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The State of the Union - A republican Appraisal, January 17, 1966
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The State of the Union - A republican Appraisal, January 17, 1966
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The original documents are located in Box D19, folder "The State of the Union - A
Republican Appraisal, January 17, 1966" 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States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.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.
The State of
The Union-
A Republican
Appraisal
NATURAL * REPUBLICAN COMMITTEE *
FOR
FOREWORD
On Monday night, January 17, 1966, the Re-
publican Minority Leaders in the U. S. Senate
and House of Representatives - Senator Everett
Dirksen of Illinois and Congressman Gerald Ford
of Michigan - delivered a Republican message
on the State of the Union.
The message, entitled "The State of the Union
- A Republican Appraisal," was delivered at
the U.S. capitol in the historic chamber formerly
occupied by the Supreme Court before Republi-
can members of Congress and their wives and
other Party leaders.
International Affairs
The program, televised and broadcast nation-
ally, was the first of its kind by the leaders of a
By Senator Everett M. Dirksen
minority party. It was sponsored jointly by the
Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee, Re-
Fellow Citizens:
publican Congressional Campaign Committee, and
I am Senator Dirksen of Illinois, Republican
the Republican National Committee.
Floor Leader in the United States Senate. With
The remarks of Senator Dirksen on inter-
me on this program will be Congressman Ford
national affairs and by Congressman Ford on
of Michigan, Republican Floor Leader in the
domestic policies are published in this pamphlet.
United States House of Representatives. Each of
us will have about 14 minutes to discuss the State
of The Union. That is a short time for a gigantic
FORD & LIBRARY
task.
The President has a mandate under the Consti-
tution to give to the Congress information of the
We hoped that if we supplied the tools, other
State of the Union, together with his recommen-
nations would supply the men on Freedom's fron-
dations.
tier. We fulfilled our pledges. They did so only
We have no such mandate. We do believe
in part and too often with ill grace.
we have a duty as elected Representatives
Where needed, we supplied manpower also.
to present our views. Time will permit only
The first feeble cries of "Yanki, go home"
a few basic highlights.
have become a chorus. Our prestige on the
We are the legatees of a great, strong land. We
world thermometer of good will has
received it from those who were here before us.
dropped fast and far. Our billions have
gained little respect, and even less appre-
ciation. Every continent has its fevers and
Reason and Realism
turmoil.
T he state of our land is too often measured in
Two things are needed. The first is a care-
ful, precise audit to see where our fleeting
material terms — jobs, income, gross product,
dollars went and what they really accom-
services and goods. Actually it embraces much
plished. The second is a sustained and
more. It includes the national mood, our capacity
expert scrutiny of every estimate for for-
to live together, and our prestige. It includes our
eign aid to determine how the aid requested
leadership of the Free World, our relations with
will be used and whether there will be divi-
other lands, our respect for law, our devotion to
dends in the form of good will and real
peace, and our willingness to sacrifice even as
devotion to peace and freedom. To accept
others have done before us. It includes reason and
less would be an injustice to the charity
realism in a world of tumult and confusion.
and sacrificial spirit of the American
We are not only in this world but of it, and
people.
we shall be for ages to come.
The Horsemen of Despair
Our Relations With Other Countries
Consider now the horsemen of despair who ride
Consider then our ties and relations with other
over the world - the population explosion, hun-
lands. Twenty-one years ago, we pioneered the
ger, and poverty. They constitute a crisis already
United Nations. Since then, we have developed
on our doorstep. We pay farmers to produce less.
regional groups throughout the world for specific
Industry forever seeks ways to produce more at
purposes. We believed it would aid the cause of
less cost. Meanwhile, births continue to grow and
peace and tranquility and freedom.
hunger stalks many areas of the world. Each year,
the world gains 65 million persons. The number
In pursuit of these high purposes, we spent more
will grow. So will hunger. Can peace and hunger
co-exist?
than $120 billion of your money on foreign aid.
Ages ago, Isaiah wrote, "And it shall come
Millions Spent To Aid French
to pass, that when they shall be hungry,
Our country did not sign that accord. But we
they shall fret themselves, and curse their
had an interest. Hundreds of millions of your
King and their God." American agriculture
money was spent to aid the French. But it also
is geared to high production. Better to pay
involved our defense perimeter and our security.
for abundance than for scarcity.
We pledged ourselves to aid Vietnam in preserv-
In a few years, Red China will have 800 million
ing her integrity and independence.
people. Leaders can survive only when the urgent
Accordingly we were permitted to keep
needs of the people are met.
military advisers there. At first it was but
The ugly heads of aggression and conquest
a few hundred. Gradually the number grew
vanish when there is no need for new do-
into thousands. Today it approaches
mains. Surely, within the genius of Amer-
200,000. It has become a grim, bloody, and
ican enterprise, the way can be found for
costly business.
the produce of our fruited plains to reach
the empty bellies of the world.
It is a war but not of our making. Young men
with gay hearts go forth to Vietnam and lifeless
The signs of trouble are already written in the
young men in wooden boxes return. They fought,
firmament and there is no time to lose. This too
bled, and died in the heat and mud of the jungles.
with its vast potential impact on our future in-
All this is 12,000 miles from home. For a long
volves the State of the Union.
time it seemed remote. But no longer. We became
grimly aware that we are fighting a war to help
a small land, so many of whose people can neither
read nor write.
Vietnam Is Not Our War
Consider now the grim struggle in which we are
Joint Resolution
involved in Asia. Let us be crystal clear. Vietnam
Eighteen months ago, Congress enacted a Joint
is not our war. But we pledged ourselves to help
Resolution, giving support and approval to the
a small nation. Our word was given. We are there
President as Commander In Chief to take all
to keep our word.
necessary steps including the use of force to repel
For more than 90 years, Cambpdia, Laos and
attack on our forces and prevent further aggres-
Indo-China were under French tutelage. The Viet
sion. That resolution is still in effect. In both
Minh - the north half-rebelled. It was a long,
Houses of Congress the vote was 504 to 2. Every
bloody struggle. The French were defeated. The
Republican present voted for it.
conflict ended with an accord signed at Geneva.
Laos and Cambodia achieved their independence.
But as complications develop and the choice
Indo-China was divided in half with a non-
becomes guns or butter or both, groups and indi-
military zone between.
viduals become increasingly vocal. Let's get out.
We must stay in. We must bomb Hanoi. We must
not bomb. We must step up. We must hold back.
We must negotiate. We must not negotiate.
To retreat and get out would be deemed a
confession that we are a paper tiger. What
a propaganda weapon that would be in
Asia, Africa and elsewhere.
To forsake our pledges would shatter confi-
dence in us and further diminish our
prestige.
To negotiate from weakness would mean
defeat before we ever reached the negotia-
tion table.
So what? Is there then a rational course to
follow? I believe so. Let the peace efforts con-
tinue. Who can object to any honorable effort to
secure peace where young blood is involved?
Let the military effort continue. It demonstrates
our determination to keep our word. Let it be in-
tensified if necessary as sound military judgment
dictates. There is, after all, no substitute for vic-
tory. Let the objective be kept crystal clear at
Domestic Issues
all times, and that is guaranteed freedom and
By Cong. Gerald R. Ford
independence for the Vietnamese.
How else could we keep faith with the
We are assembled tonight in an historic cham-
young dead?
ber - a chamber that has echoed the thunderous
How else do we redeem our word?
debate and vigorous dissent of some of our coun-
How else do we regain our prestige?
try's greatest leaders.
How else do we maintain our leadership in
Daniel Webster here proclaimed the immortal
the Free World?
words, "Liberty and union, now and forever, one
and inseparable."
All this is part of the State of the Union.
FORD is LIBRARY GENALD
The Torch of Dissent
As a minority party, it is our task to carry the
torch of dissent responsibly and constructively.
Curricula must be enriched.
Tonight we look forward, not backward.
People already working should be given the
Our people are restless and impatient with
chance to retrain and upgrade their skills and
problems too long unsolved and too often
earning power.
compounded by bad laws and bureaucratic
failings.
Vocational Rehabilitation for the handicapped
must be expanded.
The Congress turns in 1966, as in the past, to
its part in the always unfinished task of making
This cannot, and should not, be done by
America united, strong, and free.
the Federal government alone. But there is
much that the national government can do
T hese goals in their present setting point
to promote this effort without the heavy
particularly to three types of problems in
hand of federal control.
domestic policy: how to increase jobs and
For example, the Congress should ease the fi-
output without inflation; how to move ahead
nancial burden of going to college.
toward equality for all citizens; and how to
The door of education must be opened wide.
improve government and its services.
Therefore, we propose a federal income
tax credit for college students and their
Education
parents.
While there are courses of action that strike at
each of these problems, there is a common remedy
Compassion With Competence
that effects all three: Education.
The problem of unemployment is particu-
We must liberate the War on Poverty from
larly the problem of the young, inexpe-
waste, controversy, and the bad odor of political
rienced, unskilled person of inadequate
bossism.
schooling. More and better schooling will
We must combine compassion with com-
reduce racial tensions and speed the Ne-
petence. This nation can afford what is
gro's economic and social progress.
necessary to help the less fortunate among
Improved education will help to solve the
us to help themselves. The children of the
problems of government by enlightening
poor must have the highest priority. How
both the electors and the elected.
many of the poor have actually received
any of the twenty-three hundred million
We believe every youth must be encouraged to
taxpayer's dollars from the present War on
pursue his education as far as his talents will take
Poverty? Tragically, very few.
him.
The poor themselves must have an important
Drop-outs must be encouraged to go back to
role in policy decisions at the community level.
school for. an education or training to fit their
The States should be partners in this War on
ability.
Poverty. It is time that the poverty fighters
stopped fighting each other.
health. In the ten years since the second
Republicans will offer specific proposals
Hoover Commission made its report, dur-
to redirect this program to achieve its
ing five Democratic-controlled Congresses,
goals without waste, scandal and bureau-
employees on the Federal payroll have in-
cratic infighting. Without such changes,
creased 175,000 and Federal expenditures
the good will fall with the bad under the
have increased by $57 billion.
fiscal pressures created by Vietnam and
the massive new domestic spending pro-
The Executive branch has become a bureaucratic
grams.
jungle. The time has come to explore its wild
America has long waged the most effective War
growth and cut it back.
on Poverty in history through the genius of private
We urge a new independent bipartisan
enterprise cooperating with government.
Commission, patterned after the two dis-
We urge the enactment of the Republican
tinguished Hoover Commissions, to recom-
proposed Human Investment Act to bring
mend substantial reforms in the Executive
private enterprise more effectively to bear
branch of our government.
on the problem of creating productive jobs
for the poor. Through a 7% tax credit, this
Cost of Living
measure will encourage business and labor
to employ and train people with limited
To achieve a healthy and steady economic growth
skills and education.
there must be price stability. Today this national
goal is seriously endangered by the threat of in-
Executive Reform
flation. The Eisenhower dollar is now worth 90
cents.
The Executive Branch of the Federal government
needs reform - not Presidential repatching or
The cost of living is 2 percent higher than
piecemeal creation of new departments.
it was a year ago. At the current level of
The proliferation of Federal programs, com-
consumer spending, the price rise is the
pounded by the mass production of laws in the
equivalent of a secret sales tax that silently
last session of Congress, demands the attention of
steals some $8 billion annually from the
our people.
pockets of the American people.
There are now 42 separate Federal agencies
involved in education programs alone.
Inflationary policies of the President have a
There are at least 252 welfare programs
major impact on the cost of living. This Admin-
today, including 52 separate Federal eco-
istration uses a double standard. With one hand
nomic aid programs, 57 job training pro-
it creates upward pressure on prices and with the
grams and 65 Federal programs to improve
other bludgeons workers and businessmen for re-
sponding to that pressure. The real villain in this
piece is the Administration which will increase
the cost of the Federal government by $26 billion
$31/2 billion? The President now advocates addi-
tional tax burdens to finance added costs both at
in a two-year period.
home and abroad.
The most direct and effective weapon the
National Government has to halt inflation is
With prudent restraint on spending, we
to curb Federal spending. This requires the
believe no new taxes are now needed.
President and the Congress to set priorities.
It is imperative that the President in his
budget classify his spending proposals ac-
Agriculture
cording to necessity and urgency. If he fails
T he farm parity ratio in 1965 was below the level
to do so, we call upon the Democrats in Con-
gress to join us in eliminating, reducing or
of five years ago. At home, we seek a free and
deferring low priority items.
prosperous agriculture by encouraging the opera-
tion of a healthy market economy. We will con-
We learn now that expenditures in this fiscal
tinue to resist Administration efforts to artificially
year will be at least 8 billion dollars more than
depress the market prices of farm commodities
we were told a year ago. Congress and the people
and to control the American farmers.
have not been given a straight-forward and real-
istic assessment of our Federal budget problems.
World population increases are adding a
Republicans intend to give the President's budget
new dimension to the problems of Ameri-
a searching examination.
can agriculture and demand new thinking.
For our overseas programs, we urge the
Whatever is needed - really needed - for
extension of Public Law 480, the Eisen-
national security must be provided. Urgent
hower Food for Peace program, and we
domestic programs that truly help the
urge the enactment of legislation, already
needy, that contribute to real economic
introduced by 65 Republicans in the House,
growth, that significantly advance the cause
to establish a bi-partisan "U.S. - World
of equal opportunity, need not be sacri-
Food Study and Coordinating Commis-
ficed. Applying these tests, Republicans
sion," in order to begin immediately the
believe the $55 billion which the President
task of closing the growing "food gap" on
will propose for non-military spending can
our planet.
be and must be reduced.
Political Reforms
Taxes
We were surprised and pleased that the Presi-
H ow many Americans know that the laws passed
dent touched on the subject of reform of political
last year, supposedly reducing taxes, actually im-
campaigns and elections. His recommendations
pose a net increase in Federal taxes for 1966 of
do not go far enough.
Ways must be found to eliminate vote
fraud, curb the cost of political campaigns,
the load of local taxation, spur solution of
and expand the franchise. Republicans will
vexing problems, and revitalize programs
in education, health, and welfare at the
propose:
local level.
to guard against abuses in the raising
and use of political funds;
to raise the ceiling on political expendi-
Unemployment Compensation
tures to realistic levels;
Changes in the system of unemployment com-
to bar effectively political contributions
pensation are needed, particularly to provide
from corporations and unions;
standby protection against the contingency of a
to require meaningful reporting of po-
substantial rise in the number of workers without
litical contributions and expenditures.
jobs. We support the constructive suggestions
worked out by the State Unemployment Compen-
States of the Union
sation administrators to meet this problem. We
oppose the Administration's bill that would substi-
O
ur nation has thrived on the diversity and
tute Federal judgment for State determination in
matters such as standards and benefits in this pro-
distribution of powers so wisely embedded in the
Constitution. The Administration believes in cen-
gram.
tralized authority, ignoring and bypassing and
undermining State responsibilities in almost every
Civil Rights
law that is passed. As a result, our constitutional
structure is today in dangerous disrepair. The
M aking real for all Americans the equality to
States of the Union form a vital cornerstone of
which this nation is committed remains an urgent
our Federal system, and the headlong plunge
toward centralization of power in Washington
national concern. Recent progress is encourag-
must be halted.
ing, but not enough. No citizen should be satis-
fied merely with the expectation of a better to-
All of us here tonight salute the gallant fight
morrow. It is only right to expect that the Consti-
of Senator Dirksen against the repeal of Section
tution of the United States be put in force every-
14(b) of the Taft-Hartley Act and for the Re-
where now.
apportionment Amendment.
The Congress has enacted four civil rights
We urge Congress to enact a system of tax
acts since 1957. There now is need to review
sharing, long advocated by Republicans, to
these laws, and especially tighten those designed
return to the States a fixed percentage of
to prevent violence and intimidation of citizens
personal income tax without Federal con-
who exercise their constitutional rights.
trols. Funds from this source will lighten
Hesitant administration of existing laws
has made them less effective than they
sand Americans in Vietnam.
should be. The President has even failed to
And what of the sacrifices of their families at
make the Community Relations Service the
home, who share inequally in the promises of the
effective instrument which Congress in-
tended it to be. Leaderless for half of
Great Society? We urge more adequate housing
and benefits for our fighting men and their fam-
last year, shunted off to an ambiguous
ilies. We urge a new GI bill of rights of veterans.
position in the wrong Federal agency, this
potentially valuable Service has suffered
We will not sacrifice their future.
from neglect.
Nor will we sacrifice the future of millions
Let us make it clear to all - there cannot be
of Americans whose lifetime savings and mod-
two kinds of justice, one for whites, another for
est pensions are being nibbled away by infla-
tion.
Negroes.
Nor can there be tolerance of riots, looting,
We are outnumbered two to one in this Con-
violence, and disorder. These impede the prog-
gress.
ress sought by the overwhelming majority of
But we will continue to speak out for the
Americans.
things in which we believe. We will not
sacrifice the ideals that make us Republi-
cans.
The President's Challenge
We will never sacrifice the sacred right, and the
L ast week the President chided Americans who
sacred value to our country, of loyal dissent.
believe, as I do, that we cannot fight a war ten
This is our duty to all Americans.
thousand miles away without setting priorities at
home.
He asked: Whom will they sacrifice?
the
poor?
Our answer is a resounding "NO!"
We will not sacrifice poor people.
We will sacrifice poor programs, poorly
conceived and poorly carried out.
We will sacrifice poor administrators.
We will sacrifice poor arithmetic in public
accounting.
Any sacrifices we call for cannot be com-
pared with those being made by 190 thou-
FORD & LIBRARY GENALD
Prepared under the direction of the Republican
National Committee, 1625 Eye Street, N.W.,
Washington, D.C.
For additional copies, contact Editors Press,
6041 33rd Avenue, Hyattsville, Maryland 20782.
(Check or Money Order must accompany order-
Prices include handling and postage)
Single copies: 20¢ each; 100 copies: $10.00; 250
copies: $20.00; 500 copies: $35.00; 1,000 copies:
$60.00.
6
Collection: Ford Cong. Papers
Box: D19
Folder: The State of the Union - - A Repuplican Appraisal
January 17, 1966
Document ID: Response by Sen. Everett Dirksen
Date: January 17, 1966
Pages: 4
For Release On Delivery
9 p.m. EST, January 17, 1966
THE STATE OF THE UNION - A REPUBLICAN APPRAISAL
Fellow Citizens:
I am Senator Dirksen of Illinois, Republican Floor Leader in the United
States Senate. With me on this program will be Congressman Ford of Michigan,
Republican Floor Leader in the United States House of Representatives. Each
of us will have about 14 minutes to discuss the State of The Union. That is
a short time for a gigantic task.
The President has a mandate under the Constitution to give to the Congress
information of the State of the Union, together with his recommendations.
We have no such mandate. We do believe we have a duty as elected Repre-
sentatives to present our views. Time will permit only a few basic high-
lights.
We are the legatees of a great, strong land. We received it from those
who were here before us.
The state of our land is too often measured in material terms -- jobs,
income, gross product, services and goods. Actually it embraces much more.
It includes the national mood, our capacity to live together, and our prestige.
It includes our leadership of the Free World, our relations with other lands,
our respect for law, our devotion to peace, and our willingness to sacrifice
even as others have done before us. It includes reason and realism in a world
of tumult and confusion.
We are not only in this world but of it, and we shall be for ages to come.
Consider then our ties and relations with other lands. Twenty-one years
ago, we pioneered the United Nations. Since then, we have developed regional
groups throughout the world for specific purposes. We believed it would aid
the cause of peace and tranquillity and freedom.
2
In pursuit of these high purposes, we spent more than $120 billion of
your money on foreign aid. We hoped that if we supplied the tools, other
nations would supply the men on Freedom's frontier. We fulfilled our pledges.
They did so only in part and too often with ill grace.
Where needed, we supplied manpower also. The first feeble cries of
"Yanki, go home" have become a chorus. Our prestige on the world thermometer
of good will has dropped fast and far. Our billions have gained little re-
spect, and even less appreciation. Every continent has its fevers and turmoil.
Two things are needed. The first is a careful, precise audit to see
where our fleeting dollars went and what they really accomplished. The second,
is a sustained and expert scrutiny of every estimate for foreign aid to de-
termine how the aid requested will be used and whether there will be dividends
in the form of good will and real devotion to peace and freedom. To accept
less would be an injustice to the charity and sacrificial spirit of the
American people.
Consider now the horsemen of despair who ride over the world -- the popu-
lation explosion, hunger, and poverty. They constitute a crisis already on
our doorstep. We pay farmers to produce less. Industry forever seeks ways
to produce more at less cost. Meanwhile, births continue to grow and hunger
stalks many areas of the world. Each year, the world gains 65 million persons.
The number will grow. So will hunger. Can peace and hunger co-exist?
Ages ago, Isaish wrote, "And it shall come to pass, that when they shall
be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse their King and their God."
American agriculture is geared to high production. Better to pay for
abundance than for scarcity.
3
In a few years, Red China will have 800 million people. Leaders can
survive only when the urgent creature needs of the people are met. The ugly
heads of aggression and conquest vanish when there is no need for new domains.
Surely, within the genius of American enterprise, the way can be found for the
produce of our fruited plains to reach the empty bellies of the world. The
signs of trouble are already written in the firmament and there is no time to
lose. This too with its vast potential impact on our future involves the
State of the Union.
Consider now the grim struggle in which we are involved in Asia. Let us
be crystal clear. Vietnam is not our war. But we pledged ourselves to help a
small nation. Our word was given. We are there to keep our word.
For more than 90 years, Cambodia, Laos and Indo-China were under French
tutelage. The Viet Minh -- the north half-rebelled. It was a long, bloody
struggle. The French were defeated. The conflict ended with an accord signed
at Geneva. Laos and Cambodia achieved their independence. Indo-China was
divided in half with a non-military zone between.
Our country did not sign that accord. But we had an interest. Hundreds
of millions of your money was spent to aid the French. But it also involved
our defense perimeter and our security. We pledged ourselves to aid Vietnam
in preserving her integrity and independence.
Accordingly we were permitted to keep military advisers there. At first
it was but a few hundred. Gradually the number grew into thousands. Today it
approaches 200,000. It has become a grim, bloody, and costly business.
It is a war but not of our making. Young men with gay hearts go forth to
Vietnam and lifeless young men in wooden boxes return. They fought, bled,
died in the heat and mud of the jungles. All this is 12,000 miles from home.
4
For a long time it seemed remote. But no longer. We become grimly aware that
we are fighting a war to help a small land, so many of whose people can neither
read nor write.
Eighteen months ago, Congress enacted a Joint Resolution, giving support
and approval to the President as Commander In Chief to take all necessary steps
including the use of force to repel attack on our forces and prevent further
aggression. That resolution is still in effect. In both Houses of Congress
the vote was 504 to 2. Every Republican present voted for it.
But as complications develop and the choice becomes guns or butter or
both, groups and individuals become increasingly vocal. Let's get out. We
must stay in. We must bomb Hanoi. We must not bomb. We must step up. We
must hold back. We must negotiate. We must not negotiate.
To retreat and get out would be deemed a confession that we are a paper
tiger. What a propaganda weapon that would be in Asia, Africa and elsewhere.
To forsake our pledges would shatter confidence in us and further diminish
our prestige.
To negotiate from weakness would mean defeat before we ever reached the
negotiation table.
So what? Is there then a rational course to follow? I believe SO. Let
the peace efforts continue. Who can object to any honorable effort to secure
peace where young blood is involved. Let the military effort continue. It
demonstrates our determination to keep our word. Let it be intensified if
necessary as sound military judgment dictates. There is, after all, no
substitute for victory. Let the objective be kept crystal clear at all times,
and that is guaranteed freedom and independence for the Vietnamese. How else
could we keep faith with the young dead? How else do we redeem our word? How
else do we regain our prestige? How else do we maintain our leadership in the
Free World? All this is part of the State of the Union.
For Release On Delivery
9 p.m. EST, January 17, 1966
THE STATE OF THE UNION - A REPUBLICAN APPRAISAL
Fellow Citizens:
I am Senator Dirksen of Illinois, Republican Floor Leader in the United
States Senate. With me on this program will be Congressman Ford of Michigan,
Republican Floor Leader in the United States House of Representatives. Each
of us will have about 14 minutes to discuss the State of The Union. That is
a short time for a gigantic task.
The President has a mandate under the Constitution to give to the Congress
information of the State of the Union, together with his recommendations.
We have no such mandate. We do believe we have a duty as elected Repre-
sentatives to present our views. Time will permit only a few basic high-
lights.
We are the legatees of a great, strong land. We received it from those
who were here before us.
The state of our land is too often measured in material terms -- jobs,
income, gross product, services and goods. Actually it embraces much more.
It includes the national mood, our capacity to live together, and our prestige.
It includes our leadership of the Free World, our relations with other lands,
our respect for law, our devotion to peace, and our willingness to sacrifice
even as others have done before us. It includes reason and realism in a world
of tumult and confusion.
We are not only in this world but of it, and we shall be for ages to come.
Consider then our ties and relations with other lands. Twenty-one years
ago, we pioneered the United Nations. Since then, we have developed regional
groups throughout the world for specific purposes. We believed it would aid
the cause of peace and tranquillity and freedom.
2
In pursuit of these high purposes, we spent more than $120 billion of
your money on foreign aid. We hoped that if we supplied the tools, other
nations would supply the men on Freedom's frontier. We fulfilled our pledges.
They did so only in part and too often with ill grace.
Where needed, we supplied manpower also. The first feeble cries of
"Yanki, go home" have become a chorus. Our prestige on the world thermometer
of good will has dropped fast and far. Our billions have gained little re-
spect, and even less appreciation. Every continent has its fevers and turmoil.
Two things are needed. The first is a careful, precise audit to see
where our fleeting dollars went and what they really accomplished. The second,
is a sustained and expert scrutiny of every estimate for foreign aid to de-
termine how the aid requested will be used and whether there will be dividends
in the form of good will and real devotion to peace and freedom. To accept
less would be an injustice to the charity and sacrificial spirit of the
American people.
Consider now the horsemen of despair who ride over the world -- the popu-
lation explosion, hunger, and poverty. They constitute a crisis already on
our doorstep. We pay farmers to produce less. Industry forever seeks ways
to produce more at less cost. Meanwhile, births continue to grow and hunger
stalks many areas of the world. Each year, the world gains 65 million persons.
The number will grow. So will hunger. Can peace and hunger co-exist?
Ages ago, Isaish wrote, "And it shall come to pass, that when they shall
be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse their King and their God."
American agriculture is geared to high production. Better to pay for
abundance than for scarcity.
3
In a few years, Red China will have 800 million people. Leaders can
survive only when the urgent creature needs of the people are met. The ugly
heads of aggression and conquest vanish when there is no need for new domains.
Surely, within the genius of American enterprise, the way can be found for the
produce of our fruited plains to reach the empty bellies of the world. The
signs of trouble are already written in the firmament and there is no time to
lose. This too with its vast potential impact on our future involves the
State of the Union.
Consider now the grim struggle in which we are involved in Asia. Let us
be crystal clear. Vietnam is not our war. But we pledged ourselves to help a
small nation. Our word was given. We are there to keep our word.
For more than 90 years, Cambodia, Laos and Indo-China were under French
tutelage. The Viet Minh -- the north half-rebelled. It was a long, bloody
struggle. The French were defeated. The conflict ended with an accord signed
at Geneva. Laos and Cambodia achieved their independence. Indo-China was
divided in half with a non-military zone between.
Our country did not sign that accord. But we had an interest. Hundreds
of millions of your money was spent to aid the French. But it also involved
our defense perimeter and our security. We pledged ourselves to aid Vietnam
in preserving her integrity and independence.
Accordingly we were permitted to keep military advisers there. At first
it was but a few hundred. Gradually the number grew into thousands. Today it
approaches 200,000. It has become a grim, bloody, and costly business.
It is a war but not of our making. Young men with gay hearts go forth to
Vietnam and lifeless young men in wooden boxes return. They fought, bled,
died in the heat and mud of the jungles. All this is 12,000 miles from home.
4
For a long time it seemed remote. But no longer. We become grimly aware that
we are fighting a war to help a small land, so many of whose people can neither
read nor write.
Eighteen months ago, Congress enacted a Joint Resolution, giving support
and approval to the President as Commander In Chief to take all necessary steps
including the use of force to repel attack on our forces and prevent further
aggression. That resolution is still in effect. In both Houses of Congress
the vote was 504 to 2. Every Republican present voted for it.
But as complications develop and the choice becomes guns or butter or
both, groups and individuals become increasingly vocal. Let's get out. We
must stay in. We must bomb Hanoi. We must not bomb. We must step up. We
must hold back. We must negotiate. We must not negotiate.
To retreat and get out would be deemed a confession that we are a paper
tiger. What a propaganda weapon that would be in Asia, Africa and elsewhere.
To forsake our pledges would shatter confidence in us and further diminish
our prestige.
To negotiate from weakness would mean defeat before we ever reached the
negotiation table.
So what? Is there then a rational course to follow? I believe SO. Let
the peace efforts continue. Who can object to any honorable effort to secure
peace where young blood is involved. Let the military effort continue. It
demonstrates our determination to keep our word. Let it be intensified if
necessary as sound military judgment dictates. There is, after all, no
substitute for victory. Let the objective be kept crystal clear at all times,
and that is guaranteed freedom and independence for the Vietnamese. How else
could we keep faith with the young dead? How else do we redeem our word? How
else do we regain our prestige? How else do we maintain our leadership in the
Free World? All this is part of the State of the Union.
THE STATE OF THE UNION
WE ARE ASSEMBLED TONIGHT IN THIS HISTORIC
CHAMBER -- A CHAMBER THAT HAS ECHOED THE
THUNDEROUS DEBATE AND VIGOROUS DISSENT OF
SOME OF OUR COUNTRY'S GREATEST LEADERS.
DANIEL WEBSTER HERE PROCLAIMED THE IMMORTAL
WORDS, "LIBERTY AND UNION, NOW AND FOREVER
ONE AND INSEPARABLE."
AS A MINORITY PARTY, IT IS OUR TASK TO CAR-
RY THE TORCH OF DISSENT RESPONSIBLY AND
CONSTRUCTIVELY.
TONIGHT WE LOOK FORWARD, NOT BACKWARD.
OUR PEOPLE ARE RESTLESS AND IMPATIENT
WITH PROBLEMS TOO LONG UNSOLVED AND
TOO OFTEN COMPOUNDED BY BAD LAWS AND
BUREAUCRATIC FAILINGS.
2
THE CONGRESS TURNS NOW TO ITS PART IN
THE ALWAYS UNFINISHED JOB OF MAKING
AMERICA UNITED, STRONG, AND FREE.
THESE GOALS IN THEIR PRESENT SETTING
POINT TO THREE PROBLEMS OF DOMESTIC POLICY:
HOW TO INCREASE JOBS AND OUTPUT WITHOUT
INFLATION; HOW TO MOVE AHEAD TOWARD EQUALITY
FOR ALL CITIZENS; AND HOW TO IMPROVE GOVERN-
MENT AND ITS SERVICES.
WHILE THERE ARE COURSES OF ACTION THAT
STRIKE AT EACH OF THESE PROBLEMS, THERE
IS A COMMON REMEDY THAT AFFECTS ALL
THREE: EDUCATION.
WE BELIEVE EVERY YOUTH MUST BE ENCOURAGED
TO PURSUE HIS EDUCATION AS FAR AS HIS
TALENTS WILL TAKE HIM.
3
THIS CANNOT, AND SHOULD NOT, BE DNE BY
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ALONE BUT,
THERE IS MUCH THAT THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT
CAN DO TO PROMOTE THIS EFFORT WITHOUT
THE HEAVY HAND OF FEDERAL CONTROL.
FOR EXAMPLE, THE CONGRESS SHOULD EASE
THE FINANCIAL BURDEN OF GOING TO COLLEGE.
THE DOOR OF EDUCATION MUST BE OPENED WIDE.
THEREFORE, WE PROPOSE A FEDERAL INCOME
TAX CREDIT FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS AND THEIR
PARENTS.
COMPASSION WITH COMPETENCE
WE MUST LIBERATE THE WAR ON POVERTY FROM
WASTE, CONTROVERSY AND THE BAD ODOR OF
4
POLITICAL BOSSISM. WE MUST COMBINE
COMPASSION WITH COMPETENCE THIS NATION
CAN AFFORD WHAT IS NECESSARY TO HELP THE
LESS FORTUNATE AMONG US TO HELP THEMSELVES.
THE CHILDREN OF THE POOR MUST HAVE THE
HIGHEST PRIORITY. HOW MANY OF THE POOR
HAVE ACTUALLY RECEIVED ANY OF THE TWENTY-
THREE HUNDRED MILLION TAXPAYER DOLLARS
FROM THE PRESENT WAR ON POVERTY ?
TRAGICALLY VERY FEW&
THE POOR THEMSELVES MUST HAVE AN IMPORTANT
ROLE IN POLICY DECISIONS AT THE COMMUNITY
LEVEL. THE STATES SHOULD BE PARTNERS IN
THIS WAR ON POVERTY. THE POVERTY FIGHTERS
MUST STOP FIGHTING EACH OTHER.
AMERICA HAS LONG WAGED THE MOST EFFECTIVE
WAR ON POVERTY IN HISTORY THROUGH THE
5
GENIUS OF PRIVATE ENTERPRISE COOPERATING
WITH GOVERNMENT.
WE URGE THE ENACTMENT OF THE REPUBLICAN
HUMAN INVESTMENT ACT TO BRING PRIVATE
ENTERPRISE MORE EFFECTIVELY TO BEAR ON
THE PROBLEM OF CREATING PRODUCTIVE JOBS
FOR THE POOR. THROUGH A 7% TAX CREDIT
WE WILL ENCOURAGE BUSINESS AND LABOR TO
EMPLOY AND TRAIN PEOPLE WITH LIMITED
SKILLS AND EDUCATION.
EXECUTIVE REFORM
THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH OF THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT NEEDS REFORM - NOT PRESIDENTIAL
REPATCHING OR PIECEMEAL CREATION OF NEW
DEPARTMENTS
6
THERE ARE AT LEAST 252 WELFARE PROGRAMS
TODAY, INCLUDING 52 SEPARATE FEDERAL
ECONOMIC AID PROGRAMS, 57 JOB TRAINING
PROGRAMS, AND 65 FEDERAL PROGRAMS TO
IMPROVE HEALTH.
THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH HAS BECOME A BUREAU-
CRATIC JUNGLE. THE TIME HAS COME TO
EXPLORE ITS WILD GROWTH AND CUT IT BACK.
WE URGE A NEW, INDEPENDENT, BIPARTISAN
COMMISSION, PATTERNED AFTER THE TWO DIS-
TINGUISHED HOOVER COMMISSIONS, TO
RECOMMEND SUBSTANTIAL REFORMS IN THE
EXECUTIVE BRANCH OF OUR GOVERNMENT
COST OF LIVING
THE EISENHOWER DOLLAR IS NOW WORTH ONLY
7
90 CENTS
THE COST OF LIVING IS 2 PERCENT HIGHER
THAN IT WAS A YEAR AGO. AT THE CURRENT
LEVEL OF CONSUMER SPENDING, THIS PRICE
RISE IS THE EQUIVALENT OF A SECRET
SALES TAX THAT SILENTLY STEALS SOME $8
BILLION ANNUALLY FROM THE POCKETS OF THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE.
INFLATIONARY POLICIES OF THE PRESIDENT
HAVE A MAJOR IMPACT ON THE COST OF LIVING.
THIS ADMINISTRATION USES A DOUBLE STANDARD.
WITH ONE HAND IT CREATES UPWARD PRESSURE
ON PRICES AND WITH THE OTHER BLUDGEONS
WORKERS AND BUSINESSMEN FOR RESPONDING
TO THOSE PRESSURES. THE VILLAIN IN THIS
PIECE IS THE ADMINISTRATION WHICH WILL
INCREASE THE COST OF THE FEDERAL GOVERN-
MENT BY $26 BILLION IN A TWO-YEAR PERIOD&
8
THE MOST DIRECT AND EFFECTIVE WEAPON THE
NATIONAL GOVERNMENT HAS TO HALT INFLATION
IS TO CURB FEDERAL SPENDING. IT IS
IMPERATIVE THAT THE PRESIDENT IN HIS
BUDGET CLASSIFY HIS SPENDING PROPOSALS
ACCORDING TO NECESSITY AND URGENCY. IF
HE FAILS TO DO so, WE CALL UPON THE
DEMOCRATS IN CONGRESS TO JOIN US IN
ELIMINATING, REDUCING, OR DEFERRING LOW-
PRIORITY ITEMS
WE LEARN NOW THAT SPENDING IN THIS FISCAL
YEAR WILL BE AT LEAST 8 BILLION DOLLARS
MORE THAN WE WERE TOLD A YEAR AGO.
CONGRESS AND THE PEOPLE HAVE NOT BEEN
GIVEN A STRAIGHT-FORWARD AND REALISTIC
ASSESSMENT OF OUR FEDERAL BUDGET PROBLEMS.
WE NEED TRUTH IN BUDGETING BY THE WHITE
HOUSE.
9
WHATEVER IS NEEDED -- REALLY NEEDED --
FOR NATIONAL SECURITY MUST BE PROVIDED.
URGENT DOMESTIC PROGRAMS THAT TRULY HELP
THE NEEDY, THAT CONTRIBUTE TO REAL
ECONOMIC GROWTH, THAT SIGNIFICANTLY
ADVANCE THE CAUSE OF EQUAL OPPORTUNITY,
NEED NOT BE SACRIFICED APPLYING THESE
TESTS REPUBLICANS BELIEVE THE $55 BILLION
WHICH THE PRESIDENT PROPOSES FOR NON-
MILITARY SPENDING CAN BE AND MUST BE
REDUCED.
TAXES
HOW MANY AMERICANS KNOW THAT LAWS PASSED
LAST YEAR, SUPPOSEDLY REDUCING TAXES,
ACTUALLY IMPOSE A NET INCREASE IN FEDERAL
TAXES FOR 1966 OF $3-1/2 BILLION ? THE
PRESIDENT NOW ADVOCATES ADDITIONAL TAX
10
BURDENS. WITH PRUDENT RESTRA INT ON
SPENDING, WE BELIEVE NO NEW TAXES ARE
NOW NEEDED.
AGRICULTURE
AT HOME WE SEEK A FREE AND PROSPEROUS
AGRICULTURE. REPUBLICANS WILL CONTINUE
TO RESIST ADMINISTRATION EFFORTS TO
ARTIFICIALLY DEPRESS THE MARKET PRICES
OF FARM COMMODITES AND CONTROL AMERICAN
FARMERS. THE EISENHOWER PUBLIC LAW 480
MUST BE EXTENDED. WE URGE ESTABLISHMENT
OF A "U.S. - WORLDFOOD STUDY COMMISSION"
TO MEET THE GROWING "FOOD GAP" ON OUR
PLANET.
POLITICAL REFORMS
11
WE WERE SURPRISED AND PLEASED THAT THE
PRESIDENT TOUCHED ON THE SUBJECT OF
REFORM OF POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS AND ELECTIONS.
HIS RECOMMENDATIONS DO NOT GO FAR ENOUGH.
WAYS MUST BE FOUND TO ELIMINATE VOTE
FRAUD, CURB THE COST OF POLITICAL
CAMPAIGNS, AND EXPAND THE RIGHT TO VOTE.
REPUBLICANS WILL PROPOSE SUCH MEASURES.
STATES OF THE UNION:
OUR NATION HAS THRIVED ON THE DIVERSITY AND
DISTRIBUTION OF POWERS SO WISELY EMBEDDED
IN THE CONSTITUTION. THE ADMINISTRATION
BELIEVES IN CENTRALIZED AUTHORITY,
IGNORING, BYPASSING, AND UNDERMINING STATE
RESPONSIBILITIES IN ALMOST EVERY LAW THAT
IS PASSED. AS A RESULT, OUR CONSTITUTIONAL
STRUCTURE IS TODAY IN DANGEROUS DISREPAIR.
12
THE STATES OF THE UNION FORM A VITAL
CORNERSTONE OF OUR FEDERAL SYSTEM, AND
THE HEADLONG PLUNGE TOWARD CENTRALIZATION
OF POWER IN WASHINGTON MUST BE HALTED.
WE SALUTE THE GALLANT FIGHT OF SENATOR
DIRKSEN AGAINST THE REPEAL OF SECTION 14B
AND FOR A REAPPORTIONMENT AMENDMENT.
WE URGE CONGRESS TO ENACT A SYSTEM OF TAX
SHARING, LONG ADVOCATED BY REPUBLICANS,
TO RETURN TO THE STATES A FIXED PERCENTAGE
OF THE PERSONAL INCOME TAX WITHOUT FEDERAL
CONTROLS. FUNDS FROM THIS SOURCE WILL
LIGHTEN THE LOAD OF LOCAL TAXATION,
SPUR SOLUTION OF VEXING URBAN PROBLEMS
AND REVITALIZE PROGRAMS IN EDUCATION,
HEALTH, AND WELFARE AT THE LOCAL LEVEL.
13
CIVIL RIGHTS
MAKING REAL FOR ALL AMERICANS THE EQUALITY
TO WHICH THIS NATION IS COMMITTED REMAINS
AN URGENT NATIONAL CONCERN. RECENT
PROGRESS IS ENCOURAGING, BUT NOT ENOUGH.
NO CITIZEN SHOULD BE SATISFIED MERELY
WITH THE EXPECTATION OF A BETTER TOMORROW.
IT IS ONLY RIGHT TO EXPECT THAT THE CON-
STITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES BE PUT IN
FORCE EVERYWHERE -- NOW.
THE CONGRESS HAS ENACTED FOUR CIVIL RIGHTS
ACTS SINCE 1957. HESITANT ADMINISTRATION
OF EXISTING LAWS HAS MADE THEM LESS EFFECTIVE
THAN THEY SHOULD BE. THERE NOW SNEED TO
REVIEW THESE LAWS, AND ESPECIALLY TIGHTEN
THOSE DESIGNED TO PREVENT VIOLENCE AND
INTIMIDATION OF CITIZENS WHO EXERCISE
14
THEIR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS.
LET US MAKE IT CLEAR TO ALL -- THERE
CANNOT BE TWO KINDS OF JUSTICE, ONE FOR
WHITES, ANOTHER FOR NEGROES.
-- NOR CAN THERE BE TOLERANCE OF RIOTS,
LOOTING, VIOLENCE, AND DISORDER.
THESE IMPEDE THE PROGRESS SOUGHT BY THE
OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF AMERICANS.
THE PRESIDENT'S CHALLENGE
LAST WEEK THE PRESIDENT CHIDED AMERICANS
WHO BELIEVE, AS I DO, THAT WE CANNOT
FIGHT A WAR TEN THOUSAND MILES AWAY
WITHOUT SETTING PRIRITIES AT HOME.
15
HE ASKED: WHOM WILL THEY SACRIFICE?
THE POOR ?
OUR ANSWER IS A RESOUNDING "NO "!
WE WILL NOT SACRIFICE POOR PEOPLE.
WE WILL SACRIFICE POOR PROGRAMS, POORLY
CONCEIVED AND POORLY CARRIED OUT.
WE WILL SACRIFICE POOR ADMINISTRATORS.
WE WILL SACRIFICE POOR ARITHMETIC IN
PUBLIC ACCOUNTING.
ANY SACRIFICES WE CALL FOR CANNOT BE
COMPARED WITH THOSE BEING MADE TONIGHT
BY 190 THOUSAND AMERICANS IN VIETNAM.
16
AND WHAT OF THE SACRIFICES OF THEIR
FAMILIES AT HOME, WHO SHARE UNEQUALLY
IN THE PROMISES OF THE GREAT SOCIETY ?
WE URGE MORE ADEQUATE HOUSING AND
BENEFITS FOR OUR FIGHTING MEN AND THEIR
FAMILIES. WE URGE A NEW GI BILL OF
RIGHTS FOR VETERANS.
WE WILL NOT SACRIFICE THEIR FUTURE.
NOR WILL WE SACRIFICE THE FUTURE OF
MILLIONS OF AMERICANS WHOSE LIFETIME
SAVINGS AND MODEST PENSIONS ARE BEING
NIBBLED AWAY BY INFLATION.
WE ARE OUTNUMBERED TWO TO ONE IN THIS
CONGRESS.
BUT WE WILL CONTINUE TO SPEAK OUT FOR THE
17
THINGS IN WHICH WE BELIEVE. WE WILL
NOT SACRIFICE THE IDEALS THAT MAKE US
REPUBLICANS. WE WILL NEVER SACRIFICE
THE SACRED RIGHT, AND THE SACRED VALUE
TO OUR COUNTRY OF LOYAL DISSENT.
THIS IS OUR DUTY TO ALL AMERICANS.
Texts of the Addresses
The State of the Union —
UBLICAN 312 State HOTEL COMMITTEE
A Republican Appraisal
Republican Congressional Leaders last Monday delivered, for the first time, their
own State of the Union messages, in reply to the President's address of several days
earlier. Some 200 Republican Members of Congress and their wives gathered in a
9561 YEARSH
historic Capitol chamber, which once housed the Senate and the Supreme Court, to
hear Senate GOP Leader Everett M. Dirksen and House Republican Leader Gerald R. Ford
discuss the foreign and domestic scenes. The speeches were televised nationally by
the three networks.
By Sen. Everett M. Dirksen
and freedom. To accept less would be an injustice
to the charity and sacrificial spirit of the Ameri-
WE ARE THE LEGATEES of a great, strong land.
can people.
We received it from those who were here before
Horsemen of Despair
US.
The state of our land is too often measured in
CONSIDER NOW THE horsemen of despair who
material terms-jobs, income, gross product, serv-
ride over the world-the population explosion,
ices and goods. Actually it embraces much more.
hunger, and poverty. They constitute a crisis al-
It includes the national mood, our capacity to live
ready on our doorstep. We pay farmers to pro-
together, and our prestige. It includes our leader-
ship of the Free World, our relations with other
lands, our respect for law, our devotion to peace,
and our willingness to sacrifice even as others
have done before US. It includes reason and realism
in a world of tumult and confusion.
We are not only in this world but of it, and we
shall be for ages to come.
Consider then our ties and relations with other
lands. Twenty-one years ago, we pioneered the
United Nations. Since then, we have developed
Dirksen: Our word
Ford: Forward
regional groups throughout the world for specific
duce less. Industry forever seeks ways to produce
purposes. We believed it would aid the cause of
more at less cost. Meanwhile, births continue to
peace and tranquillity and freedom.
grow and hunger stalks many areas of the world.
Our Pledges Fulfilled
Each year, the world gains 65 million persons.
The number will grow. So will hunger. Can peace
In pursuit of these high purposes, we spent more
and hunger co-exist?
than $120 billion of your money on foreign aid.
Ages ago, Isaish wrote, "And it shall come to
We hoped that if we supplied the tools, other na-
pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall
tions would supply the men on Freedom's frontier.
fret themselves, and curse their King and their
We fulfilled our pledges. They did so only in part
God." American agriculture is geared to high pro-
and too often with ill grace.
duction. Better to pay for abundance than for
Where needed, we supplied manpower also.
scarcity.
The first feeble cries of "Yanki, go home" have
In a few years, Red China will have 800 million
become a chorus. Our prestige on the world ther-
people. Leaders can survive only when the urgent
mometer of goodwill has dropped fast and far.
creature needs of the people are met. The ugly
Our billions have gained little respect, and even
heads of aggression and conquest vanish when
less appreciation. Every continent has its fevers
there is no need for new domains. Surely, within
and turmoil.
the genius of American enterprise, the way can be
Two things are needed. The first is a careful,
found for the produce of our fruited plains to reach
precise audit to see where our fleeting dollars went
the empty bellies of the world. The signs of trouble
and what they really accomplished. The second is
are already written in the firmament and there is
a sustained and expert scrutiny of every estimate
no time to lose. This too with its vast potential im-
for foreign aid to determine how the aid requested
pact on our future involves the State of the Union.
will be used and whether there will be dividends
Consider now the grim struggle in which we are
in the form of goodwill and real devotion to peace
(Continued on third page following)
LIBRARI
'We Will Not Sacrifice the Ideals That Make Us Republicans'
By Rep. Gerald R. Ford
dent touched on the subject of reform of political
campaigns and elections. His recommendations do
As A MINORITY PARTY, it is our task to carry
not go far enough.
the torch of dissent responsibly and constructively.
Ways must be found to eliminate vote fraud,
We look forward, not backward. Our people are
curb the cost of political campaigns, and expand
restless and impatient with problems too long
the franchise. Republicans will propose: to guard
unsolved and too often compounded by bad laws
against abuses in the raising and use of political
and bureaucratic failings.
funds; to raise the ceiling on political expenditures
The Congress turns in 1966, as in the past, to
to realistic levels; to bar effectively political con-
its part in the always unfinished task of making
tributions from corporations and unions; to require
America united, strong, and free.
meaningful reporting of political contributions and
These goals in their present setting point par-
expenditures.
ticularly to three types of problems of domestic
Newsletter Photo by Mickey Senko
Congressman Ford, speaking in Old Supreme Court Chamber last Monday evening.
policy: how to increase jobs and output without
States of the Union
inflation; how to move ahead toward equality
last session of Congress, demands the attention
the Congress to set priorities. It is imperative that
for all citizens; and how to improve government
of our people.
the President in his budget classify his spending
UR NATION HAS thrived on the diversity and
and its services.
There are now 42 separate Federal agencies
proposals according to necessity and urgency. If
distribution of powers so wisely embedded in the
While there are courses of action that strike
Constitution. The Administration believes in cen-
involved in education programs alone. There
he fails to do so, we call upon the Democrats in
at each of these problems, there is a common
are at least 252 welfare programs today, including
Congress to join US in eliminating, reducing or de-
tralized authority, ignoring and bypassing and
remedy that affects all three: Education.
52 separate Federal economic aid programs, 57
ferring low priority items.
undermining State responsibilities in almost every
This cannot, and should not, be done by the
job training programs and 65 Federal programs
We learn now that expenditures in this fiscal
law that is passed. As a result, our constitutional
Federal Government alone. But, there is much
to improve health. In the 10 years since the sec-
year will be at least $8 billion more than we were
structure is today in dangerous disrepair. The
that the national government can do to promote
States of the Union form a vital cornerstone of our
ond Hoover Commission made its report, during
told a year ago. Congress and the people have
this effort without the heavy hand of Federal
five Democratic-controlled Congresses, employees
not been given a straight-forward and realistic
Federal system, and the headlong plunge toward
control.
on the Federal payroll have increased 175,000
assessment of our Federal budget problems. Re-
centralization of power in Washington must be
Compassion With Competence
and Federal expenditures have increased by $57
halted.
publicans intend to give the President's budget a
billion.
searching examination.
We salute the gallant fight of Senator Dirksen
We must liberate the War on Poverty from
The Executive branch has become a bureau-
against the repeal of Section 14(b) of the Taft-
waste, controversy, and the bad odor of political
cratic jungle. The time has come to explore its
Taxes
Hartley Act and for the Reapportionment Amend-
bossism. We must combine compassion with com-
wild growth and cut it back. We urge a new
How many Americans know that the laws passed
ment.
petence. This Nation can afford what is necessary
independent bipartisan commission, patterned
last year, supposedly reducing taxes, actually im-
We urge Congress to enact a system of tax shar-
to help the less fortunate among US to help them-
after the two distinguished Hoover Commissions,
pose a net increase in Federal taxes for 1966 of
ing, long advocated by Republicans, to return to
selves. The children of the poor must have the
to recommend substantial reforms in the Executive
$3½ billion? The President now advocates addi-
the States a fixed percentage of the personal in-
highest priority. How many of the poor have
branch of our government.
tional tax burdens to finance added costs both at
come tax without Federal controls. Funds from this
actually received any of the twenty-three hundred
home and abroad. With prudent restraint on
source will lighten the load of local taxation, spur
million taxpayers' dollars from the present War
Cost of Living
spending, we believe no new taxes are now
solution of vexing urban problems, and revitalize
on Poverty? Tragically, very few.
To achieve a healthy and steady economic
needed.
programs in education, health, and welfare at the
The poor themselves must have an important
growth there must be price stability. Today this
local level.
role in policy decisions at the community level.
national goal is seriously endangered by the
Agriculture
The States should be partners in this War on Pov-
threat of inflation. The Eisenhower dollar is now
Civil Rights
erty. It is time that the poverty fighters stopped
worth 90 cents.
T HE FARM PARITY ratio in 1965 was below the
Making real for all Americans the equality to
fighting each other.
The cost of living is two per cent higher than
level of five years ago. At home, we seek a free
which this nation is committed remains an urgent
America has long waged the most effective War
it was a year ago. At the current level of con-
and prosperous agriculture by encouraging the
national concern. Recent progress is encouraging,
on Poverty in history through the genius of pri-
sumer spending, this price rise is the equivalent
operation of a healthy market economy. We will
but not enough. No citizen should be satisfied
vate enterprise cooperating with government. We
of a secret sales tax that silently steals some $8
continue to resist Administration efforts to arti-
merely with the expectation of a better tomorrow.
urge the enactment of the Republican-proposed
million annually from the pockets of the American
ficially depress the market prices of farm com-
It is only right to expect that the Constitution of the
Human Investment Act to bring private enterprise
people.
modities and to control the American farmers.
United States be put in force everywhere now.
more effectively to bear on the problem of cre-
Inflationary policies of the President have a
World population increases are adding a new
The Congress has enacted four civil rights acts
ating productive jobs for the poor. Through a
major impact on the cost of living. This Administra-
dimension to the problems of American agriculture
since 1957. There now is need to review these
seven per cent tax credit, this measure will en-
tion uses a double standard. With one hand it
and demand new thinking. For our overseas pro-
laws, and especially tighten those designed to pre-
courage business and labor to employ and train
creates upward pressure on prices and with the
grams, we urge the extension of Public Law 480,
vent violence and intimidation of citizens who
people with limited skills and education.
other bludgeons workers and businessmen for re-
the Eisenhower Food for Peace program, and we
exercise their constitutional rights.
sponding to these pressures. The real villain in this
urge the enactment of legislation, already intro-
Hesitant administration of existing laws has
Executive Reform
piece is the Administration which will increase the
duced by 65 Republicans in the House, to estab-
made them less effective than they should be. The
THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH of the Federal Gov-
cost of the Federal Government by $26 billion in a
lish a bi-partisan "U. S.-World Food Study and
President has even failed to make the Community
ernment needs reform-not Presidential repatch-
two-year period.
Coordinating Commission," in order to begin im-
Relations Service the effective instrument which
ing or piecemeal creation of new departments.
The most direct and effective weapon the Na-
mediately the vital task of closing the growing
Congress intended it to be. Leaderless for half of
The proliferation of Federal programs, com-
tional Government has to halt inflation is to curb
"food gap" on our planet.
last year, shunted off to an ambiguous position in
pounded by the mass production of laws in the
Federal spending. This requires the President and
We were surprised and pleased that the Presi-
(Continued on Next Page)
Dirksen: There Is No Substitute for Victory
(Continued from Page One)
Who can object to any honorable effort to secure
involved in Asia. Let US be crystal clear. Vietnam
peace where young blood is involved? Let the mili-
is not our war. But we pledged ourselves to help
tary effort continue. It demonstrates our determi-
a small nation. Our word was given. We are there
nation to keep our word. Let it be intensified if
to keep our word.
necessary as sound military judgment dictates.
FOR MORE THAN 90 years, Cambodia, Laos and
There is, after all, no substitute for victory.
Let the objective be kept crystal clear at all
Indo-China were under French tutelage. The Viet
times, and that is guaranteed freedom and inde-
Minh-the north half-rebelled. It was a long,
pendence for the Vietnamese. How else could we
bloody struggle. The French were defeated. The
keep faith with the young dead? How else do we
conflict ended with an accord signed at Geneva.
redeem our word? How else do we regain our
Laos and Cambodia achieved their independence.
prestige? How else do we maintain our leadership
Indo-China was divided in half with a non-military
in the Free World? All this is part of the State of
zone between.
the Union.
Our country did not sign that accord. But we
had an interest. Hundreds of millions of your
money was spent to aid the French. But it also
Ford: No Sacrifice Compares
involved our defense perimeter and our security.
We pledged ourselves to aid Vietnam in preserv-
To Those Being Made in Vietnam
ing her integrity and independence.
(Continued from Previous Page)
A Grim, Costly Battle
Accordingly we were permitted to keep military
the wrong Federal agency, this potentially valu-
advisers there. At first it was but a few hundred.
able Service has suffered from neglect.
Gradually the number grew into thousands. Today
Let US make it clear to all-there cannot be two
it approaches 200,000. It has become a grim,
kinds of justice, one for whites, another for Ne-
bloody, and costly business.
groes. Nor can there be tolerance of riots, looting,
It is a war but not of our making. Young men
violence, and disorder. These impede the progress
with gay hearts go forth to Vietnam and lifeless
sought by the overwhelming majority of Ameri-
young men in wooden boxes return. They fought,
cans.
bled, died in the heat and mud of the jungles. All
this is 12,000 miles from home. For a long time it
The President's Challenge
seemed remote. But no longer. We become grimly
Last week the President chided Americans who
aware that we are fighting a war to help a small
believe, as I do, that we cannot fight a war 10,000
land, so many of whose people can neither read
miles away without setting priorities at home.
nor write.
He asked: Whom will they sacrifice?
the
Eighteen months ago, Congress enacted a Joint
poor? Our answer is a resounding "NO!"
Resolution, giving support and approval to the
We will not sacrifice poor people. We will sac-
President as Commander In Chief to take all neces-
rifice poor programs, poorly conceived and poorly
sary steps including the use of force to repel attack
carried out. We will sacrifice poor administrators.
on our forces and prevent further aggression.
We will sacrifice poor arithmetic in public account-
That resolution is still in effect. In both Houses of
ing.
Congress the vote was 504 to 2. Every Republican
Any sacrifices we call for, cannot be compared
present voted for it.
with those being made by 190,000 Americans in
But as complications develop and the choice be-
Vietnam.
comes guns or butter or both, groups and individ-
And what of the sacrifices of their families at
uals become increasingly vocal. Let's get out. We
home, who share inequally in the promises of the
must stay in. We must bomb Hanoi. We must not
Great Society? We urge more adequate housing
bomb. We must step up. We must hold back. We
for our fighting men and their families. We urge a
must negotiate. We must not negotiate.
new GI bill of rights of veterans. We will not sacri-
To retreat and get out would be deemed a con-
fice their future. Nor will we sacrifice the future of
fession that we are a paper tiger. What a propa-
millions of Americans whose lifetime savings and
ganda weapon that would be in Asia, Africa and
modest pensions are being nibbled away by in-
elsewhere.
flation.
To forsake our pledges would shatter confidence
We are outnumbered two to one in this Con-
in US and further diminish our prestige.
gress. But we will continue to speak out for the
To negotiate from weakness would mean defeat
things in which we believe. We will not sacrifice
before we ever reached the negotiation table.
the ideals that make US Republicans.
We will never sacrifice the sacred right, and
So WHAT? Is there then a rational course to
the sacred value to our country, of loyal dissent.
follow? I believe so. Let the peace efforts continue.
This is our duty to all Americans.
Collection: Ford Cong. Papors
Box: D19
Folder: The State of the Union - A Republican Appraisal
January 17, 1966
Document ID: Response by Cong. Gerald Ford
Date:
January 17, 1966
Pages: 8
FOR THE SENATE:
THE JOINT SENATE-HOUSE
FOR THE HOUSE
OF REPRESENTATIVES:
Everett M. Dirksen, Leader
REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP
Gerald R. Ford,
Thomas H. Kuchel, Whip
Leader
Bourke B. Hickenlooper, Chr.
Leslie C. Arends, Whip
of the Policy Committee
Melvin R. Laird,
Leverett Saltonstall, Chr.
Press Release
Chr. of the Conference
of the Conference
John J. Rhodes, Chr.
of the Policy Committee
Thruston B. Morton,
H. Allen Smith,
Chr. Republican
Ranking Member
Senatorial Committee
Rules Committee
Bob Wilson,
Chr. Republican
PRESIDING OFFICER:
ADDRESS
Congressional Committee
The Republican
Charles E. Goodell,
National Chairman
January 17, 1966
Chr. Committee on
Ray C. Bliss
Planning and Research
The Minority Leader of the House of Representatives,
Congressman Gerald R. Ford, Republican of Michigan
"The State of the Union - A Republican Appraisal"
FOR RELEASE
9:00 PM E.S.T.
We are assembled tonight in an historic chamber -- a chamber that
has echoed the thunderous debate and vigorous dissent of some of our country's
greatest leaders.
Daniel Webster here proclaimed the immortal words, "Liberty and
union, now and forever, one and inseparable."
As a minority party, it is our task to carry the torch of dissent
responsibly and constructively.
Tonight we look forward, not backward. Our people are restless and
impatient with problems too long unsolved and too often compounded by bad
laws and bureaucratic failings.
The Congress turns in 1966, as in the past, to its part in the always
unfinished task of making America united, strong, and free.
These goals in their present setting point particularly to three types
of problems in domestic policy: how to increase jobs and output without
inflation; how to move ahead toward equality for all citizens; and how to improve
government and its services.
While there are courses of action that strike at each of these problems,
there is a common remedy that affects all three: Education.
-- The problem of unemployment is particularly the problem of the young,
inexperienced, unskilled person of inadequate schooling.
Room S-124 U.S. Capitol-CApitol 4-3121 . Ex 3700
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-- More and better schooling will reduce racial tensions and speed the
Negro's economic and social progress.
-- Improved education will help to solve the problems of goverment
by enlightening both the electors and the elected.
We believe every youth must be encouraged to pursue his education
as far as his talents will take him.
Drop-outs must be encouraged to go back to school for an education
or training to fit their ability.
Curricula must be enriched.
People already working should be given the chance to retrain and upgrade
their skills and earning power.
Vocational Rehabilitation for the handicapped must be expanded.
This cannot, and should not, be done by the Federal government alone.
But, there is much that the national government can do to promote this effort
without the heavy hand of federal control.
For example, the Congress should ease the financial burden of going
to college.
The door of education must be opened wide.
Therefore, we propose a federal income tax credit for college students
and their parents.
Compassion with Competence
We must liberate the War on Poverty from waste, controversy, and
the bad odor of political bossism.
We must combine compassion with competence. This nation can
afford what is necessary to help the less fortunate among us to help themselves.
The children of the poor must have the highest priority. How many of the poor
have actually received any of the twenty-three hundred million taxpayers' dollars
from the present War on Poverty? Tragically, very few.
The poor themselves must have an important role in policy decisions at
the community level. The States should be partners in this War on Poverty.
It is time that the poverty fighters stopped fighting each other.
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Republicans will offer specific proposals to redirect this program to
achieve its goals without waste, scandal and bureaucratic infighting. Without
such changes, the good will fall with the bad under the fiscal pressures
created by Vietnam and the massive new domestic spending programs.
America has long waged the most effective War on Poverty in history
through the genius of private enterprise cooperating with government.
We urge the enactment of the Republican proposed Human Investment
Act to bring private enterprise more effectively to bear on the problem of
creating productive jobs for the poor. Through a 7% tax credit, this measure
will encourage business and labor to employ and train people with limited skills
and education.
Executive Reform
The Executive Branch of the Federal government needs reform - not
Presidential repatching or piecemeal creation of new departments.
The proliferation of Federal programs, compounded by the mass
production of laws in the last session of Congress, demands the attention of our
people.
There are now 42 separate Federal agencies involved in education programs
alone. There are at least 252 welfare programs today, including 52 separate
Federal economic aid program, 57 job training programs and 65 Federal programs
to improve health. In the ten years since the second Hoover Commission made its
report, during five Democratic-controlled Congresses, employees on the Federal
payroll have increased 175, 000 and Federal expenditures have increased by $57 billion.
The Executive branch has become a bureaucratic jungle. The time has
come to explore its wild growth and cut it back.
We urge a new independent bipartisan Commission, patterned after the
two distinguished Hoover Commissions, to recommend substantial reforms in
the Executive branch of our government.
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Cost of Living
To achieve a healthy and steady economic growth there must be price
stability. Today this national goal is seriously endangered by the threat of
inflation. The Eisenhower dollar is now worth 90 cents.
The cost of living is 2 percent higher than it was a year ago. At the
current level of consumer spending, this price rise is the equivalent of a secret
sales tax that silently steals some $8 billion annually from the pockets of the
American people.
Inflationary policies of the President have a major impact on the cost
of living. This Administration uses a double standard. With one hand it creates
upward pressure on prices and with the other bludgeons workers and businessmen
for responding to that pressure.
The real villain in this piece is the
Administration which will increase the cost of the Federal government by
$26 billion in a two-year period.
The most direct and effective weapon the National Government has to halt
inflation is to curb Federal spending. This requires the President and the Congress
to set priorities. It is imperative that the President in his budget classify his
spending proposals according to necessity and urgency. If he fails to do so,
we call upon the Democrats in Congress to join us in eliminating, reducing
or deferring low priority items.
We learn now that expenditures in this fiscal year will be at least 8
billion dollars more than we were told a year ago. Congress and the people
have not been given a straight-forward and realistic assessment of our Federal
budget problems. Republicans intend to give the President's budget a searching
examination.
Whatever is needed -- really needed -- for national security must be
provided. Urgent domestic programs that truly help the needy, that contribute
to real economic growth, that significantly advance the cause of equal opportunity,
need not be sacrificed. Applying these tests, Republicans believe the $55 billion
which the President will propose for non-military spending can be and must be reduced.
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Taxes
How many Americans know that the laws passed last year, supposedly
reducing taxes, actually impose a net increase in Federal taxes for 1966 of
$3-1/2 billion? The President now advocates additional tax burdens to finance
added costs both at home and abroad. With prudent restraint on spending, we
believe no new taxes are now needed.
Agriculture
The farm parity ratio in 1965 was below the level of five years ago.
At home, we seek a free and prosperous agriculture by encouraging the operation
of a healthy market economy. We will continue to resist Administration efforts
to artificially depress the market prices of farm commodities and to control
the American farmers.
World population increases are adding a new dimension to the problems
of American agriculture and demand new thinking. For our overseas programs,
we urge the extension of Public Law 480, the Eisenhower Food for Peace program,
and we urge the enactment of legislation, already introduced by 65 Republicans
in the House, to establish a bi-partisan "U.S. - World Food Study and Coordinating
Commission," in order to begin immediately the vital task of closing the growing
"food gap" on our planet.
Political Reforms
We were surprised and pleased that the President touched on the subject
of reform of political campaigns and elections. His recommendations do not go
far enough.
Ways must be found to eliminate vote fraud, curb the cost of political
campaigns, and expand the franchise. Republicans will propose:
-- to guard against abuses in the raising and use of political funds;
-- to raise the ceiling on political expenditures to realistic levels;
-- to bar effectively political contributions from corporations and unions;
-- to require meaningful reporting of political contributions and expenditures.
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States of the Union
Our nation has thrived on the diversity and distribution of powers so wisely
embedded in the Constitution. The Administration believes in centralized authority,
ignoring and bypassing and undermining State responsibilities in almost every law
that is passed. As a result, our constitutional structure is today in dangerous
disrepair. The States of the Union form a vital cornerstone of our Federal system,
and the headlong plunge toward centralization of power in Washington must be halted.
All of us here tonight salute the gallant fight of Senator Dirksen against
the repeal of Section 14(b) of the Taft-Hartley Act and for the Reapportionment
Amendment.
We urge Congress to enact a system of tax sharing, long advocated by Republicans,
to return to the States a fixed percentage of the personal income tax without
Federal controls. Funds from this source will lighten the load of local taxation,
spur solution of vexing urban problems, and revitalize programs in education,
health, and welfare at the local level.
Unemployment Compensation
Changes in the system of unemployment CO mpensation are needed, particularly
to provide standby protection against the contingency of a substantial rise in the
number of workers without jobs. We support the constructive suggestions worked out
by the State Unemployment Compensation administrators to meet this problem. We
oppose the Administration's bill that would substitute Federal judgment for State
determination in matters such as standards and benefits in this program.
Civil Rights
Making real for all Americans the equality to which this nation is commited
remains an urgent national concern. Recent progress is encouraging, but not enough.
No citizen should be satisfied merely with the expectation of a better tomorrow.
It is only right to expect that the Constitution of the United States be put in force
everywhere now.
-7-
The Congress has enacted four civil rights acts since 1957. There now is
need to review these laws, and especially tighten those designed to prevent
violence and intimidation of citizens who exercise their constitutional rights.
Hesitant administration of existing laws has made them less effective than
they should be. The President has even failed to make the Community Relations
Service the effective instrument which Congress intended it to be. Leaderless for
half of last year, shunted off to an ambiguous position in the wrong Federal agency,
this potentially valuable Service has suffered from neglect.
Let us make it clear to all-there cannot be two kinds of justice, one for
whites, another for Negroes.
--Nor can there be tolerance of riots, looting, violence, and disorder.
These impede the progress sought by the overwhelming majority of Americans.
The President's Challenge
Last week the President chided Americans who believe, as I do, that we cannot
fight a war ten thousand miles away without setting priorities at home.
He asked: Whom will they sacrifice ?
the poor ?
Our answer is a resounding "NO!"
We will not sacrifice poor people.
We will sacrifice poor programs, poorly conceived and poorly carried out.
We will sacrifice poor administrators.
We will sacrifice poor arithmetic in public accounting.
Any sacrifices we call for, cannot be compared with those being made by
190 thousand Americans in Vietnam.
And what of the sacrifices of their families at home, who share inequally in
the promises of the Great Society ? We urge more adequate housing and benefits
for our fighting men and their families. We urge a new GI bill of rights of veterans.
We will not sacrifice their future.
Nor will we sacrifice the future of millions of Americans whose lifetime
savings and modest pensions are being nibbled away by inflation.
-8-
We are outnumbered two to one in this Congress.
But we will continue to speak out for the things in which we believe. We will
not sacrifice the ideals that make us Republicans.
We will never sacrifice the sacred right, and the sacred value to our country,
of loyal dissent.
This is our duty to all Americans.
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