Press Release, Speech of President Harry S. Truman, Cincinnati, Ohio

IMMEDIATE RELEASE IMMEDIATE RELEASE "NATIONAL REMARKS OF THE PRESIDENT AFTER ARCHIVES AND BREAKFAST, NETHERLANDS-PLAZA HOTEL, HALL OF MIRRORS, CINCINNATI, OHIO - October 11, 1948, 8:35 A.M. E.S.T. I appreciate that most highly, Mr. Mayor. I appreciate that reception more than I can tell you, and I would of course like to have it continued, but you know this radio time is paid for -- we want the full benefit from our investment. I cannot come any where near expressing my appreciation for the cordiality of the welcome I have received in Cincinneti this morning. I have had that sort of welcome all over the United States. I was most agreeably surprised, last Friday, when we landed in Albany, New York and it was raining just as it is here this morning. It rained from one end of New York to the other all the way to Buffalo, yet people turned out in immense numbers and stood in the rain. That makes me believe that people are really interested in this campaign with which we are faced. I think people are interested in knowing what the facts are. staid, old In/Philadelphia, the t town turned out to see us and there were 800,000 people on the streets. There were 16,000 came to the Convention Hall where I Was nominated for President, to hear the issues, and there were radio stations and television set-ups. So you know reople must be interested in the issues when they will do that. You have a great city here on the banks of this Ohio River, and one of the reasons why I think so is that you now have a Democratic Mayor. He tells me he is the first Democrat that has been Mayor of Cincinnati for 35 years. That is certainly something to be proud of, and I think it shows what the people are thinking and the way the trends are going. I think the whole country knows how you organized The City Chorter movement here in Cincinnati in. the early 1920's when local Republican leaders had just about wrecked the City. A short time ofter that, I think it was in 1930, I paid. visit to Hamilton County, Ohio, because you had an assessment system here that seemed to me to be a just one. I tried to get that system implemented in Jackson County, Missouri, when I was head of the Government there in Jackson, but I didn't have any luck; but I still think you have a great assessment system. I don't know whether it is still in effect or not, but it seemed to be the most just one in the country. Now, some republican leaders in the 80th Congress, which I call the notorious, do-nothing Republican Congress, almost wrecked our chancès for keeping prosperity. They did wreck the hopes of the American people for fair labor laws, good housing legislation and all the other progressive measures which we need SO badly now. We are in the middle of an election campaign right now. The Republican candidate for.President has made a good many headlines with clever talk about unity. He claims that if he is elected there will be unity. I don't know what he means by that. I am going to try to analyze it the best I can. Of course, we don't know what he means by unity because helwon't tell the country where he stands on any of the issues in which the American people are so deeply interested. Since he won't tell us, we will have to look at the record of the men who run the Party -- the men who would be in power if the Republicans are elected. (OVER)