I think that I should take a moment at the outset to identify myself
in your minds—I belong to that very select group of individuals as-
sembled here tonight who are neither avowed, nor unavowed, can-
didates for the 1960 Presidential nomination.

My ambitions for 1960 are simply stated—I ask only that I may be
granted the privilege two years from now of standing in this hall
again with you while we all join in a toast together to a newly-elected
Democratic President of the United States!

With but few exceptions the Democratic tide swept over the entire
nation last November 4th, leaving large Democratic majorities in
the United States Senate, and in the House of Representatives; and
electing 35 out of 49 governors of the states.

It is crystal clear what such an election means. It means that the
Republican Administration has failed, and that in November, 1960,
the voters will elect a Democrat to lead the country out of the
wilderness in which it now wanders, without direction and without
any understandable purpose. It means that the people of our country
are turning, as they have always turned in times of crisis, to the
Democratic Party—the Party of Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Delano
Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman.

In my own State of Maryland, we have counties that elected Demo-
crats to office for the first time since the Civil War. Allegany County,
in the western part of the State, sent its first Democrat to the State
Legislature since 1914. Moreover, for the first time ever, the Demo-
cratic Party carried every single county and city district in the guber-
natorial contest, and, along the way, piled up the biggest Democratic
majority in the State's history. Many state legislatures have Demo-
cratic majorities considerably heavier even than that which exists
in Congress. My own State of Maryland presents the almost un-
believable picture of a 123-member House of Delegates with only 7
Republicans, and a 29-member State Senate, with only 3 Republicans.
(I understand that these three Senators hold their Republican caucus
in a phone booth!)

But, my friends, after the first flush of victory dies, it behooves us
to take a very sober second look at the picture presented by such a
legislative line-up as I have just described. It takes very little imag-
ination to see in this situation a tremendous opportunity—matched
by an equally tremendous responsibility. We—and I believe I speak
for all loyal Democrats—accept that responsibility, confident that the
Democratic Party has the resources, the ambition, the will and the

124