Radio and Television Remarks on Election Eve

[Broadcast from the White House Library at 11:45 p.m.]

My Friends all over America:

Four years ago on election eve, Pat and Dick, Mamie and I were privileged to meet in a little meeting like this and talk through television to the mass of Americans, not only those who were gathered in the rallies of that night, who had been supporting and working for our program all through that campaign, but Americans who happened to be looking into their televisions that evening. We told what we had been doing and what we wanted to do for the next four years. We did that in Boston.

We wanted to go back there tonight. But the pressures of business--some of the crises in the world today--have defeated that ambition, and so tonight we are meeting in much the same kind of little get-together, but in the White House, instead of in Boston. We regret deeply we couldn't go to Boston and stop at Hartford on the way, as we had planned.

As a matter of fact, one of the disappointments of this campaign was that I couldn't go to the State of my birth, Texas. I had to cancel that engagement, and on the way back I wanted to visit two other States that had honored me with their support-Dick and me--in 1952. That was in Tennessee and Oklahoma. But there the wish will just have to be accepted for the deed-because we simply couldn't do it.

Now, in these past four years, as I have been working here in the White House, I have--with others of my associates and friends--worked out a simple set of principles that we try to apply to every problem of government that we meet.

The first of these is very simple--very true--as all of you know. And it is this: the individual is of supreme importance.

Now, as you apply the principle of individual dignity and importance to the problems of government, you find that you have constantly a greater respect for the local government, the government that is closer to that individual. On top of that, you have great confidence in the abilities, the initiative and energies of 168 million people to do the job of developing America.

Government's function is to provide the climate in which those people can work in confidence and security.

And then the next principle that we observed is this: the spirit of our people is the strength of our nation.

Strength is not just in arms and guns and planes. It is not just in factories and in fertile farms. It is in the heart--the heart that venerates the heritage we have from our fathers--the heritage of freedom--of self-government. That is the basic strength of America.

The next principle is: America does not prosper unless all Americans prosper. And so, while we believe that many groups have special problems, under our principle none has special privileges. Everything is settled on the basis of what is good for all of us--every American man, woman and child, whatever his station, his calling, his religion, or his race.

Next, we believe that government must have a heart as well as a head. By this we mean that government must concern itself in pointing the way and leading the way to those great social security programs, to the health of our people--the education of our people--to make certain that all these are available as an average American citizen has a right to expect them.

And then we wrote another statement that we call a principle. It was this: Courage and principle, cooperation and practice make freedom a positive thing.

I might apply this principle for you to the problem of civil rights. We believe, with the Constitution, in the equality before the law of every single American. In making this a reality in this day and time, we believe in cooperation. We believe that in getting the cooperation that comes about from willing working together of Americans, you achieve much more than you do just by writing a hard and fixed dictum of law and say: everybody must conform.

Force is often not the best way to get a thing done, as we have found out in our international affairs. We must secure the cooperation of those people who have the same values in life.

Our next principle is this: the purpose of government is to serve--never to dominate. This means that conscience rather than force is the key to action, whether it be something you are contemplating at home or indeed in a conference among heads of state abroad.

And then we feel this: to stay free, we must stay strong.

And again, I don't mean merely military strength. We must have that economic strength that allows each of us to increase his standard of living, to look out for his children, to see that they are educated, to provide a healthful life where there is ample opportunity for recreation, intellectual advancement, and the development of real spiritual strength.

That is the kind of thing we are talking about.

And we believe, under God, in the cause of freedom and justice and peace for all peoples.

We understand clearly that no single nation in this world may have peace unless all travel that same road. Because peace is something that must be universal or it doesn't exist.

Now, I know of no single principle that is more important than this one. Because, my friends, everything that happens abroad these days affects us here at home. We have found this to be especially true lately--our tensions, our anxieties, our concerns for people that are being downtrodden, people that are being ruthlessly exploited, even killed for their love of freedom. That affects us, because, again, we know that just like peace, freedom is indivisible, because it is free people that want to keep the peace. It's people that have to fight wars; therefore, people don't want war. Therefore, any free government is one that can be trusted.

So we have a very large stake in the freedom of every people-wherever they may be, just as we do in our own. We do not believe in second-class citizens. And there can be no second-class nations. Before the law all are equal; let us remember that.

Now tomorrow is the day that we practice the privilege of free voting. When we stop to think that tonight there are thousands of people ready to risk their lives--actually dying-for this priceless privilege, it seems almost redundant for any of us to have to be reminded that it is a priceless privilege that can be preserved best only through exercising it.

If we don't vote, then we are forfeiting one of the great privileges we have, of participating in the decisions of this country.

I am not speaking now of how you vote. I am talking about the act itself. To be a free person to exercise that right so that you will be using your best judgment for the benefit of yourselves, your children, your country--the entire future--for the whole world, that is the thing that we must do.

So, if I could make one request of all of you this evening, it would be merely this: That when you wake up in the morning, start telephoning any friend that you think may have overlooked the fact that it is election day and that he should vote. Do this even before you go to the polls yourself. And then go there and register your decision.

I will tell you one thing: whatever that decision is, the four people in this room--Pat and Dick, and Mamie and I--will accept it not only wholeheartedly, but we will continue to do our best, no matter in what capacity we may be serving, to be true Americans.

And no person can aspire to a greater privilege and a greater honor. You have done me a very great courtesy in allowing me to come into your living rooms this evening. I thank you sincerely.

God bless each of you--and goodnight.