Evening star., 1945-02-26

CanQ1QaCe Cdu-
not measure up to his prediction
advertisements and there Is an un'
favorable reaction.
II, as expected this week, Henry
Wallace is confirmed by the Senate
as Secretary of Commerce, these
basic political facts may be pain
fully impressed upon him and MS
friends. At the moment all re-
straints have been thrown on IN
the effort to secure the job. Moth
ing else seems to count with them
The lob, however enfeebled and
curtailed. Is the sole goal. AT al
costs they must have the job. Io
this end the country has been
flooded with the most extraordinary
propaganda ever put out IN oenaii
of a nominee for cabinet post Ii
makes all previous records seem
insignificant.
Hillman Group Active.
A large part of this propaganda
comes from the expensively equip
ped CIO and Mr.. Hillmans PAC'
But it is actively supplemented py
the American Labor party, the So
called Liberal party" Of New YORK,
and the radical daily and weekly
press of that city. In addition, varl-
Gus New Deal editors, columnists and
commentators have gone to extreme
limits in urging Mr.. Wallace's claims
end these are echoed by the C1O
Senators who lead his fight.
The chief tenor of the Wallace
publicity is that he is one OF the
greatest living men, endowed oy
God with wisdom and virtue high
above all ordinary humans, the
possessor not only of inspired vision,
but great administrative ability-ln
brief. a superman. The opposition
is depicted as sinister, selfish, reac-
tionary, and a foul plot to destroy
this noble creature is alleged.
This picture is so extravagant and
out of proportion that one would
think Mr.. Wallace himself would
recognize the impossibility OF living
up to these specifications and urge
some degree of restraint. But he has
done nothing of the kind. Instead,
his own magazine articles, orations
and utterances all appear to indi-
cate that he is impressed by the
picture and constantly striving to
Justify the notion that once he gets
the place for which he yearns, ST.
600 900 postwar jobs will be insured
by his plan" and the country saved
from collapse.
Takes Strained View.
He also takes the somewhat
strained view advanced BY his
friends that the Senate has no
right" to reject him and that TO do
so would precipitate the degenera-
ton of the American system OF
government.
OF course, when he becomes Sec
retary of Commerce all this over
praise, all these pretensions and
promises will come back to plague
him. Neither he nor any one else
could possibly make good on them.
Even If his plan" were sound, the
power to implement it will have
been denied him by the George bill
and he will find himself in rather
silly and impotent position, which
will require even greater propaganda
to conceal.
Thus it can be plausibly argued
hat Mr.. Wallace might be lucky If
le failed of confirmation. Easily, in
his fight he could lose if he wins,
+hough the argument has been made
lat his rejection would make a
arger political figure of him.
Political Reward.
For, after confirmation, the chief
facts about this appointment, now
obscured by the hullabaloo, are
going to be recalled. The first fact
is that Mr.. Wallace was named by
Mr.. Roosevelt as an openly de-
clared Tin his letter to Mr.. jones'
political reward The second Is that
Mr.. Wallace, already doomed for
the 1948 nomiantion, wants the job
for practically unconcealed politi-
cal reasons. A third is that after
an overwhelming vote of no conf
dence the Senate, by passage Of
the George bill, has pared the Job
down to fit the man"
A final fact is that so anxious is
Mr.. wallace for the job that,
though he has public views on every
other issue and Is one of our most
vocal statesmen, he has been more
quiet than the well-known mouse
on the very vital issue Of the. work
or-fight bill"
This bill was strongly urged by
the President, the Secretaries Of
War and Navy, the combined chiefs
of staff and every military and
naval authority as absolutely es-
sential to our embattled armed
services. The most potent opposi-
tion comes from the CIO, the CLOS
PAC, the Liberal party in New
York and the CIO Senators-all
Wallace supporters. Mr.. Roosevelt
wanted the bill and Mr.. Roosevelt
appointed Mr.. Wallace. The CIO,
the PAC, etc., support Mr.. Wallace,
do not want the bill, and apparent
ly have succeeded in scuttling it.
Mr. Wallace, in between, keeps
silent. This is hardly a tribute to
lis courage and character. 1t does
not seem to fit into that picture.
Nor has the recent revelation of
his advocacy of great highway for
the tourist trade" not only from
here to Buenos Aires, but also from