The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-04-16

his kit bag in DeS MolneS working with today.
 The man who calls himself a dirt farmer, who upset the regi- men of his household by go- ing on an exclusive diet of corn for two weeks to prove it all- sufficient for human needs, has become a confirmed diner-out in Washington.
 N His Negro butler, Edward Crockett, who has served secre- taries of agriculture for 25 years, says, Sure he eats meat. He's got to. I couldn't be bothered with such 8 finicky diet"
 Wallace used to lunch on milk, a cheese sandwich, and ice cream. Now he omits the milk because he is putting on weight. He used to be bored with dining out. Now he seeks dinner partners who may have some useful information. He used to play tennis regularly. Now he merely walks half of the three miles from his apartment to the Department of Agriculture every morning, coming in with muddy shoes.
 Barefoot Boy
 He has made some concessions to the proprieties. One afternoon back in 1883 he left his office to play tennis. His new tennis shoes hurt his feet. So he took them off and played barefoot. Return ing to the agriculture building, Wallace got out of the car, shoes in hand and walke6 through the front door and upstairs to his office.
 He wouldn't do that today. If he tried, his aides wouldn't let him, for they are hoping to make him the next President of the United States.
 Wallace still is a3stemious. He declines the cocktail and puts his hand over the untitled wine glass. He does not smoke, and prepares for press con- ference by opening the windows to ward off the tobacco gas att tack. But he has made a con- cession to Capitol custom by laying in a supply of liquor at home, so that drinking friends need not go dry.
 Wallace is more cautious than he used to be. He came to Washington more skilled in corn genetics than in politics, deter mined to speak the truth. But he found that the truth made trou- ble, and that the sheer, straight shaft of tte Washington Monu- ment, seen from his window, could not be taken as an unerring guide.
 He skilfully parries contentious questions now, and he probably would not say in 1888 that he was opposed to potato control. He said that once, to his sorrow.
 Compromises With Politics
 In fundamental ideas, such as his determination to correct "the legalized thievery of the tariff. he has hewed to the mark through the years. But he has allowed himself to compromise for poli- tical expediency. Clash with the realities of political life has taught him that the shortest practical distance between two points is not straight line.
 As an administrator for ST. 900 employees and 6,000,000 farm CTS, Wallace has sat in the high places and felt the power to command. Yet he has not become dogmatic or p0ntifical. For instance, at a recent press conference, he had already ex- pressed himself on an economic question when he found his basic figures were wrong. Laugh ing, he at once reversed himself, admitting his error.
 Wallace is likeable because he is modest and honest, but he can not dramatize himself to the crowds. He is a thinker, not a politician. His thought runs far deeper than Ali Landon's, but he would not do much better than Landon on the stump. Boosted for 194O Blind to this, certain of his fol- lowers are boosting him for the presidency. Chief booster is his personal secretary and assistant, Paul Appleby, who is busily en- gagged in laying the groundwork for 1940.
 True, Wallace's name is one to conjure with on the political stage. He has kept his head above water in a turbulent 0EE TIFF RECORD