The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1945-07-11
Observations
Wife of Jimmie
Byrnes Provides
Him With Help
BY HELEN EssARY

The wife OF the new secretary OF
state is. so knowing politicians say.
the perfect wife for the man in
public life.
Maud Byrnes. wife OF James F.,
has made her husbands career her
complete life work ever since she
married the lively Irishman down
in North Carolina. She is a pref
~. gentle woman with a soft voice.
She is neither argumentative nor
restless. She has never dragged
the poor man out to parties when
he came home tired from his Of
nce. She is a charming home-mak'
er and a wise listening post when
her husband wants TO explode about
some of the difficulties he has had
to overcome.
Whenever Byrnes ran for office,
and he ran right often and right
far, she drove him by day or night
through his district, stopping at
the right spots so that Jimmie
could address an auditorium of pos
sible constituents.
Meanwhile. she was always good
tempered, encouraging and gave
sound advice in the slightly baffled-
by-it-all tone of voice which south
ern women affect so well.
81 was Just thinking, Jimmie"
she would say after Jimmie had
been storming a bit at the opposi-
ton, Il was just thinking, that
maybe you might have got the
wrong impression-well, Just a lit
tle-about what those people real
ly meant. II could be that you
were little tired at the time they
spoke. Maybe, honey. you Just
didn't understand things the way
they were meant"
IF ever a man was truly helped
by his wife," said Speaker Sam
Rayburn, 1T is Jimmy Byrnes.
why, Maud knows that fellow
inside and out She has always
done the thing that would be best
for him. And she's done It gaily
and unselfishly. I tell you, Maud's
fine girl"
The new secretary OF state has a
talent for winning and holding the
loyalty OF the people who know him.
Byrnes dts going 10 be hard to
refer to him as Secretary Of State
Byrnes" when I've known him for
years and years as Jimmie Byrnes)
told me about his clever secretary,
Miss Cassie Conner. Miss Conner
would meekly take down a sharp
note as dictated by the then Sena-
tor Byrnes when hew as Justly in
dignant.
A few days after he had sent the
note-got 1t our of his system. so
to speak-Byrnes would call Miss
Miss Cassie" he would say, i've
been thinking about that letter I
wrote to the fellow down in Texas.
II might be that l could phrase
Il another way. But / suppose by
this time you have mailed the let
ter"
d. ooh, no, / haven't mailed It," Miss
lConnor would reDIy. indeed Mr..
Byrnes," looking the boss straight
In the eye, II didn't have a stamp
Icr that letter. So ! filed IL away.
II is probably outof-date now.
Shall tear IT up?"
by all means" Byrnes would
answer. tear It up. II wasn't much
good anyhow"
THE NEW SECRETARY OF
STATE is not the only man in pub
lie life OF the moment who rejoices
in a non-aggressive wife. I hasten
to correct that sentence to "a nom
publicly aggressive wife" There
aren't many career women" in
high matrimonial places around
the capital these days.
Mrs. Truman keeps becomingly
in the background OF the Presi-
dent official life. Il think l should
have Unanswered a trip to Ger
many with Harry S. II had been
Mrs. Bess.) However, Mrs. Bess
Truman is probably smarter to
stay at home in Independence. No,
and wait for her husband TO tell,
when he gets back home, how
many highballs Winston Churchill
can stand without a jitter-how
Joe Stain really looks behind his
mustache, and other high-class in
ternational agenda.
The other new members OF the
cabinet also have non-career wives.
That is, they have wives who have
made their husbands careers their
own. Could be, dear sisters who
crusade for women's rights, that
this Is the smartest road for
woman to take. Certainly the new
Official wives have done pretty
well for themselves and their hus.
bands. What the postwar wife will
do with herself and her husband or
with the man she would like to
land as a husband, is going TO be
one OF the most interesting sociol-
ogical developments OF the next de-
cade.