Evening star., 1944-08-06

REHABILITATION III l84U, tne pCQQergaSC
label hurt, but Senator Truman had the
support Of the forces captained by
Mayor Bernard J. Dickmann Of st.
Louis and Robert e. Hannegan, now
Democratic national chairman, and
record of supporting New Deal legisla-
ton, to Offset this. In sharp contrast to
his first victory, he wound up with but
an 5000 plurality over Gov. Lloyd G.
Stark. Mr.. Milligan was the third man
in the race, and he charged that Pen
dergast, who had returned from Leaven-
worth, again was the power behind Tru-
man. Under the terms OF a five-year
probation. Pendergast was forbidden to
have any part in political activity, and
the Milligan charges brought an inquiry
by Federal Judge Merrill Otis. who had
prescribed the rules OF conduct for the
ex-boss. For once, allegations against
Pendergast were held groundless.
Reelected, Senator Truman was be-
ginning his second term a few months
before this country became an active
belligerent in the war, and he found a
popular issue. Recalling the waste Of
the First World War, he demanded an
inquiry into defense contracts.
Lets not wait and have q lot of dead
horses to dig up later, as was done after
the last war" he urged. Lets dig these
things up now and correct them"
Later on, he said: Investigation and
correction of abuses now will keep us
from having lot of scandals after the
war is over that might cause a wave Of
revulsion and create sentiment against
reasonable preparedness"
Heavy Savings Made.
Senator Truman introduced q resolu-
ton to carry out his ideas, and the result
was the creation in March, 1941, Of the
Special Committee to Investigate the
National Defense Program. AS sponsor
of the resolution, Senator Truman, as
Is customary. was named to head the
committee, which soon became known as
the Truman Committee" and is credit
ed by its admirers with saving the Gov
ernment billions in its far-fiung inquiry
into the war effort. Correspondingly,
Senator Truman has risen in public
esteem
Senator Truman early disclaimed any
idea that he or the committee sought to
run the war" and he has conducted
operations on an unusual basis with any
member of the Senate free at any time
to sit with the group and participate
fully in whatever study it has under
consideration.
One OF the early phases of rearma-
ment which particularly irked Senator
Truman was the divided control exer-
cised over the old Once of Production
Management under the Knudsen-
Hillman setup. It was a coincidence
that on the day before Pearl Harbor
Senator Truman was asserting that
failure and waste would be the ultimate
result unless authority was centralized.
What this country NEEDED, he declared,
was q defense works car"
The subsequent appointment Of Dom
aid M. Nelson as head eof the War Pro-
duction board was attributed in good
part to Truman's agitation.
Senator Truman had opposed the
third-term movement for President
Roosevelt in 1910 and supported his COL
league, Senator Clark, in a brief presi-
dental boom. Later on, however, he
joined the third-term forces, and when
this year saw the fourth-term drive
started the Missourian was on the band
wagon early.
When speculation over the vice presi-
dency began, Truman's name was among
those first mentioned. He said he didn't
want the job-and meant it. As a mat
ter of fact, the Senator wanted to get
back In uniform long ago, but President
Roosevelt would not hear of it..
Aided by President.
Then came Chicago, the purge" of
Henry A. Wallace, the deflation of the
assorted booms for War Mobilization
Director James F. Byrnes, Senator Al
ben w. Barkley and others and the ulti-
mate selection of Senator Truman, with
an assist from the President.
The next chapter still is to be written
Senator Truman is Baptist, Mason,
and his hobby Is reading with tastes
ranging from De Maupassant to the
Scriptures. He is not teetotaller. The
Trumans are Washington apartment
dwellers, and Mrs. Truman, and their
only child, Mary Margaret, singer of
promise. keep house. Mrs. Truman also
is on the Senate payroll as a $4.500 clerk
in her husbands office and, according
to the Senator, docs much Of my
clerical work"
Senator Truman is the first Mis-
sourian to have a place on a major
party ticket since 1872, when Gov. B.
Gratz Brown was on the Democratic
ticket headed by Horace Greely which
unsuccessfully sought to defeat Ulysses
8. Grant for reelection.