President John F. Kennedy delivers remarks to a congressional campaign rally in Monessen, Pennsylvania.
Ladies and gentlemen, Governor Lawrence, Senator Clark, D**k Dilworth:
I must say that Pennsylvanian candidates for office make the shortest speeches of any candidates I've ever seen. I wish Senator Clark, who's a great speaker, and D**k Dilworth, would get up once more. They came up here and left so fast. I'm not running and they are. And they need your help. Senator Clark, D**k Dilworth--your next Governor of the State of Pennsylvania.
I came back here to express my thanks to you for your support in 1960. As a President who was elected, out of 70 million people voting, by 100,000, I'm very conscious of who voted for me and who didn't. And this town, I think, voted for us about 7500 to 1600. I don't know who those 1600 were, but we're going to get them next time, I hope.
I've come here to Pennsylvania to participate in this election. I know that there are some Republicans who think that it's not my business and that I ought to stay in Washington. I think it is the business of every citizen of the United States to make a judgment about what kind of a House of Representatives we're going to have and what kind of a Senate we're going to have, and what kind of a Governor we're going to have in this State and all the other States of the Union.
It is all of our business, because there isn't any doubt that all of the things that can make a difference to this town and other towns which have been hard hit by all of the technological and industrial changes that have come in this country--all of these measures which are essential to action must finally depend upon a majority vote of the House of Representatives and the Senate, and, as I said last night, only twice in the last 100 years has the party in power, the party of the President, succeeded in picking up votes in the off year. Ever since 1930--1934, 1938, '42, '46, '50, '54, and '58--the party of the majority has lost an average of 39 seats in the House of Representatives.
We could have passed medical care for the aged by the addition of 1 vote in the United States Senate. Are we going to organize the Congress of the United States in January 1963, after losing 39 votes in the House? How can we possibly provide for the education of our children, jobs for our people, medical care for our older citizens, better housing, jobs, jobs, jobs, if we are going to lose 39 votes after we have won and lost bill after bill by 3, 4, or 5 votes?
That's why I come here. We're deciding this month of October what we're going to be doing in January '63 and January '64. The President of the United States under the Constitution has great powers. He has particularly great 'powers in the field of foreign policy, but domestically he executes the laws. The laws must be passed by the Congress, by the House and the Senate, and I cannot believe that this country in 1962, after passing through a recession in 1958, after passing through a recession in 1960, after living as this State has lived, with unemployment, is going to decide that the destiny of this country should be turned over to the Republican Party, because I can tell you they are against progress, always have been, are now, and always will be.
I understand a Republican Congressman said that I was being highly unfair in recalling their record. I don't blame any Republican Congressman for objecting to my telling their record. When I say that 85 percent of the Republicans voted against the Housing Act, which included housing for the elderly, and urban renewal, 85 percent, I'm telling the truth, and I don't blame them for objecting to it.
When I say that 81 percent of them voted against $1.25 an hour minimum wage--can you tell me how anyone can live on $50 a week?--and yet they objected, 81 percent of them, to a minimum wage of $1.25 just as their intellectual forebears in the 1930's objected, 90 percent of them, to 25 cents an hour.
Now, you may think this election is not so important, but it is vital. The Congress of the United States makes the judgments, how much food we're going to produce, what kind of housing we're going to have, what kind of education we're going to have, what kind of assistance we're going to have. It makes the difference whether you have a country sitting still or whether you have a country moving. And I come to this town, which understands for 30 years the difference between Republicans and Democrats, to say this year we're going to elect Democratic Congressmen, a Democratic Senator, and a Democratic Governor for a great industrial State, and that in 1964 I'll come back again and talk to you about another candidate.
Thank you.
The President spoke in the A. & P. parking lot in Monessen, Pa. In his opening words he referred to David L. Lawrence, Governor of Pennsylvania; Joseph S. Clark, U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania; and Richardson Dilworth, Democratic candidate for Governor of Pennsylvania.
