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    "localId": "7339021",
    "label": "Exchange of Remarks between the President and Rogers C. B. Morton at the Swearing-In Ceremony of Rogers C. B. Morton as Secretary of the Department of Commerce [Ford Speech or Statement]",
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    "title": "Exchange of Remarks between the President and Rogers C. B. Morton at the Swearing-In Ceremony of Rogers C. B. Morton as Secretary of the Department of Commerce [Ford Speech or Statement]",
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    "ocrText": "Digitized from Box 10 of the White House Press Releases at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library\nFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE\nMAY 1, 1975\nOFFICE OF THE WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nEXCHANGE OF REMARKS\nBETWEEN THE PRESIDENT\nAND\nROGERS C. B. MORTON\nAT THE SWEARING-IN CEREMONY\nOF\nROGERS C. B. MORTON\nAS\nSECRETARY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE\nTHE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE\n12:22 P.M. EDT\nTHE PRESIDENT: Mr. Vice President, Rogers\nMorton, distinguished Members of the Congress, Mr.\nJustice Powell, members of the Department of Commerce\nfamily, ladies and gentlemen:\nI think there is some significance to my coming\nhere. It has a dual purpose, one to indicate my great\ninterest in the Department of Commerce, as the former\nSecretary has said, and my great interest in one of my\nclosest and best friends, Rog Morton.\nI do want to pay my respects to a very vital\ndepartment of the Government and to a devoted friend\nof mine. This is a very special day for Rog Morton.\nIn addition to becoming Secretary of Commerce, with\nits many duties and great responsibilities, I have\nalso asked him to continue as the Chairman of the\nEnergy Resources Council, with all of its very essential\nand vital responsibilities.\nI have a feeling there is `going to be an\nawful lot of energy conserved, but I am not sure that it\nis going to be done by Roger. Because of this dual\nresponsibility, Rog will be wearing two hats, and from\nmy knowledge of him over a long period of time, he can\ndo it.\nI don't mean he has a big head. (Laughter)\nI think he just has plenty of talent.\nMORE\nPage 2\nI have had the privilege of knowing Rog as\na Congressman, Party Chairman, a Cabinet member, and\nin each capacity, he has done an outstanding job, and\nI am absolutely confident he will continue this string\nof success as the new Secretary of Commerce.\nWith the end of the Vietnam era, tragic as\nit was, I think it is time for America to look ahead,\nto move forward, as I have said before, with a new\nagenda for the future, an agenda designed to solve the\nNation's problems as we move into this third century\nin our great history.\nA top item on that agenda is the restoration\nof a dynamic and effective economy and a revitalization\nof our free enterprise system as we know it and we\nlove it in America.\nThe Secretary and the staff of the Department\nof Commerce must play a very key role in bringing this\nabout. Let's not kid ourselves. Despite the enormous\nmaterial progress and the individual freedom which we\nhave attained in America through the free enterprise\nsystem, confidence in that system today is considerably\nlower than it should be.\nOne reason is inadequate education and a lack\nof understanding of the free enterprise system, which\nhas produced for all of our citizens the highest\nstandard of living in the history of the world. Because\nit has worked so well for so long a time, we have\ntended, unfortunately, to take it for granted. I don't\nthink we can do that any longer.\nWe must make sure we do not lose this great\nlegacy of freedom, progress, and prosperity through\napathy or indifference or even ignorance, and that is\nwhere this department and this man who is about to be\nsworn in as your new Secretary comes in.\nRog Morton, it is up to you and your department,\nalong with the business community, to get the facts to\nthe people, to resell Americans on the most productive\nand the most responsive economic system the world has\never seen.\nIt will be your task, Rog, to help restore --\nand I am positive you can do it -- the confidence of\nthe business community in Government and the public\nconfidence in the business world.\nLet me assure you I will work with you in that\nvital effort.\nMORE\nPage 3\nAs you take over these new and these very\nvast responsibilities, I want to wish you the very\nbest, the best success in pursuing these new goals.\nI am fully confident that this Department, its new\nSecretary, have the energy, the ability and the\ncharacter and the integrity to do this important\njob.\nIt is now my privilege and pleasure to ask\nJustice Powell to administer the oath to our new\nSecretary of Commerce.\n(Justice Lewis F. Powell, Jr., administered\nthe oath of office.)\nMORE\nPage 4\nSECRETARY MORTON: Thank you very much, Mr.\nPresident, Members of the Congress, colleagues in the\nCabinet, ladies and gentlemen:\nFred, I deeply appreciate your kind intro-\nduction. It reminds me a little bit of a story Bryce\nHarlow tells. Bryce always says, \"You know, when I\nstarted out in Government, I was exactly Rog Morton's\nsize.\" (Laughter)\nI was very much afraid that the President\nwas going to allude to the fact that I might have two\nheads. (Laughter) But he did not, and I appreciate it.\nFirst, Mr. President, let me say I think your\nconcept of a challenge for the future here as we pass\nour 200th birthday-going into really laying the ground-\nwork and the cornerstone for a new century for American\nprogress-- that the challenge is certainly something\nthat all of us -- all Americans -- should accept.\nRest assured that I will do my part, wherever\nI can.\nI cannot pass this opportunity, sir, to thank\nthe people of the Department of Interior, with whom I\nhave worked over the last four years and four months,\nand to congratulate them on their accomplishments.\nLet me say with excitement equal to the gratitude\nthat I feel toward all of them, I am looking forward to\nworking with the great people of this Department. Bear\nwith me, be patient, I will need a lot of learning.\nI am looking forward to working with you, both\nas teachers and as partners, in the great challenge\nthat the President has laid out for us.\nThere is no reason in America for us to scrap\nwhat has been great and what has been unique in the\ndevelopment of world civilization. Just because every\nrace that we run is not perfect, and just because there\nare a few rainy days among the sunny ones, let's not\noverlook or forget the great heritage and wonderful\naccomplishments many people have died for and striven for\nall of their lives.\nLet's build a second America that on its 300th\nbirthday can look back with great pride and accomplishment.\nPresident Ford, your leadership, your faith,\nyour devotion to duty and the greatness, really, of\nyour spirit, I think, will give us guidance to do\njust that.\nEND\n(AT 12:32 P.M. EDT)"
}