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Central Illinois Gazette

Paul Harvey's connection to C-U

Posted by: Tom Kacich

Sunday, March 1, 2009 12:29 PM

Paul Harvey, who died Saturday, was the principal speaker at the inaugural Champaign County Freedom Celebration in 1950.

Everything was bigger about the Independence Day celebration that year. The parade snaked through the two cities, starting at University Avenue and State Street and ending at the Champaign County Fairgrounds. The fireworks show was held inside Memorial Stadium. There was an all-star Litlle League game, a water carnival at Crystal Lake Pool, an EI League game at Illinois Field, square dancing and all kinds of other events, ending with a big dance on the east side of the stadium until 1 a.m.

But aside from the parade and fireworks, the highlight of the day must have been Harvey's 2 p.m. speech at the fairgounds which, according to The News-Gazette, was attended by 15,000 people.

It was great pro-American and anti-communist oratory by the ABC Radio broadcaster.

Here's how the News-Gazette reported it:

"Harvey coupled his plea with a warning that 'if America does get licked, it will be an inside job.'

"He cautioned also that 'America will not walk into a socialistic or communistic state, but it might back into it, or fall into it, while thinking of something different.'

"Harvey asserted that his visit to Champaign County's old-fashioned Fourth of July celebration strengthened his optimism that America 'is not going to hell.' He said, 'It's things like this that convince me that America may go through hell in the next few months, but it will come out again heat-tempered and stringer than ever.'

"If there were communists or socialists in the huge crowd, they received little encouragement from the roars of approval that went up for Harvey as he made these points:

"'When the professors try to tell you we must change our ways because Uncle Sam is a sick old man, remind them that the old boy has a remarkable constitution.

"'There are three great governments in the world today -- socialistic England, communistic Russia and the great Republic of the United States. I say that them that prefers each should go there and stay there.

"'American was developed by democratic capitalism. The failure of capitalism means totalitarianism. Capitalism has been our servant. I don't think we're going to murder a good servant in favor of a bad master.

"'America won't buy socialism or communism, but it may accept the same stuff under a different label. Keep that in mind when they try to tell you that in some of the British experiments in socialism may be good remedies for us. Remember that when goverment gives you anything it first had to take it from you.'"