Evening star., 1945-12-24

Nor is there any reason for sur
prise that after IS years of service
Secretary Of the Interior Harold l..
Ickes, at his age, should want to
retire. However, concerning Secre-
tary of Labor Lewis Schwellenbach,
Secretary of the Treasury Fred M.
Vinson and Secretary of Commerce
Henry A. Wallace, reports of their
anxiety to retire seem somewhat
premature.
As to Mr.. Schwellenbach, it is
alleged that he is mot happy" in
his job. But that seems an made
quate reason for quitting 1t when
the department problems are OF
greater importance than ever be-
fore. Mr.. Schwellenbach certainly
wanted the job to start with and
those who know him best believe
he intends to keep it.
Vinson Report Discounted.
About Mr.. Vinson, it is asserted
that he wants to retire in order to
run for the Senate next year from
Kentucky. This seems an almost
incredible idea.
For one thing, Mr. Vinson already
has established such a record for
instability in the matter of holding
important posts, that to relinquish
another SO soon-and of his own
tnitiative-would certainly do him
no good. For another, to go from
the Treasury Secretaryship to the
Senate would seem step back, not
forward. For third, while Mr..
Vinson might be assured of the
Democratic senatorial nomination,
he could not be assured of election
Thus, the report concerning Mr..
Vinson Is not easy to credit, though
1t has been put out by some quite
knowledgeable people. Those who
know Mr.. Vinson best, however,
dismiss it as absurd. That, they
say, is not the way he plays the
great game of politics.
Wallace Race Talked.
The most interesting report of
all, however, is that of the Mr..
Wallace resignation. The thing that
gives it substance Is that it eman-
ates from sources undoubtedly close
to Mr.. Truman and is believed by
them. It is also held significant
that these Truman intimates be-
lieve in the reasons alleged for the
Wallace retirement-to wit, that the
CIO and its PAC (Philip Murray
and Sidney Hillman) having broken
with the President, want to run Mr..
Wallace against him for the 1948
nomination or to use him to head a
third-party ticket.
This, of course, makes no more
sense politically than many of Mr..
Wallace's pet ideas do economi-
cally. Unless all political history is
to be discarded, given his health,
the only thing that can prevent
Mr.. Truman's nomination by the
Democrats in 1948 to succeed him
self, would be his own refusal to
run-a most unlikely contingency
indeed. The effort Of anyone to
defeat him In the convention would
seem silly. But for the CIO to try
to beat Mr.. Truman in a Demo-
cratic convention with Mr.. Wallace,
would seem the limit of Stiffness.
Chance Held Remote.
AS to the other suggestion, the
futility of third parties has been so
often and consistently demonstrated
in this country that it is difficult
to take this one seriously. The ut
most the CIO and Mr.. Wallace
could hope from such a venture
would be to throw the election to
the Republicans-and the chances
are, unless the election were
strangely close, they could not poll
enough votes to do that.
Considering these things, it is
strange, indeed, that any of Mr..
Truman's friends should take stock
in the notion that Mr.. Wallace con-
templates running against him as
the CIO candidate or that the CIO
politicians really have such a plan.
The more level-headed of the
Truman inner circle" laugh at the
idea. That Mr.. Wallace is a willing
CIO stooge and capable of almost