of Governor Herbert R. O'Conor 399

I mean that we should all reflect seriously upon what America has given
us, and what we in turn owe to America. The fact that a man may be a native-
born American does not necessarily make him an American in the true sense
of that term. Americanism—real, true Americanism—is not something that
is given one by circumstance of birth, nor is it something that can be denied
one because he is foreign-born. Real Americanism is a quality of soul that
can be acquired only by devotion to those great principles on which this Nation
was founded.

The real American must love justice, and demand it for all. He must have
equality, and be willing to accord it to all. He must love freedom, not only
for himself, but for everyone. He must be willing to recognize talent, and aid
in giving it an opportunity for development; not merely the talent that his
children may chance to possess, but also the talent of the humblest among us.
As a real American, he must practice tolerance. That means not just religious
tolerance of the social and economic convictions of others; tolerance of their
political adherence. A true American would not deny another the rights he
demands for himself. He should be ready to share, even more, he must share
—all rights and privileges that this free Country gave him.

Freemen everywhere—not only the freemen of England—are challenged
today, as never before. We have seen the freemen of many lands make desper-
ate but futile efforts to defend their countries, and now they are enslaved. We
have seen freemen of other nations give up without a fight.

In the first instance, the nations surrendered because they were not pre-
pared to meet their foe. In the second instance, they surrendered without a
struggle because they lacked the spirit—the will—to defend their homelands.
In both cases the result has been the same. Fourteen nations lie prostrate
under the oppressor's heel.

Thus it is evident that a nation, if it is to defend its freedom, must possess
two essential qualities. First there must be the means of national defense;
secondly and probably the more important, it must have the will, the spirit,
to preserve it. Little Greece had the will but not the equipment; France had
her Maginot Line but was lacking in spirit, for the morale of France had ebbed
almost to the vanishing point.

This Government, founded on principles of equality, justice, and freedom
for all, has sought—especially in recent years—to make itself worthy of that
loyalty which a nation requires of its people—particularly in times of national
crisis.

A country that does all this for its people will find them willing to make
sacrifices, because life in it is really worthwhile.

Our Government has made a special effort to make life worth the living for
all its people, not for just a few of the more fortunate but for the citizen in the
market place and in the byway.

It has provided for the unfortunate and the handicapped, following the
principle that subsistence must be provided for any who cannot work, or who
are unable to find work. It has sought through unemployment insurance, to
provide for the worker who, occasionally, experiences a period of unemploy-