s we begin 2009, the United States elect; Hoover was largely “incommunicative” and vigor has met with that understanding is in a dire financial crisis. That and “gloomy.” To the contrary, Roosevelt “felt and support of the people themselves which calamity may be vividly felt by hopeful about the country’s future and was is essential to victory. I am convinced that some more than others, but to eager to begin work on solving its problems.” 6 you will again give that support to leadership Americans of all stripes and He had promised a “new deal” to the in these critical days. A political affiliations, Congress American people, and his inaugural address In such a spirit on my part and on yours and the President have appeared unable to was eagerly awaited in the hope that promise we face our common difficulties. They con - manage the economy, education and health would be clearly spelled out. cern, thank God, only material things. systems—let alone two wars. Americans were not to be disappointed. Values have shrunken to fantastic levels; There is a massive breakdown of a regu - The most famous line of the speech can be taxes have risen; our ability to pay has fallen; latory system that was unable to adapt, in recited by millions of Americans to this day: government of all kinds is faced by serious this era of deregulation, to new and very “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” curtailment of income; the means of risky financial instruments. There is a credit Whether or not the era beginning in 1929 exchange are frozen in the currents of trade; freeze. Big banks, businesses and institutions and lasting until World War II will be a parallel the withered leaves of industrial enterprise lie are closing, being bought out by others or to our times, it may help to endure the present on every side; farmers find no markets for accepting money from the federal govern - with the optimism we Americans are known their produce; the savings of many years in ment in return for a government equity for, as exemplified in Roosevelt’s inaugural thousands of families are gone. position. In the background, a looming speech. Are fireside chats not far behind? 7 More important, a host of unemployed decisive situation awaits with Social Security Inauguration day in 1933 was gray and citizens face the grim problem of existence, and Medicare. National debt appears to be cold. Roosevelt broke with the custom of sim - and an equally great number toil with little climbing out of control. Many economists ply saying “I do” after the Chief Justice’s read - return. Only a foolish optimist can deny the believe we are in a national recession and ing of the oath of office; instead, he repeated dark realities of the moment. that it will be a “hard” rather than a “soft” the entire oath. Then he turned to the crowds Yet our distress comes from no failure of recovery, with high unemployment rates. 1 standing along Pennsylvania Avenue who substance. We are stricken by no plague of The phenomenon is also worldwide. were gathered in front of the Capitol. locusts. Compared with the perils which our To some, the present times may be rem - “The new President appeared grave, he did forefathers conquered because they believed iniscent of 1929, when the stock market not smile once during the address. He spoke in and were not afraid, we have still much to be crashed in October and November of that a forceful and confident tone. It was time for thankful for. Nature still offers her bounty year. 2 At that time, there was a similar failure the President to speak the truth, he said, and and human efforts have multiplied it. Plenty of the free market, causing the government for the nation to face its problems honestly. He is at our doorstep, but a generous use of it to sweep in and transform the economic and did not allow any doubt about the country’s languishes in the very sight of the supply. political landscape. The Great Depression ability to solve its problems and to endure and Primarily this is because the rulers of the fundamentally changed the nature of gov - prosper. … He took about 18 minutes.” 8 exchange of mankind’s goods have failed, ernment—the free market’s “edifice of wis - This January, a new president will face the through their own stubbornness and their dom and invincibility” was changed for all same challenge to inspire hope and confidence. own incompetence, have admitted their fail - time. 3 As in 1929, Americans today are As such, he and we may do well to take a few ure, and abdicated. Practices of the blaming rampant speculation and greed on moments to read the approach taken by anoth - unscrupulous money changers stand indict - Wall Street with a non-functioning Congress er president in similar times. ed in the court of public opinion, rejected by as the cause of their ills. the hearts and minds of men. Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected pres - First Inaugural Address True they have tried, but their efforts ident in November 1932. When he deliv - of Franklin D. Roosevelt, have been cast in the pattern of an outworn ered his first inaugural address to the nation Saturday, Mar. 4, 1933 tradition. Faced by failure of credit they have on Mar. 4, 1933, “Nearly 15 million peo - I am certain that my fellow Americans proposed only the lending of more money. ple were unemployed, about one-fourth of expect that on my induction into the Stripped of the lure of profit by which to the labor force, business bankruptcies and Presidency I will address them with a candor induce our people to follow their false lead - farm mortgage foreclosures were wide - and a decision which the present situation of ership, they have resorted to exhortations, spread, the banking system was on the our Nation impels. This is preeminently the pleading tearfully for restored confidence. verge of collapse.” 4 time to speak the truth, the whole truth, They know only the rules of a generation of People who were homeless were living in frankly and boldly. Nor need we shrink from self-seekers. They have no vision, and when shacks made from rubbish. There were out - honestly facing conditions in our country there is no vision, the people perish. breaks of violence by some fighting “against the today. This great Nation will endure as it has The money changers have fled from their economic system which was taking everything endured, will revive and will prosper. So, high seats in the temple of our civilization. away from them.” 5 The 1932 election was the first of all, let me assert my firm belief that We may now restore that temple to the first time the Communist Party ran a candidate the only thing we have to fear is fear itself— ancient truths. The measure of the restora - for president. There were long lines of unem - nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror tion lies in the extent to which we apply ployed workers eating at soup kitchens. which paralyzes needed efforts to convert social values more noble than mere mone - Herbert Hoover was leaving the White retreat into advance. In every dark hour of tary profit. House while openly disdaining the President- our national life a leadership of frankness Happiness lies not in the mere possession 40 ARIZONA ATTORNEY JANUARY 2009 www.myazbar.org HON. ROBERT L. GOTTSFIELD Parallel Times, Parallel Messages Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Inaugural Address of 1933 HON. ROBERT L. GOTTSFIELD is a retired but called-back full-time judge of the Superior Court, Maricopa County. He is a frequent contributor to the magazine. Parallel Times, Parallel Messages of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort. The joy and moral stimulation of work no longer must be forgotten in the mad chase of evanescent profits. These dark days will be worth all they cost us if they teach us that our true destiny is not to be ministered unto but to minister to ourselves and to our fellow men. Recognition of the falsity of material wealth as the standard of success goes hand in hand with the abandonment of the false belief that public office and high political position are to be valued only by the stan - dards of pride of place and personal profit; and there must be an end to a conduct in banking and in business which too often has given to a sacred trust the likeness of callous Unemployed men queued outside a Depression soup kitchen that was opened in Chicago by gangster Al Capone, February and selfish wrongdoing. Small wonder that 1931. (306-NT-165/319c, National Archives) confidence languishes, for it thrives only on honesty, on honor, on the sacredness of obli - performance; without them it cannot live. the values of agricultural products and with gations, on faithful protection, on unselfish Restoration calls, however, not for this the power to purchase the output of our changes in ethics alone. cities. It can be helped by preventing realis - This Nation asks for tically the tragedy of the growing loss On Fear Itself action, and action now. through foreclosure of our small homes and Our greatest primary our farms. It can be helped by insistence President Roosevelt was known to rely for his speeches on drafts pre - task is to put people to that the Federal, State, and local govern - pared by others that he then would alter.