Speech of Senator Harry S. Truman in the 2nd Congressional District of Illinois

JPEECH TO EE DELIVERED BY TRUMAN SENATOR HARRY S. TRUMAN C5* DEMOCRATIC RALLY STATE OF ILLINOIS RECOROS SERVIGE TO BE RELEASED ON DELIVEHY 4.5. It is an honor and a privilege to be a guest of my good friend and colleague, Scott Lucas, Senator from the great state of Illinois. It ia also my pleasure and a privilege to be here this evening to speak a few words for my friend and the next Junior Senator from Illinois, Raymond McKeough. tizens of Illinois in the 2nd Congressional District may well be proud to be represented by a man with the qualifications and the integrity of Raymond McKeough. Ray has made many friends in our Nation's capital since becoming a member of the United States Congress, and his work on the Ways and Means ommittee has been of invaluable assistance to the Administration in propagating and furthering our war effort. In the eight years that Raymond NcKepugh has been a Member of Congress he has made a rocord that you may well to groud of. He has supported the policies that have gone forth to make this country a groat fighting nation, to stand against ber enemies, The war we are now fighting is continuation of the one we fought in 1917 and 1918, The victors of that war had the opportunity to compol a pease that would protect from war for many generations. But they missed the opportunity. The spirit of isolationism - dormant during the war -- surged up again on this side of the Atlantic, and a Republican Senate jettisoned the League bf Nations and kept the most powerful nation in the world out of an international effort to prevent future wars. Destiny placed ax the head of this nation in 1933 a great Presiden who, ahead of the others, recognized the dangers to this country of the impending conflagration in Burope. That we are as woll prepared as we are to make an effective contribution now to this war is due to his efforts and to those of a Democratic Congress. Destiny, however, has now charged a Democratic Administration and a Democratic Congress with leadership in this great emergency. This leadership must be continued and supported. It requires no demonstration to tell that a Democratic defeat at the polls this year would hamper, delay and confuse the conduct of the war, and perhaps imperil the peace. America is in peril - grave peril. ket not one deny that fact. On all sides wanton aggressora skilled in the dackest arta of treachery, savagery and brutality have embarked on a path of conquest which would debase and destroy democratic freedoms, democratic ideals and democratie institutions everywhere. In Europe only Britain and Bussia