Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1944-12-04
POLITICAL
PARADE
BY George
RothweII Brown

tors been more interested
In a vice president-elect than
they are today In Harry S. Tru-
man.
The question Is whether he
will turn to the right or turn to
the left.
Truman will have to make
some sort Of turn. for he II
about al strictly middle Of the
road" as it Ii possible for q man
to be.
The man who will become
vice president in January has
two recent examples before him.
Will he turn out to be q Garner,
or another Wallace?
On the answer to this will de-
pend not a little the character
OF any congressional reform as
II may affect the u. s. Senate.
The inner history Of the eight
years OF the Garner vice presi-
dency Is as yet unwritten. Yet
enough Is known to permit the
statement that John N. Garner
was no New Deal rubber
stamp.
Conservative by nature. and
at the same time a strict party
man, he conducted his opposi.
ton to left wing radicalism
within his party, but he did op-
pose at times. and vigorously,
carrying his battle against the
President himself.
Wallace, instinctively himself
a "leftist," went along with the
New Deal.
Which course will Truman
follow?
THEORETICALLY, this Is Of
L little importance since the
vice president Is the vermiform
appendix of the legislative sys-
TEN, with little power under the
Constitution save in the cast.
ing Of the determining vote in
the case Of q tie.
The vice president does not
appoint the standing commit
tees of the Senate.
Actually he has no power to
appoint special committees, but
under the long practice OF the
Senate the resolution creating
a special committee almost al.
ways provides for the appoint
ment Of the chairman and the
members of the committee by
the vice president
In the exercise of this pre-
rogative a vice president thus
Is in position to slant" a spe-
cial committee.
Will Truman as vice presi-
dent slant" the special COM
mittees he may name--usually
they are investigating commits
tees-in favor OF the left-wing
New Deal. or will he revert to
type. and be a conservative
presiding officer of the Senate?
Nobody knows the answer to
that one. but there have been
some significant straws.
Senator Truman is said by
some of his friends to feel that
he has been snubbed since his
election.
He is said to have been in.
formed OF the Presidents de-
termination to be inaugurated
at the White House. instead Of
at the Capitol. but not COM
suited" a distinction of consid-
cradle difference.
Apparently he was brushed
off, at the White House when
he came to Washington the
other day. and he left in some.
thing OF a state OF pique.
No arrangements FOR HIS
OWN INAUGURATION appear
TO have been made. Harry can
shift for himself!
ORDINARILY the vice presi-
" dent takes the oath in the
Senate. prior TO the formal in.
auguration of the President,
before a brilliant assemblage in
Guiding the diplomatic corps.
1t means quite a lot to q
vice president and his family.
Makes him think he's some.
body. before he slips back fl
nally into the nobody class,
In the opinion of most Wash.
ington political students, Tru-
man has little to expect from
his vice presidency. save in the
event Of his possible succession
to the presidency.
With what happened to Wal
lace at Chicago ever before his
mind, he can scarcely hope for
a second nomination in 1913.
His main chance for a build-up
would appear to be in the de-
liberate construction of a con.
sentative record. II is to the
right that his heart inclines.
But what he will do with his
head is anybody's guess at this
time.