Detroit evening times., 1945-02-21
BEHIND
The NEWS
BY Paul
Malon


- Words and lyrics in praise
Of Mr.. Henry Wallace are blow
ing over the country from the
Washington and New York type
writer's and mimeograph ma
chimes, furious words and thun-
derous lyrics.
Here they sound like the old
wind and rain machines of the
10, 20 and 80 cent melodramas
which made Elias crossing of
stage ice so perilous and awful
for those who can be easily
conviRced. The Wallace grinders
moan and howl:
III you're for Roosevelt, you're
for Wallace (signed National
BuSinesSmen's Committee for
Wallace -.
Wallace Is a Yankee business
man, hOwls MOrgenthau" (ob-
livious Of geography which has
certified Yankees in New Eng
land where Wallace has never
been, except on political trips.
THE reactionary senators are
trying to defeat the common
man." means a Florida column
mist whose opinion is being re-
published throughout the state
as paid advertisement.
WHY? Mr.. Wallace is defeated.
w He was defeated within 4S
hours after his nomination for
secretary of commerce was sent
TO the Senate, defeated for the
only important aspect of his ap-
pointment, control of the lending
agencies.
/ know certainly Mr.. RooSe-
welt called him in and talked to
him then about giving up this
$40, 100000 part of the COM
merce sccretarys job although
Wallace then still wanted TO 60
through with both jobs. Without
that RFC, the commerce secre-
taryship is the least important
cabinet office.
He was defeated not by few
"reactionary" senators, but by
complete outraged majoritieS of
the Congress recently elected by
the people with Mr.. Roosevelt
for the fourth term. They just
would not stand for putting
farmer in to handle the New
Deals financial lending empire.
Why all this baliyhoo, them
Why this fake campaign? 1t is
fake, because il simply is not
true that if you are for Roose-
Welt you are for Wallace.
MIR. ROOSEVELT himself had
NA to discard Wallace for the
presidential campaign; is being
compelled by Congress now
again to discard him for a finan-
cial control job for which few
think him suited
II is not true that he is either
a Yankee or a businessman. 1t
is not true that opposition rep
reSents reactionaryiSm while he
represents the common man.
Looking at il only from the
Roosevelt liberal or any demo-
cratic viewpoint. the common
man would best be served by an
efficient management of the
banks and lending companies
through RFC in the interests Of
the government.
A man who knows nothing OF
such hardboiled. highly technical
management could cause the
whole RFC empire TO fall into
mess within a few months, dis
rupting the proposed job-lending
and ruin the country. Would
that help the common man?
IN MY solemn, sincere opinion.
Il Wallace could be useful in
that job only for those who want
TO ruin the country. You would
not hire a physician TO DO your
dentistry or a dentist 10 take
out your appendix. not unless
you wanted the patient to die.
Why this campaign The only
possible explanation, it seems to
me is this:
Radical leadership in IL is
country has fallen far below par.
The latest Hillman-CIO move
ment clearly was so uninspiring
from its own standpoint that it
searched for more respectable
front, even during the campaign,
trying, TO get the late Senator
George Norris TO head il.
Immediately after the election
il started an ill-founded fight on
the Stettinius aides and got only
about one-tenth OF the vote of
the Senate.
Now it is trying to stir up Just
as ill-grounded and foolish A
campaign to build up as a front
for its activities.
ERQM the way they are going
Il about il, l Judge they expect
TO make the people believe Wal
lace a tin-god from his defeat.
martyr for the common
man. a respectable show win
dow man for future use.
Mr.. Wallace is an honest, de-
cent person and thus suitable
for that purpose. He is not acute
TO the workings of those who
have been using him for some
time. Human and friendly, he
has never been accused of being
smart or gifted with the quail
tiao IN cinht fpy. loa Iarchtn