Franklin D. Roosevelt: "Matters of State" Speech Typed Draft with Approximately Fifty Words in Holograph, as Governor of New Y...

Description

FDR annotates and corrects a 1930-period speech draft by hand.

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Some fifty words in FDR's own hand on the three typed pages of the original draft of an important speech on the unemployment situation in the United States of America during the Great Depression, while FDR was still Governor of New York in 1930. Entitled "Matters of State" by Franklin D. Roosevelt, Governor of New York, FDR makes extensive corrections in his own hand to the speech. The first of the three draft sheets of FDR's speech is labeled "New Lead for #1" and reads: "Except to increase its commands of Thou-shalt-not, Government during the past several decades has [‘gradually' struck out by FDR] been withdrawing from practical contact with citizens as human individuals./ It has been losing gradually but certainly the intimate relation to and understanding of the human functions and human problems so essential to serving the basic purpose for which it was created originally by the people. [Written by FDR in his own hand: ‘By the same token the individual citizen has lost the relationship which the colonial town meeting exemplified.']/ In no other field has this lost contact been more clearly illustrated than in the relation of Government to People in the matter of unemployment [‘relief' added by FDR in his own hand]./ Men and women are becoming [‘mere' added by FDR in his own hand] units in statistics. This is not human progress. [‘If the development continues, the effects may become intolerable' struck out by FDR, and this paragraph is circled by FDR with an arrow moving the paragraph up to the third paragraph, with a large capital letter ‘A' at the left margin, and a large ‘ª' indicating FDR's desire to change this section, noted at the right margin, both written in FDR's own hand]./ Adequate relief for the unemployed [‘in this emergency' added by FDR in his own hand] – [‘and by Adequate Relief I by NO means refer only to provision at this time of sufficient sustenance and shelter to avert acute discomfort' struck out by FDR, and he has added in his own hand, and then struck out ‘in this emergency above the stricken ‘at this time of sufficient sustenance'] – is the most important problem before [‘most' added by FDR in his own hand] State government [‘s' added by FDR in his own hand] today./ The unemployment relief [‘just' added by FDR in his own hand] undertaken by the State of New York [‘,' added by FDR in his own hand] [‘in the current emergency,' struck out by FDR] to my mind, furnishes an example of the new view a governmental agency must take in order that it may restore [‘in part' added by FDR in his own hand] the vitally necessary personal, individual contact with the citizens........ [‘etc.' struck out by FDR, below which is written in large letters ‘(any exaggeration etc.)']." Page Two of FDR's corrected draft speech continues: "That [‘this' added by FDR in his own hand] [‘New York' struck out by FDR] State is in the position of many others is no reason why we should not put our house in order as quickly as possible./ How long will it take to get a majority on this proposal? Forever, unless public opinion, forced by the unnecessarily increased taxation locally, forces its representatives to heed and [‘–‘ added by FDR in his own hand] to act./ This reorganization is largely a matter of forms of local government. Do not confuse the sound fundamentals of government as originally conceived [‘by our Fathers' added by FDR in his own hand] with [‘the' struck out by FDR] forms [‘then created to put them into effect' struck out by FDR, above which he adds in his own hand, then strikes out ‘which are either antique survivals'] [or have been added without' added by FDR in his own hand] [‘effect' struck out by FDR]./ The fundamentals were simple; [‘the forms were needed for the times' struck out by FDR]. Times changed, Forms [‘changed' struck out by FDR, followed by ‘did not change, they only became more complex and more costly' added by FDR in his own hand]. In going back to the original simplicity of government the form [‘s' added by FDR in his own hand] must [‘change again' struck out by FDR] [‘revert to a greater simplicity. This will bring a lower cost'  added by FDR in his own hand]. There are additional notations in the margins to the placement and meaning of FDR's important speech on unemployment, relief, and the nature of government. Additionally, there is an entire separate page one of FDR's draft speech, which most likely was a later revision of the "New Lead for #1" revision of the draft speech, as it incorporates many of the phrases and sentences added by FDR in his own hand in the "New Lead for #1" version of the draft. FDR also makes several changes to this later draft page one of this wonderful speech, and revised page one of the draft speech reads: "Except to increase its commands of Thou-shalt-not, Government during the past several decades has been withdrawing from practical contact with citizens as human individuals./ It has been losing [‘gradually but certainly' struck out by FDR] the [‘old' added by FDR in his own hand] intimate relation to and understanding of the human functions and human problems so essential to serving the basic purpose for which it was created originally by the people. By the same token the individual citizen has lost the relationship [‘to his government' added by FDR in his own hand] which the [‘C' added by FDR in his own hand] olonial [‘town' added by FDR in his own hand] meeting exemplified./ Men and women are becoming mere units in statistics. This I [‘s' added by FDR in his own hand] not human progress. In no other field has this [‘last' struck out by FDR] [‘need for' added by FDR in his own hand] contact [‘been more clearly illustrated than' is circled by FDR with the notation ‘!' on the left margin corresponding to this text] in the relation of government to people in the matter of unemployment relief./ Government cannot give this relief by bureaucratic methods, because the human need is a vital personal matter to the man or woman who has to be helped./ Adequate [‘relief for' struck out by FDR] [‘aid to' added by FDR in his own hand] the unemployed in this emergency is the most important problem before most State governments today./ The unemployment relief just undertaken by the State of New York, to my mind, furnishes [‘,' struck out by FDR] an example of the new view a government agency must take in order [‘that it may' struck out by FDR] [‘to' added by FDR in his own hand] restore in..." Wow! Multiple versions of a significant speech given by FDR as Governor of New York addressing the most important issues of governmental assistance with regard to the "emergency" of the Great Depression, involving the importance of governmental assistance and bureaucratic revisions to deal directly with the crisis. An amazing and rare draft showing the extent to which FDR personally revised this early speech directed to addressing the ills of the Great Depression and FDR's advocacy of governmental response and reforms before his election as President of the United States.