The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1944-10-06
Observations
Mrs. Roosevelt
Has Compelling
Personality
BY Helen Esssry


This campaign for the White
House, unlike mot other such cam
paigns. has a new issue-the wife
OF one OF the candidates.
speak. OF course, OF Mrs. Roose.
welt. eXcitedly discussed from the
northern 10 the southern borders,
and from the Atlantic TO the Paci.
nc Coast.
Mrs. Roosevelt is a real issue In
this 1914 race for the presidency.
She is an issue because of her ex.
tra.curricular activities and be-
cause of her opinions, opinions
which do not always sound meek
and mild.
The other First Ladies have been
talked about holly in White House
election years in this country. But
not because OF their importance as
public citizens, so TO speak
Rachel Jackson was a femme
fatale' who had lived without the
help OF the divorce court with the
doughty Andrew. There had been
a perfectly honorable mIsundcr-
standing of court rulings Yet Ra-
chel was spoken of freely when
Jackson was running for the high.
est office. She. however. was dis.
cussed in terms OF scandal.
So was Frances Folsom who mar.
ried Grover 0eveland. Mr. Cleve-
land had not the sw test OF pers-
onal regulations when he married
his lovely ward. SO the lovely
ward was gossiped about by people
who wanted to defeat Cleveland.
With Mrs. roosevelt. the situa-
ton is different. She is caricatured.
She is the subject for editorials.
speeches-platform and drawing
room varieties. She is as much Of an
issue in the coming election as
well almost as how much aid we
should send to once occupied coun-
tries.
This is the first time such a
thing has happened 10 any woman.
II would appear that we are get
ting on in the wor'T
SOON THE LEAVES in the
spreading gardens at Dumbarton
Oaks will change to red and gold
and yet there is no finished post
war plan in sight.
The international guessing game
has shifted from Russia to China.
We have stopped worrying about
what Russia will do. We ask each
other-we who pretend We think
we are in the know'-"What do
you really believe is going on in
the Far East? How will China be-
have? Will she throw in her lot
with Japan? Is she completely
Communistic?
China remains the Big Enigma
she always was. Now that Donald
Nelson is back from his look-see
there, a new crop OF rumors will
squirt about "the real situation in
China"
Writers and observers are trying
to get themselves sent to China.
Europe has lost much OF its fasci-
nation to the inquisitive mind.
China, everybody tells you. Is the
place where anything might hap
pen.
THERE ARE INTERESTING DE-
VELOPMENTS in the United
States yachting situation. The gov
eminent is giving back those yachts
it borrowed for the duration.
The government thought IL need
ed the bigger and better yachts OF
our more affluent citizenry in the
e.rly days of the war when the Ger
man submarines were sinking our
ships with frightening
frequency. The yachts. converted.
could be used in protecting our
This seemed and was an excel
lent idea at the time. But we have
so completely licked the German
that the yachts are no
longer needed. Already plans are
under way 70 restore them TO their
pre-war owners. Most OF the Dor.
rowed vessels have had their In.
terror decorating torn out TO make
room for guns and such. But the
government means TO do a nice and
not inexpensive Job Of restoration
before it writes it's thank you notes.
Among the finest Of the borrowed
yachts are the Sea Cloud owned
by the former ambassador to Rus
STA and Mrs. Joseph F. Davis and
the Alder OF Mrs. William Boyce
Thompson, whose daughter mar
ried Tony Biddle. now United
States ambassador to most OF the
occupied countries.