Show willkie speech of acceptance thrills nation republican candidate for foi president outlines policies before vast audience at elwood ELWOOD IND coming back to this the town in which he was born and grew to young manhood and before a wildly enthusiastic au audience of 01 many nan dieni Clious thousands ands wendell willkie III k 1 ae a accepted c the no nomination minati on for president on the republican ticket in that acceptance mr willkie promised the kind of leadership that will keep america a nation of free men a nation of prosperous people a nation offering opportunity for all he seid an acceptance speech is if a candidates keynote a declaration of his broad principles it cannot possibly review the issues in detail I 1 shall however cover each of them frankly during this campaign here I 1 give you an outline of the political philosophy that is in my heart we are here today to represent a sacred cause the preservation er of american democracy obviously I 1 cannot lead this cause alone I 1 need the help of every american republican democrat or independent jew catholic or protestant people of every color creed and race party lines are down nothing could make that clearer than the nomination by the republicans of a liberal democrat who changed his party affiliation because he found democracy in the republican party and not in the new deal party thunderous applause greeted will kies statement that party lines are down when he said the times demanded the help of americans from every walk the cheers came wave uton noon wave the vast crowd having 7 7 al AW WENDELL WILLKIE republican publican Be candidate for president sensed that it typified that very thought here were a hundred thousand americans from every part of the united states representing every faith ayery station of life yet carried away by a single devotion mr willkie briefly sketched his boyhood in elwood and told of his ancestors who like the ancestors of millions of americans lived in central europe they were humble people not members of the ruling or wealthy classes their opportunities were restricted by discriminatory laws and class distinctions one was exiled because of his religion another was persecuted because he believed in the principles of the french revolution and still another was jailed for insisting on the right of free speech As their descendant I 1 have fought from boyhood against all those restrictions discriminations and tyrannies tyrannizes tyr annies and I 1 am still fighting r foreign policy mr willkie compared the peace of america with the conditions in war torn europe and def defined ined his foreign policy by saying no man is so wise as to foresee what the future holds or to lay out a plan tor for it no man can guarantee to maintain peace peace is not something that a nation can achieve by itself it also depends on what some other country does it is neither practical nor desirable to adopt a foreign program committing the united states to future action under unknown circumstances the best that we can do is to decide what principle shall guide us for me that principle can be simply defined in the foreign policy of the united states as in its domestic policy I 1 would do everything to defend american democracy and I 1 would refrain from doing anything that would injure it we must not permit our emotions our sympathies or hatreds to move us from that fixed principle again the crowd let out a deafening i g cheer it was an exciting moment menta A nation was waiting anxiously x to hear mr sulkies Will ies kies views on foreign relations the enthusiastic response of the crowd reflected a nation thrilled Nati national anal defense from foreign policy willkie turned to national defense of which he said in part A wendell Will kles birthplace at elwood ind we must not shirk the necessity of preparing our sons to take care of themselves in case the defense of america leads to war I 1 shall not undertake to analyze the legislation on this subject that is now before congress or to examine the intentions of the administration with regard to it I 1 concur with many members of my party that these intentions tent ions must be closely watched nevertheless in spite of these considerations side rations I 1 cannot bannat ask the american people to put their faith in me without recording my conviction that some form of selective service is the only democratic way in which to secure the trained and competent manpower we need for national defense he stated in definite terms his belief in a policy of providing to the opponents of force the material resources of this nation and our own preparation tor for meeting any emergency that may arise but criticized the president in his conduct of foreign affairs at this critical time saying there have been occasions when many of us have wondered if he is deliberately inciting us to war 1 I trust that I 1 have made it plain that in the defense of america and of our liberties I 1 should not hesitate to stand for war but like a great many other americans I 1 saw what war was like at first hand in 1917 I 1 know what war can do to demoralize civil liberties at home and I 1 believe it to be the first duty of a president to try to maintain peace but mr roosevelt has not done this he has dabbled in inflammatory statements and m manufactured an panics of course we in america like to speak our minds free freely ay but this does not mean that at a critical period in history our president should cause bitterness and confusion for the sake bake of a little political oratory the presidents attacks on foreign powers have been useless and dangerous he has courted a war for which the country is hopelessly unprepared and which it emphatically does not want he has secretly meddled in the affairs of europe and he has even unscrupulously encouraged other countries to hope for more help than we are able to give walk softly and carry a big stick was the motto of theodore roosevelt it is still good american doctrine for 1940 under the present administration the country has been placed in the false position of shouting insults and not even beginning to prepare to take the consequences cons sequences equen ces cheers interrupt several times the speaker was compelled to stop as applause and encouraging shouts drowned out his voice the cheers grew in volume and frequency as mr willkie citing france as a tragic example declared in a firm voice that our foreign policy must begin in the united states and be dedicated to making us strong right here in our own land referring to the defeat of france mr willkie said in part and in this tragedy let us find our lesson the foreign policy of the united states begins right here in our own land the first task of our country in its international affairs is to become strong at home we must regain prosperity restore the independence of our people and protect our defensive forces if that is not done promptly we are in constant danger if that is done no enemy on earth dare attack us I 1 propose to do it ft I 1 promise by returning to those same american principles that overcame german autocracy once before both in business and in war to outdistance hitler in any contest he chooses in 1940 or after and I 1 promise that when we beat him we shall beat him on our own terms in our own american way A doctrine of growth for our home policy mr willkie proposes to follow a doctrine of increased production of increased growth instead of the new deal doctrine of division and said we are not asked to make more for ourselves we are asked to divide among ourselves that which we already have the new deal doctrine does not seek risk it seeks safety let us call it the 1 I pass doctrine the new deal dealt it and refused to make any more bets on the american future why that is exactly the course france followed to her destruction destruct ioni I 1 like the blum government in france so has our government become entangled in unfruitful political adventures As in france so here we have heard talk of class distinctions and of economic groups preying upon other groups As for me I 1 want to say here and now that there is no hate in my heart and that there will be none in my campaign it is my belief that there is no hate in the hearts of any group of americans for any other group except as the new dealers seek to put it there for political purposes I 1 stand for a new companionship in an industrial society because I 1 am a business man formerly connected with a large company the doctrinaires doctrin aires of the opposition have attacked me as an opponent of liberalism but I 1 was a liberal before many of these men had heard the word and I 1 fought for many of the reforms of the elder lafollette theodore roosevelt and woodrow wilson before another roosevelt adopted and distorted tort ed liberalism opposed to aiono A believe that the forces of free ent oprise must be regulated I 1 am opposed to business monopolies I 1 believe in collective bargaining by representatives of labors own free choice without any interference and in full protection of those obvious rights I 1 believe in the maintenance of minimum standard for wages and of maximum standards for hours I 1 believe that such standards should constantly improve I 1 believe in the federal regulation of interstate utilities of securities markets and of banking I 1 believe in federal pensions in adequate old age benefits and in unemployment allowances 1 I believe that the federal government has a responsibility to equalize the lot of the farmer with that ot of the manufacturer it this thia cannot be done by parity of prices other means must be found with the least possible regimentation of the farmers affairs I 1 believe in the encouragement of operative cooperative co buying and selling and in the full extension of rural electrification but american liberalism does not consist merely in reforming things it consists also in making things and I 1 say that we must hence forth ask certain questions of every reform and of every law to regulate business or industry we must ask has it encouraged aur industries to produce has it created new opportunities tor for our youth will it increase our standard of living will it encourage us to open up a new and bigger world new deal victims mr willkie demanded that kind of legislation that policy that will encourage business to expand to create jobs for the unemployed saying it is a statement ot of tact fact and ne nc longer a political accusation that hat the new deal has tailed failed in its program of economic rehabilitation and the victims of its it failure are the very persons whose cause it professes to champion the little business men are victims because their chances are arc more restricted than ever before the farmers are victims because many of them are forced to subsist on what is virtually a dole under centralized direction from washington wahington the nine or ten million unemployed are victims because their chances tor for jobs are fewer approximately families fa milie are victims because they are on relief and unless we do something about it soon people an entire nation will become victims victim because they stand mand in need of a defense system which this ad administration mini has so far proved itself powerless to create anywhere except on paper to accomplish these results the present administration has spent mr willkie accepts 1 I accept the nomination of the republican party for president of the united states 1 I accept it in the spirit in which I 1 know it was given at our convention in philadelphia the spirit of dedication I 1 herewith dedicate myself with au all my heart with all my mind and with all my soul to making this nation strong but I 1 say this too in the pursuit of that goal I 1 shall not lead you down the easy road if I 1 am chosen the leader of this democracy as I 1 am now of the republican party I 1 shall lead you down the road of sacrifice and of service to your country what I 1 am saying is a far harsher thing than I 1 should like to say in in i this speech of acceptance acceptances a far harsher thing than I 1 would have said had the old world not been swept by war during the past year I 1 am saying to you that we cannot rebuild our american democracy without hardship without sacrifice even without suffering I 1 am proposing that course to you as a candidate tor for election by you when the speaker finished the crowd went wild with enthusiasm hats went up in the air and shouts of hurrah for Will willkie kle came from many thousands they left the great meeting repeating to each other the words willkie the hope ho pe of america |