Press Release, Speech of President Harry S. Truman, Hamilton, Ohio

IMEDIATE RELEASE IMMEDIATE RELEASE 'NATIONAL REAR PLATFORM REMARKS OF THE PRESIDENT AT HAMILTON, ARCHIVES AND OHIO, October 11, 1948 at 10:17 a. m., E. S. T. RECORDS SERVICE" Thank you, thank you very much. I have just been over in Cincinnati. 'understand that you call Cincinnati a suburb of Hamilton; is that correct? I live in Independence, Missouri, and we call Kansas City a suburb of Independence, and I suppose you do that same thing here of Cincinnati. The Cincinnati people turned out at 7 o'clock this morning, to greet the President. I had a fine reception, there, and I certainly appreciate this wonderful reception here. It show s that you are interested in the issues before the country and that you want to find out just exactly what they are. I want to congratulate the people of Hamilton on their fine war time record. You made a wonderful produdtion record. I believe that fewer man-hours were lost here due to work stoppages than in any other similar area in the country; and I visited Hamilton during the war time to investigate that very situation and to find out how you did it. I was at that time Chairman of the Committee in the Senate that was investigating, the war effort. I want to talk to you about the crusade I am making around this country to get people to realize what this election means to them -- and it is a crusade. I have to come out and face the people personally and individ- ually and tell them just what the issues are, or they won't find out -- and that's what I'am doing. My Republican opponents talk about sweet nothings. They don't discuss the issues, and if I didn't come out and face you people and tell you what those issues are, and bring them to your minds, you would never know anything about them. It means a lot to me but it means more to you. I a.m going to repeat that: this election means a great deal to me but it means much more to you. I am speaking to you plainly and honestly. I think you know that my opponents in this campaign are not speaking plainly or honestly. They haven't got it in them. They are afraid to face these issues because they know there can be but one result. The candidates who do not speak honestly and clearly are trying to make you believe that there aren't any real issues in this campaign. My friends, nothing could be further from the truth. There are great problems facing this country today, and this is no time for soothing syrup. This is no time for candidates who are afraid to tell the people where they stand. In my crusade I have found that most of us have three big things in our minds; peace, prices, and places to live. Now, those things are all tied together. To keep the peace in the world, the United States must remain prosperous and strong. To be pros- perous and strong, we must keep our country from going through another boom and bust. To be prosperous and strong and to win the peace, we must have decent places for our people to live. I am proud of the record of my administration on peace the re- cord on prices, the record on trying to get places for people to live at costs they can afford to pay. My administration has fought Communism at home and abroad so vigorously that the Russian radio hurls slanders at me every day in the week. We have been building up the United Nations, helping small coun- tries like Greece and Turkey keep their independence, and helping war-time European nations get back on their feet and become self-supporting again. That's why and that's the way I have been working for peace. I would much rather have peace in this country than to be Presi- dent of the United States. I would much rather have peace in the world than to be President of the United States -- and I have said that time and again all over the country, and I mean every word of it. I have been working just as hard to bring down the cost of living. I have fought for a strong price control law. In 1946 and in 1947, and in 1948 I called the 80th Republican Congress back into special session twice, in an effort to get these backward-looking men to pass a price control bill. They wouldn't do it. So prices keep going up and up and up. I have done all our (OVER)