The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1945-08-01
Observations
Midsummer in
Capital Marked
by Swearing in
By HELEN EssARY


swearingsin are all the rage in
the capital this midsummer.
Time was, several months ago,
when SweArihgs-iR we're more popu-
lar So many hrst-class people are
the heroes Of the swearingsin OF
the moment. II you aren't a guest
at an occasion OF this sort you
simply don't know your Washing
ton.
When our old friend Fred Vinson
took the oath OF ONCE as Secretary
OF the Treasury hundreds Of sincere
well.wishers and terribly important
people jammed the Ways and
Means committee room in the old
House ONCE building. You might
have thought you were at gala
pre-war party. Especially when
you saw the chauffeurs standing on
one foot in the Capital neighbor-
hood waiting 70. their passengers
to emerge from the ceremony.
Those people who came 90 early.
on a gray morning, to applaud Vim.
son felt somewhat as l did. Here
was a man you could like-without
a struggle. Often in Washington
you have to like successful people.
simply because they are successful.
But Fred vinson-well. here was Z
man you could understand. He was
a big, homely. intelligent honest
guy. II anybody could keep q
dollar bill worth OF taxes you had
TO pay for owning one OF the
things. Fred vinson was the man.
got the impression from Sem
stor Bob LaFollette OF Wisconsin,
one OF the bevy OF speakers honor
ing the new secretary, that the
new Secretary OF the Treasury
could even cope with a Fiscal
Year. There's a piece OF Finan-
ciana I've been able to understand.
1t seems to be sort OF annual and
perennial complaint that gums up
the pages Of anybody's bookkeep-
ing. What a fiscal year does to the
Treasury Of the United States is
frightful beyond belief( II the words
of the honoring bevy are to be
credited.
The way the honoring bevy spoke
about every one OF the problems
that confronted" vinson was en-
ough 10 make that stout-hearted
Kentuckisn turn and run. Turning
and running is not the practice Of
Fred Vinson. So there he sat list.
ening to his difficult future and
blushing under the "eeomiums" on
his stalwart character.
The retiring Treasury chief, Hen
~ Morgenthau. likewise had some
thing to bear. The speech-makers
said he was a fne fellow, too. And
insisted that nobody would ever
suspect him Of q thought, word or
deed that was not one hundred per
cent noble and efficient. This
note might have been over-emphas.
lied q trifle.
Morgenthau Is an aristocratic
and an elegant gentleman. I've
often thought he would be superb
as Ben-Hur with q purple and gold
cloak sweeping of his shoulders as
he rushed across a desert in a four.
horse chariot.
While still on the swearing.in
theme, a few kind words for Sena.
tor Alben Barley OF Kentucky.
No one in Washington public life
can make q gayer little speech than
Alben. He Is never ponderous.
Never takes on that too common
neutrality-suspicious. tone
loved by orators. which makes a
helpless listener want to say,
Amen, brotherl Amen
Secretary Of the Interior Harold
Ickes was standing in the back
ground OF the crowd at the Vinson
ceremony. I tried to ind out II
Ickes was going to remain in the
cabinet Ickes said: i've already
resigned"
do you think Mr.. Truman be
lieves you mean it," l inquired
To, this Ickes merely shrugged q
shoulder. and jutted out his chin a
bit.