Remarks at a Reception in Fort Worth Honoring Representative James C. Wright of Texas

Congressman and Mrs. Wright, Congressman Teague and other members of the delegation, Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, distinguished clergy, guests, ladies and gentlemen:

I am so happy to see so many familiar faces here this afternoon.

This is a great treat for me, to come back to Fort Worth.

When I saw my dear friend of many, many decades here at the head table--Raymond Buck--it reminded me of the good old days when I used to be in politics.

Looking around at all of you happy people, and all of you happy politicians, I can only think of one thing to say right now. That is, I'd rather be "Wright"--than President.

I especially wanted to be here this afternoon to lend my support to Jim Wright and "Tiger" Teague in their campaigns. They face a very tough race this year, as all of us do.

One of my staff, a young man from Harvard, somewhat unfamiliar with these parts, told me that Jim Wright and "Tiger" Teague are both running against the same opponent--a man with a very odd name:

"Un-Opposed."

I called in one of my staff and asked him what he knew about this man. He laughed and said, "Mr. President, you have been gone much too long. That is unopposed."

Actually, I have something in common with both Jim and "Tiger": We are all three running unopposed. They are running for the Congress, and I am running for the ranch.

As you may know, I am going to be at TCU later tonight to receive a degree. I hope this will come in handy when I resume my teaching career.

But I could not pass up this party. I am going to be a resident of Texas again after January. As I told Senator Yarborough and Mrs. Yarborough coming down, and as every Texan already knows, it is mighty good to have some friends in Washington.

It is particularly good to have a friend who is a winner. The one and only time that Jim Wright ever had any competition in a primary he wound up with only 92 percent of the vote.

He carried every one of his 153 precincts and in two of them--I never could quite understand this--the opposition received no votes at all.

Now that is my idea of a winner. And Jim Wright is a winner for one reason: Because he is always on the people's side. No one knows this better than I do.

Jim and I have been on the same team in Washington for a good many years. We stood together for Texas and America on Capitol Hill.

During the past 5 years, when the showdowns for progress came in the Congress, there are none who have been of more help to me than the members of the Texas delegation.

With Senator Yarborough in the Senate-he wouldn't want to admit this publicly, maybe--there is no Senator who has a finer voting record in helping the Johnson administration do what they think is best for all the people of this country.

And "Tiger" Teague, Graham Purcell, "Chick" Kazen, Earle Cabell--and the many other Congressmen--I don't know how many of them came down here, though we had several on the plane--have all been very generous and very helpful to me.

I broke "Tiger" in before he came to Washington. He came to Austin before he came to Washington to talk to me about what he wanted to do in Washington.

He has been doing it ever since--a very good job for all the people.

Tonight, somewhere in this city, there is a boy from a poor family who has made it to college. He is just one of a million and a half young Americans who would not have had this chance 5 years ago, but who can now pursue a college education because the leaders of the Texas delegation, who sit at this table, and their colleagues in Congress, have seen to it that their Government is interested in that young man.

Tonight there is a man with a job--a man who was out of work 5 years ago. He is only one of 7 million new workers who have found employment since 1963.

And for the entire labor force, which is 75.5 million strong today, our paychecks are bigger, our retirement is more secure, our working conditions are better.

For employers and businessmen, the past 7 years--the last 87 months, in fact--have had no parallel in all of American history.

Seven straight, uninterrupted years of prosperity without a single dip, recession, depression, or whatnot.

Tonight, there is an old couple who can face their golden years with a new serenity and a new security. If they get sick, they are no longer a burden to their children or their son-in-law. They have earned the dignity of independence--because almost 20 million elderly families are tonight covered by Medicare, by a program which did not exist 5 years ago, but which these men helped us to pass.

Once these were all visions--just visions, just dreams. But to the boy in college, to the couple in retirement, to the worker on the job, to the businessman in his shop, they are actualities and realities today.

Other visions have been made reality, too. Other dreams have come true, too: The child of the slum, who can now get a head start and an equal chance in life; the 5.5 million Americans who no longer live in poverty.

In health, in elementary and secondary education, in equal justice, in conservation, in recreation, in farm and rural programs, in every area where government can help people, we are leveling old problems and we are building new hopes.

Before I left Washington this afternoon, I signed into law the Consumer Credit Protection Act. That brings truth to the lending market for every purchaser in America.

Jim Wright, "Tiger" Teague, Ralph Yarborough, Earle Cabell and "Chick" Kazen-all these Congressmen here at this table helped pass that measure which helps every American.

To Congressman Purcell and all the others I mentioned, I want to say we owe each of you a debt of thanks and gratitude.

Proud? Yes, we are proud. But satisfied? No. Never. This is a world of change, and we want to change. We want to improve with every change. We want to become better. We want to become richer. We want to become more powerful. We want to conquer our ancient enemies of disease, ignorance, and poverty.

We want the world where every man can be free, be equal, and not be burdened with these ancient enemies.

In 8 months, I will come back home to be a teacher and a private citizen again. But good men, like those in the Texas delegation at this table, will remain in Washington, working to give substance to your dreams-working to carry on the unfinished business of America.

I know there are many of you in this group who are here on rain checks 4 years old. I was sorry to disappoint you then. But remember, 4 years ago my subject would have been promises.

Tonight I have been able to talk about performances.

There was a little lady from the Temperance Union who once called upon a great government leader, a Prime Minister of Great Britain, Winston Churchill, to make her complaint.

She said, "Mr. Prime Minister, I am told that during the war, you have drunk enough brandy, if it were poured out in this room, to come up to here [indicating] on all of us standing."

Mr. Churchill looked at her, listened very attentively, looked at the floor, looked at the ceiling, and he said, "My dear little lady, so much we have done; so much we have yet to do."

There is so much that we have done in this country. All of us live better than our fathers and our grandfathers, those who made it possible for us to enjoy our liberty and freedom.

But there is so much yet for all of us to do.

If we can only arrest our impatience, if we can only keep our eye on the ball, if we can only love instead of hate, if we can only unite instead of divide, if we can only apply all of our energies and our talents to constructive endeavors, there is a better world over yonder for all of us.

To the good, progressive, generous people of Fort Worth, I want to thank you for the quality of your Congressmen and your delegation.

More than that, I want to thank you for the strength and comfort that your friendship has given me through the years.

Thank you very much.