Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-11-06
New Vice President Wallace
Is Rarity in Political World
He's Not Primarily Politician, Is Described
As q Scientist in Government

Henry A. Wallace, for seven years
Secretary of Agriculture, next jan
uary will take his oath as vice-presi-
dent of the United States.
Few figures in American politics
have aroused such intense antagon-
ism or such fanatical devotion as
the Iowa farm editor, third of a
distinguished dynasty, who set up
the Agricultural Adjustment Admin
istration, who put into effect eco
nomic theories which to many
seemed fantastic, who to a greater
extent than any other man except
the President himself drew the
American continents together, and
who was Franklin D. Roosevelt's
own choice for a running mate over
the opposition of some of the leaders
of his party.
In many ways Mr.. Wallace is as
far out of the pattern of American
politics as Wendell Willkie Per-
haps no two men could be farther
apart, and at the same time have
so many points in common.
Destined For Fame.
Neither is primarily politician.
Neither has been primarily inter-
ested in politics. They are alike in
their contempt for tradition, the
lack of inhibitions in their thinking
But Mr.. Wallace is that strange
figure, the scientist in government.
Had there never been a New Deal
had he never held public office, he
would have been assured Of con-
siderable measure of Immortality
and it is quite likely that centuries
hence, when all the currents of con-
temporary politics have been for
gotten, his name will endure as that
of one of the outstanding figures
of his generation.
1t is largely due to Mr. Wallace
that over large part of the United
States two ears of corn now grow
where one grew before, but with no
more expense and less labor. He is
the perfector of hybrid corn, the
man who did the work with his own
hands and not as executive of some
laboratory where it was done. 1t
must always be remembered that
Mr.. Wallace has produced, as a
scientist, vastly more foodstuffs than
he has ever caused to be destroyed
as an administrator, and that his
fundamental philosophy has always
held to the increase rather than the
decrease of production.
Henry A. Wallace is the grandson
of a Scotch Presbyterian minister
who was forced to abandon the hard
life of an itinerant Iowa minister
by a physical breakdown and, to
make a living, bought a small coun-
try newspaper. Later he started
Wallace's Farmer, long one of the
standard agricultural publications of
the midwest.
Broke With Republicanism.
His son, Henry C. Wallace, became
Secretary of Agriculture in the
cabinet of Warren G. Harding. He
gave the department an efficient adj
ministration, but was chiefly in the
news because of his constant feud
with Secretary of Commerce Herbert
I I1OONCI. I1C 1C1O OlldO 1N11 11OONC1 .
fundamental philosophy looked to
the subordination of agriculture to
industry. Henry A. Wallace broke
with the Republican tradition of
the family and was largely RESPONSE
bic for turning Iowa into the RooSe-
welt column in 1882.
The newly elected vice president
was born in Adair county Iowa,
October 7, 1888. He was graduated
from Iowa State College in 1910 and
Immediately joined the staff of Wal
| lace's Farmer as assistant editor. He
succeeded to the editorship upon the
death of his father in 1924 Through
a consideration with the Iowa
Homestead in 1929 he acquired a
circulation of approximately 250,O0O
In this position, and through sue
cession of books and magazine arti-
cles, he rapidly attained eminence
as an agricultural economist. In
! 1915 he devised the first of series
of corn-hog ratio charts, indicating
the probable course of the market
and in 1919 he published a book
Agricultural Prices" which pre-
sented an elaborate study of price