The Ypsilanti daily press., 1944-11-16
Observations
Roosevelts Prove
to be Exciting
Tribe of People
~, tIu,f EN ECcApv
BY HELEN EssARY

The tribe OF Roosevelts is re-
markable one.
They are all alike. Dominating.
charming, exciting. ruthless, tena-
cious. Old T. r. was also dominat-
ing, charming. exciting. ruthless.
Old T. r. was of the Oyster Bay
Roosevelts. But he was made OF
the same stuff Franklin Roosevelt
OF the Hyde Park Roosevelts is
made of.
Like Franklin Roosevelt, old T.
r. never looked back. He never
apologized He never explained.
He turned liabilities into assets.
FRANKLIN Roosevelt is also a gen.
ius at turning liabilities into as
sets. F. ID. r. is a greater genius
at this than his kinsman. T. r.
Eleanor Roosevelt likewise turns
liabilities into assets. With her as
with the others of the Roosevelt
clan. Il Is the talent with which
rivals find il hardest to compete.
To first prove my point. consider
Eleanor Roosevelt's lack OF, shall
We say. conventional beauty. But
she didn't grieve because she could
not be the Powers model of her
generation. She set herself to the
tas'. Of being attracti- e, well-edu.
Gated. companionable. sympathetic.
She also set herself to the task or
getting herself the handsomest,
most eligible ma her acquain.'
ance. And she him.
II she had be born pretty
woman, Eleanor Roosevelt would
have been too anxious 10 win ad-
miration for herself. Not to give
ii. Eleanor Roosevelt was pre-
pared to give 1t.
Eleanor Roosevelt made herself
into the kind OF woman the hand
some Franklin wanted as a wife.
She not only got her man, she kept
him. And isn't that's omething for
beauty questers to brood over?
Franklin d. Roosevelts greatest
challenge has been. of course, his
crippled body. But he has turned
even that into an asset. For no
matter what your politics may be.
you thrill TO the courage and the
will that drives man with useless
legs into enterprises that not one
out of one million men with sound
bodies would dare undertake.
remember hearing some dim
witted politicians talking In a
frightened group the morning after
Franklin Roosevelt was first nomi-
mated: I'VE mustn't let the country
know he's had infantile paralysis.
they said, chewing on their cigars.
But how will we keep it secret?'
Keep II secret? He flew to
Chicago, the convention city. by
special plane. Thus he dramatically
indicated to the world that being
unable to walk without assistance
was no handicap and nothing to
worry about. This Rooseyeltian
trait Of never admitting the posst-
bility of defeat, never seeming TO
feel sorry for themselves Is another
reason they keep winning.
Another hold they have on the
country is the fact that they are
so everlastingly entertaining. No
body was ever bored by a Roose-
welt. A Roosevelt is likely to ap-
pear at any time in any place in
any guise that seems most desir-
able at the moment.
Wouldn't 1t be joke on the
American people whose forefathers
came here TO escape the tyranny of
royal families II the Roosevelfs.
champions of democracy, were TO
call for crowns and scepters?
Or perhaps ii is a dictatorship
we are drifting into. Whatever IL
is that is happening to US, we are
in danger.
The most intense Roosevelt;
champion must feel both humility
and fear at the thought OF finishing
up the war ard beginning the peace.
After these two gigantic chores.
are over. let's seriously set to work
on making 1t unlawful for presi-
dents Of the United States to hold
office for longer than one six-year
term.
This is a great, thrilling coun-
try OF ours. We can't AFFORD to turn
its power over to any man, not
even a god from Olympus, for too
long a stretch OF time. Or we
may be taken over by other Roose-
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