The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-08-31
By WESTBROOK PEGLER

OIL IudAdS PSoPAS 'AAAAAAA'
BY wEsTBRooK PEGLER
Copyright, 1915, by King Features Syndicate)
NEW YORK, Aug. 30.-Another thing about
President Truman that think our people are
going to like for change IS that he doesn't
show a preference for the Broadway and Hol-
lywood muggers who used the White House
and politics for publicity purposes in the last
dozen years and the Broadway saloon trash
who came on to be authorities on information
al relations, social questions and economics.
I don't think he has any prejudice against
actors and neither have I, on the stage or
screen, but their artificial celebrity or glamor
as they call it, tends to give false i'm
portance to their opinions on subjects on
which they are total ignoramuses and under
Mr. Roosevelt, they were hamming it all over
the place in the political campaigns and pos
ing as great bleeding hearts when, as mat
ter of fact, they were just strutting their
childish vanity and having wonderful time.
All this cheapened the White House and it
didn't do our prestige any good or serve any
other good purpose, either, to send abroad
as representatives of the United States in
dividuals who were notorious toss-pots, gar
ter-snappers and glgolos
This cast and the scenario bespoke flip
pancy toward the high business Of governing
great free republic whose people were pref
ty serious about life and the affairs Of the
world and this attitude was observed again
in the custom of calling people in high po-
sitions by their first names and by corny
nicknames such as Tommy the Cork, Harry
the Hop and Henry the Morgue.
assume, of course, that President Truman
calls Mr.. Byrnes, the Secretary of State, jim
my, but then they served together in the
senate and have worked together in other
Jobs But, without being sticky Mr. Truman
is genuinely dignified and respects the dignity
of others and moreover there is nothing truly
democratic, if you want to misuse that pro-
team word again, about the practise of speak
ing of men whose positions stand for some
thing as Winnie or Mac or Ernie.
have to gulp when say this. considering
Mr.. Truman's political background in Kansas
City, but think we are going to find him
against graft in office and the exploitation
Of the presidency not only by members Of
his family but by his friends, which would
be another sharp change.
He wasn't thinking Of becoming president
when he was running with the Pendergast
crowd in Kansas City but it is a strange
irony that II he hadn't run with them, crooks
that they were, he wouldn't be president to
day and we might have Henry Wallace and
Sidney Hillman just tearing things apart and
riots all over because commotion, not gov
eminent, is their dish. And l hope it is not
cynical Of me to grant him a perverse re-
spect for flying out to the funeral of the old
scoundrel last winter because there he showed
sense of personal loyalty, and damn the
consequences, that Mr.. Byrnes found lacking
in the man who made a choreboy OF him
and then doublecrossed him at the Chicago
convention, in favor Of Mr.. Truman.
see where he said he didn't like Franco
in Spain and that is all right with me, al
though the majority of the people who hate
Franco worst are just as bad as Franco and
for the same reasons. I mean of course, the
communists in Spain and Britain and here
and assume that Mr.. Truman knows that it
Franco goes and the communists come back
in Spain that will mean plenty of trouble for
us in the Latin-American countries
I would have preferred that he keep his
dislikes to himself instead of sounding off i'm
promptu like that and translate his convic-
tons and purposes into official attitudes and
actions. We have had too much of this loose
talk and you're-anothering at heads Of techni-
cally friendly states by our president and
other high officials, such as old 1ckes, and
none Of it did any good and while the war
couldn't be called the result of such cheap
pickering, it certainly wasn't postponed there
by.
think he might better have kept still
tongue in his head about the French press,
too, not that he wasn't correct, but that such
talk is little beneath the dignity of his Of
flee and naturally leads to repartee. But he
matured, politically, in Washington during a
time when Mr.. Roosevelt was calling people
liars who promptly called him a liar back
and picking on a defenseless reporter to ac-
cuse him of treason by innuendo in present
ing him with an iron cross, when the fellow
wasn't present, of course, or we might have
had a disgraceful row, and Mr.. Truman may
need some time to set his brakes and put
stop to that kind of thing.
I will bet you that if Mr.. Roosevelt had
would have made it seem that the release of
gasoline to the public was a personal bene-
faction from a generous ruler to his subjects.
Truman just said gas was off the ration list
and let it 60 at that and moreover he didn't
delay or dramatic the act but gave the pub
lie morale the finest boost it has had except
by the defeat of the enemy countries, in a
few casual words.
1t is not really odd that snall-town plow-
boy with a high school education and one
experience as a small shop-keeper in gents
clothing should bring dignity and good man.
ners to the White House in contrast to vul-
garity and conversation couched so largely in
wise cracks.
We grow good people in our small towns
and the idea that a shoe clerk probably isn't
gentleman in his instincts is just snobberv
On the other hand you won't find worse man.
ners anywhere than at the first nights in
New York and if you were to describe Some
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