Remarks at the State Building in Reno

Governor Sawyer, Mrs. Sawyer, Senator Bible, Senator Cannon, Congressman Baring, distinguished guests on the platform, my fellow Americans:

I want to thank you so very much for coming out here in Reno today and extending the warm hand of welcome to your friend and your neighbor who has come to see you at this time of the year. I came out here because the two Senators from Nevada have done much to help me in the 11 months that I have been President to pass a program for the benefit of all Americans.

Alan Bible, serving on Appropriations and the Interior and Small Business Committees, has helped us to have one of the most economical sessions of Congress, one of the most progressive sessions of Congress, and one of the most conservation-minded Congresses in the history of the Republic.

Howard Cannon, serving on the Space Committee, has been of great value to me in connection with the Nevada test site, which is the largest employer in the State of Nevada, and I feel that in the next administration-that is going to be a Democratic House, and 60-odd Democratic Senators--that the State of Nevada will want Howard Cannon to continue his Democratic service. Nevada needs Howard Cannon; the U.S.A. needs Howard Cannon; and LBJ needs Howard Cannon.

I hope the people of Nevada will also return to the Congress Congressman Baring, who has had a distinguished record there, and who sits on the platform with us this morning as the Democratic nominee in this State.

Grant Sawyer has been the chairman of the Governors' Conference and has been very helpful to your President. I want to express to him and to all of you my deep gratitude for his service not only to Nevada but his service to the entire Nation.

Here on the frontier of the West, the watchword has always been freedom. But you and I know that in the building of the West, we boasted about our rights--but we banked on our responsibility.

We know how the West was won. It wasn't won by men on horses who tried to settle every argument with a quick draw and a shot from the hip. We here in the West aren't about to turn in our sterling silver American heritage for a plastic credit card that reads, "Shoot now; pay later."

This land was settled and made to prosper by sober and responsible men and women who built the homes, tilled the soil, and looked after the stock and raised their families, and let the drifters be the ones to whoop it up on Saturday night.

The frontier's story, like America's, is that people aren't free for very long unless they are also responsible.

We didn't build this Nation by everyone scratching and clawing for himself. We built it, like we built the West, by pitching in together and by always acting responsibly.

So we must go on building today. There are some of those among us who say that "we, the people" should get out of business, as a people, acting through the Government.

Well, I say, and so do you, that "we, the people" are going to stay in business and "we, the Government" are going to do together the things that we can't do alone.

One candidate is roaming around the country saying what a terrible thing the Government is. He seems to be running against the Office of President instead of for the Office of President.

Somebody better tell him that most Americans are not ready to trade the American eagle in for a plucked banty rooster.

He better know that most people just don't believe the United States Government is a foreign power or an enemy.

You feel that government must act with restraint, and so do I. You feel that government must be responsible, and so do I.

We have a Bill of Rights. We are also developing a Bill of Responsibilities, and that will be the guidepost of my administration.

Article I of the Bill of Responsibilities is that government must be prudent. I am in favor of government that doesn't take in a cent it doesn't need and doesn't spend a cent it doesn't have to. Instead of increasing Government expenditures, my first budget, the first Johnson budget to the Congress, calls for lower expenditures--$1 billion lower--and it is only the second budget in 10 years to be lower. Instead of increasing the number of Government employees, the Johnson budget calls for a reduction, and it is the first budget to reduce Government employees in 8 years.

This is a fact that I would like for each of you to remember: During the first 2 months of my first fiscal year, July and August just passed, the Johnson administration spent $676 million less than we spent last July and August. And this July, in the Johnson administration, had 25,000 less Federal employees on the payroll than we had in July of last year, 1 year ago. I intend to pursue the same course of efficiency in meeting the needs of this Nation.

Article II of the Bill of Responsibilities is that government--local, State, and Federal-where necessary, must keep the domestic peace. There is no place and there must be no place in this country for violence or for civil disobedience.

Article III is that the Government must keep peace in the world. Peace is the most important subject to you today. We are proud that history has thrust upon us the responsibilities of leadership for the free world. And the United States, under my leadership, does not intend to retreat from those responsibilities.

Article IV is that the Government of the United States must discharge the responsibilities of leadership throughout the free world which history has thrust upon us.

Article V of the Bill of Responsibilities says that we must encourage and permit the American economy to make full use of our farmlands and our ranchlands, and full use of our plant capacity, and to reach full employment. I am glad to say that per capitawise, the Federal Government has more people working for it in Nevada than any other State in the Union, and I hope that you like your employer.

Article VI says that we are responsible for seeing to it that our children, all of our children, of all races, of all colors, of all religions, from all families, get all the education they Can rise.

Article VII says that we will, as stewards-and Theodore Roosevelt said it is the duty of the President of the United States to be the steward of all the people--we will, as stewards, preserve and develop our natural resources. America the beautiful is our inheritance. We want projects like Lake Tahoe. It is also our responsibility to develop them.

Article VIII of the Bill of Responsibilities is that we will see to it that every person who lives a productive, useful working life enjoys a secure and a meaningful older age. And that means that the 20 million now on social security are going to be protected, and we are going to make the system stronger, not weaker, and we are not about to make it voluntary, either.

Article IX is that we will draw no false lines through our society, on the basis of race, religion, national origin, sex, or age.

Finally, it is our responsibility to be sure the channels of democratic action are kept clear and clean so that Government is the people's servant, not the people's master.

By working together, by acting responsibly, we know we can do the things we cannot do alone. We have learned that by working together, by acting responsibly, we can make the Bill of Rights come to life and come true. And that is what a Bill of Responsibilities can mean--not less personal freedom, but more personal freedom.

Do you know that more people have more freedom in the world today than they have ever had before ? Do you know that Americans have more freedom today than they have ever had before? We were not very free in 1932 when the Hoover administration had us burning our old cows and giving our wool away, and selling our cotton for 5 cents, and we had soup lines all over the country.

We are much freer today with 72 million people working at high wages, getting $60 billion more after taxes for their work, and the corporations making $12 billion more after taxes than they did in 1960.

That gives you an economic freedom that means a lot to your personal life. And that is what our free enterprise system of government gives us, and that is why I am so glad that in all the nations that have thrown off colonialism, not one single nation has joined communism. The last nation that was lost to the Communists was lost in Cuba in 1959.

So that is what our American form of government is all about, that is the kind of responsible government that we have had, when we made the greatest advances for personal freedom and prosperity in this country. And that is the kind of responsible government that I am going to continue if I am selected as your President. Working together with the people of Nevada, that great democratic State leading the way, we will continue it.

We have about six States to go into today, and we must run along. But I do want to tell you that it means a lot to me to see this many people this early in the morning, in this small State, out to see their President. It is not a tribute to the President; it is a tribute to the people of Reno, Nev.

I don't know who your chief of police is, and I want to stay in good with him--at least until I get out of his jurisdiction--but I do want him to come up here and take off those Goldwater glasses and take another look at this crowd, because I look through those glasses sometimes myself. But it looks like to me that I see here the largest 15,000 crowd that I have ever seen in all of my campaigning. And I know I never saw a friendlier crowd. I hope I am right in assuming that it is a Democratic crowd.

It is less than 3 weeks until the election, and you can do something these last 20 days, and we want you to do it. We think that the time to show America and show the world dramatically, effectively, and overwhelmingly that the American people believe in a responsible, bipartisan foreign policy, and responsible leadership and prosperity in this country is in the next 20 days. Won't you join me?

Well, anyway, I just want you to know, whatever your crowd is--maybe I am looking through Goldwater glasses--I will tell you this: I thought the crowd last night was just the most wonderful crowd I had ever seen in Nevada, but the crowd this morning is a lot larger, or something has happened to me overnight.

Flash--Flash--Flash--Correction: They just brought me a message and said the chief of police said 50,000, not 15,000.

Well, I want to apologize. It is not the chief of police that has on Goldwater glasses; it is Howard Cannon that needs a hearing aid. Didn't you say 15,000, Howard? Well, he said it was a slip of the tongue.

Anyway, folks, I don't need to tell you how much I think of your people. I came out here many years ago to ask you to elect Alan Bible. He is one of the great men of the Senate. I came out here to ask you to help elect Howard Cannon. No two men from any State in the Union have worked more for the people, have been more bipartisan, have tried to do what is best for America more than these two stalwart sons of this small State.

I hate to say it, but Texas used to be the largest State in the Union, but we can produce only one Democratic Senator while the smallest State in the Union produces two big ones. I hope you will send them back to help me with my program. I hope you will send Walt Baring back there to help me with my program.

In the meantime, I must run along, but I do want to tell you, thank you very much.

Good luck, goodby, God bless you all.