Montana labor news., 1945-05-03
THE WASHINGTON
SCENE
BY TRAVIS X. HEDRICK

wAsHINGToN-(FP)- PIT is fortunate
for the sake of national unity that it
was Harry S. Truman and not Henry A.
Wallace that won the vice presidential
nomination at the hectic Democratic
convention in Chicago last summer.
That is particularly hard admission
to make. because of a deep devotion
hold for wauace-one that continues
now
But. in summing up the political pic
ture April "a it is only fair to eoncede
that Truman can do better job in the
White House in this period than the
popular friend and defender Of the com
mon man.
If it had been Wallace rather than I
Truman that sped to the White House I
that terrible afternoon, the pledges OF
support and of unity that spilled out OF
aching hearts might have been just from
cur side of the nation fence It would
not have been Wallace's fault but our
friends on the ught-the congressional
leaders in key posts, the strongest and
most arHculate sections of business and
finance. and the press and radio would
have united against what they feel is a
common enemy 49,. Wallace
Because the liberal and labor sections
of America are more devoted to victory
ana to the cause Of unity than the others
they can and are going along with Tru-
man They trust Truman and are be
ginning to see now that be can knit the
nation together better than any other
man. and that at the same time he will
not take a backward step in carrying
r out Roosevelts liberal domestic policies.
one of the signs that Truman is car
rying out those policies will be his re-
tention Of Wallace as secretary Of com
l. merce Another will be Walace's con-
as tinued appearances as a champion OF
10 the liberal cause. There is no reason to
cs doubt that both will be carried out
or Truman likes Wallace and admires the
ne way the then rejected vice presidential
rt candidate stumped the country for the
IN Roosevelt-Trlman ticket
ay Wallace is the liberal face Of the Tru-
il man administration Despite rumors
be now circulating in some ultra-conserva-
Is tive circles. Truman is unlikely to re-
of move Wallace in any forthcoming series
mt of cabinet changes
of And Wallace, as secretary of commerce
lat realizes the opportunity he has now tC
,r win small business to his side tt
av make the department of commerce a!
much an institution for the little busi
ness man as he once made the depart
ment Of agriculture one for the littl'
farmer
With that growth. Wallace will be a
o. once strengthening the voice of the peo
pie and building political fences Tor
ing possible bid for the presidential nom1
RS nation in l948.
ISL Truman has already made the connec
.5u tions between the Senate and the Whit
-, House far stronger than they have heel
'- in years. He has frsrds in the uppe
chamber who can and will work wit
~ him-and who never would be foun
~, working with or for our late grea
,cb leader.
Since the creation of a durable peac
depends largely upon Senate acceptanc
~ of the instruments created to carry it gu
Truman is in a good spot to captali2
on his advantage for the good of tn
whole people.
Truman is a man labor has no reaso
to fear. He is not going to name jaime
| F.. Byrnes as his secretary of state. A
] though Secretary of State Edward Stei
tinius, Jr may not continue long aftt
the end of the San Francisco meetin
of the United Nations, his successor wi
not be Byrnes-the man the Democrat
tories wanted as their vice presidents
candidate at Chicago Stettinius wi
be permitted to finish the job Rooseve
4 assigned to him.
In almost exactly the same manne
Truman may be expected to carry OF
the Roosevelt programme the Rooseye
specifications.
BY the time we reach an end of Roos'
yelts personal mapping of the POSITIVE
program, Truman will have to proviC
the fill-in material And it is at tn;
4 point that Truman will have to be az
sayed again 1t will be then that v
q will see whether the new president III
i the boldness, and the broad vision v
a all came to expect from the White Hous
4 It would be most unfair to compai
Truman with Roosevelt in this regar
4 We can only hope he will learn ar
n profit from experience. and by consultir
with many others. avoid pitfalls az
d serious errors.
=, II - D. ..,1~o,