Rear Platform Remarks in Wyoming.

[1.] WENDOVER, WYOMING (12:27 p.m.)

I am going to tell you a story about Wyoming. I had a most wonderful meeting in Casper this morning. Your Governor was there as host for the State of Wyoming. My good friend Joe O'Mahoney introduced me. Joe is one of the real Senators, who knows what it's all about. It was a pleasure for me to have him introduce me. I served in the Senate for a long time with Joe, and I know him. He's all right.

It is always good to come back out West, especially at this time of year. One reason I like Wyoming is the fact that you have a long tradition of really forward-looking, progressive legislation. Wyoming, as you certainly know, was the first State to give women the right to vote. And you had a woman Governor, who now runs the Mint of the United States; and every time I see her--and she is on this train--I ask her if she brought me a bag full of money. She never has.

Can you imagine what some of the stuffy reactionary easterners had to say about the fact that you had woman suffrage out here? Listen--listen to this--you will like this-you will want to remember it. The editor of a prominent magazine published in New York said about Wyoming, when you gave women the right to vote--now this is a quote: "This unblushing female socialism defies alike the apostles and prophets." The editor said, "Nothing could be more antibiblical than letting women vote."

So you see that the cry of socialism is as old as the hills. They used it against woman suffrage, against the Federal Reserve Act, against social security, and they are trying to use it again today, but I know you are not going to let them fool you, any more than they fooled you when the State of Wyoming brought about woman suffrage as a pioneer in the United States.

Now every woman in every State can vote, and the country is much better off for that reason.

But the old fogies didn't think so, and there are still old fogies whenever you start anything new, I don't care what it is. You will find some people who think we had better stay with things as they are.

Just a few days ago, I have been having press conferences in my office, and it is an oval room--it is kind of circular, and it is stuffy and you can't hear; and when you get in two or three hundred men in there, the fellows in the back row can't see me and they can't hear what is going on.

So I decided to set up a place to hold press conferences where all the boys could sit down and make their notes, and they could see me and they could hear what I had to say, and I could find out who was asking the question.

And you know--some of them were just exactly like the old fogies who were opposed to woman suffrage, they didn't want to do it, they said it wasn't any good.

Well, we tried it twice, and I don't think they will want to change back. So progress has to be made by people who can see forward, who can look forward and see what the results can be if some slight change is made in the status quo. That is what the people who are looking forward to the welfare of the United States stand for. And I am out here, going across the United States-and I will go almost all the way across from Washington to Grand Coulee Dam and back again--trying to tell the people that I believe in change when it is for the welfare of all the people.

I am going to keep right on working for better houses, better schools, a better educational program, better labor and social security laws, and I don't intend to be scared away by anybody who calls that program socialism.

I always look back and think that what I am trying to do is no more socialistic than was woman suffrage in Wyoming when you passed it.
Thank you very much.

[2.] CHEYENNE, WYOMING (Address, 4:15 p.m., see Item 118.)

[3.] LARAMIE, WYOMING (Address, 7 p.m., see Item 119.)

[4.] RAWLINS, WYOMING (9:48 p.m.)

Thank you very much. I have always enjoyed my visits to this section of the country. I have had a wonderful day today. I started in Casper, Wendover, Cheyenne, and Laramie. The Governor of Wyoming and Senator O'Mahoney met me in Casper, and I was highly pleased and gratified that those two gentlemen were there. I have had a great day. I like your scenery. I appreciate your hospitality more than I do your scenery. I was in Rawlins 2 years ago, late on Sunday evening, and I am glad to be back again. At that time I could not make you a speech because it was Sunday.

I am sorry I will not be able to visit your great project to the northeast, the Kortes Dam, which we dedicated this morning in Casper. The people of Carbon County have reason to be proud of this dam. Kortes and Seminoe Dams will soon be furnishing power to this whole section--enough power for real industrial expansion.

Of course, these dams won't benefit just industry, they will help everybody--those of you in cities, and those of you who live on ranches.

For a long time this State has been great livestock country. It produces an important part of the Nation's supply of meat, wool, and leather. And I have an idea that your livestock industry is going to be even more important in the future than it has been in the past. We had steaks tonight for dinner, and the Senator assured me that they were Wyoming steaks. I think they came from Kansas City.

Compared with the people of other countries, we Americans have good diets. But there is still room for improvement. The main thing we need for that purpose is more livestock products.

I am confident that the farmers and ranchers of Wyoming want to produce the abundance of livestock that we need. That is evident not only from the emphasis on sheep and cattle that has been traditional out here, but also from your progress in water and range conservation.

Now I started yesterday at Lincoln, Nebr., on what I think is an economic program for this section of the country, from the Appalachian Mountains to the Pacific coast; and if you will pay close attention to the speeches which I delivered across the great State of Iowa and in Lincoln, Nebr., and this morning in Casper and Cheyenne, and at Laramie tonight, you will find just exactly what I think is necessary to continue this country as the greatest Republic in the history of the world.

You people in this area naturally have a particular interest in sheep and wool. In wool production, Wyoming ranks at or very near the top among the 48 States. I know that when the war came along, you had a terrific wool problem. You were helped out of that situation by the Government purchase program for wool. If you will think back, you will remember that in those days wool growers had virtually nobody except the Government to sell to.

The Government-owned stocks of wool are now down to about 20 million pounds. Three years ago they totaled more than 500 million pounds. Now I want to point out that these stocks were disposed of in trade channels and in such a way as to protect domestic wool prices.

Last year, the Congress passed new legislation that strengthened the wool program. Under this program, we have set the support level for wool at the maximum, 90 percent of parity. We are going to keep on making whatever efforts are necessary to give the wool growers of this country a really workable program.

This is part of our objective to build a strong and prosperous United States of America, so that we can preserve our own freedom and help to strengthen the cause of freedom all over the world.

It has been a real pleasure to visit with you here in Rawlins, and I hope to come back before very long on a political trip. This is a nonpolitical trip.