Evening star., 1944-07-24
Commander S Hand
Seen in Convention
Wallace Energies as True Leader
of Liberalism, Says Writer
By David Laurence

wallace Emer9es as True Leader
of Liberalism, Says Writer
By David Laurence
II American business men or pro-
fessional men or any other group OF
citizens handled their relations with
each other in the manner of political
leaders at national conventions the
public would demand and Congress
would be compelled to pass legislation
h hundred times more restrictive than
anything in the SEC law or the anti
trust or Fair Trade Practices Act.
Apparently q different code Of be-
havior is permissible in the business
that would be considered reprehensibls
in private business.
The inside story of what happened
at the Democratic National Convention
will probably never be attested because
the trading and switching, the deals
and the plots were the work OF man
ayers who, because they do theis busi-
ness orally, can never be pinned down
and hence there Is no way of knowing
exactly what was said or left unsaid.
But certain facts are known. Presi.
dent Roosevelt wrote two letters about
the Vice Presidential nomination. One
was written the week before the con-
vention assembled and said plainly that
II Mr.. Roosevelt were a delegate he
would vote for Henry Wallace for Vice
President.
Having said that there was no oh.
llgat1on on him to say any more but
ne wrote another letter. It was dated
wednesday, July 19-the day the con-
Ventlon opened and the contents
were known on Tuesday by certain
persons In Chicago who were using it
to promote Senator Truman's nominal
ton.
Timing of Letter.
was the second letter planned and
written at the same time that Mr..
Roosevelt wrote his personal endorse
ment of Wallace?
! III It's contents were known to GER
tain delegates before July 10. did the
PRESIDENT tell Chairman Hannegan Or
anybody else behind the scenes at the
convention that he intended to write
| 1t?
| why wasn't the letter made public
on the day it was dated instead of on
the night of July 20 at Chicago?
Couldn't the President have given It
to the press on the West Coast on july
ls? Or did he give it to Chairman
Hannegan to be used whenever he
pleased and to make it public when he
! pleased?
someone has lot OF explaining 70 do
and 1t isn't Henry Wallace who was
beaten because he was naive. because he
| olont play politics in the customary vav
ana because he courageously stood be-
lore the convention on Thursday and
SAID what he thought instead of what
expediency in politics normally dictate.
IN the language of politics, Henry
wallace was "double-crossed." But by
"hom? That's the question that can
not as yet be answered. For the presi-
! Gent may blandly contend that he wrote
what he did about Mr. Wallace in the
| nrsU place, because he felt that NAV
then, but that when Chairman Han
| neean or some one else told him Mr.
Wallace couldn't be nominated and
asked If he would be agreeable to Mr.
truman, ne Just wrote his second letter.
| It's all very simple so far as the writ
ten record is concerned but 1t is not IN
simple when the use to which the letters
/ were put Is considered.
| Conference With Kelly.
| Ihen there's the story of President
/ Roosevelts conference with Mayor Kellv
OF chicago and Chairman Hanneean m
{. the way West just before coyentjon
week out after the first letter tndorsing
Mr. Wallace had been made public. In
tnat conference he praised Senator
byrnes. Messrs. Hanneean and KeIlv
urged Senator Byrnes to come to Chi
cago and he did.
| Meanwhile. the CIO leaders were
somehow let In on the secret and thew
promptly showed their veto power. Then
the President is reported to have talked
on the phone to Senator Byrnes and
toio MIN he had never urged that he
| enter the contest at all Thereupon
senator Byrnes went home somewhat
confused and bewildered after having
issued statement saying that he with
drew "in difference to the wishes of
| the President"
Senator Barkleys candidacy WAS also
Killed of by the second letter from Mr.
Roosevelt. Because the President men.
TONED only Truman and Douglas and
nobody else, the stratesists working for
Mr.. Truman said that, Of course. Mr..
Roosevelt couldn't mean Senator
Barkley.
The Commander in Chief" of Amer
lean politics had his hand deeply in the
convention though outwardly he was
aloof. He compromised with the op-
ponents of New Dealism inside the party
| and he inadvertently made Henry Wal
lace true leader of liberalism in
America-and especially for ls48.
The Iowan gained prestige by his
courage and forthrightness. He NAV
have lost this contest, but he won A
place of leadership that he never had
before and could not have had II he
had yielded to selfish expediency lust to
get another vice presidential nomira-
ton.
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