The Augusta Courier

Dick Russell Calls For Unity And End Of Confusion In Nation In Opening Speech For U. S. Presidency

Noted Georgian Flays Communism In Keynote Speech At Atlanta

In opening his campaign for President in Atlanta on April 25, 1952, Senator Dick Russell pleaded for unity and an end to the chaos and confusion as the keynote of his speech.

"Communism breeds on disunity, chaos and confusion. Before unity it beats retreat," said Russell.

Russell implied that the Truman Democrats in Washington were creating disunity, chaos and confusion not only in government, but among the people of the nation. The only remedy is the elimination of those who confuse.

Russell pictured his purpose to once again unite the American people and to eliminate the chaos, the confusion, the waste, and disunity from the government in Washington.

This is necessary in order to prepare this nation for the fight ahead.

"Our country is fighting today for its very existence. The paramount issue before us is survival survival against that Godless, degrading tyranny of communism which already has withered the roots of liberty over vast portions of the globe," he said.

And then Russell said:

"We must devise a program to which all patriotic Americans can and will respond, one which will inspire confidence and loyalty. I propose that the foundation of this program should be:

"FIRST. There must be unity of purpose as citizens of a common country. There must be a rebirth of the realization that we are all Americans. We must recognize there is no North; no South! no East! no West; when our nation is in danger. Each state each section-each individual has much to contribute to the common good— the common defense.

"Communism breeds on disunity, chaos and confusion. Before unity it beats retreat.

"SECOND. Whatever sacrifice may be entailed we must provide the means of defending these United States.

"For many years I have served on the Senate Armed Services Committee, of which I now have the honor to be chairman. I have dealt with the problems of defense on intimate terms. I wish I could tell you tonight that our defenses are complete. I wish I could assure you that they are impregnable.

"I cannot in good conscience give you such assurances.

"At great cost, and with the waste that always accompanies heavy rearmament, we are strengthening our defenses. Much remains to be done.

"It is a great tragedy that it took armed Communist aggression to convince us of

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Noted Georgian Flays Communism In Keynote Speech At Atlanta

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our folly in twice junking and dismantling great and costly fighting machines before the peace was assured. We learned - and the lesson is expensive - the cost of the delusion that national security can be bought on a bargain counter.

"The American people have demonstrated many times they are willing to make sacrifices in order to protect our free institutions and our precious liberties.

But they are demanding, and rightly so, a relentless effort to eliminate waste from the preparedness program.

"They demand, and rightly demand, a strict accounting to determine that we receive 100 cents of defense for every dollar granted for military purposes.

"There must be no more incidents of jerry-built airfields in North Africa; of flagrant waste of building materials; unnecessary contracts for military dress gloves; and costly waste of manpower.

"I propose to see that there will be no more of this. The burdens of the American taxpayer do not permit the luxury of extravagance.

"THIRD. The Atlantic Pact and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization erected upon it are vital to the security of the American people. They also are vital to the security and freedom of the people of Western Europe.

"It is not just charity which has dictated our foreign aid programs, military and economic. It is in our own enlightened self-interest to assist those people who have managed to stay outside the Iron Curtain."

"Nevertheless, we must insist that our allies recognize the mutuality of this program, and do their utmost to safeguard themselves.

"Our foreign-aid programs must be held within reasonable limits and constantly reviewed to insure they are meeting their objectives.

"FOURTH. We must fight inflation with the weapon of budget balancing economy. The executive and administrative branches of the government must take the lead if we are to effectively reduce the expenditures.

"Twenty years ago as governor of Georgia, I showed how government expenses could be cut, how sound economies could be effected. I have not lost that touch.

"As chief executive, I would demand that officials of every rank and station cut the expenditures handled by each of them —not only to the bone, but to the marrow.

"Our people now are taxed to the point where the burden has become nearly intolerable. They are entitled to relief as soon as the state of our defenses will permit.

"The gains that have been made in the field of human security and progress over the past two decades of Democratic administration must be fully protected.

"But I say to you frankly that we cannot indulge new and expensive experiments in this period of national emergency. No honest candidate, familiar with the operations of our government and the danger of inflation, will make vain promises of expensive innovations in government until our defenses are secure and the tax burden reduced.

"FIFTH. Subversion and dishonesty on part of public officials must be eliminated.

66 The house of our national government must be thoroughly cleaned.

"The vast majority of our federal employees are loyal, conscientious, efficient public servants. There are some among them who have violated their public trust by betrayal to a hostile power, who have bankrupted their patriotism by fellow traveling. Others have abused their offices for personal gain. They have brought disgrace to themselves and earned the contempt of the people they were supposed to serve.

"No popular government can long endure or effectively operated unless it possesses the confidence of the people. It is high time that the Jeffersonian concept of public office as a public trust be restored. I would propose to do just that.

"SIXTH. We must preserve constitutional government. The Doctrine of States' Rights is not a sectional abstraction. The individual rights and liberties which truly make this the land of liberty depend upon adherence to our charter of liberties-the American Constitution. That charter enumerates the basic and fundamental rights which are the heritage of every citizen without regard to race or creed. It protects those rights by reserving to the sovereign states and to the people those powers of government not specifically vested in the Federal Government.

"The pages of history are replete with chronicles of the loss of individual rights and liberties when all power has been concentrated in an all-powerful central government. All Jeffersonian Democrats believe the maintenance of individual rights depends ultimately upon the preservation of the rights of the several states. Every section of this nation-citizens of every race and creed, have an equal stake in preserving the principle of divided powers and local self-government.

"Thinking people everywhere know that a good Southerner is a better American because of his pride in the South, just as a good New Englander, or a good Westerner is a better American because of his pride in New England, or the West.

"I am proud of my Southern heritage. I am proud that I come from Georgia.

"Coming from the South, I take pride in the fact that the Democratic Party-the Party of Jefferson and Jackson—the Party of the people—was born in the South.

"The legitimate heritage of that party is a heritage of honor and love of country.