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30.Lyndon Baines Johnson: "Let Us Continue"

Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, Members of the House, Members of the Senate,
my fellow Americans:

All I have I would have given gladly not to be standing here today.
The greatest leader of our time has been struck down by the foulest deed
of our time. Today, John Fitzgerald Kennedy lives on in the immortal words
and works that he left behind. He lives on in the mind and memories of
mankind. He lives on in the hearts of his countrymen. No words are sad
enough to express our sense of loss. No words are strong enough to express
our determination to continue the forward thrust of America that he began.

The dream of conquering the vastness of space, the dream of partnership
across the Atlantic -- and across the Pacific as well -- the dream of a
Peace Corps in less developed nations, the dream of education for all of
our children, the dream of jobs for all who seek them and need them, the
dream of care for our elderly, the dream of an all-out attack on mental
illness, and above all, the dream of equal rights for all Americans,
whatever their race or color. These and other American dreams have been
vitalized by his drive and by his dedication. And now the ideas and the
ideals which he so nobly represented must and will be translated into
effective action.
Under John Kennedy's leadership, this nation has demonstrated that it has
the courage to seek peace, and it has the fortitude to risk war. We have
proved that we are a good and reliable friend to those who seek peace and
freedom. We have shown that we can also be a formidable foe to those who
reject the path of peace and those who seek to impose upon us or our
allies the yoke of tyranny. This nation will keep its commitments from
South Vietnam to West Berlin. We will be unceasing in the search for
peace, resourceful in our pursuit of areas of agreement -- even with those
with whom we differ -- and generous and loyal to those who join with us in
common cause.
In this age when there can be no losers in peace and no victors in war, we
must recognize the obligation to match national strength with national
restraint. We must be prepared at one and the same time for both the
confrontation of power and the limitation of power. We must be ready to
defend the national interest and to negotiate the common interest. This is
the path that we shall continue to pursue. Those who test our courage will
find it strong, and those who seek our friendship will find it honorable.
We will demonstrate anew that the strong can be just in the use of
strength, and the just can be strong in the defense of justice.
And let all know we will extend no special privilege and impose no
persecution. We will carry on the fight against poverty, and misery, and
disease, and ignorance, in other lands and in our own. We will serve all
the nation, not one section or one sector, or one group, but all
Americans.
These are the United States: A united people with a united purpose.
Our American unity does not depend upon unanimity. We have differences;
but now, as in the past, we can derive from those differences strength,
not weakness, wisdom, not despair. Both as a people and a government, we
can unite upon a program, a program which is wise and just, enlightened
and constructive.
For 32 years Capitol Hill has been my home. I have shared many moments of
pride with you, pride in the ability of the Congress of the United States
to act, to meet any crisis, to distill from our differences strong
programs of national action. An assassin's bullet has thrust upon me the
awesome burden of the Presidency. I am here today to say I need your help.
I cannot bear this burden alone. I need the help of all Americans, and all
America.
This nation has experienced a profound shock, and in this critical moment,
it is our duty, yours and mine, as the Government of the United States, to
do away with uncertainty and doubt and delay, and to show that we are
capable of decisive action; that from the brutal loss of our leader we
will derive not weakness, but strength; that we can and will act and act
now.
From this chamber of representative government, let all the world know and
none misunderstand that I rededicate this Government to the unswerving
support of the United Nations, to the honorable and determined execution
of our commitments to our allies, to the maintenance of military strength
second to none, to the defense of the strength and the stability of the
dollar, to the expansion of our foreign trade, to the reinforcement of our
programs of mutual assistance and cooperation in Asia and Africa, and to
our Alliance for Progress in this hemisphere.
On the 20th day of January, in 19 and 61, John F. Kennedy told his
countrymen that our national work would not be finished "in the first
thousand days, nor in the life of this administration, nor even perhaps in
our lifetime on this planet." "But," he said, "let us begin."
Today in this moment of new resolve, I would say to all my fellow
Americans, let us continue.
This is our challenge -- not to hesitate, not to pause, not to turn about
and linger over this evil moment, but to continue on our course so that we
may fulfill the destiny that history has set for us.
Our most immediate tasks are here on this Hill. First, no memorial oration
or eulogy could more eloquently honor President Kennedy's memory than the
earliest possible passage of the Civil Rights Bill for which he fought so
long. We have talked long enough in this country about equal rights. We
have talked for a hundred years or more. It is time now to write the next
chapter, and to write it in the books of law. I urge you again, as I did
in 19 and 57 and again in 19 and 60, to enact a civil rights law so that
we can move forward to eliminate from this nation every trace of
discrimination and oppression that is based upon race or color. There
could be no greater source of strength to this nation both at home and
abroad.
And second, no act of ours could more fittingly continue the work of
President Kennedy than the early passage of the tax bill for which he
fought all this long year. This is a bill designed to increase our
national income and Federal revenues, and to provide insurance against
recession. That bill, if passed without delay, means more security for
those now working, more jobs for those now without them, and more
incentive for our economy.
In short, this is no time for delay. It is a time for action -- strong,
forward-looking action on the pending education bills to help bring the
light of learning to every home and hamlet in America; strong,
forward-looking action on youth employment opportunities; strong,
forward-looking action on the pending foreign aid bill, making clear that
we are not forfeiting our responsibilities to this hemisphere or to the
world, nor erasing Executive flexibility in the conduct of our foreign
affairs; and strong, prompt, and forward-looking action on the remaining
appropriation bills.
In this new spirit of action, the Congress can expect the full cooperation
and support of the executive branch. And, in particular, I pledge that the
expenditures of your Government will be administered with the utmost
thrift and frugality. I will insist that the Government get a dollar's
value for a dollar spent. The Government will set an example of prudence
and economy.
This does not mean that we will not meet our unfilled needs or that we
will not honor our commitments. We will do both.
As one who has long served in both Houses of the Congress, I firmly
believe in the independence and the integrity of the legislative branch.
And I promise you that I shall always respect this. It is deep in the
marrow of my bones. With equal firmness, I believe in the capacity and I
believe in the ability of the Congress, despite the divisions of opinions
which characterize our nation, to act -- to act wisely, to act vigorously,
to act speedily when the need arises.
The need is here. The need is now. I ask your help.
We meet in grief, but let us also meet in renewed dedication and renewed
vigor. Let us meet in action, in tolerance, and in mutual understanding.
John Kennedy's death commands what his life conveyed -- that America must
move forward.
The time has come for Americans of all races and creeds and political
beliefs to understand and to respect one another. So let us put an end to
the teaching and the preaching of hate and evil and violence. Let us turn
away from the fanatics of the far left and the far right, from the
apostles of bitterness and bigotry, from those defiant of law, and those
who pour venom into our nation's bloodstream.
I profoundly hope that the tragedy and the torment of these terrible days
will bind us together in new fellowship, making us one people in our hour
of sorrow.
So let us here highly resolve that John Fitzgerald Kennedy did not live or
die in vain.
And on this Thanksgiving eve, as we gather together to ask the Lord's
blessing, and give Him our thanks, let us unite in those familiar and
cherished words:

America, America,
God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good
With brotherhood
From sea to shining sea.

　