Imperial Valley press., 1945-04-16
BY CHARLES b. BEGGES

WASHINGTON, April 16. (UP)-
An affable little man who didn't
even want to be vice president and
who demands that he remain "Har-
rv" to folks who know hin-that's
the 32nd president of the United
States.
When Harry S. Truman left his
seat in the senate to become vice
president, he made it plain to news
papermen that he didn't want his
new job to make any difference"
And those who know him say that
still goes, even though he now is
President of the United States.
The story of Harry Truman is one
that could have taken place only
in this country. His path from a
Missouri farm to the White House
led him through various common
place jobs and then into politics.
PENDERGAST BOOST
He was elected to the senate with
the aid of the Pendergast political
machine in Kansas City. But he
remained free of the stigma that
marked many Pendergast men.
When that political machine COL
lapSed, he emerged unscathed and
was one of the most respected men
IN the senate.
His fearless conduct as chairman
OF the senate war investigating COM
mittee-long known as the Truman
committee-proved clearly his high
sense of responsibility in public Of
flee. His committee spared no one,
not even high administration fig
ures, if it thought their war leader
ship deserved public criticism.
Under bis leadership, the COM
mittee made government savings
estimated at upwards of $1,000, ,00O,-
0O0
Truman was born on a Lamar,
Missouri farm on May 8, 1884-61
years ago. He graduated from the
Independence, Mo-, high school and
later studied two years at the Kan
sas City Law school. Defective vision
kept him out of West Point.
SO PER WEEK
He drew So week in his first
job-dusting bottles in a drug store.
He tried being a railroad timekeep-
er, bank clerk and newspaper mail
ing clerk before he decided to go
back to his parents farm.
Harry Truman left the farm in
1917 to enlist in the army in the
First World war and picked up his
VII afc= n n
lieutenant. He commanded a field
artillery battery through such world
war l campaigns as ST. Mihiel and
Meuse- -Argonne and was discharged
as a major. Later, he received a
>sQlonels rank in the reserve.
Bact f.6me after~the war, he mar
ried his childhood sweetheart, Bess
Wallace, who wept as he was sworn
in as president. Then came that
venture into the haberdashery bus
mess. He went broke.
1t was then that he looked up
some of his old army cronies who
had found berths in the Missouri
political machine bossed by Thomas
j. Pendergast. He won his first cleo
ton as a Jackson county, Mo-, Of
ficial in 1922, only to be licked for
reelection in 1926. However, four
years later he was back in the
courthouse with an election victory
by plurality of $1,000.
Mr.. Truman wasn't too happy over
the fact that he won the nominal
tion over the then vice president,
Henry Wallace.
DIDN'T WANT JOB
During the convention. Mr.. Tru-
man told a newsman that he lust
didn't want to be vice president.
He liked Henry Wallace. he said.
and didn't like the idea of displac-
ing him.
But he was nominated and he oe-
came the vice president Newspaper
men joshed him about his new post
After his Inauguration they wanted
him to hold press conferences and
then let them continue TO seel and
talk with him. He was worried at
that.
Boys" he said please ddp'L~let
My being vice president MAKE any