Gerald R. Ford photo

Remarks at Spartanburg, South Carolina

October 19, 1974

Strom Thurmond, Jesse Helms over here, and Secretary Dent, my old friend General Westmoreland, and Mayor Baehr, and all of you from South Carolina:

As I said a moment ago, it is a great privilege and pleasure to be back in South Carolina. I have had this opportunity on a number of occasions in the past over the years, and I thank you now for the warm hospitality extended me then. And I deeply appreciate this tremendous crowd, the wonderful enthusiasm here on this occasion at this airport, and I can't express deeply enough my gratitude, my appreciation. Just thank you very, very much.

But let me say I am here primarily for three, maybe four reasons. Number one, I am here to enlist every one of you as well as all of your friends throughout the State of South Carolina in our WIN effort, which is to "Whip Inflation Now."

And I am here--and I am proud to be--to indicate my pride in the Republican candidates for State and Federal offices in the great State of South Carolina.

I am also here to extend my acquaintanceship, my friendship with people in the State of South Carolina. The ones that I have known and gotten acquainted with over the years are the kind of people we Michiganders like, and I hope I can find many, many more like you in the travels through the State of South Carolina today.

Within the last 10 days or 2 weeks, on two occasions I addressed myself to the basic problems we face in the Nation--number one, to whip inflation; number two, to keep our economy strong and growing; and number three, to enlist every one of you as well as 213 million other Americans in this effort which involves saving not only our economy through prudent use of our funds, through the prudent use of our energy but through the efforts of every one of you in wasting less and saving more.

Now let me speak, if I might, as to how you can participate and cooperate. You see on my lapel here a button that says W-I-N, WIN. It means "Whip Inflation Now."

So far, in the White House we have received over 100,000 communications from citizens all over this great country--rich, poor, old, young--individuals who understand that it is essential, it is vital, that if we are to preserve our way of life, our economy, our Government, that we have to enlist in this battle, a battle to save America.

And so I urge every one of you here to write the White House, and we will send you a WIN button which indicates that you have pledged yourself and that you will get others to join in this struggle which is crucial to the future of our great country.

Now in this program that I submitted to the Congress about 10 days ago, there were 31 different proposals. It was a comprehensive program aimed at winning the battle against inflation, keeping our economy strong and constructive and moving forward. It was a plan and a program to conserve energy and to develop our natural resources so we would have more supplies and not be in a practical problem of allocating shortages.

Now the Congress has a responsibility to move on that program, and one of the ingredients of that program was to ask the Congress to set a ceiling of $300 billion on Federal spending which would amount to about a $5.4 billion saving.

I regret to tell you that the Congress has not sent to my desk this spending limitation.

Now what we need in Congress are candidates who will cut redtape, who will cut the budget, and, in effect, cut the mustard. And I urge you to make sure that the ones you elect this fall meet those criteria.

Now, let me say a word or two, if I might, about some of the gentlemen that have appeared here, others you will see between now and November 5. I indicated at the outset that I am proud of the candidates that the Republican Party have fielded in the State of South Carolina. They are good people. They are seeking to give to you and South Carolina competition.

A long time ago I competed in college athletics, and I found there that competition was good for everybody. Later, I practiced law, and I found that competition in the legal field was good. I have been in the Congress, or I was in the Congress, for almost 26 years. I found that competition in Congress was good for America. Competition is one of the basic ingredients of the American system.

Competition is good for everybody. And so I am proud to be here and to say that in Jim Edwards, Carroll Campbell,2 you have good candidates for the two highest State offices in South Carolina.

2 State Senator James B. Edwards was the Republican candidate for Governor of South Carolina, and State Representative Carroll A. Campbell Jr., was the Republican candidate for Lieutenant Governor.

They are the kind that believe in reform. They have experience in State government. And I think all of you would be proud to support their candidacy.

But I am also delighted to be in South Carolina to speak up with pride for Gwen Bush, Marshall Parker, Len Phillips, Bob Watkins.3 These are candidates who come from you, the people of South Carolina, who want to represent you.

3 Republican candidates for United States Senator and for Congress from the Third, Fifth, and Fourth Districts of South Carolina, respectively.

And it seems to me that it is important in South Carolina, as it is in every one of the other 49 States, that we develop this competition, a strong two-party system, that will give to all of you in this great State an opportunity to make a choice.

And as I said a moment ago, I am proud of the people that my party has fielded to give you that choice.

I happen to know Floyd Spence and Ed Young from your State who served with me in the House of Representatives--fine, fine Members of Congress. They represent your State with the kind of forward-looking attitude, the kind of voting record, that is good for your State and good for our Nation.

And of course, it has been my privilege over a long period of time to know your great Senator, Strom Thurmond, who has the same point of view, the same strength.

So, let me just say that in Strom Thurmond, Ed Young, Floyd Spence, we have given you the kind of people that I think are good for your State, a. re good for our country. And I hope and trust, as you meditate and contemplate between now and November 5, you will feel, as I do, the pride in the kind of candidates that are represented by the party that is headed by Strom Thurmond in the great State of South Carolina.

Thank you very, very much.

Note: The President spoke at 9:22 a.m. at the Greenville-Spartanburg Jet Airport. In his opening remarks, the President referred to Gen. William C. Westmoreland, USA (Ret.), United States Army Chief of Staff 1968-72, and John Baehr, mayor of Spartanburg, S.C. State Representative Carroll A. Campbell, Jr., was the Republican candidate for Lieutenant Governor.

Gerald R. Ford, Remarks at Spartanburg, South Carolina Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/256235

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