Press Release, Speech of President Harry S. Truman, Terre Haute, Indiana

IMMEDIATE RELEASE IMMEDIATE RELEASE REAR PLATFORM REMARKS OF THE PRESIDENT AT TERRE HAUTE, INDIANA, OCTOBER 30, 1948 at 3:30 p. m., C.S.T. Thank you -- thank you very much. It certainly is a lot of pleas- ure to be in Terre Haute once more. You know, I have been here at least a hundred times, and I didn't attract nearly SO much attention as I am now. I was in the Senate for ten years, and the shortest road botween Washington and Independence, Missouri, goes through Torre Haute; and we used to stay all night hore, start out from Independence in the morning and stay all night in Terre Hauto, then drive on from here to the East and go to washington. So I am familiar with this great town, I am familiar with the fact that this great town is Democratic, and you are going Democratic again. I have had very fine visits with your next Governor Schricker, and your next Congressman, Mr. O'Grady, I know you are going to eloct both of those gontlemen -- just as you are going to elect me this time. During the past six weeks, I have been going around the country talking to the Amorican people about two different ideas about Government. I have been proving by the record that the Republican Party, no matter what its candidates may say during e lection campaigns, works for the nofit of special interosts. They have always done that. I have been proving by the record that the Democratic Party works for all the people, and that is the roason I am a Democrat. I have been asked a lot of questions, and I have always given straight answers, and honest facts, and correct figures. By this time, I think all of you know where I stand. There is a good reason why I can be frank and honcst with the people. That is because I have made no secret deals with the lobbies of big business. I have made no commitments except to the people. I don't have to resort to double talk to conceal what I stand for or what I propose to do. I have told the people time and time again what I think about high prices, and the housing shortage, and social security, labor laws, minimum wages -- I have told exactly what I think ought to be done in every instance. Maybe my way is not the way to run an election campaign. Somo people say I would have a lot more money for publicity if I was not so črank. But I would rather have the people know where I stand, I would rather have the people know where I stand than to be President of the United States, cause I think I am right. They say that the radio commentators and the newspapers would not be against me if I hadn't stepped on the toes of so many big corporations and SO many lobbies. But, keeping quiet on the issues that are important to the people is not my way of doing business. I would rather be defeated for trying to do what is right than to hide my views from the people and get in there under falso pretensos. I never sit on a fence. I am either on one side or another. I saw a picture the other day that gave me a good laugh. You see, I spent the best ton years of my life on a farm, and I saw a picture of Dewey and Warren leaning on a farm gate, and the gato was upside down. The picture itself was a fako, just as the fake farmers were. One issue on which I have made my position unmistakably clear is high prices. I believe that the Government ought to take definite, positivo action to curb high prices. I called the Republican 80th Congross back into special scssion twice. I explained how serious high prices were, how much suffering that was causing the ordinary families of this country, and I told the Congress exactly what kind of laws we neeued to stop rising prices. The Republicans did absolutely nothing about it. The Republican leaders are too interested in helping big business make bigger profits. They know, just as well as I do, that unchecked inflation can lead to a dopression. They know that, but they are short-sightod and solfish, and they are willing to chance so long as corporations can continue to make profits up to twenty bil lions a year. (OVER)