Charles G. Dawes: The conscience of normalcy

Political leaders can often correlate their success with their ability to reflect in their public speeches the accepted value systems of their times. Charles G. Dawes, a leading and respected political figure in the 1920's, the decade •of normalcy, presents an interesting exception to this observation. While supporting the popular belief of the period that the ideal setting for the nation's life had evolved and that this Tiappy state should be preserved, he also strongly urged in regard to important policy matters that his listeners be alert to the dangers of complacency, question practices generally unquestioned, and formulate new premises for thought and action. No stranger in the house of normalcy, Dawes was nevertheless something of a unique resident.