Remarks on Arrival at Denver, Colorado

Governor Love, Senator Allott, Congressman Brotzman, Mayor McNichols, all of the distinguished guests, and all of the people who have been so very gracious to welcome us to Colorado on this beautiful day:

We always appreciate the welcomes we get when we come to Colorado and to Denver. But today when I learned it was a holiday--the admission day for Colorado to the Union, the Centennial State, I know in 1976 that you will celebrate the 100th year, on August 3d--when I knew it was a holiday, I really didn't expect to see this great crowd here. There are so many beautiful places you can go here. Now I'll be your Chamber of Commerce for a moment.

And for all of you to come the long way to the airport, to park your cars--and we saw them parked for miles--to walk and stand here, that is a very, very warm and gracious thing to do. We thank you very much for what you've done.

And I'd like to say just another word, if I could, about your Governor and your State, and what it means to the Nation. Your Governor, of course, is the Chairman of the Governors' Conference, which is an indication of the high respect that he's held, in not only Colorado but the Nation.

This State is the State we have selected for one of our key meetings that we've been having around the country in which, rather than having the States and the counties and the cities come to Washington, we bring Washington and the White House to the people right here where it belongs.

And one of the men who, when I was running for office, constantly insisted that that ought to be done, was the Governor of this State, also your two Senators, Senator Allott and Senator Doralnick. They feel that it is enormously important that we in Washington know the country better and that the country know, of course, our leaders in Washington better.

I want to say, too, that in terms of this State, just on a completely nonpolitical vein--and I know that the Mayor will appreciate this and also the Governor, and the Senator, the Congressman, and the others--as I went down the line here I was trying to find somebody from Colorado.

Anybody from Colorado here?

As I went down the line, I saw somebody from New Jersey, and another from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and California, of course.

How many from California?

And then really to cap the climax, though, I saw a lady over here with her grandchildren. She said that they were her grandchildren. I thought they her children. But anyway, she said was from Hawaii, having a vacation Colorado. Now that shows you Colorado must be the place.

We just want to say that this is a State that has many pleasant memories for us, going back over many years, and we're glad to be back and to be welcomed in this way.

We feel that coming here, discussing the key problem of law enforcement and how we in Washington can be more helpful to the States, and the cities, and the counties in waging a winning war against those who have been responsible for the rising crime in this country--we feel that coming here, in a State and in a city that has such an outstanding record in this field was the proper thing to do.

We thank you again for welcoming us. I wish we could shake hands with all of you, but time will not permit it. We'll just say to you, you're very lucky to be here in Colorado, whether you live here or whether you're visiting here. It's a great State and we are glad to have a few hours here with you today.

Thank you.