Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1944-10-21
Dewey Earned His Way to the t
lade by Rupert Hughes, Sept. ~:


At that time there were no places for the
wretched recruits in the vast army camps to spend
their idle time. =
Dewey was made chairman of committee
to solicit funds.
Gen. Marshall lent him his transport plane
and Dewey criss-crossed the whole nation, from
ocean to ocean, from the Canadian to the Mexican
border, alternately visiting army and naval sta
tons and making speeches pleading for contribu-
tons.
LIE LEARNED at first hand the forlorn loneli-
IL ness of homesck lads crowded into what were
little better than concentration camps with no
place to 60 when they had few hours off. This
is from one of his countless appeals:
"You will find 10000 men in a camp where the
nearest town has only 5000 people Soldiers
find they not wanted. In one town there Is one
public comfort station in the entire town, and on
Saturday noon when the men start coming ill., the
comfort station is locked until Monday morning
-. The short of it is that more than million and
half American boys, when they get weekend
off, have no place to 60 and nothing to do"
He answered one common question thus with
a point that is profoundly characteristic OF his
ideals:
"You may say, if the government can build
the service clubs, why should it not also operate
them? The answer is that you don't want your
government to take over the private lives OF
American boys when they have night off, or a
weekend off,
THAT is their only chance to be free from
discipline. 1t is their only chance to be ordinary
American boys"
With amazing speed Dewey raised the ten
million dollars, money enough to provide $50 USO
clubs where our soldiers and sailors and marines
could find relaxation and recreation. Dewey never
tried to star himself. When the ten millions had
been given in response to his eloquence he dropped
out of the picture.
T COULD go on telling stories of Dewey's boy
1 hood. his young manhood, his little eld-heme
town life his life in the great city which is to him
but a big village.
think | can speak with some knowledge on
the subject, for it has been my privilege to know
Dewey well-intmately.
| had never even met him when a magazine
editor asked me to write serial biography Of
him. went to New York and spent three months
in going over his record with the utmost minute
ness met the men who knew him; great lawyers,
detectives, policemen, friends and enemies. spent
endless hours with Dewey in his office and in his
home with his family.
AS result | can say in all honesty that
came to love the man as have loved few men in
this world and to honor him as ] have honored
few men in this world
have come to believe in all sincerity that no
other man in the country deserves so well to be
president of the United States. | believe with all
my heart that the country needs desperately the
qualities that make Dewey what he is.
| believe with all my heart that if he is elected
he will not only do more to carry us through the
oncoming crises Of the peace than any other man
could do, or would do; but that he will 90 down
in history one of the purest patriots and most
noble statesmen our country has ever known.