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    "localId": "4526149",
    "label": "1968 Election, Austin, TX, August 26, 1968",
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    "id": "4526149",
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    "title": "1968 Election, Austin, TX, August 26, 1968",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/4526149",
    "collections": [
        "Gerald R. Ford Congressional Papers",
        "Speeches"
    ],
    "subjects": [
        "Republican National Committee (U.S.)",
        "U.S. House of Representatives. 3/4/1789-",
        "Crime"
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    "ocrText": "The original documents are located in Box D25, folder \"1968 Election, Austin, TX, August\n26, 1968\" of the Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald\nR. Ford Presidential Library.\nCopyright Notice\nThe copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of\nphotocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. The Council donated to the United\nStates of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.\nWorks prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public\ndomain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to\nremain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid\ncopyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.\nDestribution: 50 Capies 10 tustin Tex.\nair mail, aug. 22, 1968\nM Office Copy\nCONGRESSMAN\nNEWS\nGERALD R. FORD\nHOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADER\nRELEASE\n--FOR RELEASE AT 6:30 P.M. MONDAY--\nAugust 26, 1968\nExcerpts from a Speech by Rep. Gerald R. Ford, R-Mich., Minority Leader of the\nU.S. House of Representatives, August 26, 1968, at Austin, Texas.\nWe are in a pretty pickle in this country, and that is why we need new hands\non the reins in Washington.\nWe need much more than just a change of leadership. We need leadership\nthat will lift the American people out of the fog and frustration of failure--the\npolicy blunders which have bogged us down in a no-win war in Vietnam, a no-win\nwar against poverty, and a potential war between the races. The American people\ndeserve better.\nWhat have our people done to deserve what has happened to them more than\n30,000 American dead in Vietnam, a national crime rate rising nearly nine times as\nfast as the population, taxes and a cost of living that go up faster than their\nincome, 238 riots resulting in more than 200 deaths and more than $800 million in\nproperty damage. It is not the American people who have failed, it is their\nleaders.\nThat is why I think the voters will clean house, from top to bottom, in\nNovember. They will sweep out all the incompetents and those derelict in their\nduty. They will demand and get good, clean, efficient government. They will send\nto the Congress capable young men like Ray Gabler.\nAmericans have always been dedicated to progress. Progress can only be\nbuilt on a foundation of order. That foundation must be fashioned with the building\nblocks of justice.\nOrder and justice go hand in hand--but the law must be upheld. There can be\nno peace, no safety, no progress in a land where the law is scoffed at and law\nenforcement officials are attacked in the exercise of their duties.\nA good place to start is for public officials to say what they mean and to\nmean what they say.\nThe leading candidate for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination had\na few words to say the other day about crime in this country. He told members of\ntwo Chicago labor unions that if elected President he would direct a nationwide\nmobilization against violence, looting and crime.\nThis is the same man who on August 14, 1966, told the National Association\nFORD LIBRARY\n(more)\n-2-\nof County Officials in New Orleans that if he had to live in a slum \"you would have\nhad a little more trouble than you have had already, because I have enough spark\nleft in me to lead a mighty good revolt under those conditions.\" Since those words\nwere spoken, the American people have suffered through more than 225 riots.\nThere is no excuse for slum conditions. But neither is there any excuse for\nviolence. And, furthermore, there is no excuse for the Vice-President of the United\nStates inviting violence by condoning it.\nLook at what is happening in Chicago. The party that has led this country\ninto stalemate in Vietnam and bloodshed and destruction in our cities is engaged in\ninternecine warfare. The Democratic Party is divided; the country is divided.\nThere is a desperate need in this country for unity--unity that only the Republican\nParty can provide.\nAll Americans are concerned about the direction in which this country is\nheading. We can change that direction; we must change that direction. It will take\na Republican President and a Republican House of Representatives to do it.\nWhat will a Republican majority in the House mean to the country?\nIn 1966 Republicans made a net gain of 47 seats in the House. We were still\na minority but we had with us such dynamic new congressmen as George Bush and Bob\nPrice, men who have proved themselves most valuable additions to our forces.\nAnd we produced. All House Republicans produced. We rewrote the\nAdministration's weak anti-crime bill and made possible a sweeping anti-crime\ncrusade. We wrote anti-riot provisions into federal law. We cracked down on loan-\nsharking. We barred from the 90th Congress a former House member guilty of flagrant\nmisuse of public funds. We forced the Johnson-Humphrey Administration to go ahead\nwith an anti-ballistic missile system for the protection of the American people. We\nfashioned a program of home ownership for low-income families. We moved to revital-\nize state and local government by taking the strings off federal funds to fight\ncrime, combat juvenile deliquency, improve the health of the nation and the quality\nof our schools.\nThink what we could do with just 31 more Republican congressmen--a majority\nin the House--with fine young men like Ray Gabler working in tandem with George\nBush, Bob Price and others under Republican committee chairmen.\nI think the American people are going to elect that kind of a Congress in\nNovember--a Congress that will tell the American people the hard truth about their\nproblems and work with the people back home to solve them. I feel sure that with\nyour support outstanding young men like Ray Gabler will be sitting in the House of\nRepresentatives\na Republican House\nwhen the 91st Congress convenes next January.\nAnd let me say now to the people of the 10th Congressional District of Texas\nthat Ray Gabler will get a House committee assignment of direct benefit to his\nconstituents. I say, \"Go with Gabler.\" You'll be glad you did.\n# # #\nCONGRESSMAN\nNEWS\nGERALD R. FORD\nHOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADER\nRELEASE\n--FOR RELEASE AT 6:30 P.M. MONDAY--\nAugust 26, 1968\nExcerpts from a Speech by Rep. Gerald R. Ford, R-Mich., Minority Leader of the\nU.S. House of Representatives, August 26, 1968, at Austin, Texas.\nWe are in a pretty pickle in this country, and that is why we need new hands\non the reins in Washington.\nWe need much more than just a change of leadership. We need leadership\nthat will lift the American people out of the fog and frustration of failure--the\npolicy blunders which have bogged us down in a no-win war in Vietnam, a no-win\nwar against poverty, and a potential war between the races. The American people\ndeserve better.\nWhat have our people done to deserve what has happened to them more than\n30,000 American dead in Vietnam, a national crime rate rising nearly nine times as\nfast as the population, taxes and a cost of living that go up faster than their\nincome, 238 riots resulting in more than 200 deaths and more than $800 million in\nproperty damage. It is not the American people who have failed, it is their\nleaders.\nThat is why I think the voters will clean house, from top to bottom, in\nNovember. They will sweep out all the incompetents and those derelict in their\nduty. They will demand and get good, clean, efficient government. They will send\nto the Congress capable young men like Ray Gabler.\nAmericans have always been dedicated to progress. Progress can only be\nbuilt on a foundation of order. That foundation must be fashioned with the building\nblocks of justice.\nOrder and justice go hand in hand--but the law must be upheld. There can be\nno peace, no safety, no progress in a land where the law is scoffed at and law\nenforcement officials are attacked in the exercise of their duties.\nA good place to start is for public officials to say what they mean and to\nmean what they say.\nThe leading candidate for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination had\na few words to say the other day about crime in this country. He told members of\ntwo Chicago labor unions that if elected President he would direct a nationwide\nmobilization against violence, looting and crime.\nThis is the same man who on August 14, 1966, told the National Association\n(more)\n-2-\nof County Officials in New Orleans that if he had to live in a slum \"you would have\nhad a little more trouble than you have had already, because I have enough spark\nleft in me to lead a mighty good revolt under those conditions.\" Since those words\nwere spoken, the American people have suffered through more than 225 riots.\nThere is no excuse for slum conditions. But neither is there any excuse for\nviolence. And, furthermore, there is no excuse for the Vice-President of the United\nStates inviting violence by condoning it.\nLook at what is happening in Chicago. The party that has led this country\ninto stalemate in Vietnam and bloodshed and destruction in our cities is engaged in\ninternecine warfare. The Democratic Party is divided; the country is divided.\nThere is a desperate need in this country for unity--unity that only the Republican\nParty can provide.\nAll Americans are concerned about the direction in which this country is\nheading. We can change that direction; we must change that direction. It will take\na Republican President and a Republican House of Representatives to do it.\nWhat will a Republican majority in the House mean to the country?\nIn 1966 Republicans made a net gain of 47 seats in the House. We were still\na minority but we had with us such dynamic new congressmen as George Bush and Bob\nPrice, men who have proved themselves most valuable additions to our forces.\nAnd we produced. All House Republicans produced. We rewrote the\nAdministration's weak anti-crime bill and made possible a sweeping anti-crime\ncrusade. We wrote anti-riot provisions into federal law. We cracked down on loan-\nsharking. We barred from the 90th Congress a former House member guilty of flagrant\nmisuse of public funds. We forced the Johnson-Humphrey Administration to go ahead\nwith an anti-ballistic missile system for the protection of the American people. We\nfashioned a program of home ownership for low-income families. We moved to revital-\nize state and local government by taking the strings off federal funds to fight\ncrime, combat juvenile deliquency, improve the health of the nation and the quality\nof our schools.\nThink what we could do with just 31 more Republican congressmen--a majority\nin the House--with fine young men like Ray Gabler working in tandem with George\nBush, Bob Price and others under Republican committee chairmen.\nI think the American people are going to elect that kind of a Congress in\nNovember--a Congress that will tell the American people the hard truth about their\nproblems and work with the people back home to solve them. I feel sure that with\nyour support outstanding young men like Ray Gabler will be sitting in the House of\nRepresentatives\na\nRepublican House\nwhen the 91st Congress convenes next January.\nAnd let me say now to the people of the 10th Congressional District of Texas\nthat Ray Gabler will get a House committee assignment of direct benefit to his\nconstituents. I say, \"Go with Gabler.\" You'll be glad you did.\n# # #"
}