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Lincoln Day Dinner, Palm Beach, FL, February 13, 1968
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Lincoln Day Dinner, Palm Beach, FL, February 13, 1968
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The original documents are located in Box D23, folder "Lincoln Day Dinner, Palm Beach,
FL, February 13, 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States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.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:
20
copies
Mr.
Ford
mailing 4:30p.m. 2/13/68
Copy
CONGRESSMAN
NEWS
GERALD R. FORD
HOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADER
RELEASE
--For Release at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday--
February 13, 1968
Excerpts from a Lincoln Day Dinner Speech Feb. 13, 1968, at Palm Beach, Fla.
I would like to make a prediction. Unless they are all wearing blinders,
delegates to the Democratic national convention will not use "Happy Days Are
Here Again" as their theme song next August in Chicago.
Only an American who insisted upon shutting his eyes and living in a dream
world could tell himself that this is the best of times. The State of our Union
in the time of Lyndon Johnson, 1968, is best described in words employed by
Abraham Lincoln nearly 112 years ago:
"We live in the midst of alarms; anxiety beclouds the future; we expect
some new disaster with each newspaper we read."
We have lived under Democratic administrations for seven years. Where have
we made gains? In what have we advanced?
Postmaster General Larry O'Brien says President Johnson will seek reelection
solely upon his record--the record of his and the preceding Democratic admini-
stration. Look at that record if you will. Look, and compare.
Today we are at war in Vietnam. Not seven years ago!
Today serious trouble brews in the Middle East. Not seven years ago!
Today violent civil disorders ravage our cities. Not seven years ago!
Today Communists steal our ships. Not seven years ago!
Today we approach runaway inflation. Not seven years ago!
Today we have the Bobby Bakers, the Tom Dodds and the Adam Clayton Powells
and on and on. Not seven years ago!
Today we have lost the respect America had throughout the world. Not seven
years ago!
In Asia our team is on the field. The game is not going well. It's time
to pick a new coach one who won't tell the other side to write all the rules
on how to end the contest.
Here at home we often wonder who's calling the signals.
The President recently sent the Congress his recommendations for fighting
crime. He made no mention of the Republican-sponsored anti-riot bill which passed
the House last year. He proposed his own anti-riot bill. He seemed to value
such legislation highly.
GERALD FORD LIBRARY
(more)
Digitized from Box D23 of the Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
-2-
The President also failed to mention that the House last year passed a Law
Enforcement Assistance Act, greatly strengthened by Republican amendments, to
help the states and cities in the war against crime. He ignored the fact that
liberal Democrats in the Senate sat on that bill instead of giving the states
and cities the added tools they need to fight crime--tools largely fashioned by
Republicans.
Instead the President a few days ago signed an executive order making Attorney
General Ramsey Clark the coordinator of all federal anti-crime efforts.
You remember Ramsey Clark. He's the fellow who said last year, and I quote:
"The level of crime has risen a little but there's no wave of crime in the country."
It seems the attorney general does not read the reports of J. Edgar Hoover's
FBI. The FBI recently stated that crime rose by 16 per cent in just the first
nine months of 1967 as compared with the like period in 1966. FBI statistics
also show that crime has risen 67 per cent since 1960 while the population has
increased only 10 per cent. Yet Ramsey Clark says the level of crime has gone
up only "a little."
This is the man President Johnson named as his crime war chief, calling him
"Mr. Big" in the federal government's moves against crime.
Naming Ramsey Clark "Mr. Big" in the crime war is like picking Dr. Spock to
head up the Department of Defense.
The President appeared eager to have Congress pass an anti-riot bill. The
other day Ramsey Clark said he attaches a "low priority" to such legislation.
What goes on here? Who's in charge? Whom do we believe? The Credibility Gap
widens to canyon proportions.
Of course, when you analyze the President's Crime Message you're reminded
that 1968 is a presidential election year. Most of what the President proposes
already is in the mill or on tap.
The President now recognizes that many people in this country feel there has
been a complete breakdown of law and order in America. This is one of the great
tragedies of the Johnson Great Society--that it has become a permissive society in
which nearly anything goes. We are learning with great pain an obvious lesson.
Once a government allows respect for the law to be destroyed, it is an almost
impossible task to restore that respect. And without respect for the law, we become
a nation of savages. This is what the Great Society of Lyndon Johnson hath wrought.
This, too, is why the times--among the saddest, not happiest of times--the times
demand a strong new leader, a leader who can restore the Nation's soul.
###
CONGRESSMAN
NEWS
GERALD R. FORD
HOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADER
RELEASE
--For Release at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday--
February 13, 1968
Excerpts from a Lincoln Day Dinner Speech Feb. 13, 1968, at Palm Beach, Fla.
I would like to make a prediction. Unless they are all wearing blinders,
delegates to the Democratic national convention will not use "Happy Days Are
Here Again" as their theme song next August in Chicago.
Only an American who insisted upon shutting his eyes and living in a dream
world could tell himself that this is the best of times. The State of our Union
in the time of Lyndon Johnson, 1968, is best described in words employed by
Abraham Lincoln nearly 112 years ago:
"We live in the midst of alarms; anxiety beclouds the future; we expect
some new disaster with each newspaper we read."
We have lived under Democratic administrations for seven years. Where have
we made gains? In what have we advanced?
Postmaster General Larry O'Brien says President Johnson will seek reelection
solely upon his record--the record of his and the preceding Democratic admini-
stration. Look at that record if you will. Look, and compare.
Today we are at war in Vietnam. Not seven years ago!
Today serious trouble brews in the Middle East. Not seven years ago!
Today violent civil disorders ravage our cities. Not seven years ago!
Today Communists steal our ships. Not seven years ago!
Today we approach runaway inflation. Not seven years ago!
Today we have the Bobby Bakers, the Tom Dodds and the Adam Clayton Powells
and on and on. Not seven years ago!
Today we have Lost the respect America had throughout the world. Not seven
years ago!
In Asia our team is on the field. The game is not going well. It's time
to pick a new coach... one who won't tell the other side to write all the rules
on how to end the contest.
Here at home we often wonder who's calling the signals.
The President recently sent the Congress his recommendations for fighting
crime. He made no mention of the Republican-sponsored anti-riot bill which passed
FORD
the House last year. He proposed his own anti-riot bill. He seemed to value
such legislation highly.
LIBRARY
(more)
-2-
The President also failed to mention that the House last year passed a Law
Enforcement Assistance Act, greatly strengthened by Republican amendments, to
help the states and cities in the war against crime. He ignored the fact that
liberal Democrats in the Senate sat on that bill instead of giving the states
and cities the added tools they need to fight crime--tools largely fashioned by
Republicans.
Instead the President a few days ago signed an executive order making Attorney
General Ramsey Clark the coordinator of all federal anti-crime efforts.
You remember Ramsey Clark. He's the fellow who said last year, and I quote:
"The level of crime has risen a little but there's no wave of crime in the country."
It seems the attorney general does not read the reports of J. Edgar Hoover's
FBI. The FBI recently stated that crime rose by 16 per cent in just the first
nine months of 1967 as compared with the like period in 1966. FBI statistics
also show that crime has risen 67 per cent since 1960 while the population has
increased only 10 per cent. Yet Ramsey Clark says the level of crime has gone
up only "a little."
This is the man President Johnson named as his crime war chief, calling him
"Mr. Big" in the federal government's moves against crime.
Naming Ramsey Clark "Mr. Big" in the crime war is like picking Dr. Spock to
head up the Department of Defense.
The President appeared eager to have Congress pass an anti-riot bill. The
other day Ramsey Clark said he attaches a "low priority" to such legislation.
What goes on here? Who's in charge? Whom do we believe? The Credibility Gap
widens to canyon proportions.
Of course, when you analyze the President's Crime Message you're reminded
that 1968 is a presidential election year. Most of what the President proposes
already is in the mill or on tap.
The President now recognizes that many people in this country feel there has
been a complete breakdown of law and order in America. This is one of the great
tragedies of the Johnson Great Society--that it has become a permissive society in
which nearly anything goes. We are learning with great pain an obvious lesson.
Once a government allows respect for the law to be destroyed, it is an almost
impossible task to restore that respect. And without respect for the law, we become
a nation of savages. This is what the Great Society of Lyndon Johnson hath wrought.
This, too, is why the times--among the saddest, not happiest of times--the tin
12
demand a strong new leader, a leader who can restore the Nation's soul.
# # #