It is the opportunity and the duty of all those who have faith in democratic methods as applied in industry, in agriculture and in business, as well as in the field of politics, to do their utmost to cooperate with government—­without regard to political affiliation, special interests or economic prejudices—­in whatever program may be sanctioned by the chosen representatives of the people.

That presupposes on the part of the representatives of the people, a program, its enactment and its administration.

Not because of the pledges of party programs alone, not because of the clear policies of the past five years, but chiefly because of the need of national unity in ending mistakes of the past and meeting the necessities of today, we must carry on.  I do not propose to let the people down.

I am sure the Congress of the United States will not let the people down.

***

State of the Union Address
Franklin D. Roosevelt
January 4, 1939

Mr. Vice President, Mr. Speaker, Members of the Senate and the Congress: 

In Reporting on the state of the nation, I have felt it necessary on previous occasions to advise the Congress of disturbance abroad and of the need of putting our own house in order in the face of storm signals from across the seas.  As this Seventy-sixth Congress opens there is need for further warning.

A war which threatened to envelop the world in flames has been averted; but it has become increasingly clear that world peace is not assured.

All about us rage undeclared wars—­military and economic.  All about us grow more deadly armaments—­military and economic.  All about us are threats of new aggression military and economic.

Storms from abroad directly challenge three institutions indispensable to Americans, now as always.  The first is religion.  It is the source of the other two—­democracy and international good faith.

Religion, by teaching man his relationship to God, gives the individual a sense of his own dignity and teaches him to respect himself by respecting his neighbors.

Democracy, the practice of self-government, is a covenant among free men to respect the rights and liberties of their fellows.

International good faith, a sister of democracy, springs from the will of civilized nations of men to respect the rights and liberties of other nations of men.

In a modern civilization, all three—­religion, democracy and international good faith—­complement and support each other.

Where freedom of religion has been attacked, the attack has come from sources opposed to democracy.  Where democracy has been overthrown, the spirit of free worship has disappeared.  And where religion and democracy have vanished, good faith and reason in international affairs have given way to strident ambition and brute force.

An ordering of society which relegates religion, democracy and good faith among nations to the background can find no place within it for the ideals of the Prince of Peace.  The United States rejects such an ordering, and retains its ancient faith.