Press Release, Speech of President Harry S. Truman, Dallas, Texas

"NATIONAL ARCHIVES IMMEDIATE RELEASE IMMEDIATE RELEASE RECORDS SERVICE" REMARKS OF THE PRESIDENT AT REBEL STADIUM, DALLAS, TEXAS, SEPTEMBER 27, 1948, 4:26 p.m.,c.s.t. Mr. Chairman, Governor Jester, My Great and Distinguished Attorney General: Tom, you gave me too much credit. It wasn't Jce Louis I stopped -- it was John. I haven't quite that much muscle. I am happy to be in Dallas, one of the greatest cities in Texas. I began to come into Dallas when I was about nine years old. I had an uncle who lived down here south of town, in a little town called Wilmer. And I have a great many relatives living in Dallas today, and all over Texas, for that matter. I came to Texas because I am engaged in one of the toughest political fights with which this country has ever been faced, and I wanted the people of Texas and the people of California and the people of all the states in the Union to understand just exactly what that fight me ans. And I'm coming to you and telling you what it means to you. The interests in this campaign go far beyond the election. They go to the very core of American life. I feel it is my duty, as President, to present to the American people the facts of this vital struggle. Before the election I will have gone to every section of this great country, speaking to the people about specific issues which are involved in this campaign. My purpose is to state as clearly as I can how I stand on the problems of the day and what I propose to do about them in the future. I sought to emphasize to the people that the basic issue in this contest is whether or not the Government of the United States is to be run in the interests of the people as a whole or in the interests of a small group controlled by big business. The Democratic Party stands for the people and our attitude towards the issues is controlled by principle. The Republican Party is concerned with the rights of the selfish and wealthy interests, and they demonstrate this by taking the fight of the privileged few against the people every time they got a chance. Oh, I wish I had time. It would take all night. I wish I had time to read you the record of that good-for-nothing, do-nothing Republican 80th Congress. And when I speak of that Congress that way I'm speaking of the leadership. That Congress had a lot of good men in it, but they had no moro to do with the acts of that Congress than I did. Those men were out for special privilege and they were frank about it. The biggest lobby in the history of the country was at work in Washington the whole timo that 80th Congress was in session, and they accomplished their purpose, that lobby did. You can't expect the Republican spokesmen to come out in the open and state clearly who it is the Republican Party is working for. They don't dare do that. You'd take them out and hang them if they did. That would be disastrous So in making their speeches they put them on a vory high level, so high they are above discussing the specific and serious problems which confront the people. Recont efforts have been made to throw up a smoke screen which they hope the American people cannot see through. Republican candidates are apparently trying to sing the American voters to sleep with a lullaby about unity in domestic affairs. Let's look at that for just about a minute. Under the Domocratic administration we achieved the greatest unity in foreign policy that this country has ever had before. Personally, I would like nothing botter than to SGG similar unity of purpose and method in domestic affairs. I do not want unity so long as it is benefiting just a few at the expense of most of the people. I'm morointorestod in millions of people than I am in millions of dollars. OVER