Campaign: Truman and Stassen Fire Opening Guns
Campaign: Truman and Stassen Fire Opening Guns
Image is dark and jumpy. Campaign: Truman and Stassen Fire Opening Guns Pres. Harry Truman fires the opening guns in the 1948 political campaign. H/a LSs large crowd gathered in square for Labor Day celebration. MS President Harry S. Truman speaking to crowd: "I'm more than happy to join in this Labor Day celebration. I'm more than happy to be present when the AFL & CIO are marching together in the interests of the welfare of the country's citizens. If you get an administration & a Congress unfriendly to labor, you have much to fear & you better look out. I believe that a strong & free labor movement constitutes a tremendous force for preserving our form of government. A free & strong labor movement is a bulwark against communism. To remain strong & free you must have a friendly administration & Congress. If the congressional elements that made the Taft-Hartley law are allowed to remain in power & further encouraged by the election of a Republican president, you men of labor can expect to be hit by a steady barrage of body blows. And if you stay at home as you did in 1946 and keep these reactionairies in power, you'll deserve every blow you get."