The following letter was written October 25, 1935 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to former FOE Grand Worthy President John M. Morin.
I am very glad to give you as the representative of the Fraternal Order of Eagles a pen with which I signed the Social Security Securities Act. The measure will directly benefit 30,000,000 of our citizens by its provisions, among which are those for unemployment insurance and for Old Age Pensions. Its broad purpose is to "give some measure of protection to the average citizen and to his family against the loss of a job and against poverty-ridden old age."
I have long observed with satisfaction the sponsorship by the F.O.E. of social justice legislation both in the states and in the nation. The records for more than a quarter of a century bear witness to the campaigns of education conducted, the literature distributed, and the addresses delivered by your socially-minded Order. These efforts have borne, and are bearing gratifying results. Our countrymen owe the Eagles good will for their unselfish services.
The pen I am presenting to the Order is a symbol of my approval of the Fraternity's vision and courage. May its possession inspire your 600,000 members to re-dedicate their own efforts and those of the Fraternity to the insuring of such economic and political conditions as will bring a greater degree of happiness to our people.