Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1945-01-09
FAIR
ENOUGH
-ByWestbrook-
Peeler

IF HENRY WALLACE were
i not well up in his fifties, YOU
could suspect that Mr.. Byrneas
the war mobilization director.
was sighting down the barrel at
him with his wisecracks about
able-bodied athletes who are
neither fighting nor performing
essential work.
Mr.. Wallace is Individually an
athlete, being not only tennis
man but one of our foremost
Indian wrestlers il not the
heavyweight champion OF the
world at this eccentricity, and he
is due to be fired from his pres
ent job on Jan. 20. when his
contract expires.
Indian wrestling is the sort OF
sport that one would expect tho
sort of~person that Mr.. Wallace
is to take up in studious and
tedious way.
II is of the same school OF
athletics as hitch-kicking. face
tag. heel-and-toe walking, the
push-up and the taffy pull
The contestants, two in num-
Der, stand face 10 face, their
feet wide apart. and clasp their
right hands and each then tries
to pull or twist the other on
balance.
When wrestler is compelled
TO lift either foot from the floor
he Is deemed TO have lost q
fall which is a technical term
not necessarily indicating that
the unfortunate player has ac-
tually fallen down, although
some of them do take some
nasty spills" / assure you.
A spill" is a slangy express
sion meaning about the same as
fall in the literal sense.
After one OF the wrestlers has
lost two falls" they generally
60 10 the kitchen and eat ginger
snaps or other goodies and drink
glass of milk TO show that the
contest has been waged in a
spirit e craftsmanship and fun
and that there are no hard
feelings"
Either the winner or the loser
OF the contest or match may
supply these refreshments de-
pending on whose house II IS
and that one is then said 10
stand treat" which seems 70
be a slang term from the from
tier saloons of the old wild and
woody" West.
Thus is our interesting Ian
guage enriched with many exc
pressions whose origins may be
obscure or totally lost 10 us and
not entirely dignihed either.
THE circumstances in which
L Mr.. Wallace lost his Job as
vice president Of the United
States we're exciting and. TO
others, amusing.
During the Democratic con-
vention in Chicago last summer
he felt distinct twinge or
prickle between his shoulder
blades
At first he thought nothing
about II but that evening as he
was walking through the lobby
OF the hotel where all good
New Dealers were supposed 10
check in with Sidney Hillman,
he met his friend and rival. Mr.,
Byrnes and their mutual friend.
Senator Dear Alben Barley Of
Kentucky.
All OF them were aspirants
for the nomination for the wee
presidency and each thought he
had valid assurances from Mr..
Roosevelt that. confdentally. he
was the real choice
Meeting Mr.. Byrnes and Sem
ator Barley. Mr.. Wallace gig
gled, as j. his wont. then SIM
pered and then did split
do you boys know" he
said. coming out of his saluta-
ton. II have got the funniest
sensation between my shoulder
blades"
We'll. NO have l." Mr.. Byrnes
exclaimed and Senator Barkley
said. THAT Is funny because II
Is the same here"
So they examined each other
and found that each one had a
great big pig-sticker protruding
from his back, all bearing the
initials "FDR."
The next day Senator Harry
Truman got the nomination for
vice president and Wallace was
looking for new Job.
The others, though not actu-
ally unemployed were pretty
sore but they could like il or
lump II.
CINCE then. however. there
~ has been great propaganda
out of Washington which fatty
assumes that the people of the
United States. having kept Mr..
Wallace on the pay roll for II
years at good pay as secretary
OF agriculture and vice presi-
dent. now have a duty 10 find
him another job 10 take the
place of the one from which his
friend. FDR, canned him.
The Wallace propaganda is
peculiar in that il never does
cite anything that he ever did
TO earn the right to luxurious
perpetual social security at the
peoples expense.
II just says he is "diffident"
and SHY" all of which is true
and revealed by his giggling and