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Trunk ‘N Tusk Club, Tucson, AZ, January 20, 1968
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Trunk ‘N Tusk Club, Tucson, AZ, January 20, 1968
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The original documents are located in Box D23, folder "Trunk 'N Tusk Club, Tucson, AZ,
January 20, 1968" 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States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.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.
Distribution: I ull + 20 Mr. Ford
mail - 1/19/67
Galleries - 1:15 1/19/68
m Olive Copy
CONGRESSMAN
NEWS
GERALD R. FORD
HOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADER
RELEASE
--FOR RELEASE AT 6:30 P.M. MT. TIME--
Saturday, Jan. 20, 1968
Excerpts from a Speech before the Trunk 'N Tusk Club, Tucson, Arizona.
President Johnson said in his State of the Union Message that "there is
in the land a certain restlessness--a questioning." More accurately, the
American people today are not only uneasy but frightened.
They are frightened because their commander-in-chief has almost furtively
edged this Nation into a massive land war in Southeast Asia to which he has
committed 525,000 American military personnel.
They are frightened because if there now is a light at the end of the
Vietnam tunnel it is little more than a tiny candle.
They are frightened because riots exploded in 120 of our cities last year
and the prospect is for more such conflagrations in 1968.
They are frightened because the national crime rate has jumped 67 per cent
since 1960--seven times faster than the growth in population--and yet
Administration-minded U.S. senators concerned about the rights of the criminal
balk at a strong omnibus crime bill.
The people are frightened because the cost of living keeps rising and the
value of the dollar keeps shrinking.
All of their fears are joined in one staggering realization--they are living
with government by crisis.
The Johnson-Humphrey Administration has failed to solve the people's
problems. The problems have reached crisis proportions. The Administration
drifts from crisis to crisis, and to meet each emergency President Johnson
offers the people a no-choice solution.
The line is .we have no choice but to take drastic action under the circum-
stances that face us. Never is there an explanation of why the problem was not
met head-on before it reached mountainous magnitude.
The no-choice Johnson-Humphrey Administration tells us we have no choice
but to take away the freedom of many Americans to travel where they wish and of
American businessmen to invest where they will.
We had no choice, the President informed us last year, but to impose com-
FORD
pulsory arbitration on labor and industry to keep the Nation's trains running.
(more)
LIBRARY
Digitized from Box D23 of the Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
-2-
He had no choice, Lyndon Johnson would have us believe, but to send more than
500,000 Americans to Vietnam to do the job that he once told us--in the presi-
dential campaign year of 1964--Asian boys should be doing.
We have no choice, the President tells us, but an income tax increase.
We have no choice, the President insists, but to spend more and tax more.
If we do not take the Administration route of no-choice, the route of the
tax increase, the big bad Congress will be to blame for the inflation and high
interest rates that will bedevil us in 1968, the President implies as this
presidential campaign year begins.
But there is a choice. There is a better way. It is the Republican way of
putting first things first, whittling problems down to size with the aid of
private enterprise and moving toward desirable national goals without the Great
Leap Forward that falls short and gives rise to riots and revolution.
The LBJ way has brought us to the brink of disaster.
Is this an exaggeration? Cut through the LBJ you-never-had-it-so-good
propaganda and look at the facts.
The very foundation of the world monetary system is being shaken.
The British have devalued the pound. The Johnson-Humphrey Administration is
resorting to direct controls over the dollar in a desperate attempt to at least
narrow the balance of payments gap.
The English have cancelled their order for 50 American F-111 planes to
improve their own balance of payments situation and have moved up their timetable
for withdrawal of all British forces east of the Suez except Hongkong.
What does all this have to do with the man on the street? These developments
will affect the lives and pocketbooks of millions of Americans.
Should we retaliate against the British by cancelling the $425 million
worth of arms orders we have placed with them? If we did we would be in great
danger of hurting ourselves. The pound and the dollar are in the same boat. If
there is a second devaluation of the pound, it is doubtful the dollar could with-
stand the pressure for devaluation. All Americans then would suffer a loss.
The pass to which the Johnson-Humphrey Administration has brought the United
States--direct dollar controls which may breed additional controls--underscores
the urgent need for a return to fiscal responsibility in our national affairs.
The American people are frightened. Europeans are frightened. What we need
is a resurgence of confidence in the dollar and in America's ability to put its
fiscal house in order. For their part, Republicans are determined to force upon
the no-choice Johnson-Humphrey Administration a spending hold-down that will lead
us away from the chaos which threatens us.
# # #
CONGRESSMAN
NEWS
GERALD R. FORD
HOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADER
RELEASE
--FOR RELEASE AT 6:30 P.M. MT. TIME--
Saturday, Jan. 20, 1968
Excerpts from a Speech before the Trunk 'N Tusk Club, Tucson, Arizona.
President Johnson said in his State of the Union Message that "there is
in the land a certain restlessness--a questioning." More accurately, the
American people today are not only uneasy but frightened.
They are frightened because their commander-in-chief has almost furtively
edged this Nation into a massive land war in Southeast Asia to which he has
committed 525,000 American military personnel.
They are frightened because if there now is a light at the end of the
Vietnam tunnel it is little more than a tiny candle.
They are frightened because riots exploded in 120 of our cities last year
and the prospect is for more such conflagrations in 1968.
They are frightened because the national crime rate has jumped 67 per cent
since 1960--seven times faster than the growth in population--and yet
Administration-minded U.S. senators concerned about the rights of the criminal
balk at a strong omnibus crime bill.
The people are frightened because the cost of living keeps rising and the
value of the dollar keeps shrinking.
All of their fears are joined in one staggering realization--they are living
with government by crisis.
The Johnson-Humphrey Administration has failed to solve the people's
problems. The problems have reached crisis proportions. The Administration
drifts from crisis to crisis, and to meet each emergency President Johnson
offers the people a no-choice solution.
The line is...we have no choice but to take drastic action under the circum-
stances that face us Never is there an explanation of why the problem was not
met head-on before it reached mountainous magnitude.
The no-choice Johnson-Humphrey Administration tells us we have no choice
but to take away the freedom of many Americans to travel where they wish and of
American businessmen to invest where they will.
We had no choice, the President informed us last year, but to impose com-
pulsory arbitration on labor and industry to keep the Nation's trains running.
(more)
GERALD FORD LIBRART
-2-
He had no choice, Lyndon Johnson would have us believe, but to send more than
500,000 Americans to Vietnam to do the job that he once told us--in the presi-
dential campaign year of 1964--Asian boys should be doing.
We have no choice, the President tells us, but an income tax increase.
We have no choice, the President insists, but to spend more and tax more.
If we do not take the Administration route of no-choice, the route of the
tax increase, the big bad Congress will be to blame for the inflation and high
interest rates that will bedevil us in 1968, the President implies as this
presidential campaign year begins.
But there is a choice. There is a better way. It is the Republican way of
putting first things first, whittling problems down to size with the aid of
private enterprise and moving toward desirable national goals without the Great
Leap Forward that falls short and gives rise to riots and revolution.
The LBJ way has brought us to the brink of disaster.
Is this an exaggeration? Cut through the LBJ you-never-had-it-so-good
propaganda and look at the facts.
The very foundation of the world monetary system is being shaken.
The British have devalued the pound. The Johnson-Humphrey Administration is
resorting to direct controls over the dollar in a desperate attempt to at least
narrow the balance of payments gap.
The English have cancelled their order for 50 American F-111 planes to
improve their own balance of payments situation and have moved up their timetable
for withdrawal of all British forces east of the Suez except Hongkong.
What does all this have to do with the man on the street? These developments
will affect the lives and pocketbooks of millions of Americans.
Should we retaliate against the British by cancelling the $425 million
worth of arms orders we have placed with them? If we did we would be in great
danger of hurting ourselves. The pound and the dollar are in the same boat. If
there is a second devaluation of the pound, it is doubtful the dollar could with-
stand the pressure for devaluation. All Americans then would suffer a loss.
The pass to which the Johnson-Humphrey Administration has brought the United
States--direct dollar controls which may breed additional controls--underscores
the urgent need for a return to fiscal responsibility in our national affairs.
The American people are frightened. Europeans are frightened. What we need
is a resurgence of confidence in the dollar and in America's ability to put its
fiscal house in order. For their part, Republicans are determined to force upon
the no-choice Johnson-Humphrey Administration a spending hold-down that will lead
us away from the chaos which threatens us.
# # #