i
the hearts of the knights of old. We Americans
do not realize its greatness and we do not hold its
possession nearly so high as we should.
The maintenance and extension of freedom de
mand intelligence and courage. In a democracy,
the exercise of such intelligence and courage can
not be delegated to one leader or a few men; it is
the responsibility of every citizen. An under
standing of the present is unthinkable without an
understanding of the relationship of the past to
the present. Likewise, appreciation of present
freedoms gains depth and power when illuminated
by knowledge of the efforts, the struggles, the
sacrifices and the triumphs that have marked the
birth and development of these freedoms.
To assure each citizen his inalienable right to
life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness was the
"why” behind the establishment of this democ
racy and is today the "why” for its continued ex-
istance. What that means to you personally, what
you must do toward its fulfillment cannot be an
swered in this speech. I can only speak for de
mocracy—you must act for democracy.
Freedom is worth fighting for and dying for.
It is important to understand the difference be
tween justifiable and unjustifiable freedom. But
the very core of what we mean by justifiable de
mocracy is liberty founded on individual responsi
bility, equality before the law, and a system of
private enterprise that aims to reward according
to merit. These basic things help us to apply our
selves to the business of living in a free democracy.
Our nation, under the Articles of Confederation,
was powerless to fullfill its obligations, even to the
soldiers that had helped create it, despite its in
tentions to act honorably. We can thank God
that democracy spoke through the people in 1787
and the Constitution and Bill of Rights were born
for us. But we have forgotten. What they made
is what we have. To take this heritage of democ
racy for granted is the first step in losing it. Listen
Photos on facing page:
Billie Jean Cansler (left) and Betty Willingham
(right) placed first and second, respectively, in
Transylvania County’s "Voice of Democracy” con
test. Both are daughters of Ecusta employees.
to democracy speaking to us today! It says:
I am American democracy.
My children aren’t the same
In race or creed.
In speech or deed
Or in profession.
They came to me for many things:
Freedom of speech and of religion.
Pursuit of happiness.
To many I meant escape from fear
Or from aggression.
They have repaid with many things.
These Swedes and Danes, and Poles and Prus
sians,
English, Irish, Scotch and Russians.
They brought me ships of steel.
And ships with wings.
They brought me telephones,
The telegraph.
They taught me how to sing and how to laugh.
I don’t care about their creeds
Or the color of their skin;
Whether they’re Negroes or Indians
Doesn’t matter to me.
They’ve made me what I am today—
And—they’re fighting now
So I can stay this way.
I SPEAK FOR DEMOCRACY
By Betty Willingham
ANNOUNCER:
Hello, citizens of USSR! This is Station USA
opening its broadcasting day with a program en
titled "I Speak for Democracy”.
We have in our studio Mr. Farmer, Mr. Busi
ness Man, Mrs. Housewife, and a high school stu
dent. These are average Americans—and there
are millions of others just like them. They don’t
represent the most wealthy citizens, according to
material things, yet Americans are the richest
people in the world. Ours is a Democratic coun
try, thereby entitling its people the right to free
dom of speech. Each will be speaking on the
subject, "I Speak for Democracy”, from personal
experience.
MR. FARMER:
Many generations ago one of my forefathers,
with the aid of his family and friends, cleared a