Remarkable partial handwritten manuscript draft, unsigned, 14 pages, 5 x 8, no date but circa August 1952. Fragment of an early draft for Kennedy’s speech at the 66th Annual Convention of the Massachusetts Federation of Labor on August 13, 1952, during his campaign for the Senate. In part: “Problems of special interest and vital significance to men and women whom you represent. Foremost among such problems and dwarfing all others has been the steady upward rise in the cost of living—and which threatens now to move to higher levels and to destroy to an increasing degree everything that the people of this country have earned with their own hard work and conscientious efforts….The…weakening of the rent control section [of 1951 price control legislation]—the lifting of controls of fruits & raw vegetables—the emasculation of the wage stabilization section—the whole sale firing of over 6000 employees charged with enforcement for price controls has made all of our tasks more difficult…The necessity of increasing our social security benefits and old age assistance payments—to lessen the effects of the increase in their cost of living—to lift the minimum wage from 75 cents and to extend its coverage…to permit unions to organize their membership more freely without Federal impediment—to carry through the long time promises to guarantee equality of opportunity in employment. These are only some of the actions that must be taken if we are not to bring to a halt the social advances of the last two decades—initiated by President Roosevelt and to be continued by President Adlai Stevenson.” In fine condition. Kennedy espouses a strong Democratic message in support of unions and social safety nets, staunchly defending the legacy of FDR's New Deal. On the back of the working-class vote, JFK would topple Republican Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. in the November election. An outstanding, lengthy handwritten draft for a speech of political significance.
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