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"Safeguard America!"
I am behind Senator Harding and Governor Coolidge for
President and Vice-President of the United States for two reasons.
First, because they are the nominees of the Republican party, and
secondly because I believe them to be 100% American, of true
patriotism, who have not failed to show marked efficiency and
ability in public office.
I am one who believes that the Republican party and the
Democratic party have different ideas. And I believe that the
issues of the two parties are not as blurred and as
indistinguishable as is sometimes said to be the case. The
Republican party is the party of concrete nationalism, as opposed
to the hazy internationalism of the Democratic party. The
Republican party preached preparedness. [And] the Democratic party,
influenced by its President, mind you I say the President of the
Democratic party and not of the whole United States, was keeping us
out of war. Keeping us out of war until he was re-elected
President.
We need the Republican party in office during the hard
days to come, when there must be the [up-building] and rebuilding
of our nation. We need preparedness for days of peace and against
the always possible dangers of war. Shall we choose again the party
which blindly turns from the right, and in so doing, dragged down
the prestige of America and brought on our nation unbearable
criticism and deplorable confusion?
Fellow citizens, we are at the turning of the ways.
Theodore Roosevelt said in October, 1916, "I demand at this
election that each citizen shall think of America first." Who now
does not regret that the country did not respond to that demand?
Let us, the Republican party, again make this demand.
Senator Harding stood for a League of Nations with
strong, Americanizing reservations, as Theodore Roosevelt did. He
also stood with the Senate in passing the resolution which would
have enabled Theodore Roosevelt to lead a division into France when
the morale of France and of America was at a low ebb. And Senator
Harding, in making the memorial address on Theodore Roosevelt
before the Ohio Joint Legislative Assembly in January, 1919, said,
"Colonel Roosevelt was the great patriotic sentinel, pacing the
parapets of the republic, alert to danger and every menace, and in
love with duty and service, and always unafraid."
Those words of our presidential nominee, in admiration of
my great brother, are almost a promise of what his own attitude
will be. Let us stand behind him, looking forward and onward as
Theodore Roosevelt would have done. And let us try with might and
main to put our beloved country in the safe keeping of Warren
Harding and Calvin Coolidge.
Listen to this recording.
Listen to this recording.