April 18, 1952
THANK YOU very much. I have been in the midst of the press for the last 2 days. I had 450 editors on my hands yesterday afternoon, and they asked me everything from Genesis to Revelations. I don't know whether I gave them the right answers or not.
It is a pleasure indeed to have you here. I hope you have enjoyed your visit to Washington. I hope you have found out some of the fundamentals of your Government. I told the editors yesterday, when they asked me why they were wrong on their guesses on what happens in politics, that they were not politicians, that every American citizen ought to be a politician. In our form of government, every man has his responsibility, locally with his city, his county, his State, and his Nation. And if he doesn't take that interest, and things do not go to suit him, there is nobody to blame but himself.
Now you people are trying to give the coming and rising generation an idea of what the future means to them, not only the future in this world but the future in the world to come. Nevertheless, if you don't take an interest in your local government, in your county government, in your State government, and in your National Government, if things go wrong, there is nobody to blame but you--because you are the Government of the United States. The power rests with the people. And I think I can speak from experience, because in 1948 I proved conclusively that when a man has a program and goes out and tells the people what that program is, they will go along with him and believe with him in it.
Now you are doing a great work. I hope you will continue it. But don't forget that one of the adjuncts of the work that you are doing is your own Government. You must April 18 know something about it. You must do something about it. And I hope you will do just that.
It is a pleasure to me today to have you here. I hope you have had an enjoyable visit. I hope you will get some good out of it. Everybody can get good out of attaining knowledge and information.
Thank you very much.
NOTE: The President spoke at 12:23 p.m. in the Rose Garden at the White House.
THANK YOU very much. I have been in the midst of the press for the last 2 days. I had 450 editors on my hands yesterday afternoon, and they asked me everything from Genesis to Revelations. I don't know whether I gave them the right answers or not.
It is a pleasure indeed to have you here. I hope you have enjoyed your visit to Washington. I hope you have found out some of the fundamentals of your Government. I told the editors yesterday, when they asked me why they were wrong on their guesses on what happens in politics, that they were not politicians, that every American citizen ought to be a politician. In our form of government, every man has his responsibility, locally with his city, his county, his State, and his Nation. And if he doesn't take that interest, and things do not go to suit him, there is nobody to blame but himself.
Now you people are trying to give the coming and rising generation an idea of what the future means to them, not only the future in this world but the future in the world to come. Nevertheless, if you don't take an interest in your local government, in your county government, in your State government, and in your National Government, if things go wrong, there is nobody to blame but you--because you are the Government of the United States. The power rests with the people. And I think I can speak from experience, because in 1948 I proved conclusively that when a man has a program and goes out and tells the people what that program is, they will go along with him and believe with him in it.
Now you are doing a great work. I hope you will continue it. But don't forget that one of the adjuncts of the work that you are doing is your own Government. You must April 18 know something about it. You must do something about it. And I hope you will do just that.
It is a pleasure to me today to have you here. I hope you have had an enjoyable visit. I hope you will get some good out of it. Everybody can get good out of attaining knowledge and information.
Thank you very much.
NOTE: The President spoke at 12:23 p.m. in the Rose Garden at the White House.