Dwight D. Eisenhower photo

Remarks at the Municipal Airport, Cleveland, Ohio

October 29, 1954

Mr. Bender, ladies and gentlemen:

These are busy days for all of us. I certainly found them to be very busy ones for me. But I decided to make this trip today, in order to urge upon all of us--all Americans everywhere--the importance of voting.

The reasons for this are simple. There are going to be great issues decided on November 2d. America cannot afford to have those issues decided by a minority vote. There is even a further reason. I am convinced--I am sure every single Republican is convinced--that the program for which we fought so earnestly in 1952, and was approved by such a vast majority of American citizens, is still approved by that vast majority of American citizens.

Consequently, if they only come out to vote, there is no question as to the outcome.

I can go to only a few places. I was disappointed to find that limitations of time and space would not let me visit every single State of the Midwest, as I originally intended. But I certainly hope that those States where I cannot go will understand that whatever I am trying to do, applies exactly to them as to any place where I am fortunate enough to meet with my fellow Americans.

Now, this State, this is my first visit since the tragic death of the late great Senator Taft. I want to say that during the final weeks of his life-the 12 or more weeks preceding the end--he became my greatest political friend and adviser in Washington. We were very close. No one could have lost more than I lost with his passing. And I could not come here without attempting to pay my tribute to a very great Ohioan--to a very great American.

Two years ago, we voted for a very great change. And I think it would be well to take just a few moments to recall to ourselves what was the change we wanted.

First, we wanted clean Government. We were tired of hearing the word "Communist" every time it was mentioned being called a red herring. We were tired of scandals in the Internal Revenue department, and other places of Government. We wanted clean Government.

Ladies and gentlemen, there has been no single appointee of this administration who has been confirmed by the Senate who has later been charged with any kind of wrongdoing, dismissed from the service, or indicted. They have a record of spotless integrity in your service.

Throughout the Government, from top to bottom, there has been applied a security program, a security program that is tough and thorough, but is absolutely fair. No man can say that his civil rights have been unjustly damaged through the operation of that security program.

And then we wanted prosperity. And we wanted prosperity in a world at peace. We wanted an end to the Korean war. The Korean war, with its futile casualty lists and loss of Americans, has been ended. And following that war, measures were instantly instituted to see that this country should pass from war production to peace production without the terrifying depressions that have always characterized such transitions in the past. This has been done.

First we started out and we removed controls from the economy. Do you remember when we said we were going to take off price controls? And the prophets of gloom stated--they said that prices would go out of sight, that food prices, clothing prices, rents, would be impossible for the average citizen? We proved they were wrong.

The money policies of the Government have been adjusted to our needs. There has been a vast extension of the social security system, for old age pensions, for unemployment insurance. A housing program has been established that makes certain that every American can have a good home.

And finally, we tackled the problem of the farm. For 7 long years farm prices have been dropping. Since January 1951 the parity index has dropped by 25 points, and 19 points of that loss occurred before January first, 1953, when the new administration came in.

And even more than this, my friends, just a few days ago I had a letter from my home State of Kansas, and a farmer said to me, "My income is off this year, look what your program has done to me." My friends, I am sorry, but we are still operating under the rigid price support system that has been invoked for these many years. No new price support system in the farm area is yet operating, and it cannot operate until the crops of 1955 are in.

Then we tackled the problem of unemployment. Now I shall not weary you with going through the long list of things that have been done, but let me give you just a few facts:

Unemployment within this past month has dropped almost 400,000. It now stands at 2,741,000, and is going down. But let me tell you something else about this: we have been accused of many things by our political opponents, that we have caused unemployment. Unemployment today is far less than it was in 1949 and 1950; and my friends, it is less than one-third of what it was in 1940. And those people in 1940 and 1950 who were without work got jobs only when we went to war, and they either went into uniform or into war plants.

Now, do we want war in order to solve our economic difficulties? Of course we don't.

Nevertheless, in spite of all this great progress, I do assure you this: as long as there is a single American without work, who is able to work, and honestly seeks it, this Government will seek to find a better solution than has yet been brought out. We will never give up on this matter.

The only thing we bar is: we won't go to war in order to get work.

And now my friends, let me talk for just a moment about the great problem that besets the world: the problem of the pursuit of world peace.

When your administration took over in January 1953, do you recall the things going on in the world? War in Korea, war in Indochina, Iran threatening to fall under Communist domination, Suez, Trieste--points of irritation, ready to break out into sudden disaster at any moment? In Guatemala, communism already raising its ugly head.

Where are those spots? All gone--all gone.

But more important than these, perhaps, is this fact: the peace of the free world demands--literally demands--unification and working together in Western Europe. For many years we have been trying to aid in bringing that about. Within the last few days, the greatest Secretary of State of our time came home and reported to us that this is now well on the road to accomplishment.

I should say, my friends, that this incident--this development--can well be listed finally in our schoolbooks as the greatest development toward world peace of this century.

Now, with all this kind of record, with all this progress toward the things for which we launched that crusade in 1952, let us take a look at the purpose of my visit: the vote.

It is easy to say that one vote doesn't count. My friends, there have been three Presidents elected by one electoral vote in the electoral college; and one of those Presidents, my friends, the vote that elected him, because it was finally put in the House of Representatives, was by a representative from Indiana, whose margin of victory was one vote. And that one vote was from a sick constituent who insisted on being carried from his bed to the voting booth so he could register his opinion on the decisions of that day.

And there have been five States admitted to the Union by the margin of one vote.

Now let me bring this closer to home. How many of you remember the majority by which the Democrats won Ohio in 1948?

Well, it was 7,100. And you had more than eight thousand election precincts. One more vote in each election precinct on the right side and you would have been in the right column.

Now ladies and gentlemen, I am trying to show you that your vote is important. Not only because you owe it to yourself, to the Government under which you are living, to register your convictions as to the political developments and programs of this country, but because of the potential meaning of that vote in what is going to happen to this country during the years to come.

Now you have made the first great step. You have nominated--put into nomination--a great group of Republicans to fill the important positions in your States and in your Federal complement of Senators and Congressmen. With that kind of group to serve you--to represent you--why is there any doubt as to what we must, what we can, and what we will do. And I do not mean, in this case, merely taking your vote up to the poll.

I believe that every one of you, this afternoon, ought to call up every friend that you can think of, and remind them of these issues and their importance, and make them agree to remind others, and to keep it going until there will be such a sweep of votes that Ohio will not only be in the right column, but from Senator and Governor and Congressmen, and all your State offices in the right column by such a majority that you will be an example.

Thank you very much.

Note: The President spoke at 9:05 a.m. His opening words "Mr. Bender" referred to U.S. Representative George H. Bender of Ohio.

Dwight D. Eisenhower, Remarks at the Municipal Airport, Cleveland, Ohio Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/233133

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