Detroit evening times., 1945-04-19
BEHIND
THE News
BY Paul
MaIlon

UC Oil tiiN iiAii
agreed among themselves that
Monday was too early for Presi-
dent Truman to speak.
Leaders Barkley, Rayburn
and others told newsmen as
much at first, and when Mr..
Truman came up to the congress
sional hill for lunch. they told
him, too. He listened, but shook
his head and said no, he thought
il would be good for the morale
of the country for him to make
himself clear as soon as pos
sible. He has mind of his own.
To this luncheon he rather
pointedly invited a bipartisan
cross section of the Congress,
not just the Roosevelt coterie.
He did not, for example, invite
Senator Pepper of Florida but
included Senator George of
Georgia as well as Barkley.
To the possible disappoint-
-ment- oiLthe- -brassy-eymbaled
liberals. he did call in the last
two real liberals, LaFollette and
Burt Wheeler LaFollette,
who had steadfastly declined
the invitation to play minor
flute on the bandwagon of new
liberalism, and Wheeler, who
split personally and bitterly
with MIR. Roosevelt.
DRIVATELY, Truman asked
i Wheeler TO help him, and
Wheeler said he would. II was
Wheeler who gave Truman his
start in Congress. and probably
enabled him to win his first re-
election by making him chair
man of subcommittee investi-
eating railroad securities. There
is no venom in Mr.. Truman. He
does not hate.
Thus remarkable pledges OF
support came from people with
whom Mr.. Roosevelt could not
do business the last four or five
years. Even Republicans un-
precedentedly adopted an Of
ficial promise of help.
This tendency of the new
President has been partly OBJ
served, and / have seen criticism
that he is too friendly to sue
ceed. Such criticism can come
only from those who believe in
dissension as a way of life.
could never. understand their
position. especially as no sacri-
flee of personal principle is re-
quired TO get along conStruc-
lively with political opponents.
TRUMAN is a New Dealer.
Il Make no rash conclusions to
the contrary. He is Hillman-
approved and pro-CIO. Yet when
the CIO came to him a few
weeks back and privately asked
him to get to work to break the
Little Steel Formula, he turned
them down. He replied flatly
he was against initiation which
would be harmful to labor as to
all.
The Wallace type of New
Dealer is. however, hanging its
collectively cloudy head. Pepper
and some are saying I'VE all
must pull together" yet average
Senate opinion anticipates that
the Wallace campaign for 1948
is done for.
Truman opposed the re-noni-
nation of Wallace strongly in
the last pre-convention cam
paign. He gets along personally
with the commerce secretary
and no doubt will refrain from
disturbing his position. But he
will not be for Wallace In '48.
His closest Senate friends were
New Dealers like kilgore of
West Virginia. Hatch of New
Mexico. Scott Lucal of Illinois
and Barkley.
AS THE Wallace star and its
IA constellation dims, the COM
ing meteor of the administration
is likely to be Bob Hannegan,
chairman of the Democratic ma
tional committee. He will be
the Hopkins for Truman.
Some are asking, then, what
of the influence of the Pender-
CAST machine? That machine
has gone; the boss is dead 1t is
their machine now, Truman's
and Hannegan's. and apparently
not a formidable one in Mis-
souri,, which home state it failed
to carry in the last election,
My information is that Han
negan already has done better
inside work for the coming con-
gressional campaign next year
than have the Republicans.
Democratic senators believe this
to be true.
TALK of cabinet changes are
L in the realm of speculation.
Some men in the cabinet do not
rate their jobs by any reason
able reckoning either of politics
or efficiency. Yet this bad in
heritance has in way fallen to
Mr.. Truman's lot and he may
feel il necessary to carry the
burden until graceful opportu-
nifty is provided. or splits de-
..-lx. Ia 4. 4<.-x.il.1. I..x.zil.x.