandists than ever\nbefore.\nWe can conclude that there is no certainity under the Great Society---\nexcept debt and taxes.\nThe Republican Party moves into a crucial campaign armed with\nseveral hard-hitting issues, including the Great Society itself.\nThe first is President Johnson--his use and misuse of power.\nThe second is the erosion of the rights of states and local governments\nto conduct their own business without federal control.\n-more-\n8\nThe third is the loss of the identity of individuals who have\nlittle to say when one party controls national government by a\n2 to 1 majority.\nThe fourth issue is a combination of in flation and the lack of\nfiscal sanity on the part of the administration.\nAdd all the issues and together they spell Great Society\nour golden opportunity to regain stewardship of government in\nstate houses, counties and townships, and ultimately, in Washington.\nOur opportunity is in the growing awareness of Americans that they\nhave nothing to say about the conduct of the Nation's business. They\ncan only sit by and watch with mixed emotions anger, fear, and\na hope for better times.\nMillions of Americans are learning that reckless spending by the\nAdministration and its irresponsible economic policies lead the way\ntoward national and personal bankruptcy.\n-more-\n9\nThese, then, are the issues. Each is directly linked with\nyour State's slogan---\"virtue, liberty and independence.\nNow, what is the course of action for our Republican Party\nto make our society a good one?\nWe must be a united, shoulder-to-shoulder political organization.\nOur Party must be broadly-based.\nWe need to develop strong fund-raising campaigns. We should enlist\narticulate, personable, andknowledgable candidates. By our record\nwe must earn 84 the respect of the electorate.\nI compare the Democrat political machine with its Great Society\nschemes as a modern-day Goliath...the towering, powerful bully.\nThe Republican Party is David----- outnumbered, facing overwhelming\nodds with courage and convictions.\nThis year, in 1966, and further into the future we will\ntake on goliath\nAnd like David, we will win.\n1\n# # #"
}