Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1945-01-11

and an giraffe thinker.
'Al'
HOWEVER, the whole incl
H dent is one that should not
have been provoked by man in
Mr.. RooSevelts position for IL
suggests that one OF the three
political giants OF our terrible
time is still unable TO rise above
petty, personal meanness.
To infiict a cut on a few in
significant individuals whom he
dislikes or hates but who should
be beneath the public notice of
a respectable President Of the
United States, he did not heSi-
tate 10 insult many others who
have argued with fairness and
restraint throughout the many
legitimate differences Of belief
provoked by measures and men
OF his long regime.
Some Of these are found
among the opposition.
BY Jumping them all together
he showed again that he cannot
tolerate disagreement and holds
in contempt those who are sin
cerely deceived by his conduct.
| may be victim of my own
prejudice or convictions but IL
has seemed TO me that the New
Deal columniSts have been. as
a group, more frankly propa-
gandlSts than us OF that per-
SuaSion which might be called
the middle or the right.
INCIDENTALLY, the Roose-
Il Welt partisans include Specifi-
cally his old personal friend and
loyal follower, Lowell Mellett,
whose debut as an eXcrescence
evoked from the President a
nice publicity plug and a sneer-
ing remark that IL was uncom-
monty decent Of publishers
allied 10 the opposition 20 print.
views in disagreement with theira
own.
II was, as Mr.. Roosevelt well
knew when he said this. nothing
OF the kind for opposition papers
have constantly carried pro-
Roosevelt copy by way of ball
anclng the argument and in
forming the public.
His own wife's list of clients
includes opposition papers and
his friends. Harold Ickes and
Harry Hopkins. have turned
many an easy dollar with maya
zine articles composed of ma
terial CLEANED in their official
positions, and bought and paid
for by capitalists.
If the term "excrescence" an
plies anywhere " must apply TO
these two personal confdants
and political henchmen for thev
are not members of our craft
and their magazine work has
represented the exploitation of
public office for incidental pri.
vate profit.
HERE now this man. for bet.
II ter or worse. is CHARGED
with the fateful job of winning
this war for the United States
with the least possible sacrifice
OF life. the job of making a de-
cent peace in negotiations with
two other strong national lead
erS who know what they want
and the duty of preserving as
m u h Of American liberty AZ
home as may be saved in an
otherwise socialiStic and djcta.
torial world.
Yet, hough Roosevelt has
made some obscure gestures"
toward the right since election
day, he has spurned great op-
portunity 10 win the trust OF
millions of Americans who were
violently abused with epithets
and suspicious by him and hisl
officious underlings. even 10 thec
point of being called FaScists
and thus, traitors, by Henry
Wallace.
And, yet in the presence N
this awsome situation when a
little show of personal humility
and the terrible loneliness of an
overburdened hum an being
might win back respect and per.
sonal loyalty TO the holder OF
his office. he finds occasion to
make trashy repartee with
people who should be far outside
and beneath his THOUGHTS