Rear Platform and Other Informal Remarks in Washington, Idaho, and Montana.

[1.] COULEE CITY, WASHINGTON (Rear platform, 8:an a.m.)

Senator Magnuson, Governor Langlie, Governor Bonnet, and other distinguished guests:

I have two Cabinet members with me this morning, the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture, so maybe we'll hold a meeting.

I appreciate most highly the cordiality with which I have been received in all these wonderful places in the States through which I have been. I am going up to Grand Coulee this morning to discuss some things in which you are vitally interested, and to explain to you how hard it is to get things like Grand Coulee done, and also to explain to you why it is that some people don't want CVA. I think the people want it--that sign there says so, anyway.

Somebody told me a story about Coulee City. Some fellow in the times gone by, when they had a branch line railroad here and a stage that ran through Bridgeport--I heard this story about several other places, so I guess it will fit Coulee, too.

This gentleman was complaining very bitterly in his diary that he never did get here on a jerkwater train in time to catch the stagecoach, and coming back he never did get back in time on the stage to catch the train, and he finally came to the conclusion that the hotel man in Coulee had made a deal with the stage and the railroads so the stage and the train never would meet. That happens in a lot of places, but doesn't happen any more. The hotel fellows these days have to put out something good because the fellow in the car can just get in and go on to the next one if he doesn't treat him right.

I want you to understand that I am enjoying this trip. I appreciate very much the fact that the people are interested in the welfare of the country, they are interested in seeing their President, they are interested in trying to find out what he stands for and what he is trying to do.

Some 2 or 3 years ago I was out here traveling around all over the State of Washington, asking for votes. I am not asking for anything now. I am here to explain to you just exactly what I am trying to do, and I am trying to give it to you so that you will understand it, without its being garbled by anybody. You are getting it firsthand from the president himself.

I want to thank you very much for the cordiality with which we have been received all over the country, through Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, Oregon, and Idaho; and now we are making a start in the State of Washington here this morning. I know I am going to have the same thing to say when I get out of Washington.

Thank you very much.

[2.] GRAND COULEE DAM, WASHINGTON (Address at dedication ceremonies, 11:15 a.m., see Item 125)

[3.] GRAND COULEE. DAM, WASHINGTON (Presentation of Distinguished S e r v i c e Medal to Frank A. Banks, District Manager of the Grand Coulee Dam, 12:27 p.m.)

Mr. Banks, it is a pleasure to me to hand you the Gold Medal Award which goes with this Citation and Certificate. It is a beautiful medal, and I know you will treasure it as long as you live.

It has on the one side the Department of the Interior Building, and on the other side a buffalo.

It says it's for distinguished service to Frank Banks.

Congratulations!

[4.] WILBUR, WASHINGTON (Rear platform, 1:40 p.m.)

Thank you, Senator Magnuson. I am very glad to be able to stop for a few minutes this afternoon in Wilbur. I have just had a most enjoyable and inspiring experience, and that was the dedication of the Grand Coulee Dam, one of the biggest projects ever undertaken by man.

One of the very greatest benefits that is coming from Grand Coulee is electric power. That power has been bringing new industries to this area, and it has been making a better life possible for everybody around here, both in the cities and on the farms. Farmers, especially, have been helped by power brought to them by the Rural Electrification Administration.

You know, it is hard to believe but we have only had the Rural Electrification Administration for 15 years. The REA has done tremendous things for farms all over the country, and I think it is appropriate that I help celebrate REA's 15th birthday today, May 11th, by telling a little of its history.

Of course, I don't need to tell you how the REA operates--right here in Wilbur you have the advantage of one of the lowest power rates in the entire country. Your electric cooperative is financed by REA.

When the rural electrification program got under way 15 years ago, only one out of every 10 families had electricity--every 10 farm families. Now, 83 percent of the Nation's farms are electrified.

The record here in the State of Washington is even more remarkable. Over 96 percent of the farms in this State have electricity. I wish we could do that well in Missouri.

I remember very well when I first went down to the United States Senate back in 1935, how the power lobbies and the other special interests were fighting against rural electrification. I was on the special committee that investigated the public utility holding companies, and that was one of the most remarkable hearings that ever I had anything to do with. We then passed the Holding Company Act, and the special interests said we were going to put everybody out of business, but we did not. There are more in business now than ever, and they are working in the public interest and not for some private individual.

They said that electricity was a luxury which only the rich could afford. They said that rural electrification would never be profitable. But the argument they used the most back in those days was that rural electrification was "socialism." Believe me, times never change for some people.

On the floor of the House of Representatives, one Congressman said REA would produce--and these are his words--"a bureaucratic and socialistic state." Has that happened in Washington, where you have got 96 percent of your farms electrified? I don't believe you are a Socialist State. Doesn't that have a familiar ring! Some people just never learn. They are still calling projects that would help every one of us "socialism."

That is why I am making this trip. I am out to tell the people the facts. Because when you know the facts, you are never going to be fooled by fancy scare words.

I am more than happy to have a chance to pay this little tribute to REA on its 15th birthday, and I am glad to do it right here in the great State of Washington, which has taken advantage of it better than nearly every other State in the Union.

I think one of the reasons you have been able to do that is on account of the project like this one right here we dedicated this morning.

I want to thank you all very much for this cordial welcome. I appreciate it very much.

[5.] SPOKANE, WASHINGTON (Address at Gonzaga University, 5:07 p.m., see Item 126)

[6.] SPOKANE, WASHINGTON (Junior Livestock Show, 5:45 p.m.)

Senator Magnuson, Mr. Funkhouser, and members of this wonderful show:

I am told that this is a regional affair, that it is made up of exhibits from several States and the surrounding territory.

It is a fine thing. I am very much interested in it--exceedingly interested in it, because the welfare of the Nation is wrapped up in a successful farm program.

I have with me today the Secretary of Agriculture, whose business it is to do all the things agricultural of this administration. I don't see why Senator Magnuson didn't let him come up here and assume the responsibility for this program.

I am told that I am to pin prize ribbons on these livestock winners, and that gives me a lot of pleasure, because that means that these young people have started on the right road, and so long as we have young people like this coming on, the welfare of this country is not in danger, and I am perfectly willing, when the time comes, to turn it over to them.

Thank you very much.

[At 5:55 p.m. the President received the Grand Champion Prize Ribbon. He responded as follows:]

Thank you very much. I am certainly glad to get that prize badge. Now I don't know what I am, or what I am a prize of, but I am going to keep that badge as a keepsake. Thank you very much for giving it to me.

It has been a pleasure to present these young people with these prizes. They are all wonderful-looking young people, and their livestock is just as wonderful as they are in the livestock line. As I said before, I am perfectly happy to have the welfare of this country in their hands.

Thank you very much.

[7.] SANDPOINT, IDAHO (Rear platform, 7:50 p.m.)

Thank you very much, Mr. Mayor. I appreciate this privilege. I have just received the finest welcome I think I have had anywhere in my whole career, during this trip; in Iowa, in Nebraska, in Wyoming, in Idaho, in Oregon, and in Washington. Now I want to thank you very much for this fine reception. You have given me the same kind of welcome I had yesterday morning when I made a number of stops in southern Idaho.

I traveled all along the Snake River, and now it is grand to be up here in this rugged country around Sandpoint. I have just been watching the scenery, and I never saw anything more beautiful in my life, and my whole staff feels the same way. I am sorry it will be dark when this train goes through Cabinet Gorge. I would certainly like to see that. I have been reading about it all my life.

I have celebrated two birthdays on this trip across the country. My own--for 66 years--was last Monday. Today is the 15th birthday of the Rural Electrification Administration. I helped to celebrate that by dedicating Grand Coulee Dam--a wonderful project which is already supplying tremendous quantities of cheap electricity to thousands of users.

Here at Sandpoint you have the headquarters of the first REA-financed cooperative in the Rocky Mountain region. This was the second cooperative west of the Mississippi, and it is nearly as old as the REA itself.

I hardly need tell you what benefits cheap electricity means to a region. In addition to making life easier in homes and farms, it brings new industries, and lets old ones expand.

One of the industries in this part of the country that needs a great deal more power is phosphate mining. There are tremendous phosphate resources down south of here in Idaho and Montana. Farmers all through the West and Middle West need lots more phosphates. The power that can be brought into this region through great Federal projects like Grand Coulee and Hungry Horse should make it possible to develop a big phosphate industry.

I have been greatly impressed on this trip by what I have seen and heard about the wealth of mineral resources in Idaho, Montana, and Washington. These minerals aren't important just to you people, they are important to the national economy as a whole, and to the whole world.

There was a time when big-time operators stalked through the Northwest, exploiting the cream of our mineral resources. They were men who exploited for their own profit, without thinking of the generations to come after them.

I have always maintained--and I always will fight for the policy that natural resources must be used so as not to destroy their value, and they should be used for the benefit of the Nation as a whole and not for any special individual.

In order to supplement our resources of critical minerals, we must take vigorous steps to add to our supply. The stockpiling program is designed to meet our national defense needs. Other measures are equally necessary. We must expand research to make better use of submarginal mineral deposits. We must search for new deposits of minerals. We must avoid waste in the mining, production, and use of minerals. We must find ways to use substitutes for critical minerals.

I have been greatly encouraged by the development of the cobalt-copper deposits here in the forest areas of Idaho. We have not had nearly enough cobalt production in this country. You know, we get most of it from Africa--most of the cobalt comes from Africa, and I would like very much to see some prospector find enough ore for use here at home. It is important to national defense for us to speed up the development of new sources of cobalt in the district just north of here.

When we get more power into this area, and when we begin to develop the mineral resources here in the Pacific Northwest as they should be, there will be a tremendous industrial expansion.

When we get low cost power in greater quantities into this area, it will aid the metal mining industry through the establishment of lead and zinc smelting plants.

You know, there was a time when Missouri was the greatest producer of lead and zinc. That is not true any longer, because those mines are exhausted. The mines in Oklahoma are almost exhausted, so it is up to you to see that we have plenty of lead and zinc. It will be carried out in cooperation with the producers throughout Idaho, northeastern Washington, British Columbia, and Alaska. This will mean new prosperity and new wealth for all of you. It will mean a more prosperous and a stronger Nation. We need both prosperity and strength if we are going to keep our position of leadership in the world, so that we can work for world peace.

You know, there are people in the world who do not appreciate our viewpoint, they don't understand how we can live as a great country and still let the individual be his own boss. They don't understand that our democracy is one which comes from the people up and not from the top down.

What I am trying to do is to keep our economic situation in such a condition that we can remain strong enough to show those people that our plan is much better than any other plan in the world.

We are for the welfare of the people of the whole world. We have no desire to exploit anybody. We want to help people. We want to make the world a better place to live in. We want to give everybody an opportunity to live as a man, and to live with his neighbors amicably. And that will make for peace in the world. That's all I am working for.

I appreciate very much your coming out here.

[8.] PARADISE, MONTANA (Rear platform, 11:20 p.m.)

Governor, I appreciate that introduction very much, and I hope that every Governor in the country will feel the same way about the way they are treated.

I always like to come to Montana. The people of Montana were very kind to me when I was out here 2 years ago and gave me a fine welcome. From the looks of this crowd here tonight in Paradise, it seems to me that you are going to outdo the welcome of 1948. And that is what I like.

You live in one of the most beautiful parts of the United States. I wish I had time to go up to Glacier National Park. I spent a great many summers in the national parks of the United States. When I lived in Missouri, I used to drive to the Rockies every summer with my family.

This time I am not out here on a vacation. I have been making a cross-country trip to talk to the people, and to tell them the facts and give them a report on the state of the Union. You know, the Constitution requires the President to give a report on the state of the Union once a year to the Congress. I do that, but I don't think it is enough. Not very many people get a chance to read that message to Congress, so that is why I like to come out and let you take a look at me and let you hear just exactly what it is that I am working for.

In my speeches I have described the kind of farm laws we need that will put farm prosperity on a permanent basis. I have described the work we need to do to make better use of our natural resources--our rivers, our forests, and our minerals.

I want a small business program, the kind of laws that will help businessmen get the financing they need so that they can compete with the big, rich corporations.

All these things are of real importance to you people here in Paradise, because we can be well off only when all parts of the country are well off, and all groups of people in the country are doing well.

When we are all prosperous, we shall be able to keep the United States strong enough to maintain world peace--that is certainly the most important thing in the lives of all of us.

It has been a wonderful thing to see you here at this time of night. I was told that there wouldn't be anybody out here. I have been told that at nearly every place I have been, but people always fool the prophets. I found that out in 1948.

Now, I have a telegram here from the senior Senator from Montana, which says: "Deeply regret that Mrs. Murray's critical illness prevents my being on hand to extend in person a cordial and warm welcome to the State of Montana. On behalf of all the people of our great State, I wish to express the sincere hope you will enjoy Montana's traditional friendliness and hospitality during your visit. You may be sure that the people of Montana fully support your leadership in the never-ending struggle to keep America strong and free. Kind regards and cordial best wishes, James E. Murray."

I appreciate that telegram, and I am sorry that Mrs. Murray is ill. I hope that she will be all right, and I hope it isn't fatal.

Now I am ready to present to you Mrs. Truman.