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Remarks of the President to the National Explorer President's Congress [Ford Speech or Statement]
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7338678
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Remarks of the President to the National Explorer President's Congress [Ford Speech or Statement]
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White House Press Releases (Ford Administration)
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1975
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Digitized from Box 9 of the White House Press Releases at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
APRIL 9, 1975
OFFICE OF THE WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY
THE WHITE HOUSE
REMARKS OF THE PRESIDENT
TO THE
NATIONAL EXPLORER PRESIDENT'S CONGRESS
THE SOUTH LAWN
2:47 P.M. EDT
Mr. Reneker, members of the National Executive
Board, President Wright, Explorers:
Let me say it is a very great privilege, a
very high honor to have the opportunity of joining you
at this historic house in this wonderful site, and I
welcome each and every one of you to the White House.
You know, it is good to have all you Explorers
here because the more I travel, the more I read, the more
I listen, I am absolutely convinced our country -- yours
and mine -- needs your youthful vision, your enthusiasm,
and obviously your idealism.
As we read history, as we look at the present,
America has always been a Nation with the promise of
a better tomorrow, regardless of our present difficulties,
either at home or abroad.
As I look at this group -- 2,000 out of 500,000
Explorers -- you obviously represent the hope of tomorrow.
A few years ago, when I was the Minority Leader
of the House of Representatives, I had the distinct honor
and great privilege of serving as Chairman of your annual
Congress here in the Nation's Capital. And as I recall,
that particular get-together had the same flavor, the
same atmosphere as a national political convention. And
I must say that participation by me in that gathering
convinced me beyond any doubt whatsoever that young people
ought to participate, not stand on the sidelines and
be critical.
I know very well that a good many young people --
and Mrs. Ford and I have four children, now from the age
of 25 to 17 -- that young people, for a period of time,
were very disillusioned, very concerned, and felt that
their country had let them down, or that our system
wasn't working. And therefore, they had a tendency to
stand back and not get into the ball game, so to speak.
MORE
(OVER)
Page 2
I didn't agree with that point of view then
because then, as now, we need the maximum effort,
participation, dedication of young people, such as
yourselves. Don't stand on the sidelines. Be a part of
this great government, whether it is at the local, the
state or the Federal level.
I don't like to repeat speeches, and I won't,
except to tell you one story that I told a group of young
people yesterday who I met out here in the Rose Garden.
In the summer of 1931 I came from my home of
Grand Rapids, Michigan, with some 50 or 60 young people
who were just graduating from high school, and we came to
the Nation's capital and we toured the great capital
that we have here.
We went to the Capitol, the White House and all
of the other tremendous buildings and activities that go
on in your capital. I have a picture taken with 50 or 60
of us standing in front of the Capitol, and I can recall
very vividly sitting in the Chamber of the House of
Representatives in 1931 watching the activities of the
House of Representatives at that time.
I must have been tremendously impressed. I
must have had the seed planted that resulted in my active
participation in the political arena. And, after serving
25-plus years in the Congress of the United States, I am
glad that I had that inspiration from one trip to Washington,
D.C.
What I am saying to all 2000 of you is, you
have seen the magnificent beauty and the wonderful things
here in your capital. I hope that every one of the 2000
of you go away from here with the feeling that your
government is meaningful, whether it is the Executive
Branch, headed by the President, or the Legislative
Branch, headed by the Congress, or the Judicial Branch,
headed by the Supreme Court.
All of you, each and every one of you, can
make a significant contribution. The inspiration that
I hope you have gotten during your visit will mean that
in a few years -- and I hope not too many -- you will be
back here running this country, doing a better job than
we are doing.
I know that the Explorers have as two of their
main functions a career-oriented program and a leadership-
directed program. It is my understanding by the time
you complete this Congress you will have heard from
people representing all sectors of our life -- business,
government officials, journalists, athletes, educators,
lawyers, labor leaders, and many, many others.
MORE
Page 3
The truth is that there are opportunities in
every segment of our society for you and for those that
you know. To make a strong country, we have to have
people in all sectors and all segments of our society.
You know, there is a saying, if I remember
it correctly, in the Bible that says, "The beauty of
Joseph's coat is its many colors." The strength of
America today is its diversity.
For all of you to be here from all of our various
states means that a cross-section of America is represented
by 2000 of our finest young people, who in the process of
visiting the Nation's capital will be exposed to oppor-
tunities for your future careers.
As you move into that career, one that not only
makes sense to you, but money for you, you will find new
opportunities and new challenges confronting you.
With the war over and the draft ended, your duty
now is to enlist in the campaigns being currently waged
against our domestic and international problems. One thing
that I have found in my experience in government, which
goes back to January of 1949, is that our government
needs new ideas.
Those new ideas can come from any one or all of
you. We need new concepts that can be made available
to us, whether we are in the Executive Branch or in the
Legislative Branch.
We need new approaches. We can't use the same
old concepts day after day after day.
You have ideas of your own, and that is why you
are here. You have inspiration and you have the dedication,
and that is why you have joined others who were here.
It is my judgment that ideas are the engines
that make our free enterprise system go, and let us hear
from you the ideas that you have put together in your own
mind with the benefit of others.
MORE
Page 4
I would like to make one observation, and I am
not critical of anybody -- people believe it. But it
is something that worries me. I sat in the House of
Representatives for 25 years and I used to see program
after program presented to the House that meant a bigger
government, that mean more control over people and over
cities and over states.
I used to get very worried as I saw this pro-
liferation of government, and I thought to myself on many
occasions that I wish that people would think in this
way -- and let me paraphrase it, if I might: Just remember
that a government big enough to give us everything we want
is a government big enough to take from us everything
we have.
As Explorers, each and every one of you in your
local community are also leaders. Leaders in America,
particularly among the young, are the greatest resource
that this Nation has.
You obviously represent the spirit; you obviously
represent the will of America's future. And although I
am certain you have heard it said before, may I, with
your indulgence, say it again. You -- and I mean exactly
that, you -- can make this country whatever you want it
to be.
At this time, I want to personally welcome to
the White House two other Presidents, Mary Wright, who
has done a magnificent job as Explorer President for
the past year, and of course, your new President,
Larry Carpenter.
Let me say, without being critical of Larry,
that Mary is a lot more attractive than he is. But I
will say in defense of Larry, he looks pretty good and
pretty strong to me.
Congratulations.
END
(AT 2:54 P.M. EDT)