I do want you to know that you have the gratitude and the appreciation of your President.

We know we are going to be an urban people for a long time to come.

We have seen success in America beyond all of our wildest dreams.

So those are just a few of the challenges that will confront us as we go from 200 million Americans to 300 million Americans-as we begin our third century of life in this land.

As it happens, a few weeks ago I selected a commission to do a little study to find out actually who that lucky baby was.

I say this in the full knowledge that he has in the past felt that a number of my proposals were less than divinely inspired--a habit that I am afraid he will retain no matter how many nice things I might say about him here tonight.

I wish I could, but I cannot tell you this morning that we are going to be able to meet successfully all of these challenges.

But only in America could a Senator be the guest of honor at a cloak-and-dagger dinner.

Make this Nation better.

Everett Dirksen is the only column I haven't complained about all year long.

The Government will do its full share.

We know that we can, if we will, provide decent housing for all American families, and thus transform our cities.

Government is not big enough to solve the problem of health care.

But we have not yet seen whether mass education in America can really be quality education, too.

It may be on occasion that I succumbed sometimes to that temptation.

If Senator Dirksen has established his reputation for fulfilling the duties of partisanship, he has also quite avoided the temptations of irresponsibility.

I do not need to remind you of my intense interest in health services, in health care, and in health programs in this country.

We shall be a responsible people.

So tonight, in America and in other free nations, the opposition doesn't exist on tolerance.

I am delighted to be here for several reasons.

Work for the future.

But I have had a terrible time getting him cleared with the Civil Service Commission which insists that he stop making recordings to prevent conflict of interest.

The problem is to stand firmly with the administration on a foundation of common idealism, while dissenting from those measures which do not fulfill these ideals.

It was unthinkable that one could oppose but not betray.

But we have not yet seen that we can keep our air and our water pure and healthy while we do it.