Transcripts For CSPAN2 C-SPAN Cities Tour- U.S. Politicians 20240712

It is a glorious service. The call comes to every citizen. It is an unending struggle to make and keep government representative. Bob lafollett is probably the most important political figure in Wisconsin History and one of the most important in the history of the 20th century of the United States. He was a reforming governor. He defined what progressivism is pretty was one of the first to use the term progressive to selfidentify. He was United States senator who is ready nice by his peers in the 1950s as one of the five greatest senators in American History. He was an opponent of world war i, stood his ground advocating for free speech. Above all Bob Lafollett was about the people. After the civil war america changed radically from a nation of Small Farmers and small producers and small manufacturers and by the 1870s and 1880s, 1890s we had concentrations of wealth. We had growing inequality and we had concerned about the influence of money in government. The United States senators were elected by legislators. Huge sums of money going to those campaigns was corruption and you had a group of individuals who were looking for a way to change the status quo and around 1900 the idea of progressivism colin s. You had reformers nationwide looking at how did we get into this problem and what can we do about that . Progressives were especially interested with changing systems. They were concerned that the game was fixed so that the big money folks the corporations, the specialinterest were going to be able to get their way. They werent advocating inequality of result that they wanted everyone at the same starting line. Lafollette when one to United States congress as a member of the house of representatives and was a rather conventional congressmen, booted the party line but in the early 1890s something happened to Bob Lafollette that change him. 1891 he was called into the office of his the senator republican u. S. Senator and sawyer was involved in a locked case which was going to be tried by lafollettes brotherinlaw. Sawyer offered lafollette a retainer for legal advisers. Heres 50. You will get more if the case comes out right. Fall it lafollette said im being bribed here and got up and walked out. His brotherinlaw excused himself from the case. Lafollette alienated himself from the rest of the Republican Party establishment. According to lafollettes own story thats when the insight hit him this is what politics right now is about. Its about money. Its about those who can afford to buy justice and those who can afford to buy offices and t. Believe the system needed to be reformed. He spent the later part of the 1890s giving speeches all over wisconsin. If you wanted a speaker for your club or your group Bob Lafollette would give a speech. He went to county fairs. He went to ever kind of event that you could imagine and built a reputation for himself. By 1900, he was ready to run for governor advocating on behalf of the people on two issues. One is the direct primary no more selecting candidates at conventions. And stop the interest specifically the roe road. Wisconsin farmers were dependent on setting prices and they believe those prices were being fixed through collusion as the major railroads agreed on those prices. Road rhoades gave out free passes to legislators. It was like giving getting a free rental car. Thats how you got around to keep gave a free pass to every member of the legislature it would look kindly on you. You are getting Free Transportation from them. So lafollette ran on that and to the connections he made throughout the state and speaking and the data he gathered about who would likely support him he won that nomination. Lafollette was supposed by the conservative Republican Legislature and didnt get the legislation that they wanted. He tried again in 1902 and was elected governor and still being blocked by the stalwart republicans. 1904 he went on the campaign trail against members of his own party. He started reading world calls at meetings at who voted against regulating the roe roads . Who voted against the direct primary . In 1904 was the tremendous victory for Bob Lafollette because he not only won reelection but he won enough of this progressive supporters in the legislature. The other thing that lafollette was successful in doing as he believed in a referendum, recall and initiative. He was able to get the legislature to agree that a primary bill would be passed but only if it was passed by referendum. Lafollette when he campaigned he distributed literature on one side of it supporting top lafollette and the other side was a reminder to vote yes on a referendum so he would use his Campaign Machinery to campaign for both the cause and the man. At the time Bob Lafollette was governor of United States senators were still being elected by the same legislature. Progressive all over the country advocated the direct election of senators. 1905 the Senate Position opened up in wisconsin and Bob Lafollette announced that he was going to run for senator but he was not going to resign his position as governor until his reforms were passed so he was successfully elected senator stayed in wisconsin for the first nine or 10 months of his term and not until the legislature adjourned after passing his program that he resumed his seat in washington d. C. In 1906. That began a 20 year period of service in the United States senate. All the lafollette was trying to repeat on the National Level some of his successes in wisconsin. Lafollette message of politics had to change because he was dealing with persuading and majority of 96 senators to support his position. Lafollette was a master tech titian. On the state level he was able to gather data on who would support him and who needed to make contact. He was a master of the senate. Bob lafollette to use the filibuster to stop legislation that he felt was harmful. He was recognized in the u. S. Senate as a leader of a small group of progressives there whose votes were needed by the majority to pass legislation. Lafollette was a republican as were most progressives in the u. S. Senate and that group of 12 or 14 boats that he controlled to negotiate in terms of Bob Lafollette spreading progressive ideas nationally he used two techniques. One started a magazine called the followups magazine great at promoting lafollettes name in that magazine still exist today. Its called progresso but secondly bob loved the public but if you want to speaker bob would go anywhere in the nation to speak. He did this partly because he was not an independently wealthy man. He needed income for speaking but he would go to chautauqua and various events to spread his word and he started getting progressive candidates in the democratic party. Woodrow wilson getting elected, the governor of new jersey as a progressive, Teddy Roosevelt nationally was viewed as a progressive but the kind of trust busting illicit interest in doing against monopolies. Child labor, there were reformers around the nation who were concerned about the use of children in factories and eliminated those. Bob lafollette oppose war. He voted for Woodrow Wilson in 1916 go Bob Lafollette was a republican voted for wilson because he believed in wilsons pledge to keep the United States out of the war. In naples and 1917 he asked Bob Lafollette was one of only six United States senators to oppose that war. He was concerned that only munitions makers, profiteers would benefit from that as the people would suffer the loss of loved ones in the military. He was concerned that the government was not telling the people the full cost of the war. His principle concern was the suppression of Civil Liberties. In 1917 Congress Passed a bill called the espionage act. It didnt have anything to do with espionage. It was about suppressing opposition to the war. Newspapers could be shut down a were shut down as a result of that. People were jailed for their criticism of the war and Bob Lafollette to leave the bill of rights was not repealed because the United States was at war. An event on september 20, 1917 was a critical turning point for lafollette gave a speech in st. Paul minnesota and at that meeting Bob Lafollette was critical of the war effort. He said we have grievances against germany but those grievances are not sufficient to go to war. The Associated Press reported him as saying we have no grievances against germany. That news story created a national uproar. In wisconsin 90 of the faculty of the university of wisconsin signed a round robin petition opposing lafollette. There were calls in an investigation in the United States to expel Bob Lafollette there were threats on his life. Lafollettes point was i didnt say this but the war hysteria that when one, that is the explanation that didnt carry much weight because he did oppose the war wasnt until mid1819 that the Associated Press apologize for the air and it wasnt until 1919 that the United States senate cleared his name and said there are no grounds for expelling lafollette. Lafollettes fame and the respect that he has comes from his stance was Civil Liberties when he was one of the few people in the country speaking out on behalf of of the right of the people to exercise their freespeech rights for the constitution. Bob call it i think was interested in being president from the very beginning. 1908 Bob Lafollette United States senate only two years throws his hat in the ring. Bob lafollette thinks he would be a good candidate and he was an unsuccessful unsuccessful candidate and the republicans convention. In 1912 it was the year that lafollette thought would be his year. He sounded out Teddy Roosevelt. Teddy said im not to be running. Bob lafollette was going to be the leader of the progressives challenging William Howard taft for the republican nomination. After anticaste forces start developing some strength rosabell changes his mind. Lafollette is outraged at this. Hes not going to support roosevelt and the convention and takes his fight to the convention and William Howard draft gets the nomination and Teddy Roosevelt runs as an independent on the progressive ticket. He did finally run for president on his own progressive ticket in 1924. Lafollette looks at the two parties davis and democrats coolidge and the republicans who said both of these are conservative parties. Neither of them are running on progressives on reform issues. He created a thirdparty that ran with Burton Wheeler a democrat as his Vice President lafollette for president. It was poorly funded. They had about 250,000 to spend nationally compared to about 4 million that the republicans had and about 2 million democrats had. Lafollette relied on his own speechmaking ability. He has a terrific duty to build at least and to the like of this country. Amazingly lafollette got about 17 of the vote nationally. Dallas at the time the second the second best run of the thirdparty. Only Teddy Roosevelt pulled the Progressive Party exceeded that. He came in second in 10 other states and that was lafollette s last hurrah running for president in 1924. The lafollette name has magic in wisconsin. The two sons went ahead and created that Third Political party the Progressive Party and attempted to take the party nationally in 1938 carrying on the issues that bob fired for which were important in the context of the 1930s so use out things like Unemployment Compensation and you saw many of the ideas being found in the new deal that emerged out of wisconsin. Franklin roosevelt delivered patronage in wisconsin through wisconsin progressives rather than the Wisconsin Democratic party. And that continued through Bronson Lafollette the Third Generation of Bob Lafollette who was wisconsins attorney general. Many said bob many of the ideas that Bob Lafollette fought for open issues. Lafollette called for the direct election of president as opposed to electoral college. He wanted to see the elimination of the influence of money in campaigns. He wanted popular review of judicial decisions, being able to overturn Supreme Court decisions. And he wanted referenda as one calling war that the United States would not be able to go to war except in a defensive fashion without a possible referendum. Some of those ideas are still being debated today. It shall not corrupt but shall obey that government that guards and protects its rights. Mere party citizenship is not enough. If government is to be saved from those who are aggressive or what is wrong. It makes it very difficult. As a force of personality, makes all of that and advantage freight on a one historian said he played the indian card wouldnt work. He played the white card when it works. That might be true, but i think it oversimplifies his experience but i think is a little unfair to him. I think he chose the white mans world, he said that. Because of his experiences its enforcement society for set on him. It most certainly did. His mothers family operated the ferry. But went from north to the south side of the campus river. Im varying passengers on the oregon trail theyre always working there people of means. His mother has a lot meant of land as a part of her mixed Indian Heritage. So he always when he when his mother died when he was only three years old, he goes to live with his indian grandmother on the reservation. By then and been removed to counsel growth pretty goes in their lives with him. So he grows up with an indian identity. He talks about his childhood as being ideally. He was a little boy plain with bows and arrows, writing ponies, visiting and hunting its a great life. The turning point came in 1868, hes only eight years old. The cheyenne uncharacteristically come pretty far east to attack. This is not a pitch battle. It turns basically into a standoff. But is is an incredible show force to the cheyenne. Charles curtis, by his own account is selected to walk to topeka, 60 miles to alert the authorities that the cheyenne have attacked them. Some accounts say his uncle that he actually came with his uncle. Charles spoke english. He spoke french, and english. So he comes to topeka and tells governor crawford that the cheyenne have attacked. And i think a lot of this is due to the influence of his grandmothers. But his white grandmother in topeka said thats enough youre coming to live with us and have a civilized life. His indian grandmother agreed. So the indians then, when the tribe is being removed to the indian nations or the indian territory what is now. [inaudible] he really wants to go with them. This is 1873 and he is 13. And his indian grandmother, is french and indian grandmother says no. Youve got to make something of your life or if you come with us you cant do that. So you have to stay with your white grandmother and get an and make something of yourself. I dont think you can overestimate what those two women, the impact those two women had on his life. He comes to topeka, he attends speaker high school. He does not graduate, is only to your program. So it is not unusual for people to not graduate at the end for it but he worked. He had one horse and a buggy. And he borrowed or rented a horse and he runs a taxi servic service. Hes running the legislators and he becomes the practice of law. And so he reads for the law thats not uncommon at that point. That is how he passes the bar. Curtis had decades of legislative experience. He was the first republican he was to some, some newspaper editors said curtis was the most powerful man in washington as majority leader he did not rule from the front he ruled from the back he knew everyman in their intimately he knew it they wanted their children same he knew it motivated them he was the master at compromising getting things done in the 19208 president ial campaign, curtis was hoping to get the top spot. He was campaigning for president , not secondplace. When the convention met in kansas city that year, he was very disappointed and made it known that he was disappointed, not to be chosen as president. During that campaign, because probably he was already Senate Majority leader and a really big deal, almost all of the newspapers make him a mythic figure. This rise from the tph of washington. Whether or not he ever lived in a tp, i am not sure. That was the myth. Again this pilgrim and indian background, it was just turned into such a colorful story. Nobody could match that story. So by then, he had so entrenched himself with business that i dont believe his Indian Heritage was a negative. It doesnt appear to have been. So hoover is Vice President. Hoover is obviously not real popular because his administration, some people think responsible for the depression. At least ushered in the great depression. So Nobody Associated with that is very popular. And as a Vice President , curtis was something of a nobody. All Vice President s are to some extent. But curtis became kind of a caricature at the time. Very unfortunate because he was a very remarkable man. Boomac the house for it and very, very Beautiful House for it almost unbelievable how beautiful it still is. This is actually called eclecti eclectic. Victorian, eclectic because it has the stone in. [inaudible] and its got stainedglass windows with some curved windows. Its just a lot of different styles of the Victorian Era is put together may call eclectic victorian. And we just love the building. And people love to come here they love to see the house and the furnishings and they talk about curtis. It has been a very wonderful retirement for us. It is scalped kept us on the go. My husband and i are just house in 1993. When we purchased it was going to be demolished by the city because nobody was interested in purchasing the building. It actually has 12 rooms. And furnishings in the house are curtis era. He wouldve used most of these furnishings in that era. We do have some curtis items in the house at a very important. Weve a grandfather clock when curtis was here, we have a bookcase, chair, quilt and a few dishes. But we have a lot of memorabilia of curtis. I will be take people on auteur of the building, we just tell them the story of curtis first. I know curtis story has become more popular. The people in our city did not know about curtis. I thought that was very strange. But of course it had been years since he had been in office, you know. And the more we read about him , it was almost unbelievable to think you could take one year of High School Education and go on to do all of that. When Charles Curtis was first elected, native americans did not have the right to vote. The significance of his election cannot be overstated. And again i think it is the sheer force of his personality that makes that happen. His ability to get along with everybody. As republican Charles Curtis was ending his time as Vice President 1933, democrat huey long was beginning his in the u. S. Senate. The former governor of louisiana had his career cut short in baton rouge 1935 the date of huey longs assassination he was the u. S. Senate. But he was in baton rouge visiting the louisiana legislature, in particular the house of representatives. And visiting with the speaker of the house at that time, alan allen. Walked to the speakers desk where huey and eleanor had just finished the conversation or were discussing everything. Get the idea from their you can see the entire chamber. Hes a hands on governor and never really felt like he was no longer governor huey long was still wielded great influence in legislature. Even more so some say because he was a u. S. Sending senators sitting senator. This is where they would have been the last photo taken to huey long prior to his assassination. It was huey long standing right about here were this chair is. Speaker of the house presiding to the senator huey long produced after those conversations were finished that they walked down the chamber, walked down the hall right ther there, outside of the chamber and were returning to, remember the Governors Office. Huey long was not the governor. But he continued to use the Governors Office as if it were he is. Now we are entering the area of the hall where the assassination took place. But this is also the double doors here were the entrance to the Governors Office. Now huey long was really the senator. He still acted like the governor. He was saved the Governors Mansion with governor allen. He was coming with you, to governor alans office but as he walked past this column, it is again i annoyed from all accounts talking to one of the body guards who was with huey long, mr. Weiss, dr. Weis was somewhere in this area. Walked out and approach senator long as he passed by to go in here. Now a verbal altercation of some sort took place as huey and weiss exchanged, it may be heated arguments who knows what. Shots rang out, huey long was shot. As we know theres still a remanence ebola hole marked here, this is a marble. You can see the whole. As one got shot i would call. One shot to the abdomen area, he was weakened and he started by that time his bodyguard, a nether bodyguard who was, i called the colonel, who is from my hometown was his personal bodyguard had come up because hed gone to move the car. The senator was leaving the house chamber, going to check in here and then they were leaving. Rushed up here, he according to the information i was given did not fire a shot because he caught the senator as he collapsed. Carried him down the stairs, put him in the backseat of a black sedan. Our member that vividly it was a buick. And took him right around the corner from here, around the back of the capital. It was a hospital called lady of the lake hospital at that time. Im in the emergency room there in kind of the rest is history. Although weight mattered whited that blanketyblank blank shoot me. And then by this time was in pain. He goes in, refuses fathers a conspiracy, because he is still live. What im relating to use it was given to me by the bodyguard in the mid 70s, bid 1970s. The bodyguard stayed with him the whole time. And as he staying with him, the question kept coming up what is he doing . Why did he shoot me . Why, why. And at that time he would let those doctors work on hampered one of the doctor who is the head of Charity Hospital to be the surgeon who would treat him. By the time they made the phone calls to new orleans, and a member we are talking again baton rouge is an hour and half dry bread back benefits for hours on a narrow two lane road to the marsh. It took four hours to get the doctor here. For the time he got here the poison and the other things and they got shot kind of set in the infection. And he would long ultimately died several hours later. Who shot huey long . All sorts of speculation part i can say firsthand accounts from the bodyguard who was with him colonel, called him chief because he was also chief of police said i was there. Its all a bunch of it was one small caliber ebola. I was there and they took it out of his stomach. They put in my hand. I turned it over to the lab. I held it. I know for a fact. And rumor back then and in many of the books i have read that said huey long had done some things to the weiss family. Because they were anti long back then. That is what provoked weiss to do it he did. He was a mild mannered nice doctor who for whatever reason did what he did. And of course everyone is denied the real meeting and he is killed in the confrontation with the bodyguards. I think huey long weiss family. It is said. In some of the weiss family more than he knew weiss. And you know as the colonel used to share with me the stories it was not uncommon for huey to really go after someone if they were against him in a particular parish, he would do it he could to bring that parish to its knees or that leadership to put his folks in place. So could that have had something to do with it . I really dont know. I never really explored that in great depth its just, you want to think of it is one of those important incidents that change the course of history. And the reason i say change the course of history, look what he did in louisiana. Many have speculated that there was a conspiracy to take him off because he could have been a president ial candidate. You know, thereve been many books written. You could get inside his mind how if you could figure out who he was, i like to think of him as a unique individual, a oneofakind who happened to be the right time in our States History where we needed someone of his persistence, someone of the sheer determination, someone of his humble background to take our state forward. I would like to say he brought us, in a way, skating, screaming, into the 20th century. And he had a vision. People dont want to admit it but he had a vision. He brought public highways to louisiana. He paid for a lot of paved roads to the Rural Communities for it on the market rose bringing them in. Realizing if you dont have a highly cant bring your products to the city. Public education. Order with huey long. Textbook started with huey long. I know i said in my tenure speaker from 1996 to 2000, huey long had a saying. A chicken in every mans pot. He was a populist. And he believed in doing for the people. If he saw, because ive heard stories and ive read stories and read books on it. If he saw you were genuine and you were sincere, you werent personal, he could relate to you. When you made it personal it was over. And if you truly believed in more conviction about whatever you were discussing, you could relate to that because he was of the same bill. And in politics youve got to learn as you are coming up and as you progress through it you cannot burn all the bridges. Hen i think he understood that. He also understood we need to work it out. If you were against them how to treat you . There was no treatment. Newer. [inaudible] you knew it she didnt bother him with it. You just prepared. Prepared for what . Whatever was coming pretty knew was coming and you know it wasnt going to be pleasant. Cement give an example of something that occurred in history . Only the many stories of those who were against him, it was a swing vote coming up they mysteriously got stopped by the police and the miss the vote. If they were in opposition were going to speak against him. Things like that. Thats common. Under the bodyguards come into play . When did he start having bodyguards . Governors traditionally had that. But hughley in particular as the colonel would tell ms. When they would travel, when he was governor he maintained the manchin here, right down the street from the Old State Capitol pretty spend a lot of time in new orleans which was the next largest city. I mean the largest city in the roosevelt hotel. And he said many a nights. Many days we travel into cars. Any use the words to fords. And we traveled the airline highway which is now u. S. Highway 61 between there and baton rouge. He said it was a two or three hour trip, easily a three hour trip reset we would run down that highway. He said i would make my phone call you get something to drink i didnt know enough to say was an alcoholic or nonalcoholic. And to this day that service station, restaurant still there. It lists art deco 30 style pretty said we stopped there and i would make my phone call. All we had our car were receivers. In other words it would receive a radio transmission. They would not translate that part is in effect a police radio but it was a radio. And he said it would make my call we would leave. We travel into cars for it i traveled with the governor and said theres always a car in front of us. It was not uncommon you hear plank, point, someone shooting at us along the way. He said remember, we were just coming out of the throws. The war was over, world war i was over, huey long was a populist for theirs anti sediments, theyd never had anyone like him as a governor who got around to use the media, the soundtracks. Baton rouge is what it is in large part because of the contribution and chain louisianas capital is here. Wasnt always here. It moved around. Building this building here, was one of the first steps and really forming baton rouge within a matter of a couple of years of this building being occupied, what we call the capitol annex, across the street from here was built and completed in like 1938 or 1939. The government had already outgrown this building. So they consolidated. By that time in my opinion assured an insured at the same time baton rouge would always remain the capital of louisiana. From louisiana State Capitol in baton rouge, we traveled to montanas capital city of helena, into the congressional pavers of Jeannette Rankin the first woman to serve in the u. S. Congress. We are in the Montana Historical society and the state archives. The archives is one of three programs that makes us the Research Center here at the historical society. Today will be talking about jenness rankin. She was a woman from montana born in 1880. Her biggest claim to fame was she was the first woman to be elected to the United States congress. Thousand 1916. She was elected again in 1939 just before we got into world war ii. So she served two different terms but lots of years in between them. Jenness rankin, when she came into the congress she came in with a bit of fanfare. There is a bit of a honeymoon of what she was given a standing ovation when she walked into congress. She was given flowers is very positive for her prayed that quickly ended when she voted no for entry into world war i. This is a letter from anna garland spencer she is from leader bill pennsylvania. And in it she talks about how difficult it must have been being the first woman in congress, but also being the first one to have to say no to war. It wouldve been so much better and easier free of two or more women had been inaugurating ellen. Then probably would not have been entire agreement between them their responsibility would divided and you would have stood not just for womanhood for only for ms. Rankin in your first most serious vote for sure others to be with you later. And that in any case your sincerity will win the Conference Since of your comrades. One of the places Jeannette Rankin took the worst beatings if you will, was in the press. And unfortunately the newspapers in montana were largely owned and operated by the Mining Company and they were very pro war. So a lot of the newspapers in montana, it really is a sids elevator. Theres an old saying about death by a thousand cuts. And i just wanted to provide one example of the slight that she, Jeannette Rankin experience all of the state. This particular one, she is supposed to sell liberty bonds and give a presentation sell liberty bonds and buttes. When she got there the doors were locked against her. She was trying to figure out why they werent letting her in. They basically said we have no knowledge that you were supposed to be here. Her response of course was to stand for the building give her speech anyway. [laughter] so it shows that she definitely had the wherewithal and the spine to be able handle all of these cuts the death of a thousand cuts pretty think about this every town she went to come every time she went to give a speech these kinds of fights were given to her. Despite the rocky start to her term, Jeannette Rankin did a great deal. She was the woman to put forward the Susan B Anthony amendments which eventually became the 19th amendment giving women suffrage parade that was one of the big thing she really wanted to have happen during her term. She also tried to get Child Welfare reform and things like that. There were a lot of issues she work toward. Think one of the best examples for her relates to the mine disaster that occurred in 1917. In that disaster, 168 men were killed. And of course that left many orphans and women without means of support for it if there had been reforms within the mine the safety of the miners would have been assured and the disaster would not have occurred at all. Thats why more piso like to show you sort of a call to arms telling jenness that she really needed to get to butte and to participate. It looks like your highest duty for you is to come instantly to investigate these methods first hampered this knowledge will force congress and others to immediate action and newly found in the duster world. This demands big courage, big comprehension and close discrimination. You can trust the people here, they will give you justice. This is a terminus opportunity for even the biggest man in the nation prayed the workers here trust you. You are the biggest and most effective action that could come here. You cannot be too cautious prayed this is your hour to prove the quality of your courage and your justice all at the ready. it was companyowned newspaper. At the end of all of this, jeanette new phil well and that she was committing political suicide. Because it costs company. The work going to relax and again. And of course coming into the 1930s and 1940s pretty were again our nation is facing more. She said it was her duty to serve again. She ran and she one. And of course the boat for work came up again and she loathe are conscious once again and said i cannot go to war. Therefore i cannot send anyone to war. This time she was the only vote against the war. The boat itself, pearl harbor, ashes were very high. There is very poignant photo of her sitting outside of a phone booth outside of congress she taken refuge she called the card coming get her. She was afraid for her personal safety. So she did not run again. Was really important driver record, she was consistent in what she believed. She let people know that. But truly extraordinary about her is that tenacity in which she fought for peace. You look at the 40s and 50s and 60s that was after she was in office. She was then an organization. She traveled the world fighting for peace. And that is what she absolutely believed in. And she didnt of the day she died. Soon a look at u. S. Politicians continues as we go from jeanette rankin, pessimist to senator arthur vandenberg, and iconic isolationist changes and republican parties Foreign Policy after pearl harbor attacks on a summer seventh, 1941. I propose that no other nation shall have any chance to use our silence as an alibi for in our culture designs. I propose action instead of words. I propose action now before it is too late. Propose it from the sake of a better world, when i say again and again and again, that i propose it for our own american selfinterest. Is one of the leading isolationist. He has been a presenter for world war i in american involvement following woodrow blessing enthusiastically been woodrow declared war on germany. So Many Americans were disillusioned with what happened after that. And hitler, becoming belligerent in europe. In the road was one of those people who said, weve got friends once already we dont want to be involved again pretty so he argued for a very strict neutrality act. In keeping United States part of what looked like my becoming european work. And so on the way, he was a leader in the fight with Franklin Roosevelt as roosevelt was trying to engineer aid for Great Britain and for people would become our allies against hitler. And then, after the war in 1945, oregon the work vandenberg came forward and said things have to change. In effect, reversed his own position in said isolation was no longer possible to the u. S. As a global power. Though we had to take leadership on the world stage or relinquish it to dark forces. And by making that shift in the last months of world war ii, he pulled a lot of American Opinion with him and really hope to enable changes in americas right to leadership. As someone who grew up grand rapids with an interest in politics, ive always been curious about vandenbergs life. He was one of these ambitious kids, his father has a business nearly went broke in the panic of 1893. Vandenberg was nine years old. And so he was always doing odd jobs and thanks to support the family. Once he was in high school here, he thrived on he was editing the School Newspaper and he thrived on political news. He gave a speech that won him second place in a contest in 1900 when he was a senior in high school. On a peace conference in 1900 so already he is thinking about Foreign Policy as a teenager. He claims he started reading the congressional record when he was 15. We have no record of this but thats pretty hot of himself. Four years before, at the age of 22 when he was editor of the mediumsized daily newspaper. So from then on, is covering every republican political convention. And his mentor, part owner of the paper is a senator named william smith. Michigan senator best known for having shared the titanic investigation. First public hearing, first hearing, the caucus room. The vandenberg has mentor like that. Then in 1911, vandenberg change the campaign to statute in michigan had coming to it as a statue recall the capital for abolitionist senator and zachariah chandler. Natives speech in the hall at the dedication as he would then be 27 yearold newspaper editor. So hes feeling the political excitement covering conventions, being mentor date by a senator. Speaking in the halls of congress and he had the bug. He could not resist. Then became a question of what zero four. As the young man on the go, he prided himself on being and popular after dinner speaker and Luncheon Club speaker. Some people wanted him to run for congress or lt. Governor governor. He really wants to be senator. He is in his 20s and 30s and he said i didnt want to bother with this peanut stuff. It will be senator. So he rises at the senate with greeted vance billing. In an unwillingness to sort of be quiet. No sign of humility which do not sit well with some of his colleagues. His kinda cocky about things. And people really resented that. Two or three generations ago, the was his understanding that if youre freshman, you have to wait your turn. Those not willing to do that. So that rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. And then when the depression comes along, is accused of vacillating because he sometimes supporting roosevelt sometimes not reduce of his fellow republicans are not sure what to make of him. And he certainly trying to weave a fine political line as a michigan tells more and more away from being a purely republican state but also means hes not entirely reliable in the eyes of his fellow republicans. Because he had been so visible before the war, writing american involvement. He became in effect the republican spokesman informed policy after the death of one of his mentors, william. Senator porro who died in 1940. Gutenberg was unquestionably the voice of the Republican Party in foreign affairs. And in 1943, 1944 election was coming up from the republicans had a big conference on economic island in northern michigan. Vandenbergs challenge was to unify the party round platform in 1944 election. It had been torn apart 1940 with window and taft. Having two different visions of what the republicans should stand for. So vandenberg was a group together on the holiday get them to agree that the republicans home support Venture International organization after the war. The became the United Nations. And even as roosevelt was planning the creation of the United Nations, he wasnt talking about it because he didnt want to have the british with the colonies or the soviets concerning about eastern europe. They were our allies need them to finish fighting the war. So vandenberg was addressing things that the democrats in roosevelt had kept bottled up. Kept from being debated. So he is taking the republicans who had been the isolationist to some degree, hes taking them expressing support for the new form of the league of nations which became the United Nations. Simon what he was talking much about it. So that identified him with a new way of thinking both for the republicans and because the democrats were not talking much about it for the americans. When the United Nations was being discussed, Franklin Roosevelt who they couldnt make the mistake that Woodrow Wilson did after world war i. When they created the league of nations and wilsons american telling patients she let himself, give no republicans of any statute. So he brought it back to the senate read and republicans for then the majority said what is going on here. You have indeed been consulted us. So roosevelt despite saying vandenberg as a rival, also new he needed him for the credibility of the american delegation to the United Nations. He didnt want to but he had a choice. This is in february and march of 2045. And then in april of 1945, roosevelt ties. Truman becomes president. Roosevelt federally functioned and his son secretary of state. Hannah secretary of states name edward was a capable u. S. Still executive but really in major Foreign Policy discussions. The secretary of state is not strong. For president truman he had really not included in on what roosevelt was planning is unschooled and where things stand. Vandenberg goes to San Francisco and it really is the most influential american delegate and he has truman deferring to him. And he is hoping set the stage for with the United Nations charter is going to look like. The nation is by his own exclusive actions, only collective security can stop the next great work before it starts. So he found himself the country really looking to him as an outspoken voice for a rational approach, nothing utopian. Was i going to be one world, what is rivals had written a book called one world. And there were people thought maybe we should have world government. Then there were isolationists coming out of the closet. This agreement was home in the washer hands of what is happening the world and diversity we can do that. But god look after american interests. As a part of a global structure. And then vandenberg was an early advocate of dwight eisenhower. Vandenberg and robert taft were friends and rivals for the Republican Party throughout the 1940s. Yet understanding that vandenberg does Foreign Policy taft does domestic policy. Protectors more isolationist so joyce chipping away at vandenberg. While vandenberg supports a lot of that domestic policy, sometimes taft takes a harder line. So in 1950, vandenberg is back here but eisenhower is his hope for the future of the country. In eisenhowers rival for the republican in 1952 was taft. So eisenhower would later say the vandenberg was one of the people he most admired. In vandenberg in his last months of his life, weeks of his life talked about hearing a radio broadcast of eisenhower dealing with my legacies would live on through eisenhower. So there is those strings of the Republican Party that we still see today. Being played out that vandenberg was just immersed in and helped define. His greatest legacy as the of bipartisanship. When the first gulf war comes about any of a republican president and democrats in control of congress. The cry goes where is there a vandenberg among the democrats. Among the opposing party. When a few years later, when clinton is contemplating, i think a response to bosnia and republicans in control of congress on the cry goes up, where is there a vandenberg. That rule of the leader of the royal opposition is not quite a separate sacrificed her principles that will work with the president is really tough for policy moment. Literally most missed annenberg and is most iconic. The best and american governments. Is time the senate was nearing an end, J William Fulbright was just beginning. The 2045 to 1974 he served. His papers at the university of arkansas tell the story. Is a longtime senator, serving arkansas from 1944 until 1974. Thirty years. Before that he was u. S. Rep. He was president of the university of yellow arkansas, the youngest in the United States of the time. From 19701990 his road scholar. It is a graduate of arkansas. President of student body, writer. It was an amazing guy. Heres a very distinguished guy, and had lasting implications. It was leader in national affairs. As long serving chair of the former Relations Committee which was in the cold war but also in one of the top positions in the United States and in the world. He was keen diplomatic policy so he had that role. He is also served as an advocate for the people of arkansas. So is rep. , he was a dynamic political figure. It is a leading figure nationally as he was senator. He required several different agenda or additions to the library decades free so we have a collection of them grates a very large collection. And we have associated archives to go along with it. We would be here for weeks and weeks and months and months we were to look at that. So we will do highlights of the paper. From images and a few books the senator wrote. We have highlights for his connection to the university of arkansas. Really important images here, that we were able to preserve. This one has low internet to have decades of significance. He is here with president truman. Truman sunny and act pretty 1946. It establishes will become to understand the program later. Since then, more than 150 countries around the world has this program predict and hopefully he will be known for this forever. And if not is one of the most Impactful International Exchange Programs in the world. He was elected to the house of representatives representing us in dc, in 1942. University president arkansas. And he was only rep from 1942 until 1944. But he did some pretty impressive things. Had already started to lay groundwork for what would become the program later. He also was instrumental in and what we come to understand is the United Nations after world war ii. The speech became wellknown print he was encouraging the United States to help establish his International Body to resolve issues and help nations get along. To use diplomatic solutions. Really to avoid another world war. So this is fulbright has a very young rep. From penn state in washington. He is presenting an idea and making the argument for an idea of what would become one of the foundational institutions. What we are looking at here is a photograph from center fulbright paper the shows one of those pivotal moments in his career and also to the little light on what the u. S. Democrats used to be or what it could be at its best moments. Senator graham from illinois, republican, he sending over the cabell. In these looking, you have a guy who is about to become president pretty john f. Kennedy. In the guy who come becomes pret after that Lyndon Johnson predict so the majority leader in the senate. And fulbright has become the chair of this committee. Since 1959, he remains chair longest run of anyone as chair of foreign relations. This graphic is from 1953. Three significance faculty not as the documentation an official copy given of the signing of the treaty. So if senator fulbright over here. We would also have the soviet union this guy right here in the middle. I think it was looks good. Were very pleased with how this is going off. He was helping defuse the confluence and diplomacy within the United States and other nations around the world. To avoid very really not relations. Here is fulbrights paper the shows the complexity as the southern senator. And maybe determine some mistakes that he made over a long period time. Right here, was a southern manifesto. Horse after the southern manifesto which shows several senators signed offagain remarks on the floor. Opposing and the federal into School Segregation in the south. Several centers were set on a personal level, they want to post to inequality or school integration. But their stance was as many of us have our before, through the state wide oppositions. They didnt think the federal government the Supreme Court should be the ones to decide. So they sent off in the southern manifesto pretty throughout his career later in 1960s, as he became very well thought of and revered for stances against things like the war. And then after he left, something that his career would be saved by, his opposition to formulations early on. He was from arkansas. Instead of arkansas to staff kind of a unique distinction and that several of our smaller schools embraced in the ration right after 1954 but as of 1957 in 1958, in little rock, the state had come to an understanding they were opposed to immigration in a way that look like a federal and all of that. Fulbright made a political calculation. He helped shape the manifesto in a different way. Think of this is a caveat put in here. He didnt wanted to be about racial equality or inequality necessarily. Just about intervention and opposing for integration. So we are looking at right here is a photograph from our picture collection at the university of Arkansas Library of special collections. Any documents for razorback dance, perhaps one of the most important events never happened here. Or one of the most disappointing events anyway. Thats when the university of Arkansas Post a call the game of the century. Between the number one number two teams in the country. It was an important game. Everybody wanted to tickets. Have fewer political powerhouse at the time, they had tickets. So we had some remarkable people in the games. Understands here all sitting together, we have here is fine hat. Nixon. Whistle have the current president , richard nixon. We havwe had this gentleman r here with this beautiful button right here. That is john paul harassment. Longtime congressman. That is something someone that bill clinton would lose his First Political race with. And then George Hw Bush is right there as well. Looking towards the camera, and then president of the university at the time. All right here watching the Football Game together. A proud moment at the university of arkansas. Even though he ended up losing that game so what we have here are two letters, and the paper from president johnson. Justin was a long time Senate Majority leader in the 50s. He became president after kennedys assassination. In a very close relationship with good friends but they also have a lot of disagreements. As to the Major Political leaders in the country. Another letters we have, the two we have are really telling. This letter right here on the president ial white house letterhead from johnson. An official of the receipt very long letter. Monkeys to senator fulbright and what he is doing is explaining the state of asia pacific. The Network Leaders of their pretty admit with people there. He talked with them in the military. Any tried to convince senator fulbright of the involvement in vietnam. In cambodia. He said that the leaders approved of the United States efforts there. Have course fulbright is quickly coming to the opinion in 1966 but that is not the case. So this is a personal letter, dear bill where Lyndon Johnson was asking, is not even asking actually use explaining. This is what is going on for real. This is well this is how i see it. Trying to understand it. At the end of the says i wish you could been there. I wish you couldve seen what i have. Then a couple of years later, the letter dated 1968, and begins and ill read it. Dear bill congratulations on your reelection. United about our differences on both foreign and domestic issues that we both serve american the best way we know how. Slips change and remarkable progress. So fulbright has been reelected. Johnson takes the time to write fulbright and it opposed off many key initiatives at this point is saying i know that we disagree is so many things that we were both doing the best we could. So looking at here are two photographs really many senator fulbright with the other famous bill the politician from politician bill clinton. A very close and very friendly and very warm mentor relationship for decades. So these are two photographs from operates paper. And they show all right at the very end of his career. Really list at the end of his life. After bill clinton has become the most powerful politician in arkansas. The town square, the governor bill clinton there to sharing one of those warm moments with his mentor, Phil Fulbright prayed in the right here, couple of years later, of course bill clinton has since then become president in 1992 in this photograph to until 1993, clinton has the honor of presenting the president ial medal of freedom to his idol mentor, bill fulbright. Fulbrights record and locations due to really saw long ways. Beyond the state of arkansas. International conflict. Conflict between nations. Misunderstandings. Nations like the United States dont want war dont want conflict. Fulbright one of those people shows you how you learn about the world and how you use your gift in thomas for the lil polil actions. How to use your talents to shape the world. Suet cspan city tour travels the country supporting the american story. The sport of local cable providers. A different city of book to be an American History to be. To watch videos of any of the places that we have income go to cspan. Org cities tour. Follow us on twitter at cspan city