站在巨人的肩膀上

忠誠的反對黨 Loyal Opposition

字體:16+-

溫德爾·威爾基/Wendell Willkie

溫德爾·威爾基(1892-1944),美國政治活動家。於第一次世界大戰期間參軍服役,戰後當過律師,1933年任聯邦與南方公司總經理,1940年成為共和黨總統候選人,競選失敗。宣揚“天下一家”的國際合作思想,反對共和黨內的孤立主義。1942年9月和10月受羅斯福之托曆訪非洲、中東、蘇聯和中國等地,翌年將見聞寫成《天下一家》,呼籲戰後合作,甚有影響。

Good evening, America,

Twenty-two years ago today a great conflict raging on the battlefields of Europe came to an end. The guns were silent. A new era of peace began. And for that era, the people of our western world, our democratic world held the highest hopes. Those hopes have not been fulfilled. The democratic way of life did not become stronger. It became weaker. The spirit of constitutional government flickered like a dying lamp, and within the last year or so, the light from that damp has disappeared entirely upon the continent of Europe. We in America watch darkness fall upon Europe, and as we watch its approach, that important time for us, the national election of 1940. In that election, and in our attitudes after that election, the rest of the world would see an example of democracy in action, an example of a great people, faithful to their constitution and to their elected representatives. The campaign preceding this election stirred us deeply millions upon millions of us who had never been active in politics took part in it. The people flocked to the polling places in greater numbers than ever before in history. Nearly fifty millions people exercised, on November 5, the right of the franchise, the precious right which we inherited from our forefathers and which we must cherish and pass on to future generations. Thus it came about that although constitutional governments have been blotted out elsewhere, here in America, men and women kept it triumphantly alive. No matter which side you were on on that day, remember that this great free expression of our faith in the free system of government must have given hope to millions upon millions of others on the heroic island of Britain, in the ruined cities of France and Belgium, yes, perhaps even to people in Germany and in Italy. It has given hope wherever man hopes to be free.