State of the Union Page #10

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the unions

start running the members.

Good heavens, Jim,

I'm for labor!

Sure. Everybody's for labor.

That's like saying

you're against sin.

The labor leaders

don't think

you're for them.

Not after that crack

that they're responsible

for the Taft-Hartley Law.

No dice.

They're even mad they're

in the same hotel together.

That makes me mad.

Watch out for the little guy

they call "Mac".

Now for some

counter-espionage.

Jim, how can you

say that Grant offended labor?

That Wichita audience

was full of

cheering union men.

Union members might cheer,

but it's the leaders

that swing the delegates

and they're sore.

Don't you want Grant

to be a good president?

Mary, a good president

is one who gets elected.

The Eastern Front's ready.

C.I.O. still in there?

And in what I call

an ugly mood.

Jim, turn your back.

This way, gentlemen.

You know, Grant might be able

to unite the United Nations.

Open up, in there!

Open up there!

Where is that

Grant Matthews guy?

Who're you?

My name is...

My name is Sam Parrish,

Chairman of Banquet Committee,

bosom friend of Grant...

Mary!

Sam.

Bless your heart.

You're just as pretty as ever.

I could eat you with a spoon.

Why, Jim Conover,

you old son of a gun.

Hi, Sam.

What're you doing here?

Take it easy.

You're the only

man in Detroit

who knows I am here.

Can't you wait outside?

Excuse me.

What's going on

here, anyway?

Say, darn it,

I might've known.

Jim, you're psychic.

I was primed

to come to Washington

to sell you the idea

we need a businessman

like Grant in the White House.

You beat me to it.

Where is Grant?

That's a date,

and bring cash.

Sam.

Grant!

When the walls

started to shake,

I knew you were here.

Still alive?

Yeah, I'm still alive.

So are they.

Matter of fact,

the A.F. of L. just invited

the C.I.O.

to have a glass of beer.

Under whose jurisdiction?

The Midtown Bar and Grill.

You got everything ready

for tonight, Sam?

Ready? Why, there'll be

more money per square inch

at that banquet

than there is in the Mint.

Mary, you go right home

and start packing.

You're moving

into the White House.

I never was so happy

in my life.

Looks like our turn's

come again.

Wait till you hear

my speech tonight.

You may not be so happy.

What do you mean

by that?

Last time

I was in New York,

Grant and I had a knock-down,

drag-out fight about

tax reduction and inflation.

Is that what you're

talking about tonight?

Grant talks like a radical.

But any man who's made

as much money as he has

is a good sound American.

Well, see you later, fella.

Tell you what.

Take another good sock

at labor tonight,

you'll make a real hit.

Doggone it, Mary.

I'll be telling people

I knew you when.

Who're you?

Well, my name...

Let me out of here.

Hey, wait,

going down? Mary.

Spike, don't you dare

do that.

All right, I can starve.

But that's the way

to make communists.

I wonder what

a hot hamburger tastes like.

Grant, you expect me

to run your campaign

for you?

Have I any choice in that?

You certainly have.

But if I'm to stay

in the picture,

I want to know what you're

planning to say here tonight.

I have a right to know.

Why, Jim, you can know.

I'm going to tell them

that they do a lot of yapping

about communism

but as long as they think

about high profits

instead of high production,

they're playing

the communists' game.

High production is the way

to kill high prices.

They want high prices.

High prices mean inflation.

Inflation today

means depression tomorrow.

And a depression

in these United States

is exactly the ace card

Moscow is waiting to draw.

They don't want

to hear these things.

They're gonna hear them.

They're gonna hear

that capitalism itself

is being challenged.

If it doesn't survive,

it's because men

like themselves

haven't the guts

or imagination

to make it survive.

You can't talk

to that crowd this way.

You'll antagonize them.

All right. So what?

So I'll antagonize them.

I yelled my head off

about labor

and its responsibilities.

I'm going to lay it

right on the line

for industry, too.

Now, look here, Jim,

you know just as well as I do

that there are men

at that banquet

who'll be rooting

for a depression,

just so they can slap

labor's ears back.

And I suppose you have

a few well-chosen words

to say about tax reduction.

You better not worry so much

about tax reduction

until we accomplish

some of the things

we have to accomplish.

I'm going to tell them

that the wealthiest nation

in the world is a failure

unless it's also

the healthiest nation

in the world.

That means

the highest medical care

for the lowest income groups.

And that goes

for housing, too.

One thing this nation

is not rich enough to afford

is not having

a roof over our heads.

And I'm going to tell them

that the American Dream

is not making money.

It is the well-being

and the freedom

of the individual

throughout the world

from Patagonia to Detroit.

We can't be

an island of plenty

in a world of starvation.

We have to send food,

clothing, machinery,

and money

to the bitter,

impoverished people

of the world.

Try to recreate

their self-respect.

Give them the desire again

for individual freedom.

And I'm gonna tell them

that as long as dictatorships

remain in the world,

we better remain well-armed.

Because the next time,

we're not going to get

two years to get ready.

They're gonna

jump us overnight.

And I'm gonna tell them that

there's only one government

which is capable of handling

the atomic control,

world disarmament,

world employment, world peace,

and that's a world government.

The people of 13 states

started the United States

of America.

I think the people

of that many nations

are now ready to start

a United States of the World.

With or without Russia.

And I mean a "United" States

of the World.

With one Bill of Rights.

One international law.

One international currency.

One international citizenship.

And, I'm going to tell them

that the brotherhood of man

is not just an idealist dream,

but a practical necessity

if man is going to survive.

And I'm...

Where're you going?

I'm going out

to get pie-eyed, then I'm

going back to Washington.

You're walking out on me?

If you're going to

climb out on a limb like that

and saw it off behind you.

Let me remind you.

Up to now, you haven't got

one pledged delegate

to that Convention.

You know how many you need

to be nominated?

About 550.

Think that over.

You've already

scared off big labor

and if you scare off

big business,

you're a dead duck.

They've got to know

where I stand.

I told you that at the start.

I've got to be on record,

nomination or no nomination.

All right, but not here!

Not tonight. Not when you're

on a radio hook-up.

Give it sometime when

you're out in Nebraska

or Oklahoma.

It's for you, Jim.

I'll go air out Parlor B.

Hello. Oh.

Hello, how are you?

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