Detroit evening times., 1945-09-14
WESTBROOK
PEGLER
Fair
Enough

II Is unseemly to bring out such
information regarding great
man 30 recently dead.
1t is argued In this connec-
ton that history should be al
lowed to form the verdict on
Mr.. Roosevelt's character.
To this I agree to the extent
that history will give the nnal
decision.
However. two other facts
should be remembered.
LNRST, Mr.. Roosevelt, himself,
i impetuously jumped the gun
and acknowledged his own
greatness during his life by
erecting historical monuments
TO himself, being our only presi.
dent who ever did this, al.
though Hitler and Mussolini. of
course did.
And. second, as every trial
lawyer knows, the time to pre-
pare a case is when the evi.
dence Is still at hand and wit.
nesses are still alive and their
memories good.
A famous criminal lost his
life In a memorable case be.
cause he waited too long to
turn states evidence. -
He had hoped from ol
jurisdiction TO another and
fought long appeals TO kill time
In the hope that time would
operate in his favor.
Finally. however, he was
doomed and, at the last hour.
he intlmated that in exchange
for a recommendation OF elem.
ency by the prosecuting attor.
ney. he would give evidence
that would convict persons
higher up.
The interview was held and
as the condemned man unfolded
his story IL became plain that
he had waited too long.
He was turning states evi.
dence against other men who
had already died in the gang
wars and was citing some Wit
ness who had died.
AS TO other witnesses still
living, the prosecutor had TO
consider the probability that
their recollection would be
faulty after so long a time.
Altogether. II was his prac-
tical decision that he could not
make a hanging case out OF the
information thus given in deS-
peration. and the convicted
murderer was executed.
HISTORIANS complain that
II they are hampered in their
work by the carelessness OF liv.
ing generations.
Years afterward, patient, stu
dious research men prowt ths
Libraries trying 10 restore his.
tory from fragments and bring
distorted versions into sym.
metry.
There Is no dearth Of propa.
ganda in support of Mr.. Roose.
velts greatness, his generosity,
his high principle and his fierce
devotion to the cause of that
mythical and abject creat,
conjured up by the writers a
orators OF his party and called
by them the common man.
This common man is repre-
sented as the typical American
citizen, the toiler, the small
merchant, the farmer.
And the image is not a COM
plimentary representation Of
the Americans who came off
the floor with blood on their
gums TO beat the mighty and
fanatical japanese one handed
while with the other hand they
finished off Adolf Hitler.
TSaTr fair to history and to
Il these Americans permit
them TO be portrayed as help
less. inept, bewildered masses,
so inefficient that they had to
be fathered and mothered by q
patronizing cult of self-ap-
pointed uncommon men and
women and so emotional that
they could not endure the truth
about one whose sycophants
would make him a god above
them?
Mr.. Roosevelt appealed for
their votes and their confidence
by certain professions OF prin-
ciple.
The people took him at his
own word in this particular.
II then, il can be shown that
he Knocked his own words and
ethics by permitting several
members of his family TO ex-
plot his office for income far
beyond their probably normal
powers, should the generation
now living cheat history and.
indeed, deceive itself in its own
| judgments. by covering up evi.
dence that he did?
Il
IF, FOR all his denunciation
Il of tax dodgers and of "cleYoS
little schemes having the cd
OF legality" Mr.. Roosevelt IefS
his own estate organized
that his heirs could escape q
certain inheritance tax, would
examination of the facts here
be sacrilege or conscientious
reporting7 M
Agreed that history should bs