Evening star., 1945-12-02
Why Truman Often Goes Back to Missouri
BY Francis P. Douglas.

BY Francis P. Douglas.
President Truman's trip to Missouri
last Sunday to see his mother called
attention once more to his habit of re-
turning to his native State whenever
the opportunity affords. For some rea-
son or other, this seems to surprise GER
tain people. Missourians would be sur
prised If he didn't come back when he
could.
There were even some Missourians
who, when threatened with the prospect
of living outside the State, had the
boundary routed through Arkansas to
take them in. That accounts for the
"bootheel" that juts south into Arkan-
sas between the Mississippi and the st.
Francis Rivers. It was in that area that
Mr.. Truman visited the county fair at
Charlottesville in October.
Those who followed the news accounts
OF Mr.. Truman's trip may have been
surprised to read that at Caruthersville
he was in cotton country. Missouri, it
is true, lies just south of Iowa, but the
"bootheel" is across the Mississippi from
Tennessee and is long way from Iowa
both in miles and atmosphere.
Other Missourians have another name
for the acknowledgements Mis-
souri," The Southeast Missourians don't
mind now that the swamps have been
drained, because it reminds the rest of
the State Of the fertility Of their soil.
The black earth is SO incredibly fertile
that you could apply the saying that
was used in connection with the Boons
Lick area along the Missouri River:
PLANT a tenpenny nail at night and it
will sprout crowbar by morning.
Was Fur Trading Post
Pemiscot County, of which Caruthers-
vile is the county seat, has wide areas
of cotton and the soft accent you asso-
ciate with cotton. Charlottesville was La
Petite Prairie of French days. The
French established a fur-trading post
there, which subsequently was washed
into the river.
Upstream is New Madrid. It was to
have been the center of buffer State
against the American colonies in the
days OF the Spanish regime. Incidentally.
just as in the case Of Cairo, H., nearby,
which you pronounce like the corn sirup
and not like the city in Egypt, SO you
have to be careful of the pronunciation
of New Madrid. You say Madrid and
not as the Spanish pronounce their city's
name.
Missouri provides variety and sur
prises. New Madrid encountered them
back in the winter of 1811-12, which is
known as the year of the great shake"
The ground heaved and rumbled and
great assures appeared. Huge stretches
OF the banks of the Mississippi slid into
the river, which was churned with
waves. The earth still quakes OCCASION
ally. Up in st. Louis when there is a
little jiggle on the needles of the seis-
mographs at the Jesuit university it is
likely they will put it down to the New
Madrid fault.
More Than Its Share of War
The Civil War ebbed and flowed
across Missouri. Mr.. Truman's town of
Independence had more than its share
of the war. In Southeast Missouri, as a
result of its tragic experiences of which
the people did not like to be reminded,
the war for years afterward was spoken
of euphemistically as "the late unpleas-
antneSs."
Not far from New Madrid in the
Mississippi was Island No 10, a strategic
point which the Confederates fortified
and guarded with gunboats. Maj. Gen.
John Pope finally took New Madrid and
the island, and made such a name for
himself President Lincoln made him
commander of the Union Army of Vir-
ginia to protect the Capital.
The original Truman stomping ground
(stomping is the proper spelling in
Missouri is about $50 miles across the
State to the west. Across hills lovely
with dogWood and red bud in the early
spring, deep green in the summer and
then clothed with glory that autumn
brings. Across streams that are the
delight of the fisherman's heart-the
Usage, the Niangua, the Gasconade and
perhaps, of greatest renown, the Cur
rent. Those are few.
Over by the western border where the
plains begin Mr.. Truman was born at
Lamar In Barton County, part of the
area settled by people who came from
Kentucky and Tennessee.
Cass County, farther north in that