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

IMMEDIATE RELEASE IMMEDIATE RELEASE REAR PLATFORM REMARKS OF THE PRESIDENT AT LIMA, OHIO, BATHER "NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND OCTOBER 11, 1948, 2:05 P.M., RECORDS SERVICE** E.S.T. Thank you -- thank you very much. I can't tell you how very much I appreciate this most cordial reception from your great city of Lima. It has been just like this all the way across Ohio. I think you are interested in the welfare of your country, or you wouldn't turn out like this to see the President and hear what he has to say. I understand that you have got a great locomotive factory here, known all over the world. Well now, on this campaign, I have worn out about 3 locomotives and we'll use about 3 more before we get through, SC that will make it good for business here in Lima. I am told by your former Governor, Frank Lausche, that this is the center of one of the great agricultural communities of thio. Then you are vitally interested in the welfare of your country -- you are vitally interested in your own welfare. You see, back in 1932 the net income of farmers was about 2 N billion dollars, gross it was 4 billion dollars. In 1947, the gross income of the farmer was 31 billion dollars, his net income was 18 billion dollars. Now, I wonder if the farmers have studies this situation carefully and understand just why that came about? You see, there was not a fair distribution of income in 1932. There were special privilege classes that claimed the income of the country, and then they hoped that a distribution would be made from the top down. After the great crosh of 1929, different policy Was inaugur ted when we elected Franklin Roosevelt to be President of the United States in 1932. He took office in 1933, and immediate/ly policies were established for a foir distribution of the national income, so that the former would get his fair share; the man who works with his hands would get his fair share, and the spall businessmen and white collar worker would get his fair share. That is true of this 217 billion dollars income we had last year -- there was a fair distribution. Everybody had his fair share of that income. Now, we inaugurated a policy -- a labor policy, a farm policy, and a policy for the welfare of the United States as a whole -- a forward-looking policy which goes clong when the clock goes forward. Now, these Republicans would like to turn the clock back. They had control of the Congress in 1946, because two- thirds of the people in the United States stayed at home and did not vote in 1946. They did not vote. One-third of the population in this country that was entitled to vote elected the 80th Congress. Well, look what you got out of this 80th Congress. They immediately began to turn the clock back. They began to take privileges away from the farmers, they began to take privileges away from labor, and they began to legislate for special privilege all down the line. I am going to discuss that in detail tonight in Akron. I hope you will listen to what I have to say. I am going to take the hide off 'em from head to toe. I am going to tell you just exactly what your interests are, and then if you stay at home and don't vote on November 2nd, you won't have-anybody to blame for the situation but yourself. That farm policy inaugurated by the Democrats was one which gave the farmer parity. If you understand what parity means, it means that it is so arranged that a farmer would receive for what he sells a prive that I is in line with what he has to pay for what he buys. He is no longer exploited as a man outside