The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1943-12-27
Observations
President Holds
Reins; Citizens
Glad of Return
BY Helen Essary

OF the United States ii home
again.
The big closed cars slid past.
The motorcycles reared and
charged, their sxhausts popping
ike machine gun FIRE Keep back
there!" shouted the traffic police.
The secret service men, eyes stu
dying the faces OF the crowds.
right hands on revolver hips. rode
on the running boards OF the presl-
Dental automobiles and mingled
with the onlookers on the sidewalk.
The entouraEs Of the chief ad-
vsnced IN triumph The Marine
Pand wasn't there 10 strike ont
the martial hymn. But there was
a welcoming prayer in the hearts
u tire people-"Thank God the
President az the United States IL
home acarn,"
No matter how much you may
dislike Franklin Roosevelt as a
man. how you may object 10 his 70
li'iCsl policies, how you may re-
sent his hopes OF a fourth term,
hs rs the President Of the United
States. Az this moment he is es-
sentisl % his country. 70 your
country and ny country.
Think fearfully OF the chaos that
would have followed n that report.
81 forcing down OF his plane In
the Azores had meant q fatal acct.
dent 70 him. who is the president.
IN the event OF such a tragedy
what would have happened 10 the
course % this war and to us who
are It's pswns,
Would the vice president OF tbs
United States automatically sue
ceeding 10 the presidency hays
known what 10 do with this coun-
try? Certainly not. The reason
that he would not have known IA
not because he Is not an able and
honest man. II would have been
because he has not been IN Mr..
Roosevelts confidence.
No one imagines Mr.. Roosevelt
has told Wallace his plans for car
ryine on the war Or his plans for
the reconstruction OF the tattered
postwar country.
Undoubtedly Mr.. Roosevelt and
his war lords together have dis
cussed the strategy OF the conflict
many. many times. Perhaps War
MobillzationC hief James F. Byrnes
knows many Of Mr.. Roosevelts
wishes for the future. Surely
here and there IN the government
there are men who know what
course Mr.. Roosevelt means their
particular departments to take
But I doubt II any one individual
knows the Presidents complete
plan Of action at home and abroad.
The one person In whom such
tzuSt should be laid Is, as everyone
knows. the vice president. And
yet almost all presidents OF the
United States have been aloot from
their vice presidents.
Generally q vice president "a Sc
lectsd as a candidate because OF
an unlikeneSs In temperament 10
the running mate who heads the
ticket. Lincoln and Johnson were
unrelated IN thought and tradition.
After Lincoln's assassination his
successor found himself too un-
aware Of what the great emancina-
tor had planned for his people.
johnson did the best he could n
Andrew johnson had worked with
Abraham lincoln instead o. at the
other end Of Pennsylvania Avenue.
the history ~ the post.Civil War
area would have been less unhap.
~.
woodrow Wilson as President Of
ne United States definitely did not
take his Vice President Thomas
r. Marshall into his confidence
about the conduct Of the first World
WAT One Of the Wilson.Marshall
stories now being revived says
rhat Vice President Marshall al
most went into = nervous break.
down when he was told the untrue
runor that Wilson had been killed
abroad.
What car I do he said IN
agony Of Shirt. "1 don't know
Woodrow Wilson's plans. can't
run this country as he had plan
ned TO have y run. What am
u 10
\ Ia no indellcste 10 say that
Roosevelt should consider the pos
sibility OF some tragic happening
70 himself He should tell the man
who will be his successor in such
an eventually every detail OF the
design he has mapped out for the
United States, nationally and IN
terna, onaliy.
The sudden Illness % Winston
Churchill. stricken with pneumo-
mia. makes such a course even
more imperative for Mr.. Roos-.
veit The English speaking ma.
tions. involved as they are in
struggle TO the death, should have
every insurance possible against
unnecessary confusion.
Perhans those conferences With
Sslin, Churchill and Chang had