Evening star., 1945-07-06
General Cabinet Shift
Seen Aiding Liberalism
Truman Out to End New Deal
as Campaign Issue, Says Writer
By David Laurence


as Campaign Issue, Says Writer
By David Laurence
Slowly but surely the reorganization
Of the administration goes on. Cabinet
designations, withdrawal of subordinate
oficials, and a general shifting seems
In progress. More than ever it may be
said that April IL. when President
Roosevelt died, was the end of one
epoch and the beginning of another.
OF the original Roosevelt cabinet
of 1888 only the Secretary of the In
terror remains, and his tenure is said
to be doubtful.
President Truman makes the changes
tactfully and without hurting any ones
feelings. In every case he writes
warm letter of approval with the first
name technique which was introduced
so euphemistically by Mr.. Roosevelt.
Everybody's departure is pictured as
loss to the public service, yet the urge
to 90 into private practice or business
is recognized as inevitable.
There is something healthy about
the transformation now going on. The
idea that cabinet position was life
job or that one party or administration
would continue indefinitely in office
appears to have obsessed some officialS
to the point where they forgot TO think
of cultivating the ground for their
own withdrawal.
New Deal Ending as Issue.
There are, of course, many reasons
for the changes in personnel. Every
new President wants his own cabinet
and his own entourage of loyal friends
whose personal equation he knows. But
there is something more fundamental in
the changes which now are being made.
1t is that the New Deal as such can
not remain as an issue in the 1948
campaign without hurting Mr.. TrumanS
chances OF reelection. The country has
long ago turned from radical reform
to desire to make the reforms effective.
The Truman administration can do
great deal for the cause of liberalism
by consolidating the gains which liberal
ism has to its credit.
This will not be an easy task, for
there are still elements of reform i'll
the administration which will insist On
favoritism and prejudice in Govern
ment as well as special privilege. The
labor politicians have taken a leaf out
of the book of the reactionaries and
now oppose any changes, for instance, in
the Wagner Labor Relations Act. This
,l1yi ir,fa the hitfar1Acc hafwaEY1
labor and management and rebound to
the disadvantage of the Truman ad-
ministration For in the end industrial
strife will compel the President to in
sist on an impartial law and If he does
not handle labor relations on a basis
of objectivity and fairness, the result
can be political opposition from the big
middle class in America. Misuse of
power by labor unions was never In
tended to be licensed under the Wagner
law. and that is one Of the defects of
the present situation.
Mr.. Truman will find thai in the
period of reconversipn and reconstruc-
tion he will have TO take a firm stand
on labor issues. Otherwise the 1916 con-
gressional campaign may reveal an un-
dercurrent of opposition that will be
troublesome for the incumbent party in
ls4s
Partisa1ship Feared.
Another factor that can cause diff
culties for the Truman regime on the
political side is rumored tendency TO
introduce partisanship in matters of for
eign policy. This sounds incredible and
can hardly be accepted as true until
concrete evidence of it Is manifested.
But in the National Capital the word is
going around that Chairman Hannegan,
with the consent of President Truman
has started to eliminate Republicans
from posts of Importance even though
they are engaged in duties related to
the war or foreign policy.
Take the State Department, for in
stance. 1t has always been nonpartisan,
especially in wartime. Considerable ef-
fort has been exerted TO make foreign
governments believe we have continuity
of policy and that we co not play pol
itics with it. If politics does enter into
it and Republicans are removed, for ex-
ample, because they refused to con-
tribute to the Democratic campaign
funds last year, it will only lead to polit-
ical repercussions on Capitol Hill The
statute which is to outline the respon-
sibilities of the American representative
on the new United Nations organization
has yet to pass both Houses, and it
would be most unfortunate If the Re-
publicans we're given the excuse so many
Of them want to begin partisan fight.
There are many agencies in the Gov
ernment where the introduction of the
factor of political service does no harm.
AS between New Dealers who never held
elective office and yet are given policy
making posts and officials who have
served the people in Congress and know
legislation from the viewpoint of public
opinion, there is every reason why polit-
ical service should be given the prefer
ence.
Reproduction rishts reservsdl
NehaAA