The Wilmington morning star., 1944-05-04
BY wEsTBRooK PEGLER

NEW YORK.-Old Charlie Michelson's quiet
little book about the Roosevelt government
THE Ghost Talks is the least angry record
of a bitter and strident time in our history
that I have yet read; and one could wish,
though necessarily without hope, that all Of
us could be as calm and as unconcerned with
the rights and wrongs of issues and the with
er of our drift. He depicts himself as a press.
agent doing 4 job for a client, never, per-
sonally, as a world-saver, and seems to as.
sumo that everything will turn out all right;
or, anyway, that what will be just had to be.
Not many Of us are so detached and must
say that, as my recollection goes, the initial
blame lies with Charlie Mikes client. Not con-
tent with their victory in 1882, instead Of try
ing to heal wounds and unite the country, the
democrats were fippant, arrogant and threat
ening in their language and bearing, and pres
emily fell to fighting among themselves in the
same unseenly way. It is over on the left
today that you find the most violent express
sions of hatred flying between men who once
were intimate friends. Brother John Lewis
sneers at brother Will Green and brother Phil
Murray charged that brother Johns faction
of the labor movement plotted to kill him.
Nor have even these dispatches ever attacked
the communists in the CLIO as savagely as
they have been raked by Phil Pearl, the press
agent of the ALL, in brother Will Green's
official publication.
charlie, however,, Is U1COuCcIucu, HUI IudU,
at anyone, although he does admit out loud
that the great qualifications of Harry Hopkins
to serve as counsellor and first aide to the
President in time Of war have eluded him all
these years. And strangely he mentions some
mysterious letters t'of at least doubtful au-
thenticity, supposed to be from Henry Wal
lace" whose general purport was silly rather
than evil Inasmuch as these letters have
been subject Of gossip in the newspaper
business for four years, but never have been
mentioned in print before Mr.. Michelson's
mention of them now could seem to be an
attempt to dispose of the vice president be-
fore the democratic convention. He certainly
knows enough about the tricks of publicity to
realize that he has now provoked that very
'unfavorable curiosity which, in 1910, he 50
adroitly suppressed to avoid the storm that
Hopkins feared.
The calm, planned management Of political
moves and the development Of the Presidents
court fight are explained in way that leaves
the citizen feeling that he was victim then
of private game, played by experts and
affecting his rights and his government, in
which he was allowed to hear the clamor but
not to see the moves. Reporters in Washing
ton could speculate guardedly, but they could
not know what Charlie knew and Charlie, as
an employee, just went on serving his boss
while politicians and less prominent citizens
worked themselves into emotional fathers over
the fate Of the Republic.
It would be well for the country if everyone
could put anger, resentment and apprehension
our of the campaign and make his decision
calmly on the issues. and accept it without
rancor. But the debate has grown to fury,
and those who have been demanding unity in
the name Of the fighters overseas have no
more right to speak for the fighters than
those who refuse to get unified with them
It is far less angry in the daily press than in
the left-wing publications, many OF which to.
day are attacking not only republicans, but
groups Of their old political comrades, in terms
reminiscent Of the old campaigns Of Huey