Detroit evening times., 1945-04-17


which came through hemorrhage
OF the brain.
He had not been able to work
at the White House for many
previous weeks but had been at
Hyde Park and Warm Springs.
Indeed, he had been a sick man
for at least Is months. The
greatest Of men. while i'll, cam
not do their best job.
THE immediate change, there
L fore, will 70 no further than
10 place a protege of the late
president al his desk. The differ
ence Of administration at first
then will only be personal Mr..
Truman has been saying by
every action and word that his
guiding inspiration will be the
thought
81 would like to do this
as Mr.. Roosevelt would have
wanted 1t done"
He went beyond the normally
expected announcement promis-
ing to keep the Roosevelt poll
cies, and proposed 10 keep the
Roosevelt personnel as we'll.
The War-Sensitlve stock mar
ket showed no encouragement
at these prospects. There was
no selling. National reaction
generally shared this interpre-
tation.
AS far as the war is con-
-eefned, not the slightest change
is possible Our plans were all
in the hands OF the army and
navy, and not only have been
long since adopted, but all near
fulfillment.
COME changes in the peace I
~ think will eventuate. / be-
iieve Mr.. Roosevelt was near
some alterations 70 meet the
newly arising international situ-
alton. Whatever these turn out
TO be. they will not be far from
his plans.
His state Secretary Stettinius
knows the situation thoroughly,
is realistic, and a far greater
man than yet recognized (his
handling of Argentina success
fully gave evidence of this)
Furthermore, the personality
of Mr.. Truman is bound 70
inject itself more and more in
all decisions. domestic and for
eign, as time goes on. In a year
or so. necessity may well force
him into assumption Of policy
originating initiative.
Remember, he has nearly four
years to serve, and time swiftly
covers graves.
GREAT men, l have found, are
" like artists. When they
produce a great work in cer-
tain style which gains them
popularity and fame. they think
that is the only way 10 do
things always thereafter. 1t
becomes the only way for them.
Writers who make hit with a
certain line of endeavor adopt
that style and a change of 1t
later becomes physically impos-
sible for them. Actors who
gain success playing certain
part, always thereafter live that
part in other roles. They be-
come that person.
Mr.. Roosevelt was of the era
of depression. He came into the
thick of it. devised successful
and popular line of thought,
illustrated by the spend-lend
theory. Although times changed,
he did not. He could not. HUI
man nature would not allow him
to discard or greatly alter the
ideas which brought him to the
top of the world, and he wanted
TO pursue them internationally
as postwar measure.
TRUMAN is a new man. AL
L though also a product of the
depression era. Indeed he has
been a senator only since 1894
His superior personal knowledge
is on the subject of war con-
tracts as a result Of his chair
manship of the Senate investi-
CATION. He has been raised
politically TO the worship of Mr..
Roosevelt'S methods, particu-
larly in the political sense.
Yet the basic Roosevelt politi-
cal principle was to keep his or
ganization and his setup as a
one-man unit. He did not even
groom his successor.
What kept the government
and organization line on straight
center was the magic Of the
Roosevelt name and personality.
Can any one else do that? l
doubt il.
So just As certainly AS the
Cleveland tariff era passed. the
Theodore Roosevelt big-Stick.
the Woodrow Wilson and the
Coolidge-Hoover leadership all
had their days and gave way 10
newer methods, / believe today
we invisibly and unwittingly
(for you can only tell such mat
ters truly by looking back upon
them) are experiencing the
birth of a new era in a new
world.