Richard Nixon photo

Remarks During a Campaign Tour of Michigan's Eighth Congressional District.

April 10, 1974

[I.] SAGINAW COUNTY (Tri-City Airport, 11:11 a.m.)

Governor Milliken, Senator Griffin, Congressman Cederberg, and Congressman-to-be Jim Sparling:

I am very delighted to be here in Cougar country. And having mentioned the [Bay City All-Saints High School] Cougars, I do want to thank all of those bands that are here from the MacArthur High School, the Eisenhower High School, the Bay City High School. If I left any out, I will remember them next time.

I do know, too, that as Senator Griffin reminded me, that this is the fourth time, actually, that I have been here in the Tri-City area. I was here in 1960, but more recently in 1968, and then in 1972, and now finally in 1974. And as I see so many young people here, the thought that crosses my mind with regard to this visit is this: I think that we can all be very thankful today that for the first time in 12 years, America is at peace with all nations in the world.

I think we can be very thankful for the fact that for the first time in 25 years, not one young American is being drafted for the armed services of the United States. And we can be thankful for the fact that all of our very courageous prisoners of war who have-been there, some as long as 8 years, are home where they belong. This we can be thankful for today on this occasion.

I know, too, that as we come into this area, that today it is very fortunate that we can think not of the problems of war, subjects which I had to address in 1968 and 1972, but that the problems we do have are the problems of peace. And I would like to speak briefly to those problems, ones that affect you, that affect your jobs, that affect your cost of living, and that affect your peace and its future for your children and your grandchildren.

And the first point that I want to make is this: I know this area very well; I know how Saginaw and Bay City depend so much, for example, on what happens to the automobile industry across this country. I realize that as automobile sales go down for whatever reason, that that means jobs go down here and in this whole area, as well as in the State of Michigan.

And I have in this respect some good news for you, but also I have a request to make of you in terms of what we need in order to get automobile sales up, automobile production up, and employment up in the Saginaw-Bay City area. That is our goal.

As all of you know, what has caused the problem with regard to automobile sales has been the energy shortage. And because of that energy shortage, the sale of cars, particularly some of the larger cars, has gone down. That has now been reversed to an extent. However, we need to do more, but there is a bottleneck. The bottleneck is in the Congress of the United States. The bottleneck is the fact that bills that we have presented to the Congress, bills that are supported by Senator Griffin, bills that are supported by Al Cederberg and others from your delegation here in Michigan, 17 of them are there in the Congress and haven't been acted upon.

Now, let me tell you what these bills, which may sound very technical, have to do with your jobs and with your future here in this area that depends so much on the health of the automobile industry.

The first one is this: It is absolutely essential that we, for example, deregulate natural gas. Now, why will that help? Because, as we bring more natural gas in the production all over this country, it means that gasoline then is made available which is not available at the present time in the quantities that we want. That legislation should be passed, and it can be passed if we get the votes in the Congress for it.

The second is with regard to auto emission standards. Now, I know that all of us, particularly those who think of the future of our country, we want our air to be clean, we want our water to be pure, we are for a good environment. But also, we are for jobs, and we have to have jobs or we are not going to be able to enjoy that clean air and that good environment. And that is why the auto emission standards that Bob Griffin has been trying to get changed, that this Administration supports, they have to be relaxed. And if that happens, it means that automobile producers will be able to produce more, at less cost. And it means more jobs for the people in this area.

But that legislation sits there. It is bottlenecked in the Congress of the United States, a Congress that has failed to act.

And then, of course, there are other provisions that I could talk about. I don't suppose that many people here who have not studied the natural resources of this country are aware of the fact that the United States has over 60 percent of all the coal resources in the free world. We have got to use more of that coal. But again, in order to do it, we have to have legislation passed, a number of pieces of legislation that are before the Congress, that would allow that coal, first, to be mined and, second, to be used.

Now, what does that mean to you? That means that we have more gasoline, more fuel, more products available which will enable automobile production to go up to where it ought to be, which means full employment in the automobile industry in. all its related areas, particularly in this area.

Now, let me tell you what we need in order to get that. We need men in the House, we need men in the Senate who will not just complain, who will not just be against something, but will be for something--for your jobs--and will vote for these programs rather than keeping that bottleneck there. And Jim Sparling is that kind of a man.

The second problem that I know affects everybody here is the problem with the cost of living. And let me say there is one important way to keep down the cost of living, and that is to keep down the cost of Government in Washington, D.C.

The other point that should be made is that if our cost of living is going to come down, we need to increase the production of those items that go into the cost of living, the production on our farms--which I will address later in the day on this trip I am going to take through the "Thumb" area--and the production in other areas, because only in that way, by producing more, can we get down the cost of the things that you buy at the supermarket or the grocery store when you go out to do your shopping.

And then there are some other points that should be made--and I make them only briefly on this occasion--as to what we need in terms of representation in this district and in this Congress for you.

First, a new health program. Every family, I am sure, has known what it means sometimes, either in your own family or in a neighbor's family or relative's family, when you have a catastrophic illness and it isn't covered by insurance. Every family knows what it means not to be able to afford a doctor when you are sick. And so, we have a program which is lying there before the Congress, one that will provide health insurance for all Americans, one that will provide for catastrophic illnesses, and that program ought to be acted upon. And the main point is that it is a program that will not require new taxes, and the people of the United States want that kind of a health program.

It is also one that will have the doctors working for their patients and not for the Federal Government, and we want that kind of a program, I am sure, in America.

In the field of education, since so many schools are represented here, I noticed how much pride there was. The people from MacArthur High School are proud of their school. The people from Freeland High are proud of their school. The students from Bridgeport are proud of their school. And that is why our program for education is based on this principle, that the decisions with regard to the spending of money you get from Washington should not be made by bureaucrats in Washington, but should be made by your own school districts right here in the State of Michigan, and why we believe in your own neighborhood school, that those who want to go to school should go to that school which is closest to home. This is something that everybody believes in and something, certainly, that you can support.

And one other point, finally, that I should make. We have all heard of the welfare programs in this country, and we want every individual who needs help to receive it. But we need a program, a program which must come from Washington, D.C., in which it is never more profitable for a man to go on welfare than to go to work, and that is something that I think the people in this district would support.

I mention these particular points. Let me say, what can you do about it? Well, you, of course, can do something about it by your votes. You must choose between candidates. I can only say this with regard to your candidate for the Congress of the United States. I knew Jim Harvey for 13 years. He was one of the hardest working men that was ever in the Congress. He was always there whenever there was a vote to be cast. He knew his district, and he represented the people of his district, and he wasn't controlled by anybody else.

What you need in the Congress of the United States is a man who will be a full-time Congressman, not a part-time Congressman. What you need is a man who knows the people of this district and who will speak for them. What you need is a man that is not controlled by big labor or big business, but only by you, the people of this particular area. And what you need is one who sincerely understands your problems and will work for them. And I think you have such a man in the man who worked for 13 years with Jim Harvey, your candidate for the Congress of the United States.

I have one final point, and then we must go on to our motorcade up through the "Thumb" area. I have just returned from Europe, as you know. There I met with the heads of 35 governments--Communist governments, the Soviet Union and China, and, of course, the governments of the free world, the great nations of Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Asia--and as I met with them, every one of them was concerned about the future of peace in the world.

We have ended wars before, as you know, but we have had four in this century, and then it has always been followed by another one. The veterans of World War II saw their younger brothers or sons fight in Korea, and the veterans of Korea saw their younger brothers or sons fight in Vietnam.

What we want now is peace that will last, peace for not just a few years but for a generation and longer. And we can have it, but we need a strong America, an America which is strong not only militarily but also an America in which our people will recognize that it is our leadership in the world which the world respects.

And let me just say that as I come here to Michigan, as I talk to this great crowd of people, as I see those who talk about America, as I see those who wear the American flag, all that I can say is that I know you have faith in your country. You are going to see that America is strong, and a strong America is going to lead the way to a period of peace, not only for America but for the whole world.

This is a great challenge, and to the young people of America I can simply say, you can all help. You can help by having, represented in the Congress of the United States, a man who stands for strength for America, but a man who also says that in our dealings with other countries, let's be sure that American products get a fair shake, and we stand for that and very strongly for it.

The other day, just yesterday, I was in a little town in Ohio--Xenia--and I saw the devastation where a tornado had just ripped out whole blocks, and nothing was left. As I drove along the street, I saw several places where there was only debris. But then, there were areas where the individuals who had lived in those houses had put in a stake and they had an American flag on it. And I stopped and talked to some of them.

And I said, "Are you going to move out?" And they said, "No."

"What are you going to do?" I said. They said, "We love our town, we love our country, and we are going to stick it through." It is that kind of spirit that built America.

And let me say, we do have problems, yes, but thank God, they are problems of peace and not the problems of war. We will solve these problems. We will solve them. The energy problem, which will mean more jobs for this area and for the whole country. We will solve the problem of inflation. And we will build for what we all want, prosperity, but prosperity without war and without inflation.

That is the cause we are for, and that is what your candidate stands for, and I am proud to be here with him.

Thank you very much.

[2.] BAD AXE (Huron County Court House, 12:23 p.m.)

Mr. Mayor, Mr. Senator, Mr. Representative,1 and all of the other distinguished guests, and all of you who have been so kind to come out and give us this very warm welcome on this beautiful day here in Huron County:

1 Mayor Edward S. Draves of Bad Axe, State Senator Alvin DeGrow, and State Representative Quincy Hoffman.

As I saw this crowd coming into town and as I see you standing before me, I thought that the first thing that I did when I should get back to Washington, should be to get in the fellow that runs the Bureau of the Census and take a recheck on this town, because it said on my chart that there were 2,500 people who live here, and there have got to be about twice that many here. We thank you for coming in such great numbers.

I was glad to note, in talking to some of the people here, that as far as this particular area is concerned, that when it comes to the products that you raise, the prices are good. You have some problems with regard to getting the fertilizer that you may need. I can only say in that respect that thanks to the fact that that matter was brought to our attention by Jim Sparling, who worked in the White House last summer, that we are sending Director Simon, of the Energy Office, here. He will be here in the next couple of days in this district.

We are going to do everything we can to increase the supply of fertilizer in this area so that the farmers can sell more of those beans--what is it, $48? Well, that is not bad.

And now, if I could just say a word to you about the choice that you will make in this election and what it means to you as individuals, not to you as partisans, either Democrat or Republican, but you who are American citizens selecting the one that will represent you in Washington.

First, I know the man who will be leaving this office, has left it, and the man who will be replacing Jim Harvey. For 13 years, he served in the House of Representatives. I can tell you the things that distinguished him. He was one of the hardest working men. He knew his district. He also was one who was a full-time Congressman.

It is going to take a big man to fill his shoes. And the man that can fill his shoes is Jim Sparling, who for 13 years worked with him in the Congress of the United States.

Now, the thing that you want to know, however, is why you need a man in the Congress of the United States that will represent you, every individual--the farmer, the worker, the small businessman--and will not take his orders from anybody else, whether it is big labor, big business, or what have you. This is that kind of a man. I will tell you what we need.

First, as you all know, one of the problems that has confronted our economy-we saw down in Saginaw anti Bay City; it has affected you to an extent--is the shortage of energy. We have moved on that in the international front, but the bottleneck is in the Congress of the United States where there are 17 pieces of legislation, including the deregulation of natural gas; auto emission standards, relaxing them so that we can produce more cars at lower prices; and the production of coal. I could mention a lot of these technical items, but what does it have to do with you, the people here in Huron County?

Well, it has this to do with you. Only as we get the supply of energy up, can we get the prices of energy down, and it is only through Congressional support of 17 measures that have been there in the Congress without action that we can get that supply up. And Jim Harvey is one who supported those proposals, and Jim Sparling is one who can do it in the future.

So, I say in this area, if you are interested in that, if you want more jobs, if you want more for your farms, I can only say the way to do it is to get a man in Congress who will not be a bottleneck, who will not be a "no" man, who will not be a rubber stamp for anybody, but who will represent you, each and every one of you. This is that kind of a man.

So it is with the other areas, whether it is a health program that provides health insurance for everybody with no increase in taxes but still retains that fundamental principle that a doctor should work for his patient and not for the Federal Government, or whether it is an education program that provides aid to education but provides that the decisions with regard to schools should be made by local school districts and not by bureaucrats in Washington, D.C., or whether it is a welfare program that is one that will make it not possible for an individual to say it is more profitable to go on welfare than to go to work.

In all of these areas in which we need action in the Congress, it is in these areas that` your vote is going to count when you vote for your next Congressman. Now, you will have noted that every area that I have mentioned does not involve partisanship. It involves your jobs, it involves your cost of living, and referring to that latter point, let me say one of the most effective ways to keep down the cost of living is to keep down the cost of Government in Washington, D.C.

And so, in this particular area, if you are interested in that kind of representation, you can do something about it, do something about it by your votes on election day.

Now, one final point I would like to make, and I make it particularly because there are so many young people here. I see the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts, I see the high school boys and girls, and I think that all of us on such an occasion think primarily of them and their future.

I have been informed by your mayor that this is the first time in history that a President of the United States has ever been here. Let me say, the President of the United States, whoever he is, must always and will always think of all of the people in this country, in the little towns as well as the big ones, but particularly, he thinks not just of the next election but he thinks of that next generation.

And I think all of us can be thankful today that for the first time in 12 years, on the first visit of a President of the United States to this county, a President can say the United States is at peace with all nations in the world, and we brought that peace, and we are proud of it.

And also, let me tell--as I went down the line here, I met some, a father and a mother, and I imagine that they have teenage children, maybe a boy, and for the first time in 25 years, no one is being drafted for the armed services, and that is something we are proud of.

But you see, what we want is not just to have a war over with, which cost us so much in the lives of our young men and in our dollars and so forth, but what we want is to build a permanent peace that will last. That is why I went to Europe last week, that is why we are working for peace in the Mideast, that is why I will be going to the Soviet Union to talk to our adversaries to reduce the burden of arms that rests on the shoulders of the men and women who work wherever they are throughout the world and also reduce the danger of war.

I can tell you right now the chance that this new, splendid generation can grow up and be the first generation in this century not to know a war in America is better than it has ever been in the history of our country.

We can do it, but in order to do it, we have got to keep America strong, and Jim Sparling stands for a strong America. In order to do it, we have to have an America that sees its problems in the world, not in terms simply of helping everybody else when they will not help themselves, but in terms of seeing that America gets a fair shake in its trading with other nations, but in terms, also, of seeing to it that America, in whose hands the peace of the world lies today, meets that responsibility of world leadership so that our children and our grandchildren can grow up in a world of peace.

And I will simply conclude with this: What is our goal, what are you for as you vote? I will tell you what you are going to be voting for. You are going to be voting for a full-time, hard-working Congressman. You are going to be voting, second, for a Congressman who is representing you, just you, every individual, and no one power group. You are going to be voting for a Congressman who is not just against, but who is for better health and better education, for solving the problems of energy, for better income for our farmers and our businessmen and the rest. And you are going to be voting for a Congressman who, above everything else, is for the kind of policies that ended one war for America and will avoid other wars for America.

Now, that is a cause worth working for and voting for.

Thank you.

[3.] CASS CITY (1:27 p.m.)

Well, I have appreciated, too, the opportunity to travel through this area, and I want to welcome all the people, I understand, who have come over from Caro, the county seat, as well as others in the Cass City area, and to tell you, as I mentioned in our earlier stop here, that when I see the census figures on these towns, I can't believe them because there are at least twice as many people--I think you will agree, Jim, there are 2,500 here. And we know you have driven many miles, you have stood a long time, and we are very grateful.

I just have a word to say about the man who stands by my side here. I know him well because he worked in our Congressional relations work at the White House during the summer of last year. I know him well, too, because for 13 years he served one of the finest Congressmen that we have ever had in Washington, a man who won a great reputation because he was always on the job.

He represented the people of his district. He was not a rubber stamp for anybody else. He was simply one who spoke for you--Jim Harvey. And I think that is the kind of folks you are up here. You are independent-minded. You are not going to have anybody else tell you how to vote. What you want to do is look at the man. You want to realize that he recognizes your interests and he is going to support them, and I believe that while it takes a big man to step into Jim Harvey's shoes, you have that kind of man in Jim Sparling, because he knows Washington, he has the experience, he has the independence, he believes in you, and you can believe in him.

May I also tell you, since there are so many here who are in agriculture, how very much you mean to America. I know your concerns, of course, are what is going to be the price of beans or milk or what have you, and what are we going to do about the problems of fertilizer, of course, which is in shorter supply due to the energy crisis. But I think, from a positive standpoint, that you can be very proud that when we look at America's strength in the world, American agriculture is one of the great instruments for peace in the world. The fact that we can produce in this country enough to be the best fed, best clothed people in the world, the fact that we can do that so that the amount that comes out of a family budget for food is less in the United States than in any family budget in the world and, yet, have billions of dollars that we can export, that means that agriculture is a great power for peace in the world.

And that brings me to another point that I think is very important to have in mind. One of the things I like about your candidate is that he is not just against, he is for, not only for you, but he is for those things that will continue to make America a great country, for doing those things in the Congress, breaking the bottleneck on energy legislation that will provide what we need in the field of energy and that will see that our automobile industry, that our agriculture has the energy that it needs.

He will do those things in the field of health and in the field of education that will see to it that the Federal Government's role is one that will provide the best health and the best education. But the decisions will be made by the people in the cities and the towns across this country, rather than by bureaucrats in Washington.

And let me tell you, when I see the kind of people that you have here in this district, this is where the decisions ought to be made and not in Washington, D.C.

And finally, I would like to give you, if I could, just one hopeful sign about the future of this country, as I see it, and its place in the world. First, in terms of our economy, because of the energy crisis through which we have now passed, it now has become simply a problem that we can certainly deal with. Here is what I see in the future if we get the kind of representation in the Congress that will fight for you and for these programs that are for America:

First, I see us having what we have not had for 12 years in this country, prosperity without war and without inflation. And let us be very thankful today, as we see so many young people here, let us be thankful that for the first time in 12 years, America is at peace with all nations; for the first time in 25 years, not one American is being drafted for the armed services; for the first time in 8 years, all of our POW's are at home and that we have the best chance in our whole 200-year history to build permanent peace in the world.

You ask how can I speak so confidently on that? I can tell you that I have just met with the leaders of the Soviet Union, of England, France, Germany, and Italy, the great European powers, representatives, also, of the People's Republic of China, where one-fourth of the world's people live, representatives of Africa and Asia, the heads of state and heads of government, when I was in Paris for a e-day visit. And I can tell you, they believe, as I believe, that we now have the best chance in world history to build a permanent peace.

It is going to require, however, that America be strong, and your candidate, Jim Sparling, stands for a strong America. It is going to require that America lead, and your candidate stands for leadership for America. And it is going to require, too, that America have the character and the strength that I see up in this "Thumb" area of Michigan.

I was interested to see, for example, a few signs saying "thumbs up," and as I complete my remarks to you, let me tell you, I see for this younger generation a period of peace, a period of prosperity without war and without inflation, and above all, the greatest opportunity that any young generation has ever had in the history of the world.

That is what we want for you. That is what we are working for, and that is what Jim Sparling will work for full-time. He is not going to be a part-time Congressman; he has always worked full-time at everything that he has done. He isn't going to miss scores and scores of votes. He is going to put you first, and he is going to be there when it counts. He is not going to be a rubber stamp for anybody else. He is going to be your Congressman.

That is the kind of a man, Democrat or Republican, whatever you are, that I think the people in this county, the people in this State, want in the United States Congress. I am proud to be here with with him.

[4.] SANDUSKY (2:50 p.m.)

If I could have your attention for just a moment, I would like to thank all of you for this wonderful welcome that you have given us on the last stop that we are making in this tour of what is called the "Thumb" area of Michigan.

When I saw on the schedule the town of Sandusky, I told one of my advance men, I said, "Not true; Sandusky is in Ohio." He said, "Oh, no, there is a Sandusky in Michigan." Well, I am glad to have come here. This is a great place to be.

I want you to know that in our travels through the "Thumb" area, we have seen literally tens of thousands of people and we have seen some of the richest farmland in America. That farmland makes it possible for America to play a great role in the world in terms of building a peaceful world.

It also makes it possible for us to be the best fed, best clothed people in the world in terms of any standard that you want to apply.

But the other thing that I noticed about this part of the country is a very strong feeling of independence, a feeling that you are people who want to look at your candidate who is running for Congress, both of them, regardless of what his party may be, and you want somebody that is going to represent you and not somebody else in Washington, D.C.

For 13 years you have had Jim Harvey, a man who has been that kind of a man. And in Jim Sparling, I can tell you, he is not a rubber stamp for anybody. He is only going to work for the people of the Eighth District of Michigan. He is worth your confidence, and I am proud to be here with him.

But what is more important is what he is going to work for. He is going to work for a strong America so that we can keep the peace that we have won.

I have just talked to Captain [Robert] Abbott here. You probably know him. He was one of those brave men who was a prisoner of war in Vietnam. And I can say, we can thank God today that the war that I found when I came to Washington in 1969 as President, we have ended.

For the first time in 12 years, we have peace; for the first time in 25 years, not one young American is being drafted; and for the first time in 8 years, every American is home where he belongs and not in any prison camp in Hanoi or anyplace else, and we can be thankful for that.

And now we must go forward from there. We do not want to have his brothers, his sons, the brothers and sons of those who fought in Vietnam, in another war. We want to build a permanent peace, and that means we need a strong America, and that is where your Congressman comes in, because he will vote for a strong America, one that will meet its responsibilities in the world so that we can build a world of peace.

I have just met with 35 world leaders in Paris, and I can tell you that America is respected in the world. But the key to peace in the world is here, here in America. It is here not just in the Presidency, but it is here in the character of the American people, in our strength, not only our military strength but primarily our strength and our faith in ourselves and in our country.

I have seen it throughout this "Thumb" area of Michigan where I have seen your flags. I saw it yesterday in Xenia, Ohio, where I saw a tornado had swept through town, and people instead of leaving had put up a flag on what was once their house to show that they still had faith in their town, in their country, and in their God.

And I can tell you that there isn't any question that there is the best chance in our lifetime, probably in this Nation's history, to build a world of peace and to also have peace and to have it at a time when we can have prosperity without inflation.

We have problems now, which, as you know, are related to the energy crisis, but there again is where your new Congressman is going to come in. We need to break the bottleneck of the legislation that will allow us to produce those products that will provide the fuel that we need that will build up the automobile production, that will provide the fertilizer that we need that will build up the farm production. All of this we can and will have, but we need a strong, full-time Congressman in Washington to do it from the Eighth District.

We can't have a half-time, part-time man in Washington, one who is there for only half the votes, and I can tell you that Jim Sparling--I have known him for 13 years--Jim Sparling, like Jim Harvey before him, he will be working for you 100 percent of the time. He will be working for America 100 percent of the time. He will be working for a strong America, for a prosperous America. He believes in you, and you can believe in him.

And finally, I want to say to all of you, this is the first time, they tell me, that a President ever traveled through the "Thumb" area of Michigan. I am mighty proud to have been the first, and I hope that others will have the same experience that I have had. It has been a magnificent day. In fact, the weather is warmer here than it is in Washington, D.C., today. But it has been a magnificent day primarily in terms of the warm friendship that we have found.

We have seen some that support the other man. That is fine, but we have seen the great majority supporting our candidate. That is better. We are for him, and thank you very much for coming out today.

Note: The special election was held on April 16, 1974, to fill the vacancy caused by Representative Russell James Harvey's resignation, on January 31, to 'become ILS. District Judge for the Eastern District of Michigan.

Richard Nixon, Remarks During a Campaign Tour of Michigan's Eighth Congressional District. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/256378

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