Press Release, Speech of President Harry S. Truman, Crawfordsville, Indiana

IMMEDIATE RELEASE IMMEDIATE RELE'SE RE'R platForm REM'RKS OF THE PRESIDENT AT OR "FORDSVILLE, INDIANA, OCTOBER 12, 1948 NATIONAL 11:16 A.M., C.S.T. ARCHIVES AND Thank you, thank you very much. Governor, Mr. Chairnan, and Fellow Democrats of Indiana: It locks to me as if you are all here. I am most happy to be in this wonderful city of Crawfordsville this morning. You have some very famous people with whom we are all familiar who come from this lovely town - Lew Wallace, Meradith Nicholson. "Alice of Old Vincennes" -- Thompson, I think, wrote that book. He lived here till he died. It has been my privilege to read most of the books that these famous men have written, and especially have I been interested in James Whitcomb Riley's poetry. I was in his town of Greenfield this morning, and I had a grand time there. The people turned out in immense numbers, but nothing like this. This tops them all. I have been making trips all over this country. I have been from the West Coast and back again. I have been across the iddle-tlentic States. I have been through the Middle West. Now I am making a tour through Indiana and Illinois and Wisconsin and Minnesota. Then I am going to wind up by a tour scross the Northern side of the United States and tell everybody what is going on in this country and what this campaign means. I am trying to have everyone of you understand that your interest is at stake and that this is one of the most important campaigns that the United States will have in several generations. I feel very strongly on these issues. I feel that they are basic to the prosperity and welfare of the American people. I believe that the continuing welfer of our Nation depends on every voter's understanding these issues when he goes to the polls. I have told the people what the Democratic Party stands for end. what it has done for the people. Because the Republican candidates won't be frank and tell what the Republican Party intends to do to the people I have also talked about the Republican Party and what it stands for and what it will do to you if it gets E nce. I don't think there is any Republican who could accuse me of pulling punches. I am telling fects, and they can't stand facts. They like to talk about unity and give you a little soothing syrup and make you believe that they are all right, but if you will study the record you will find that they are anything but right Todey we are in the nidst of the greatest prosperity this country has ever seen. That rosperity is threatened by run-a- way high prices which began when the Republicans, under the leadership of men like Senator Teft and Senstor Wherry, destroyed price controls back in 1946. I want to see our prosperity continue. I want to see those high prices brought under control so that wages end salaries and farm income will maintain their purchasing power. The prosperity that we have today. has not come by accident. It was carefully planned. It is the result of Democratic policies for the last 16 years. (OVER)