Remarks at the Airport, Grand Junction, Colorado

Governor Thornton, members of this distinguished audience:

Your Governor told you the truth when he said this was not a speaking tour. In fact, I never get over being astonished when I look out the porthole of my plane and see a crowd gathering when I was traveling for some purpose other than what is called politicking.

Nevertheless, the first word I want to bring to you is this: a word of profound gratitude for the cordiality you have shown me--first by coming here, and then in the warmth of your smiles.

No American can have any greater honor than to know that other Americans would gather to greet him and to pay him the honor of a smile, a cheery hello, and to know and to be accepted among them as one of them. So, I am extremely grateful; that I assure you.

Now this is, for me, a trip to learn something. I am not out today to do any informing on my own. I am trying to absorb. I have on the plane with me members of the Reclamation Bureau, representatives from your own State, and engineers from the region. I have the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior.

We are just trying to learn what it is that we can do, down in Washington, to be helpful in this great job that our citizens are doing, in reclamation, in developing the resources of our country.

We do not, as we see it, want to be the great bosses of America. We want to be the servant, the agent that will help our people make for themselves the happiest possible life.

When that calls for Federal direction, or engineering skill, or finances-all right, let's put it in and do it cheerfully, quickly, and promptly. But, let's not make Washington the master of any free American, either through unnecessary direct intervention in his business, or through the indirect method of getting control of all of the power and other resources that he needs in order to make a living.

Now it is in that spirit that we are going around. We are doing our best to learn. And of course, as I stop to think of it, I couldn't possibly witness, I couldn't possibly see the greatest of the resources of this region, unless I did have the opportunity you have given me, to see some of the people--a representative group. Because, after all, it is Americans--it is the American spirit, American faith, American courage, and American stamina that have been the greatest resource of this Nation since the first landing in Virginia.

And so again, I repeat my pride in meeting you, my determination that the Washington Government is doing everything that is feasible and possible and proper to hasten along the development of these great areas so that our country may be more prosperous, stronger at home, and more secure abroad.

It is difficult indeed--when I get a chance to meet with folk that I have known so long, out in this western region of the United States-difficult indeed for me to find the proper terminal facilities and sit down. Today it is almost compelled upon me to get going, because I have, I believe, a total of a 1,500-mile trip today, with two other stops.

So again, my thanks for coming out, and my very great hope that I will learn something of value on this trip today, and those with me will.

Good luck to all of you. Thank you.