The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1944-09-28
OispensabiIity

Let US be rational about this
business Of indispsnsability. No
body really means II. Nobody takes
i seriously. Not Roosevelt, not
Dewey, not Churchill, not Stain.
1t is one OF those loos1 words that
loose minds throw into the air.
But II means nothing.
Think Suppose we're to say
that Harry Truman Is ipdispsnsa-
bic to the psac, and prosperity not
only OF the United States, but OF
the world. Would you consider
that a rational statement? Yet,
Harry Truman l. running for vice.
president. to succeed Franklin ID.
Roosevelt whenever, by the mercy
OF God. Mr.. Roosevelt ceases to be
Indispensable.
That Is very crude, perhaps
even a boorish way Of saying what
Is precise truth. Men who believe
themselves indispensable play at
being God. These who believe that
any mortal man g indispensable
have lost their perspective of his.
tory and Of mans place In the cos
mos. Who can possibly know what
will happen tomorrow? Today,
millions OF m1n and women are
praying to God that he will forgive
their sins and will permit them to
live yet another year 1t is the
Day OF Atonement when the spirit
of those who have selected 1t TO
worship God Is humble. At the mo-
ment of prayer and fasting, none OF
these men and women can ina
CINE themselves indispensable even
to their own families. Our exist.
encs upon this earth is' so tsnueus.
so uncertain, so insecure that no
one dare even for moment ina
CINE that were he TO PISS away, the
sun would cease to shine or the
stars would stand still in their
course. There has been enough OF
this empty, sacrilegious talk about
| indispensability. George Wash
ington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham
| Lineeln--eaeh had his moment on
| the stage of human opportunity and
then passed on, to be appraised
and Judged by his fellovmen not
on the basis OF what he thought OF
himself but rather OF the value Of
his services to mankind. So 1t Will
be with Franklin d. Roosevelt. So
much and no more.
II Is a pity that our people, at
this crisis In their history, are be.
guiled into discussing human dis
| pensability when really what
should attract our minds are the
broad policies OF government and
life that face US and concerning
which we have to make irrevocable
decisions. True, no one Is abso-
lutely sure as to t future, but II
only we knew all the facts, II
there were a completely free de-
bate. our judgments would be sur
er and sounder.
The deepest wrong that has been
done the American people has been
the suppression Of knowledge, ~
the facts. For instance, We do not
know what promises have been
made in our name TO drive Winston
Churchill and Joseph Stain to
intervene, by expressing opinions,
In an American election when they
must know that such desperate par
ticipation In our affairs can only
offend those Americans who still
insist that we remain a sovereign
people. capable OF managing our
own affairs.
am certain that that will worry
Americans more than any discus
sion OF dispsnsability or indispens'
ability. We wish to believe that
the relations between the Ameri-
can, British an Russian peoples
are based upon something frmer
and surer than the personal affec-
tions among these men. Their
greatness can be only OF the mo-
ment; but the traditions OF peoples
are long. The generations that are
today being born will no more know
Franklin d. Roosevelt than our
children know Theodore Roosevelt.
The excitement over P. A. c. today
will last no longer than the excite
ment over Bull Moose. But the
financial limelight again. The