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deere ee “| to“some ‘others, I want’ tu Page 14. - - : Complete Text Of He The following is the com-- plete text of a speech de- livered by Henry A. Wal- lace, independent candidate ‘for U. S. President ,Sunday, Feb. 1, at Central High School, Columbus, Ohio: T have come here to talk pol- ities—practical politics. ., There has been a lot of talk lately about what is and what is not practical in politics. Since some of this talk has involved my name I have decided to air my thoughts on the subject. I decided that this was a good Place to do it bezause—and please don’t feel insulted—because this . is an assembly of highly “im- practical” politicans. » | I know you are: “impractical,” . because I have the evidence. I have clipyings—newspapers clip-~ pings — evidence in black and white. | _ , Most of you are here, I think, because you support the idea of an independent candidacy and the newspapers say that anyone who supports the independent ticket is impractical.” Furthermore, it is quite obvious that you here have never accepted bribes for the per- formance of public services; that you have never sold your votes; - and that you believe that you be- lieve in democracy, a system which the seif-acclaimed’ practical men insist is just schoolboy non- sense, Even so, you haven't a thing on me. 0 I can beat the most impractical one among you by at least 100 clippings to one, . .. My secretary has a file drawer , full of clippings—real_testimon- . jals from the most celebrated po- . Htical analysts, These astute gen- tlemen haye decided that I am * lacking in the essential attributes . of a practical politican. I am not . distrubed, however, by their. find- . ings. From long ‘observation I pave concluded that the essential ‘properties to-win their seal of approval are a taste for Bourbon whiskey and Bourbon philosophy. So as one impractical politigan c ac . Practical politics. . . First off, I think we should ex- - amine this word “politics.” To the professional practitioner of this art, politics consists of climbing aboard what has come to be known as “the gravy train.” If you can get,into office against some other politician, then you are eligible for certain payments. This is the gravy. The stories of American polit- ical machines and their corrup- tion have filled tons of thousands of newspaper Pages, dozens of books, and they have been told only in part. . ‘ Yes, to the profesionals, poli- tics is strickly business, and we " have been told many times what business is—“business is busi- ness.” When it has suited their pur- poses, the newspapers have played up corruption. They have not done any thorough, searching exhaus- tive ‘job to show real roots of corruption. What they have man- aged is to give millions of citizens a thorough distaste for the very word “politizs.” . The average citizen, after read~ ing an expose of political corrup~ tion or suffering some Personally bitter experience because of polit~ ical corruption gets disgusted with the politicians who are in office. ~ +. Tf he.can master ,euongtistgy’ _to get to the polls, he votes anoth- _“er group". into ‘office... Sometimes for his.effort he gets a decent, ‘though temporary, reform admin- istration but. generally he finds that ‘he hag only substituted one donkey for another donkey, or a donkey for on elephant, or an ele- phant for a donkey, or ah elephant for another elephant. When he finds that he hag done little more - than alter the balance in the men- agerie and that things haven't * really sour. ; - This is ‘not only highly discour- aging to the individual—it is very dangerous to the community and the country. . : Some three or four years ago one of the public opinion outfits ‘took a poll. While I don't have too - much confidence in such polls in a general way they mean some- thing. This poll showed that an -overwhelming percentage of par- ents didn't ‘want their children to get -involved in politics. It - Strikes me ‘as tragically sad that -@ far. greater number. of parents ~ £eLyrs a improved, ' he gets pretty} approve compulsory. military training than approve of politics, This is dangerous. Politics is a matter of life or death, peace or war, bread and butter or starvation. Politics determine whether our pay checks will buy enough gro- ceries to feed the children;. wheth- er the sale of crops will bring enough for shoes and a spare part for the tractor; whether the fees charged by the doctor and dentist will be worth'as much when he collects them as when he first || sent the bill. Politics in good measure deter- mine what kind of lives we lead. Politics determine the kind of ed- vcation we get, the value of our dollars, the amount of taxes. we pay, the stability of our employ- ment, and whether we can enjoy our old age free from want and fear. In truth politics determine how well and how Iong we live. MANY GOOD AMERICANS. say that decent people must remain aloot from politics. It is a notion which the press cultivates, Men or women who are “above politics” partisan politics—are’ shown a reverence which dissuades other capable people from soiling their hands in the job-of making de- Mocracy work. ; For my part, I can think of no more practical activity for the cit- zen than political participation to the fullest measure that his time and resources permit. Many people who are so ab- sorbed in their own struggles for security — personal security and family security — fail to under- stand the direct relationship of Politics to their personal welfare. The huge industrialists and fi-' nanciers ‘understand: They never Jet up on the political front. They Know that a functioning democ- Tacy would greatly curb ‘their ex~ cesses. . There are workers and farmers and independent businessmen who will tell you, as they-have told me, that they just don’t have time for politics."These are the People who must be made to, understand that unless they find time for politics they are only chasing rain- bows in their pursuit of security. .. Same of them will tell:that they have savings accounts and war bonds and life insurance and that they are building persona} ‘secur- ity. But while they have worked hard and long tor their savings, huge financial and industrial in- terests have used Politics to re- duce the value of those savings, You can and must spell this story out for many of your neigh- bors. Show them with facts and figures how their political indif- ference has cost them hard-earned cash. Spell out for them just how much cash-~real cash— they can save with a little thoughtful po- litical action, . Take he man next door who had $2000 in his savings account in June of 1946. Since then prises have soured so high-that he has not been able to add to his ac- count, but he has felt some satis- faction because he has that $2000 set aside for a rainy day. If he is one of the politically indifferent eilizens he may not ‘realize that since June, 1946 that savings ac- count has dwindled. The purchas- ing value of his two thousand 1946 dollars has shrunk to $1600. He has had his security -cut by 20 percent. This change is a result of polit- ical action—political action by big business. The .Federal government has been used by thoec ;who-actually Profit from inflation—by the huge Mmonoply interests—to confiscate a large portion of individual savings in the United States. This is tax- ation without recognition. If the Congress and Administration had Proposed a tax on personal sav- ings they would commit political suicide. They have achieve quict- jy the same objective by unleash- ing a still mounting inflation. ~ - The men who plan the prop- . 8anda campaigns about. keep- ing government out of business make a good business out of gov-- ernment, - oe Their onslaught <« against the great mass of American workers, farmers,~and - independent busi-| nessmen began ‘in-1945 when the Administration removed~ controls over industrial operations. Then, Wall Street; operating through its bi-paritsan coalition in Congress, managed to destroy price controls, which were and are desperately needed to control inflation. - - 7 : I can’t think of a: more impor- tant, more practical-job-in this country of ours,—-if it is to con- tinue: to be a democracy—than ary Wallac THE OHIO STATE: NEWS “¢ | foreign policy. But with with a very sensitive stethoscope, unknown to medical science, they listen long and hard and find “liberal impulses” in-the present administration, From this they conclude that it is wrong to organize effective opposition and that it is impractical to do go. I imagine that there were good people, self-styled practical peo- ple in the Nazi-occupied countries during the war who counseled against the formation ofa ressis- tance movement. But the imprac- tical Maquis in France and par- | tisans in Yugoslavia and the guer- Tillas in a dozen other countries went ahead just the same. Against this advice they split with the “practical liberals’ and organized for action. They achieved—these impracti- cal men and women—some very prastical results. So shall we. ing fascism, we are fortunate that we can still build above-ground. We shall not heed the practical counsel which advises that the formation of a new party must wait on a severe economic crisis, _4 depression, a time when more ipeople will be aroused, We are not waiting to capital- ize on catastrophe; working to avoid catasir Some of those who have attack-~ ed the movement: for a new party he dem: tic process has no|are men and women with recor Ineaning without palfees, of “liberalism.” They say they Some self-proclaimed practical | agree with our, objectives but on- men and. women, who agree that; Jy question our approach. the fullest participation in politics] It is curious that none of these is desirable, disagree with the idea| critics has offered in -the ‘past— of a new party. nor Offers snow—any alternative One of {hese people gave me a} Method for’ combatting the politi- bersonal lecture, neatly typewrit- {cal dominance of Wall Street and ten, which declared that those of | the military. . : us who are’ building a new party} I think of them as the most im- are too -rigid, too. inflexable. He| practical people of all. Rather said, quite‘ rightly, that “if there|than reserving judgment, they is one thing history illustrates it have attacked the new party pro- is that compromise and willing-| gressives and thrown away their ness to fight for limited advances |Own bargaining power:as liberal WER .. HENRY A, WALLACE to restore the fair name of “poli- tics.” + I think of it as a prastical job, because tie bad reputation of the word “poiltics” has bred. millions of cynical; lethargic, and inactive citizens, If we don’t ‘take action to restore their faith in‘the demo- cratic process, then domocracy won't survive..After what we call e’s ‘Speech ; At Col As we organize against on-rush- ; aré’ essential to progress.” What this gentleman overlooks is that teday there is no “will- ingness ta/tight” for evén “limited advances’? on‘ the part of either -major pathy. The chaice they -offer. is betweeg degrees of retreat, de- grees of feaction, not degrees of progress §nd advancement. For a daen years I was a mem- ber of an administration which fought for progressive politics and was forced time and time again to compromise with the organized strength of reaction. But we had leadership which fought for pro- gress and used its bargaining pow- er to wring advancements for the people when it was forced to com- promise. . . The compromises of the past two years represent a series of retreats, ~ . The Wagner Labor ‘Relations Act has been nulified by the Taft- Hartley law, which the Admini- stration has pledged to administer without any demand’ for repeal. The social security and unem- ployment compensation benefits established by New Deal laws have been. reduced 20 percent in veal value since June 1946. _ The all-too-limited advance- ments in economic opportunity and towards full justice for the Negro peoplo made during the thirties and in wartime have stopped. . Successful compromise — com- Promise resulting in advancment —requires bargaining power. In the, Ney Desk administra- tions the: people had an instru- nient which gave them -bargaining power. .Thosé administrations were dedicated to serving the gens eral welfare. They were forced to compromise with organized _re-, action, but organized reaction was outside. Today it is those. who are dedicated to” sefving the yenéral welfare ‘that are outside and they are virtually unorganized: Some 170 military:men and and an al- most incalulable number of rep- resentatives of big business have moved into key positions in Wash- ington’ since the end of.the war. “SOME WHO CALL themselves practical liberals “are “counseling their listeners Against joining a new political army—a ‘new party —-to do battle against the milita- rized, Wall Street — ‘domininated administration in Washington: - "They say the times are not pro Pitions. Bee They admit te a certain alarm over the administration's kowtow- ing to financiers.- : ~ They say they don’t like the en- eroachments -on’ civil liberties, Some of. hem even admit to a skepticism about the “get tough” leaders. They have, indeed, -en- couraged an. -Administration’ of which they pretend to be critical. Their “practical” judgment amounts to an unwarranted con- clusion that the machinery, at- Tockaty is ae trae and corrupt- ed beyond repair, We can't accept that judg- ment. . As you encounter these critics, I suggest that you ask them for their practical alternatives to the course we are set upon. Ask them for their practical plans to give a people a chance to vote for policies of peace. Ask them for their practical plans to restore confidence in the democratic process. . Ask them for their plans which could bring out a sufficiently large vote to elect a progressive Con- gress. : . Ask them for their practical Plans to combat the big city. ma- chines and the Zouthern reaction- aries in the Democratic Party. Ask them ‘for a-better way to demonstrate to the people of the world that this nation is not unan- imously committed to a policy of Spending 80 cents out of each tax {aottar for war or preparation for war. These are the questions we had to ask ourselves before we de- cided on the course we have taken, The answer was clear. The bar- .Zaining power of the people can only be restored by a new party, speaking a language politicians understand, the language of yotes. a ave spent ithis.time discuss- ing the. practicality ‘of our: orltics; because it is.a matter of impor- tance, to all of-us as we work to build’ our. movement. _ MANY PEOPLE who have built an immunity, to’ other labels— who are not troubled by the red- baiting and “smearing, because they know their ‘own consciences "| —~are‘troubled by this word “im- Practical” . cot Tell them: that there’ is nothing Practical about’ surrender to war and depression. ; . Tell them that there is nothing Practical about suicide, . ‘Assure them that the only way to make democracy work is to preserve the meaning of -the bal-~ lot —‘a charice- for the’ voter to ‘have a legitimate-choice between programs, not 2 choice restricted to personalities and language. ‘ ~ “Convince them that ™ we: need not: limit ourselves to choices be- tween evils, that we have a right —and a chance—to vote for the greatest good: for the greatest number, ae In this-diseussion of . practical Politics, I think it is important ‘Saturday, February 7, 1948 res umbus for me to touch on the single, most practical and despicable poli- tical tactic of those who oppose us—the tactic of red-baiting, This is the tactic used by all of our opponents. It is used by the Republicans. It is used by the Democrats. It is used by, some in- dependent intellectuals who write long dissertations for newspapers and magazines, It is the single most effective political weapon in the country today and its effectiveness is a measurement of a political imma- turity which we must conquer, if democracy is to live. With many millions of Ameri- cans already victimized by anti- communist propaganda, we can- not lightly dismiss the question of red-baiting. Blind, fearful responses to the words “Red,” “Communist,” and “Russia” are actually the greatest ditioned responses to the word “communism,” which hysterical propaganda brings forth trom peo- ple who have no real knowledge of the actual philosophy and prac- tices of the Communists, is the greatest asset of the reactionaries. Red-baiting bas paid—and is paying—-great dividends. While masses of people have been dis- tracted by carefully manufactured red menaces, the reactionaries ‘have taken-control of the govern- ment, inflation has continued its spiral upwards, and our major so- cial and economical’ problems have intensified, It is alarming that any large section of the population of the most powerful nation in the world should tremble at a word. A very intelligent. comment on this: lamentable state of affairs was made at a United Nations committee meeting on freedom of the press last week by Pro- fessor Zechariah Chafee of the Harvard Law School. Professor Chafee was debating with the Russian representative when he said:. “I have got to spend a good deal of time trying to per- suade people to allow commu- aism to be put into print and to be put in oral discussion, and even to be discussed: in educa: sor Chafee might have added that he has not been too success- ful. There aren’t many Ameri-+ can schools or publications where communism is intelligently dis- cussed, Intelligent opposition to Com- munist proposals is not possible when the discussion of such Proposals ig limited by fear. . Intelligent opposition is ime possible when Communism is presented in the form of in« flammatory anti-communist slo- gans, grossly distorted facts and carloads of myths, Personally, I am sick and tired of having the Communists receive credit for every progressive idea, And that is the end result of the kind of red-baiting ‘campaigns we have had here in the United States. In the campaign ahead we shall see the most intensive use of red-baiting in all history, with the oassible exception of Adolf Hitler's use of this pali- tical weapon. it will be used against us, not because we are Communists, but becuuse we are attacking on- trenched interests; because we believe that it is possible to muke peace with Rissia; nad be- cause we shall refuse te engage in tne indiscriminate red-baiting which breeds fear in, place of oe sianding -red-baiting ‘which will be directed at us, we would have to parrot the most extreme red-baiting. of our: opponents. Further than that, we woald with Russia is inevitable of the have to accept the idea that war Russians refuse to accep: the Wall. Street approach to world problems. This we shall not do. The most frequent charge made against the American Com- munists: is. that they . advocate the violent «overthrow .of. the government of the United States. | have not seen’ evidence, to sub- stantiate the charge, and I do find a Supreme Court decision that this conclusion is unwar- ranted. -But if. this is.the Com- munist program, it is most cer- tainly not ours, The. simple, un- mistakable fact is that we are organizing a new political party to. use the democratic system to advance our programs for peace and abundance, . ANY COMMUNISTS who sup- port the independent ‘ticket will be supporting-our program, not the Communist program, I am menace to our freedom. The con=———-