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    "label": "Grand Rapids League of Women Voters, September 1948",
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    "title": "Grand Rapids League of Women Voters, September 1948",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/4525614",
    "collections": [
        "Gerald R. Ford Congressional Papers",
        "Speeches"
    ],
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        "Congressional elections",
        "Economics",
        "Labor Management Relations Act, 1947"
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    "ocrText": "The original documents are located in Box D13, folder \"Grand Rapids League of Women\nVoters, September 1948\" of the Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech\nFile at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.\nCopyright Notice\nThe copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of\nphotocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. The Council donated to the United\nStates of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.\nWorks prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public\ndomain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to\nremain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid\ncopyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.\nSpeech by Devald R. Ford Jr Republican Candidate\nmeeting sponed by Ghoul Rapids League of Women Voters\nfor Congress - Sept. 1948\nThank you.\nMy appreciation is directed at the voters of Grand Rapids\nwho are here tonight out of a desire to get all the facts before\nvoting next Tuesday, and to the Grand Rapids League of Women\nVoters, who have given me this opportunity to make my position\nclear.\nI for one am grateful for another chance to outline my\nprinciples. It is to be regretted that my opponent for the\nRepublican nomination to Congress did not see fit to appear\nwith me tonight to discuss the question, \"What Do We Consider\nthe Most Important Issues Facing the Country Which Call for\nCongressional Action.'\nThe most important issues--indeed, the only basic issues\nof this or any other campaign--are World Peace, ational Security\nand the stabilization of our domestic economy.\nThey are the issues that every American Congress will be\nfaced with as long as the American way of life survives. They\nare the issues that must be met and solved soon if we in this\nFORD i LIBRARY 93\nnation are to continue to enjoy the liberties and privileges\nDigitized from Box D13 of The Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library\n2\nthat we SO often take for granted.\nLip service to principles is not enough. Presuming a\nsolution\ngenyine desire for their accomplishment, a representative in\nCongress must further KNOW what should be done to accomplish\nthem, and he should have the energy to tackle the job.\nI have said often during this campaign that I believe no\ngroup or combination of groups in this nation should be permitted\nto dominate another. That means that white collar workers,\nindustry, labor--all groups must be guaranteed their rights,\nmust be fairly represented in their government.\nFor example, that means that the labor-management pendulum,\nwhich on occasion has swung too far to the left and then again too\nfar to the right, must be stabilized at a point where bargaining\nis a give-and-take matter with a minimum of government inter-\nference except where the public has a vital stake. A good\nCongressman must fairly consider the merits of any proposed\nlabor-management legislation, and vote on its merits. That\nis what I propose to do if I am nominated and elected to Congress.\nFORD & LIBRARY GERALD\nThe rights of real representation, and the right to live\nin and under a free government will be meaningless if the ideal\n3\nof peace throughout the world is not preserved. of fought for.\nbi-\nI am convinced that a non-partisan foreign policy in\nthe United States has lighted. the path that will lead to\neventual peace and security for everyone. That path is the\npath of economic aid to Europe-with a firm program of military\npreparedness at home.\nThe 80th Congress passed that law.\nThe peacetime draft now is an accomplished fact. / If\nit serves as a warning to the world of our determination for\npeace it is good; but it also must give smmething of real\nvalue to those young men who must leave civilian life to serve\nin the Armed Forces. These, young men must have the opportunity to\nmilitary\nlearn something, to be more than just militarists trained to\nfight, and die. This important educational phase of military\nservice must be handled by competent xxx civilian instructors,\nand I favor a program that will place this kind of training in\nthe hands of non-military personnel.\nAnd with our increased armed forces must come new\nFORD i LIBRARY GERVID\nequipment, and the best in scientific research, to give our\n4\nyoung men the best--and I mean the best training, the best guns,\nthe fastest and the largest airforce and navy--all of theme have\nbecome an absolute necessity in winning wars. I know from personal\nexperience how faulty equipment and the lack of equipment caused\ndeaths during World War II.\nThese suggestions, I think, are practical and vital; yet\nit is surprising to me that they are not universally accepted,\nthat there are men in Congress who deliberately have voted to\nwithhold this best chance of survival from our fighting men.\nBesides the security that comes with peace, America must\nstabilize its domestic economy--and soon.\nAt the moment this nation is richer than it ever has\nbeen before. But wealth, in terms of national income, is a\nrelative matter.\nNe must find a way to stabilize our economy, so that the\nman with a factory job, the office worker and the man who owns\nand runs the factory can have some guarantee that his labor will\nFORD i LIBRARY GERALD\nproduce the purchasing power he needs in our national market.\n5\nI do not set myself up as a medicine man who at a\nstroke can solve the nation's economic problems. But I do\nthink I have some of the answers to the growing inflation\nthreat. Credit controls should be tightened, so that the\nnation cannot spend itself into next year's income.\nBank reserve кичаих requirements should be increased,\nso that the United States doesn't spread its dollars too far\nto support our complicated credit structure.\nThe reduction of government expenses and an alertness\nto prevent the federalization of all our governmental functions\nThe fight against monopoly and protection of small business must continue.\nshould be a concern of the 81st Congress.\nMy allotted time here of course does not permit me to\ntell you all the things I think are important in this campaign.\ncombin\nThat is why I have chosen to present general objectives.\nBut throughout the last two months I have conducted a\ncampaign designed to acquaint voters with these problems, and what\nI think are the answers. I think I have succeeded in letting most\nGERALD FORD\" LIBRARY\nFifth District voters know my views.\n6\nI am content to rest my case with them, and confident\nin their decision in the Republican Primary \"lection next Tuesday.\n-30-\nFORD i LIBRARY GERALD\n********\nThere are just arguments presented by so me groups\nin favor of retaining this tax, and there are equally just\narguments favoring its repeal.\nIf I am elected, and if the question comes. before\nCongress next year, I will endeavor to decide on the\nlegislation on the basis of its merits, and on the basis of\nall the factors involved at that time. It should be remembered\nthat these factors may change greatly by the time this issue\nis discussed in Congress again.\nFORD i LIBRARY GERALD\nAt the present I favor leaving genuine Farm Co-operatives\nmarketing their own products tax-free. But I feel that business\norganizations masquerading as farm-cooperatives and in fact doing\nbusiness in competition with private enterprise certainly should\npay their legitimate taxes.\nGERALD LIMITS ? FORD\nI am definitely opposed to the repeal of the Taft-Hartley bill\nas matters now stand. I understand it will come up for amendment at\nthe next session of Congress. What those amendments will be no one\nknows at the present time. If I am elected to Congress I will\nconsider those matters solely upon their merits. I had wished to\ndiscuss publicly with Mr. Jonkman the labor and capital controversy\nin our country but he refused to so the safety and prosperity of our\nnation depend upon cooperation betw en capital and labor. Any law\nthat is distructive to this principle should not exist. I will\nfight for a principle of fairness in all law. I would not permit a\nlash to be laid on the back of labor nov would I permit an injustice\nbe done an employer by the Taft-Hartley law or any Iaw.\nGERALD LIBERTY ? FORD\n[[1d [soq 4.N,\nto\nst\nshe 111w Ifiw of bedoofe Trade agreements.\nTodal 11 Social Security act.\nTUO\n20\nDna\nweise\nTor late Demo in control\nwell IIIW Istiqeo Taft- Heartly act\nJon I I Jon bluode armed at To keeping Rels out\nbloow\nTodal\nodd\nof\ndest\nwell\nTO Federal aid to Education\nSERVID 368813 FOUR"
}