Mei Man: I drew Superman during the Great Depression

Chapter 295 Fireside Chat
"...let us face up to the grim times ahead, with the zeal and courage that a nation has brought us, with a clear sense of seeking out traditional and cherished moral values, Satisfied with a clear conscience, our goal is to ensure the fulfillment and long-term stability of the national life."

Following the crowd in front of Capitol Hill, Roosevelt's speech came to an end.

"...they have expressed their commitment in the midst of their difficulties to demand direct and forceful action, they have demanded the discipline and direction of leadership, and they have now chosen me as the vehicle to realize their aspirations, and I accept this generous gift .”

"...in this time of national dedication, we humbly ask God to bless each and every one of us and may God guide me in the days to come."

With the conclusion of the speech, there was warm applause from the audience.

Roosevelt himself got off the podium in a wheelchair with the support of the congressmen on both sides.

According to the ceremony procedure, after the completion of the presidential oath, the next is the inaugural luncheon, which is hosted by the president, vice president and invited guests to attend the presidential inaugural committee composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives, which is responsible for the preparation and handling of the luncheon. In connection with the presidential inauguration, the lunch often features dishes from the new president and vice president's hometown.

Then came the Presidential Inauguration Parade, and after lunch, the Presidential Motorcade drove down Pennsylvania Avenue, accompanied by a guard of honor from the armed forces, civilian groups, military bands and various floats.

Then arranged for the president, vice president and guests to watch the military parade from the observation deck in front of the White House.

The parade is organized by the U.S. Army Joint Task Force Presidential Inaugural Committee.

The last was the inaugural ball. That night, the Presidential Inaugural Committee held several balls to congratulate the new president on his inauguration.

This dance tradition began in 1809 when President James Madison took office.

The entire ceremony procedure was cumbersome and complicated, and for Roosevelt, the day of celebration was only on the day of the inauguration.

On the second day of taking office, he quickly entered the state and issued two presidential circulars at the same time-requiring Congress to hold a special session on March 3 to review the "Emergency Banking Act", and the second is to declare all banks to be on holiday for 9 days.

The special session of Congress gave the government the power to control finance and issue currency based on bank assets, and at the same time gave the government the power to impose severe penalties for hoarding and exporting gold.The bank holidays helped break the panic and tension that had gripped the financial world, allowing the government to stem the run and give the government time to print money.

At the same time, in order to appease the people and win the support of the public, Roosevelt announced the holding of the first press conference, which has become a custom in the future.

As the newspaper with the largest circulation in New York today, "The Courier World" is naturally also within the scope of invitations to the press conference.

At the same time, because of the relationship between Colin and Roosevelt, the reporter of the "Messenger of the World" played the role of the questioner very well throughout the press conference, throwing out some prepared questions in order to facilitate Roosevelt to speak in a concise and clear manner. way to describe your purpose.

With the cooperation of "Messenger Le Monde", the first press conference of the White House was an unprecedented success. According to the description of the reporters present at the time, President Roosevelt answered the reporters' questions about the financial situation and other issues in a relaxed and harmonious family atmosphere. Asking questions, his straightforwardness and easy-going made the reporters intoxicated. As soon as the reception was over, the reporters cheered with thunderous applause.

On the second day of the press conference, Congress swiftly passed the Emergency Banking Act, one of the few bills in American history that passed without any obstacles. Open as soon as possible and restructure insolvent banks.

March 3, the day before the banks reopened and eight days after Roosevelt's inauguration as president.

"Congratulations, Mr. President..."

Colin was invited to meet Roosevelt, who was successfully inaugurated as president, in the reception room for foreign guests downstairs in the presidential palace.

"The inaugural speech was wonderful. It is said that the White House has received more than 50 letters so far."

Accepting Colin's congratulations, Roosevelt smiled slightly, and then turned into a deep sorrow.

"These letters are also the expectations of the people, and each one is heavy and unusual."

Rolling his wheelchair around the reception room, Roosevelt smoked his pipe and watched the loudspeakers installed by the fireplace by White House personnel.

"What's the current situation with the bank?"

Taking a deep breath on his pipe, Roosevelt looked at Colin who was on the side asking questions. As the president, although he was able to understand the domestic situation through briefings every day, he needed the assistance of a professional media person like Colin if he wanted to understand the reality in more detail.

He doesn't want to become a president who is far away from the people like Hoover.

"The run is still serious. It is said that people have already lined up in front of many banks, and everyone is carrying empty suitcases and intends to withdraw all the money from the bank."

Hearing Colin's description, Roosevelt frowned: "But, isn't the bank already on vacation?"

"Yeah, bank holiday."

To this, Colin replied with a sigh.

"..."

Hearing Colin's answer, Roosevelt couldn't help but fell silent, obviously he already understood the reason.

For the panic-stricken people, the bank holiday cannot alleviate their inner anxiety, which is why he decided to talk to the people through the radio.

In the previous conversation with Colin, Roosevelt had already understood the popularity of the radio, but he did not expect to use it so soon.

In order to make his voice heard by as many people as possible, Roosevelt urgently notified the three largest radio companies in the United States, including ABC, CBS and Common Broadcasting Company, to conduct this conversation.

"President, here they come."

In the reception room for foreign guests, just as Roosevelt and Colin were talking, a White House official knocked on the door to remind them.

Immediately after Roosevelt's signal, the personnel of the broadcasting company came to the reception room.

Among these personnel, there was the CBS radio station representative that Colin was familiar with, but because of the different regions, Harry Butcher, the manager of CBS's Washington office, came.

"Good evening, everyone, sorry to disturb you at this time."

Pushing the wheelchair, Roosevelt first apologized to the heads of the major radio stations who rushed over.

"No, that's what we're supposed to do, Mr. President."

Although Roosevelt's attitude was very friendly, the heads of various radio stations did not relax because of this, and they shook their heads in agreement.

Nodding and pushing the wheelchair to the fireplace where the loudspeaker was placed, Roosevelt put forward his request for the first broadcast: "I hope this speech will be kinder and avoid the ostentation of the officialdom. .”

"In that case, let's call it a 'fireside chat.'"

Hearing Roosevelt's request, the nodding persons in charge looked at each other, and seeing the silence in the scene, Colin immediately proposed.

"Fireside chat."

After listening to Colin's suggestion, Roosevelt in the wheelchair turned his head and glanced at the fireplace beside him, and immediately nodded in agreement.

"Very apt name."

……

And so, Sunday night, March 1933, 3.

In anticipation of the 6000 million listeners waiting in front of the radio, Roosevelt turned on the radio and began the first "fireside chat."

He sat on a sofa by the fireplace, lit a pipe, pointed into the microphone, and said in a cordial and enthusiastic tone: "My friends, I want to tell you what we have done in the past few days and why we did this." Now, what are you going to do next..."

Beside him, Ke Lin was carrying the latest electronic camera to clearly record this scene.

Because of the strict restrictions imposed by the White House on invited guests, this time Colin had to act as a cameraman himself to record this extremely historic scene.

Although televisions are not popular yet, Colin is confident that in the near future the public will be able to see Roosevelt's "fireside chat" on television, not just through the radio.

Considering the varying levels of knowledge of the audience before the radio, Roosevelt tried to use words and metaphors that everyone could understand to explain the situation of the banking crisis, while constantly urging the audience to deposit their savings back to the bank: The simple fact that you put your money in the bank, the bank doesn't just lock it up in a vault, but invests it in various forms of credit, like buying bonds, making mortgages. In other words, Banks put your money to work so that the whole institution turns ... I can assure you that your money is safer in a clean, reopened bank than under a mattress."

"At the end of the day, as we adjust our financial system, there is one factor that is more important than money, more precious than gold, and that is the confidence of the people, and let us unite against fear..."

On the radio, Roosevelt's voice was kind and calm, and seemed to have some kind of power to convey confidence to the audience in front of the radio.

However, Ke Lin, who was filming, knew that in fact, this was also the helpless move of the other party.

The mess left by banking and finance is too great, and he has only been in office for eight days. Even if the "Emergency Banking Act" has been passed, it will take a period of time for it to take effect. Therefore, Roosevelt must try to maintain the situation during this period. , so that the situation will not continue to deteriorate. If the phenomenon of the run continues to occur, it will cause financial bankruptcy across the country. Even if there is a bill by then, it will not help.

Judging from the results, Roosevelt's 'fireside chat' this time was undoubtedly a success.

At least, everyone is more willing to believe in Roosevelt than Hoover, who was cast aside by the public.

On the second day after the 'Fireside Chat', the number of people crowding at the gates of the bank has decreased a lot. Even during the investigation and visit of the "Courier Le Monde", many people were carrying large boxes and small bags containing gold and currency. Long queues are formed in front of the bank to deposit the currency that was queued up in the same way not so long ago.

Only 3 days later, 574 banks in the United States opened for business. In a few days, the banks recovered 3 million yuan in gold and gold exchange certificates. Within a week, 13500 banks resumed business, and the exchange gong sounded again. Voice.

Of course, Colin knew that all of this was just an illusion, or the people's trust in the honeymoon period of Roosevelt, the new president.

This trust also existed when Hoover first came to power, but the other party messed up everything in the end.

……

"Did you put the money back in the bank?"

Inside the Pulitzer Building, Little John questioned Jacob with some hesitation.

"Almost, after all, so much money is hidden at home, I am always a little worried. I heard that there have been a lot more burglary cases than in the past during this period, and many people's property at home has been stolen."

In the comics department, Jacob replied to Little John while revising the draft in his hand.

"I'm still a little worried, what if the bank goes bankrupt again."

With Old John being reassigned to San Francisco to run the new paper, Little John, out of his grip, had indeed had a time of great comfort.

However, the sudden financial accident made him miss the days when Old John was there.

At least, at that time he didn't need to worry about these problems himself.

"Didn't President Roosevelt already say that putting money in the bank is much safer than putting it under the quilt?"

"Who knows if he lied, Hoover said before that the Great Depression would pass soon."

John Jr. has clearly had a bad experience with presidential assurances.

If it weren't for Mr. Colin keeping the Courier newspaper at the time, and making the sales of the newspaper better and better through "Superman", perhaps their family would have lived in Hoover Village now.

However, even so, Little John still harbored some uneasiness in his heart.

Although a new president has been changed, the Great Depression did not end because of this, on the contrary, it has a growing trend.

A newspaper as big as "World Journal" will go bankrupt if it says it will go bankrupt.

John Jr. even remembered how the person in charge of the "World Journal" was at the Messenger Newspaper's office arrogating to acquire it. In the blink of an eye, "World Journal" became the acquired party.

"If you are really worried, maybe you can learn from my method."

In the studio, Charles Adams couldn't help interjecting while listening to the conversation between Little John and Jacob.

"any solution?"

Hearing this, Little John blurted out subconsciously, but he regretted a little while speaking.

Sure enough, under Little John's inquiry, Charles Adams twitched the corners of his mouth and revealed a gloomy smile: "Prepare a coffin, put the money in it, and of course the most important thing is the owner of the coffin. I personally recommend using a skeleton... ..."

(End of this chapter)