Detroit evening times., 1945-05-17

In many ways being born rich is immense handl-
cap; and President Roosevelts Wealth was almost as
much of hndrance to political success as the I'M
PARALYSIS that he conquered with such lndomtabe Will
power and endured with such gayety.
When President Roosevelt ran for a fourth term, it
expected that his personally selected wee pesloent
Wallace would be renomnated and in spite OF the oppo
sition to him. his disciples came within an ace OF siam
pedng the convention.
The thought of Wallace as president today makes
conservatives break into cold sweat. And almost any
body is a conservative compared to Mr. Wallace.
After furious conferences the men IN power com ON
promised on the most unexpected nominee When the
ioudspeaker beloved through the hall: Wl the next
vice president of the United States please come to the
PLATFORM" the wheel of fortune made another of its
recent dizzy revolutions.
THERE was something old-fashioned and pleasantly
quaint in the fact that the scurryng politicians found
the future president to be president seated IN
obscurty eating hamburger and drinking from bottle
of coke
death and the glow Of the euoges has passed and the
od-booded historians look back on these times, some
of them will have bitter things say of the politicians
who encouraged and permitted dynS man 10 uhueiSo
such campaign
successor and there hardly Democrat IN the gov
with whom he less intimate than with Sen
ator Truman. Even after the nomination and election
there was hardly any hint of closer relationship.
When the news of the presidents death shook the
world the president and his wife and daughter were
living in little veroom apartment without even serv-
ant Even after Truman had been sworn in, the new
First Lady of the land got his breakfast for him and
washed the dishes herself.
COMEHOW that delights something in the American
- heart We apt to be terrible snobs in an upside
down sort of way Greedy may be for wealth and
luxury ourselves love to other people doing their
own housework.
And now the nation used to cataclysms nearly every
day and dazed to find obscure and retiring man as
it's Chief Executive, startled by amazements
The new President utterly reversed all procedure.
He did not summon his old colleagues in Congress to
come to him; but asked them to let him to them,
and lunch with them in their building
Suddenly, by simple gesture, telephone call,
mere luncheon date restored to the customs of
old when the President the Executive felt himself the
agent of the legislative branches which directly represent
the people, make the laws and authorize the expendi-
lures of money
Meeting the newspapermen, Truman asked them to
pray for him.
VNHE President paid solemn and sincere tribute to
the expresident and promised to carry out his great
plans for and peace.
Yet there was something almost melodramatic in the
almost selhess meekness, humility and impersonal OBJ
iectivitv of the Executive.
Yet for all his gentle self f-efacement, he revealed
immense forcefuness drecness, openness and warmth.
In day or two President Truman restored a dozen
ancient traditions. For instance, he brought back the
old-time presidential habit of being born farm.
Like many farmers he was brought up under the
heavy shade of fourishing mortgage. He tried to
escape and opened store AS in the of Grant and