190 ADDRESSES AND STATE PAPERS

Throughout times of haste and capriciousness, the law has given us
a stable and sturdy post upon which to lean. It is through the law that
our poorly conceived or hastily made conclusions are corrected when
they are wrong. And we must strive to be sure that it will always be so.
We must especially keep open this means of recourse for all who lack a
direct channel of communication to our desks, poor and rich alike. We
must not fall prey to routine and allow decisions that affect others to be
made without the careful thought that all citizens have a right to
demand from those of us who lead and judge them. The suffering and
disappointments of those less fortunate than ourselves must always be
kept in mind for complacency in our work accompanied by deaf ears
to the pleas of the downtrodden may well be the greatest dangers in-
herent in all branches of our government. While there may be too
little that can be done, it is still the foundation of our system, the law,
that demands that at least they be given an opportunity to be heard.

Our law is based on the premise that all of us have equal recourse
to it. We, who have the responsibility for determining the policies of
government and of law must be certain that our citizens will always
have the right to challenge our decisions through the courts and our
legal system. It is this system that we are saluting today. As we salute
it, let us also resolve to do our utmost to create an atmosphere of re-
spect for it, and at the same time, strive unceasingly to perfect it in
anticipation of the fullest liberty and justice for all.

STATEMENT TO LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS

May 1, 1967

I welcome this opportunity to communicate directly with some of
you in the demanding profession of law enforcement.

Your work is, without question, indispensable to a democratic so-
ciety and responsible law and order. Over the years your duties have
increased to a burdensome point. The problems you now encounter,
and successfully cope with, have become ever more complex, until they
now require the attention and thought of nearly all branches of govern-
ment. You are required to maintain the peace in situations which try
the patience and strength of us all, and you succeed through the dignity
and restraint that characterizes a profession which has risen to face the