The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1933-06-23
National Topics Interpreted

mend0uS strain TO
which President 6f the United States
is subjected. Anyone holding that
office has to undergo it and, despite
attempts to make the job easier, none
has come forward with a workable
plan to tighten the burden.
Presidents have been criticized In
communities away from the national
capital many times in the past because
they took week or a month off. In
other years, it has been common to
hear political attacks on the Presi-
dent then occupying the White House
on account of vacations or recreational
methods that caused their absence
from the executive mansion. Observ-
+ ers here, however, can in no wise
agree that such criticism is justified.
On the contrary, believe the agree
ment would be on premise that were
the President unable to get away from
his Job periodically, he would be a
broken man physically, if not mentally,
in short time.
The President of the United States
has at his beck and call all of the ad-
visers, all of the expert assistance,
everything that is required to enable
him to do the Job. Yet, with all of
this, he cannot dodge the RESPONSE
bility of leadership, and that is the
cruy of the problem. He must lead in
the right direction and that necessi-
tates familiarity with every problem
to be solved by his administration. He
receives advice and assistance from
all shades of opinion because 1t is
human for men and women to have
varying views. So the President has
to sort them out and arrive at his own
conclusions and those conclusions
either make or break the admins
tration.
In order to illustrate the truth of the
statement that the job of President of
the United States is man-killer, let
us review what has happened since
Franklin D. Roosevelt took office. He
entered the White House with the
most acute banking crisis ever known
staring him in the face; he assumed
the Presidency when the country's ag-
riculture was in the throes of destitu-
ton, If not actual starvation; he took
over the job at time when 100000
were without work and whose re-
sources were gone,. and with the indus
tries of the nation unable to operate
as a whole at more than so per cent
of normal activity.
The President, of course, knew how
desperate the conditions were and he
Immediately called congress into ex-
traordinary session, he closed the
banks for holiday so they could get
started fresh after they had had time
to determine whether they were SOL
vent and he began grinding out pro-
gram for legislation by congress de-
signed to restore order out of chaos.
These things were done within
period of ten days and it was thought
the strain would lessen after the banks
were again operating. But the days
and nights between March and
March IS, the period of the banking
holiday, were only the beginning. Others
presenting just as much of burden
have occurred until the current ques-
ton is: how did the President stand it?
1t may sound simple that the Presi-
dent called congress into extra ses-
sion; that he closed
Strenuous the banks and that
Dovs he did all of the
other things men
toned above. Unfortunately, it is not
so simple as it sounds. For example.
Mr.. Roosevelt was inaugurated at
noon, March 4; he had luncheon with
a few friends and went to work with
the new members of his cabinet.
steady stream of men filed in and out
of the Presidents Office, as the new
Chief Executive sought to map plans.
This continued into the night after
the President had gone to the White
House itself and long after midnight
he was working on program for
handling the banking situation. Awak-
ened at seven o'clock, the circum-
stances of the preceding afternoon and
night were repeated although it was
Sunday. Then, the banking holiday
proclamation was ready.
But the banks, having been closed,
must needs be reopened. Emergency
legislation was required. 1t had to be
drafted quickly and it had to be bull
let-proof. Bankers and experts in
finance and in legislation were sum-
moned; others were called by long
distance telephone and their views and
suggestions ascertained and members
of the senate and the house had to be
consulted that any slip might be
avoided.
That was just one problem. There
were numerous others, perhaps not
quite as acute at that time but never
theless vital to the country as whole.
In order to save precious moments,
the President was eating his MONDAY
meal on his desk in the Executive Of
flee. Perhaps he had had group of
legislators or advisors with him at
hra0lyfock Haacnldop, .x,o.