ments of our nation, for the two beautiful flags and for the plaque
by which the donation will be commemorated. I hope that the Shrine
will strengthen the love of freedom in the hearts of all of us.

The worthy purpose of the Freedom Shrine, sponsored by the Ex-
change Club, is to renew in Americans an acquaintance with these
great documents of our history and to inspire in their hearts a re-
vived interest in the ideals and precepts which they proclaim. I hope
that their presence here in our State Office Building will serve to
encourage as many of our citizens as possible to go back to these
writings of our forefathers in search of the fundamentals which have
given substance to this Republic and the way of life it has safe-
guarded for us.

The Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights, to name
only two of them, contain the brave, noble and profound ideas which
have found continual expression throughout the history of the United
States of America.

We know, moreover, that our success or failure in the future to a
great extent will be dependent upon our understanding of the lofty
principles which inspired our forefathers to conceive this new nation.
It takes no effort to perceive that these principles today are threatened
with the gravest of perils, and that our nation itself, the product of
so much toil and perseverance on the part of our ancestors, is menaced
by forces alien to our concept of humanity and decency.

If we use the documents here in this Shrine to renew our faith
in, and revive our understanding of, the great principles which have
sustained our democracy, let us not forget this evil manifesto which
has guided the communist movement from its inception and which
today proclaims the aims and ends of the Soviet Union and its
satellites. We must not forget that the Communists did "openly de-
clare" the "forcible overthrow of all existing social conditions" to be
their purpose. And despite the feeble protests to the contrary that are
heard from time to time, in the interest always of expediency, we
know that is their purpose today. But strengthened by our faith in
freedom, and in our belief in the high ideals and noble principles
found in these great documents we have with us today, we will not,
in this country, cower before the threats of those who say we will
"tremble at a communist revolution. "

The people of this country have no chains to lose. We spurn the
idea of class struggle. And if the Communists, who exhort their people
to unite, attempt to carry out their ill-conceived threat, they will find

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