
Americans for Democratic Action Roosevelt Day Dinner

( U.S. News & World Report/Library of Congress/Wikimedia Commons )
This episode is from the WNYC archives. It may contain language which is no longer politically or socially appropriate.
Theme of the evening: Human resources in an abundant society."
Politicians honor outgoing Mayor Robert F. Wagner who receives the A.D.A.'s annual award. Senator Robert F. Kennedy gives the keynote address at approximately 51:00 into the tape. He pays tribute to the policies and programs of Franklin D. Roosevelt and living up to them with future action. After listening to this speech you can see why he ran for President.
Begins with room noise and chatter. Mayor Lindsay introduces head table, welcomes guests. Howard J. Samuels, dinner co-chairman, talks about the role of the ADA and the US in foreign relations, the role the US could play in educating disadvantaged youth. A society that will struggle to put a man on the moon without first tapping its own human resources is not a just society. A society that will fight communism abroad without adequately fighting ignorance at home is not a wise society. Emily Scheuer introduces some international invitees, introduces Bentley Kassal. Kassal, New York ADA chapter chairman, welcomes students in the audience. Don Edwards applauds Lindsay's work in civil rights, presents Mayor Wagner with a citation from the ADA. Wagner thanks the ADA, recalls its history, discusses his own work as Mayor, specifically in education, social services, and unions. Don Edwards returns to the stage and tells a story of his son by way of introducing Senator Kennedy.
Kennedy: Congratulates Wagner, says New Yorkers will likely miss him now. A few other personal comments. Says he's sorry Lindsay had to leave (a bit of laughter from the audience). Makes a few jokes at Lindsay's expense. Talks about Roosevelt's legacy (social services). What is required of us? We must work for our own revolution. References jobs for minorities. Money is less important than a determination that all children must learn to the limit of their capacity. Welfare has destroyed self respect and encouraged family disintegration. Will we act on the level necessary to prevent mass starvation? A total effort to achieve a treaty to prevent spread of nuclear weapons? Will we be ready to associate ourselves with revolutionary forces in South America, Asia, and Africa? Capacity for patience and strength to save the world? They will need the spirit of FDR to move forward. (It's a great speech.)
Don Edwards (?) reads a cable from VP Humphrey.
Audio courtesy of the NYC Municipal Archives WNYC Collection
WNYC archives id: 70709
Municipal archives id: T1839
This is a machine-generated transcript. Text is unformatted and may contain errors.
Thank you very much thank you. Senator Kennedy. Distinguished guests on behalf of the Americans for Democratic Action I'd like to welcome you to the nine hundred sixty six Roosevelt. And I first would like to introduce the distinguished guest on the day. Starting last burden we note executive director of The New York. Thank you Ed. The ministry of assistant to Congressman and charm of the Executive Committee of the national idea thank you. Are fighting congressman from the twentieth district Congressman Joe as Nick thank you. Joe Joyner leading civil rights attorney former chairman and national. Thank you. Dorothy chefs publisher of The New York Post thank the honorable Frank O'Connor former Queen's attorney general president of the New York City Council thank you. And I introduce and congratulate the honorable Constance Baker Motley a new federal judge in New York thank you. Alex Rose President United had a second vice chairman a Liberal Party thank you Frank Carlson civic leader member of the president's advisory council on the education of the disadvantaged child thank you. David Dubinsky President I know you thank you. Alan Rosen fice chairman of the dinner former assistant to New York City Commissioner United. And now I'd like to introduce one of America's great man as you know proverb that says that your old man will dream dreams and your young men will see visions I'd like to present the young men and women Thomas thank you. Mr Thomas his legacy. Mr Thomas your heart has always been young. Thank you. I next would like to introduce a young man who's kept me up late many nights recently reading his book The Thousand Days historian honorary chairman of the dinner professor are also slaves enjoy thank you now I present the newspaper publisher from my end of the country upstate a former ambassador to Peru former national executive director of the idea the Honorable Jim thank you for coming back again thank prominent liberal businessman founder and the vice chairman of the National AIDS Day and a leader and a great liberal causes Marvin Rosenberg thank you behind every great dinner there's one person who does most of the work I'd like to present the director of this dinner tonight to Secretary of the National Board of Directors Jane book and thank you. And the man who is responsible for a great liberal progressive visionary thinking of the idea executive director of the National AIDS. Thank you it's an honor tonight from a drop in the end you'll affair of an organization that has had a profound influence on the shape of government policy Governor Alfred Smith once it was asked to share his views on the subject of success he said Success comes from living to a high ideal and that measure. The idea has a right to consider itself a success for even though the idea has never had more than fifty thousand members it stereo vision of the forty's. Excepted government policies of the sixty's its influence has come from its brainpower rather from its number of power for the Americans for Democratic Action chose a long time ago to chart its course on the principle that the clamor of the majority is no proof of justice. And the belief that justice delayed is. Justice denied and the faith that man can make progress the idea has often been the vanguards of new thoughts and tonight we're presenting the same for this dinner which we think demands from Americans new thinking same that is fundamental not only to the development of our country but to our friends in the United Nations the same is important to the development of a free and sane world that same is the development of human resources and abundance a society and selecting this theme we were notified dated by the deep conviction yes the deep sense of urgency that America is not properly used utilizing for growing wealth is not properly developing for human resources and that America is not making enough contribution to the development of the world's human resources our failures on the development of human resources stand out very sharply particularly when we put them in contrast to our growing wealth this year. American wealth will increase by fifty billion dollars The increase in wealth that we create in this country in gross national product is greater than all the wealth created in Canada it's greater than one half of all the wealth created in all of England we are rich my friends. All the dreams of our forefathers and yet with this richness with this great amount of wealth not one school district in this country has an adequate program for the education of the disadvantaged child think of it for the cost of just one twentieth of this great fifty billion dollars worth of increase wealth we could provide each disadvantaged child in America with the additional investment necessary to develop him as a worthwhile and a productive human being what a small price to pay to substitute a life of hope for a life of despair what a small price to pay when we recognize there was a direct correlation between education and crime between education and poverty between education and the unemployed. Between education and welfare and remember the figures that cost seven hundred dollars a year to educate a child twenty one hundred dollars a year to keep a family on welfare and thirty five hundred dollars a year to keep a man in prison America's Fadia an education America's failure to utilize its wealth is not only bad morals it's bad economics and when I look at them our representatives from the United Nations tonight and when I think of the great difficulty we're having of developing freedom and democracy in the new nations. You can understand the need of human resources abroad and what Thomas Jefferson meant when he said that a nation that is ignorant and free is a nation that never was and never will be there was so much to do in this country with our wealth and so little time and perhaps the story of Winston Churchill receiving the man of the Year Award from the English Temperance League expresses it best Mr Churchill the prime minister you know enjoyed his brandy as a leader of the affair turned to the prime minister the present him. She paused and said We members of the Temperance League Mr Prime Minister are proud of you we're proud of what you've contributed to England and to the world but we're concerned about your drinking we hear that you have a little brandy. And a lot of brandy after lunch we hear that you have a little brandy before supper and lots and lots of brandy after supper in fact Mr Prime Minister one of our directors has calculated that if the brandy that you have had in your. Room it would come up to the first. Prime minister got up he looked at the floor he looked at that and he looked at the ceiling and he said so much to do a little time. And I say to you tonight there was so much to do so little time and I suggested in the same of our dinner. That a society that will struggle to land a man on the moon. Without first happy in its own human resources is just society and a society that will fight communism abroad without adequately fighting ignorance at home is not. My cochairman tonight has made her own contribution to the development of human resources she is a mother of four she has a wife for one of our bright young liberal congressman. She's a successful independent career woman in her own right she's attractive and I was pleased to sit next to her. I'd like to present to you. Thank you. Thank you Howard Mr. Other honored guests It has been my pleasure for many years to be welcomed as you are tonight as a guest of. An organization that I did. Tonight it's my special privilege to welcome you as our guests until. Eleanor Roosevelt brought many of her United Nations friends and colleagues to this dinner as her guests and she. Practiced. Rather than on the day. Because Mrs Roosevelt was their friend and because they respected her. Championship of the fight for human rights and human freedom tonight we are happy. To greet our friends once again. As we honor Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. And. Thank. Our guests from the United Nations and. Thanks. Pan. Thank you. Thank. YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. Thank you. Thank you thank you. From Pakistan thank you thank you thank you. From Panama Thank you. Thank you. And thank. Our Republic thank. You. Thank you. Dr. From. Thankless. From Italy thank you. Thank you. Thank you thank you. Thank you very much thank you. I have another introduction. This time I'm introducing a friend a man founder of the idea and it has been a porter. For many years a man as a member of the. Congress has spoken out. In the cause that we share in common the New York chairman. Mr Bentley the England thank you and. Senator Kennedy Mayor Wagner and I guess on the day I guess before me all parts of the room we're honored to have you here my task briefly to extend a word of greeting and welcome to other guests who are here in the tradition established by Mrs Roosevelt we are indeed honored. And grateful that they have accepted our invitation these are students not only from the United States but from six from eleven other nations. Students at tending fifteen different colleges than the Bronx High School of Science I could and some think it has a an equivalent academic standing I could list these sixteen colleges and these are the eleven nations in addition to our country but I won't suffice it to say the first name given to me today was out of my alma mater Pennsylvania and plays we have a representative there I might also say I have five alum models I went to five schools but I made them all I made college in three and a half years but they. And Harvard Law School turned me out and over in any event ladies and gentlemen this was one of the great traditions of Mrs Roosevelt we are honored to have students here just as they honored guests from the United Nations represents our hope for the future today. Those of the liberal persuasion in our nation and in the world represent our hopes for the future tomorrow they will take over the responsibility of government of liberalism and keeping our world safe and sound and a good place to be I'd like you now as I ask them to stand to extend with me our welcome and pleasure at having all of the students who are our guests would you kindly stand please thank you very much. Thank you. We've had a very distinguished guest arrive who has also made a contribution to the abundance of society I present Mrs Robert Kennedy. Thank you. And other distinguished guests Congressman Jim. Thank you. Thank you and I'd like to introduce the former commissioner to the United Nations from New York Eleanor French Thank you. When a young man once asked Franklin Delano Roosevelt why liberals always seem to disagree and conservatives always seem to agree the former president said there are many ways to go forward but there is only one way to stand still it's there for entirely fitting that the A.D.H. should have as its national chairman Congressman who is specialized in going forward who leads you the idea and what should be its cheap purpose to stimulate public conscience I am pleased to present the national chairman of the Americans for Democratic Action Congressman John Edwards thank you I am going to thank you thank you very much Chairman Samuel's Senator Kennedy this is Kennedy Mayor Wagner Mr Scheuer my colleagues in the house. Joe Reznik distinguished guests friends of a D.A. I was so very glad to say my good friend John Lindsay with whom I served for the past three years on the House Judiciary Committee and I understand since the last meeting of the House Judiciary Committee a few months ago that considerable has happened to him I will say this that there are entirely too few warriors for civil liberties and civil rights remaining in the house. And the election of John Lindsay to this high office left a gaping hole in the ranks I was going to tell John that the news from Capitol Hill is much the same chairman McMillan of the House District of Columbia Committee announced in South Carolina two weeks ago that communists of infiltrated the home rule for Washington movement there was some anxiety on Capitol Hill that second that the news from Chairman McMillan might have reached under Secretary Thomas Mann and that he would have been compelled to send into the District twenty five thousand Marines Senator Kennedy I bring you greetings from your many friends and admirers and the peaceful pastures of California politics at this particular moment I do not have a an opponent who is a movie actor Shirley Temple has expressed an interest in politics but fortunately this temple lives several miles outside my district however Senator Kennedy I do know of your diligence feel full efforts to obtain new industry for this state and since your politics are comparatively dull I trust that you are not overlooking the possibility of moving Hollywood to the Empire State ladies and gentlemen I am honored this evening by being delegated to present to Mayor Wagner and a citation as a token of our affection respect and friendship Mayor Wagner the citation reads as follows to the Honorable Robert F. Wagner mayor of our town during twelve years of turmoil trial triumph and tragedy he bore the math of leadership was still in patience he brought calm understanding and deep personal involvement to the affairs of New York he suffered with the city's hardships he rose to meet his challenges he gloried in his moments of Fortune. As he suggested in his farewell address to the city council we will let the faults of his administration however stated be read alongside of its achievements such as a comparison by which he will be judged and thus will the rise in the esteem and affection of the city inside him lies the soul of a city the heart of its people the humble dignity of a man who loves and respects his fellow man presented by a D.A. at his eighteenth Annual National Roosevelt Day dinner Mayor Wagner gives me a great deal of pleasure in my honor to present this citation THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU very much Congressman Edwards. National president and Senator Kennedy. Distinguished president of the city council Frank O'Connor and Constance mildly. Barrel president of Manhattan then Judge designate all of the distinguished counsel my congressman here to Howard Samuels and this is Scheuer done so well in getting the dinner underway and all hours of May this dinner a great success for Mr Norman Thomas the youngest person here to the delegates from the United Nations and the students represented here and to Dave Dubinsky and Alex Rose I can also say that they were fellow workers with me in the political battles as well in the pet. Thank you and to the distinguished members and offices of a da first of all Congressman I thank you very much. For your award and the generosity of the sentiments expressed how could I be anything but grateful especially in this off season for appreciation of the past. Thanks indeed the latest local fashion seems to be not only against the pest but against anybody past thirty. Obviously most of us here tonight have seen our day although they might be a few exceptions including present mayors and US Senate is. But I. But I hasten to say that I believe strongly in youth as long as the young and not given exclusive jurisdiction over us aged people. I believe in representative government no taxation without representation. And I am opposed to segregation also based on age that I understand that there is some of this at city hall these days at least in one part not the part occupied by Franco. And therefore I am all the more grateful for this salute from the eighty a an organization with which I became associated and identified while both the A and I was still very young this occasion is in a sense a celebration of the past of one of its greatest spirits and one of mankind's greatest ages. Franklin D. Roosevelt was a valiant and adventurous man who explored and mapped new worlds for the liberalism in the twentieth century new concepts of government concern for the underprivileged and for the social and economic rights of all Americans and of all mankind Franklin D. Roosevelt and those who worked with him established the beast heads from which the men and women of A.D.A.'s and among others have pushed relentlessly forward fashions change by either Caprice or invention by principles do not except by experience and occasionally by revelation power changes hands as it must from time to time but institutions carry on changing gradually to meet changing needs and conditions and also of course by revolution durable institutions and enduring principles supply the necessary continuity in our lives and the guidelines of judgments we couldn't do without them and a DA is an organization. Which has usefully served as a vehicle of liberal principles and I am as proud to salute eighty eight tonight as I was to associate myself with it eighteen years ago upon its founding a DA has maintained its direction that sense of purpose and mission all through these turbulent years with unceasing dedication to liberalism and current problems never losing faith in the one or losing sight of the other during these years that the recent past events and developments have followed the swiftest pace of all recorded centuries. Within our lifetimes we have seen vast and volcanic changes in almost every aspect of practice doctrine concept and knowledge our very understanding of the universe and of matter itself as undergone radical changes and likewise our concepts of the relationships of nation to nation and people to people and people to government irresistible forces have been unleashed which for want of a better word have been called revolutions the revolution of rising expectations. The revolution of the dispossessed and of the formally voiceless masses the revolution of the colored races in the United States the so-called Negro revolution in association social phenomena has occurred the population explosion the vast migration of people from rural habitats into the cities and from the cities into the suburbs the explosion of racial tensions the worldwide increase in crime the unrest of youth and the reach of youth for power and expression and all of its phones all these forces and events have had their inevitable impact upon us upon all of us in this country and in New York City and in all cities the cities have become the paradox of our civilization and a major testing ground of its survival. All the riches of our cultural heritage all the wonderful products of our industry and ingenuity all a variety and diversity of mankind and all the possibilities of practical Brotherhood are gathered in our cities side by side with all the tensions of Intergroup prejudices discriminations and differences all the problems of poverty and ugliness all the challenges a big miss and bureaucracy and impersonality New York City has been and is the showcase of this paradox as it has been the crux of all the forces and the fact is I have described No one man caused it all no one man can cure it all during the weeks I recently spent convalescing from the mayor ot I had the time while looking up at the intense blue Mexican sky to see the past in some perspective and to ask myself the meaning of all of the efforts which I had made as mayor and we had all made as individual citizens and through such organizations as a DA I know I did everything in my power limited is it may have been to meet problems and as they arose and to lend to support those. That could be foreseen we worked at this together all of us in New York City but the problems kept rising in intensity though we doubled and redoubled our efforts it is true that the money needed to finance our efforts was limited and this problem cut across all others. Yet it would be a sad commentary and a bad commentary upon the real magnitude of our efforts if it were to be thought that we had May no substantial progress against the problems in our city or in our resolve to provide a better government and above all a better life for US citizens in fact there were many major achievements and unless these achievements are noted it will be difficult to measure those of the future which we must hope will be greater to match the problems which lie immediately ahead in twelve years we built four hundred twenty three thousand units of new housing enough to house one and a third million people of these new housing units one hundred twenty three thousand approximately one third what public publicly aided housing and of these one hundred twenty three thousand sixty four thousand public housing units for families of low income no other major city in the nation can point to a record of comparable achievements among the cities of the nation we led the way in initiating the war against poverty we were the first and contributed by far the most in local fun for the promotion of self organization and to support the principle of self-help in the neighborhoods we enacted a fair housing and a fair employment law being the first city in the nation to do so we greatly raise the levels of medical care in our city hospitals through affiliation with medical schools and teaching hospitals thus providing the poor and the needy aged with hospital care as good as as available anywhere in the world. We wrote and forward through to approval a new city charter the first such revision in a generation we established the office of city administrator as an organization of professionals with special competence in the field of management we promulgate are the first code of ethics for government employees in the history of our country still today the toughest and most effective code of ethics ever effectuated we created a city university and established five new community colleges higher education facilities for one hundred and thirty two thousand students for under graduates we maintained extended and defended against strong assaults the principal and practice of free tuition in the field of elementary education in. The field of elementary education we built two hundred five new schools made one hundred five additions and modernizations expanded the teaching force from thirty seven thousand to fifty two thousand raised teaches salaries by over fifty percent reorganize the Board of Education and provided for screen selection a board members in the field of culture in the arts we saved comedy Hall inaugurated free steak spear in the parks and in our neighborhoods and in our city schools free Phila monic concerts in the parks renovated and expanded the Metropolitan Museum of the Brooklyn Museum and the Brooklyn Academy of Music constructed the new Queen's Baton ical gardens and created an office of Cultural Affairs we helped build and develop Lincoln Center. We made the first total breakthrough against boss rule of the Democratic Party and substantially advanced the cause of political reform thanks and a party democratization in our city we established principles and procedures for collective bargaining among our city employees so that more than two hundred thousand of them now work under the terms of contracts achieved by collective bargaining these are just a few of the complements of the recent past a few of those which are especially pertinent to the goal with which this occasion Roosevelt day is especially concerning but it is cause of course it is true that the problems are still with us the de facto segregation the tensions and all the forces and phenomena to which I have referred nor will these unfortunate phenomenon these problems disappear by incantation or public relations it will take a long sustained effort by all levels of government and not just by public officials but by the public to work not words practice not just preaching programs not promises we will need to do ever more and to know ever more in order to make the headway we must make I myself am wary of those who suggest a want it to appear that they know all the answers and September nineteenth thirty nine Franklin D. Roosevelt speaking of the world scene said I should like to be able to offer the help hope that the shadow over the world may swiftly pass I cannot. The facts compel me to state with Kenda that Dhaka periods may lie ahead the same kind of forecast is applicable today to the challenge of our cities this is not the occasion to suggest specifically have that challenge should be met but as a citizen however I am resolved to associate myself with every rallying of forces under the leadership of government to do all that needs to be done by citizens and by government like no hand and no effort which is called for should be withheld I like to think that the past concert of efforts of all of our citizens helped avert the most severe aspects of the crisis but we stand today under the shadow of the crises that might come in the future not just to our city but to all the cities heavy is the burden of responsibility. On those who stand at the helm and hold public office whether in Washington or Albany on New York City for the forces involved will not wait at attention while new results says ah being said assemble a new structures are being formed as important as these processes may be the forces are dynamic and the picture changes under us in such a juncture we must all in our organizations and as private citizens give every support to the proposals for action and to those undertakings. Which will first of all help our fellow citizens and their children and their parents to live better do better to learn more and earn more to cherish each other and enjoy life meanwhile to improve and Bill ever greater the heritage of our civilization the life center of our people our cities and this beloved city of us again I thank you in my own behalf and in that of my family for this award tonight and I offer you this toast to the inspiration of Franklin D. Roosevelt which points in only one direction which is forward and knows only one result which is success and only one lasting way of life for the world which is peace THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. Thank you very much Bob Wagner and thank you for your years of great service to the city of New York thank you it seems the message that the mayor was giving us tonight is a message of past accomplishments ments and the need for a new dynamic thinking the need I think for a new creative liberalism in America a need to look at the wealth we're creating and putting it to all kinds of new opportunities. Someone once said that the power to tax was the power to destroy but it's also the power to reshape society and I am proud to see so many young guess of the. R.'s junior senator from. New York has spent a great amount of his life in bringing young people into public service and history may well write that one of the notable contributions that he and his family have made was this new spirit of of idealism that's been created in our you know greater examples to our friends the United Nations is the Peace Corps which is America's contribution no the beginning of our contribution to developing in human resources throughout the nation I say tonight that my family has been influenced by this youthful enthusiasm and idealism last year my son who is here was graduating from MIT He was troubled about which law school to attend I remember he wrote me and said he had been accepted at both Columbia and Harvard asked my advice of where he should go like a good father I wrote him and I said if you're thinking of public service and if you're thinking of coming back into New York State politics it seems logical for you to go to Columbia or you would have more exposure to New York State law like all young man who solicit their father's advice and he read my letter and went to Harvard. And like a good father I called him on the phone and I said Bill why did you decide to go to Harvard. He said Dad I thought I could be more successful in New York State politics if I came from Massachusetts thank to thank a. Political leadership is not Senator Kennedy a matter of geography it's a matter of vision it's a matter of courage it's a matter of ability it's a matter of toughness and if we are tonight to talk about tapping our growing wealth of our nation for the young and underprivileged we must have leaders who demonstrate creativity if we are to inspire this nation to the fundamental needs of all men it's logical for us to turn to leaders who have dared to move with new ideals whether it be in South Vietnam or South Carolina whether it be in Washington or New York if America is to prove that she is capable of placing human. Material comfort and national power it's logical for her to turn to a leader who has a history of compassion I'm proud to present our principal speaker tonight Senator Robert Kennedy thank you thank you Mr Chairman Howard Samuels Mayor Wagner distinguished members of the diplomatic corps thank O'Conner smartly Congressman Don Edwards Congressman Shaurya Congressman Resnick. Ladies and gentlemen I am very pleased and grateful to be here tonight to join all of you in honoring their Wagner who for such a long period of time undertook to solve find solutions to the problems of the city of New York and in my judgment did so with courage and great integrity and great ability so I want to talk TO THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. I don't want to be partisan but sometimes I think people in New York are going to miss and. I also want to say thank you how nice it is to see some old friends my friend Dave Dubinsky my friend Alex rose they were my political mentors I understand they are somebody else's political mentors now. But I hope they'll stay my political mentors at the same time. That you see them not their head. And I'm delighted to see my old friend Joe Rao we've been through many political and other kinds of battles together I sometimes thought that Joe Rouse name was damned well but. At various times. But I think that was really a test of his effectiveness because if there was something that needed to be done and was interesting getting it done. You couldn't get away so and not just myself but I know that they all presidents of the United States feel the same way so I'm. Delighted to be here and delighted to see thank you and I might if I could just make one more personal reference which is to the Schlesinger who made. Such a contribution I think during the period of President Kennedy was president of the United States and then recording that with such distinction. In his book has made a contribution to the historical record in the United States thank you and he's an old friend too and we fought in argued about all of these issues for ten years and he won so here I am tonight. So I'm I'm sorry that DIMIA Lindsay had to go. You know Mayor it's nice that we the three of us would have been on the platform there Wagner Malins and I if we had been together we've had our differences but we aren't really here tonight at this New York Roosevelt dinner with one attitude in common and that is the same amount of respect and admiration and affection for the man who was twice governor of the state Nelson Rockefeller. The the only. Actually he promised me a male a Lindsay told me he was going to ninety promised me that we could make we're going to make a joint announcement together. And we've reached a new agreement in the city on filling vacancies. He's going to take care of all the vacant judgeships and I'm going to take care of the vacant lot of the old Actually I understood that he had to leave tonight and you have to work there there's a question whether there's going to have to be a raise in the transit fair and he went back to work on a new transportation program which I think has some originality it's that if the cost of subway transportation gets too high everybody's going to travel and police cars look. So. Thank you. But I thank all of you. And I thank. Express my particular pretty shaken for members of the diplomatic corps that are here tonight to join us in our in honoring their where ignorant and also on our IN THE NAME and the legacy of Franklin Roosevelt Aristotle told us that the excellent becomes the permanent one seeing it is never completely lost you of the eighty a approve that excellence leads to permanence not been afraid to confront the difficult issues of the day to take any stand however unpopular if you thought that it was right you have been a generous friend and a forthright foe and your tradition of excellence reminds us that we stand tonight not by ourselves but with those who have shared this platform in days gone by with Herbert Lehman with Eleanor Roosevelt and with Adley Stevenson and we stand in the memory and in the tradition of Franklin Delano Roosevelt to stand and speak under these banners is an honor but to involve such spirits is also to assume great responsibility for as we speak and as we act in their names we take for our own what they gave so much of themselves to build a legacy of idealism and of intelligence of vigor and a vision of pride and of patriotism of courage and of candor This then is an occasion for taking stock a time to don't look deeply into the glass to make an accounting to our past and a promise to posterity where then stands the legacy of Franklin Roosevelt. The public welfare is no longer the exclusive preserve a private philanthropy the economy reaches new heights every year and the active part partisanship partnership of government is a force for both stability and for justice Medicare Part of the original planning of the Social Security Act of one nine hundred thirty five is at last an accomplished fact federal responsibility for education is an accepted principle the power of affirmative free government stands behind the working man as they begin to organize farmers as they market their products buyers of stock as they invest their savings reapportionment for which Franklin Roosevelt fought so hard as governor of the state has brought new equality to our politics all these and more decent housing and good jobs sound banking and healthy children are the programs of Franklin Roosevelt this program we have fulfilled it is imperfect as all the works of man are imperfect but it's further improvement the work of polishing the work of sharpening its edges while important is not the heart of the Roosevelt legacy the reforms Franklin Roosevelt made are commonplace now but to think of the United States as it was before him is to realize how profound the changes were that he brought truly he made a revolution but what is required of us is that we do more than reciting accomplishments and troll talk tonight of the dreams that have been fulfilled but to be true to his legacy and to speak in his name we must be prepared to work our own revolution. At once as profound and as compassionate as the struggle that he began thirty years ago but the question is whether we have lifted our eyes to the new horizons of our day and to the uncharted oceans beyond the question is whether we are prepared to day. Whether we will risk our positions and our popularity our intellectual and our social comforts in order to make a world for our children which is truly better and more beautiful than the world our fathers passed on to us for after all this is the ultimate challenge this for all of us is the real responsibility we have grown accustomed to fighting for school desegregation in the south but are we ready to institute the reforms necessary for true desegregation in the north we have grown accustomed to building public housing in the ghetto and writing fair housing laws in our statute books but will we be able to housing that Negroes can afford outside the slums and outside the center cities. We have established job training programs and expanded the economy but will we now be creative enough to ensure jobs to those who are willing and able to work but are still excluded from our society we have shown ourselves ready to spend more money on schools but will we recognize that money itself is far less important than a simple determination that all children must learn to the limit of their capacity we have spend more and more money on welfare but will we be ready to admit that welfare has also destroyed self respect and encourage family disintegration will we be ready instead to do what we must to bring its recipients into full participation in our society we have committed our surplus food abroad to feed the starving and we have offered help in curving population growth but will we act on the scale necessary to prevent the mass starvation which our present level of effort cannot forestall we have told each other about the need of controlling nuclear weapons but will we now make a total effort including necessary compromises to achieve a treaty to prevent their further spread we all of us have abandoned isolationism in this country and made commitments in every corner of the world but will we be equally ready to abandon the status quo and associate ourselves with the rising forces of revolution in Latin America and Africa and Asia we have made a military commitment in Southeast Asia but will we now have the imagination and the initiative. To develop a program which will not just take lives but save them. We have the capacity destroy the world even after being attacked but even now when we have the capacity for patience and for restraint to save the world while we are being provoked we have spoken out against inhuman slaughters perpetrated by the Nazis and by the Communists but will we speak out also against the inhuman slaughter in Indonesia where over one hundred thousand alleged communists have been not the perpetrators but the victims as Lincoln once said we must think anew we must act anew we must in thrall ourselves make no small plans Daniel Burnham they have no magic to stir men's blood make big plans aim high and hope and work remembering that a noble logical diagram once recorded will never die it is not easy to make such noble diagrams it is not easy in the middle of one's political career to say that our visions are not high enough that our education must begin again but neither of the challenges ahead of us easy the best response will not be easily found no one's found will command unanimous agreement but the possibilities of greatness are equal to the death of the challenges. There will be no unanimously bringing the poor and the Negro into full participation in the life of our communities to solve this problem we must achieve a breath of Outlook almost unique in the history of this country but in that way lies greatness there will be no unanimously on the roll we are destined to play in the world to identify ourselves not with presidents in their palaces but with the peasants in the villages and the favelas will require far sightedness and a genuine faith that our D. our ideals are valid not just for us but for mankind generally and in that way lies greatness there will be no unanimity on the way and the MEAN TO means to counter aggression which comes by infiltration and by stealth by Tara and by torture and by assassination but it is aggression and it must be countered but it will be hard to adjust our means to the challenge difficult to resist and to forbear the use of our full destructive power as our own frustration rises yet that way lies greatness there will be no humanity on the need to cease treating people as statistics to leave off viewing them from afar as a problem is far harder to work with men as individuals who accept diversity and their unique worth that are unique worth of every human being but in that way also lies greatness. There will be no unanimous that our new wealth should not be spent for our Media pleasures for more cars for tobacco for leisure but invested instead in a greater posterity in education in conservation and greater productivity all over the world it is not easy to plant trees which we will not live to see their flowering but in that way too lies greatness and in search of greatness we will find it for ourselves as a nation and as a people in this effort we will need the spirit of excellence and leadership the spirit of Franklin Roosevelt which the eighty eight has done so much to keep. And especially we will need the spirit of that boy and fight the man whose last message to the American people was another call to arms the only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be the doubts of today he said Let us move forward he had it with strong and an act of faith to move forward with that faith faith in ourselves faith in our ideals faith in the achievements of peace and of freedom and security and dignity to move forward in that fashion will be truly the for fill the legacy of Franklin Delano Roosevelt I think. Thank you. Thank you Senator Kennedy for a great inspiration. Before you leave I would like to. We had a wire from the vice president of the United States Humphrey who could not be with us tonight my warmest greetings to my friends and the eighty eight and I am proud to have participated in its early beginnings to have been its chairman for a period of time during its early days every thinking American who treasures a memory of President Franklin Roosevelt can be proud of your inspiring tribute tonight and I honor in him you advance so appropriately the humanitarian causes he sold magnificently championed the leadership of these causes passed on his hands to President Harry Truman to Adelaide Stevenson to President John Kennedy and now to Lyndon Johnson signed Hubert Humphrey vice president of the United States thanks and we have tonight Congressman Ryan with us where you. Thank I hope each of you tonight and leaving our dinner feel some inspiration of not only what needs to be done but a feeling that we can do it and I'm reminded of one of former President Kennedy's favorite stories the story of the French marshal who went out into the field and asked his gardener to plant a certain tree and the gardener said it's no use planning that tree it won't grow for two hundred years and the marshal said all the reason the planet this afternoon may wait and I would have planted a few trees may we have made a contribution to the end spiration of good men. And I thank you very much for having joined us and our dinner tonight.