FINAL WORDS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24448, 6 November 1940, Page 7

FINAL WORDS

CAMPAIGN CLOSED PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES REPUBLICAN'S CRITICISM (United Press Association) (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright) . NEW YORK, Nov. 5. (Received Nov. 5, at 11 p.m.) President Roosevelt, broadcasting a final word before the election, compared the fortunate lot of Americans —peace and freedom —with life overseas—bombs and destruction. He thanked God that America was living in peace and proposed and expected to continue to live in peace. “ Dictators have forgotten or perhaps they never knew that the basis on which democratic government is founded is that the opinion of all people, freely formed and freely expressed without fear of coercion, is wiser than the opinion

of any one man or any small group. We have more faith in the collective opinion of all Americans than in the individual opinion of any one American.” President Roosevelt expressed confidence that the workers on each side in the campaign would continue to co-operate after the election in the service of democracy. * \ He concluded by reading an old prayer asking guidance from God for the nation. A message from Hyde Park says that President Roosevelt, addressing a local rally at Poughkeepsie, said: “ New forms of Government, based on the. theory of might rather than right, have waged wars against innocent peoples, but I believe the Germanic and Italian peoples, with their proud heritage of freedom, will return with the remainder of the world to self-government based on free elections.” Historic Occasion Mr Cordell Hull, in a broadcast, urged the re-election of President Roosevelt. He was pleased to know that after the election the losers would accept the verdict without rancour, ' Mr Hull described the election .as an historic occasion, representing “an emphatic reassertion of the democratic progress in a world in which, powerful sinister forces are arraigned against the ideal popular Government.” Mr Wendell Willkie, in a final broadcast, attacked the third term principle and reiterated his promises as follows: “My every act as President would be to keep the United States out of foreign wars and keep it at peace. I promise not to send your husbands, sons and brothers to death on a European or Asiatic battlefield.”