Evening star., 1945-07-20

Qeath. Inat was the case WIN the
late Mr.. Coolidge and certainly is
the case with Mr.. Truman. About
the latter's popularity a lot has
been written recently, and Mr.. Gal
lup, the great poll taker, declares
1t is now greater than Mr.. RooSe-
velt's at its peak.
Though he has, as yet, performed
no act indicative of high character
courage or ability, there are sound
reasons for this extraordinary Tru-
man popularity.
One is that Mr.. Truman, person.
ally, turned out to be very much
better than any one expected. His
political background and business
career had not been of a kind to
Justify expectations Of anything
very much. Therefore, when it ap-
peared that, suddenly thrust into
this exalted position, Mr.. Truman
not only knew how to conduct him
self but evidenced common sense,
genuine modesty and an instinct
for doing the right thing in the
right way, there was an almost
unanimous disposition to applaud
Another reason was that Mr.. Tru-
man from the hour he became
President has had a remarkably
good press" Republican as well
as Democratic papers, New Deal as
we'll as anti-New Deal writers,
united in friendlineSs and support.
Record Is ALI in Future.
They could not well do less.
Whatever his Missouri political af-
filiations, his record as President
is all in the future. Until he begins
really to make it, he certainly, is
entitled to "the breaks" And, GER
tainly, he has had them. Then,
there were two other things-flrst,
the candor and competency with
which he handles his press confer
enceS, a pretty good test for any
man; second, the glamour with which
every President is enveloped the
moment he enters the White House
and which makes it difficult to
glimpse the real man thereafter.
The whole setup lends itself to
the weaving of legends around the
White House incumbent. 1t made
a wit out of Coolidge, which he was
not. 1t made chronic crouch out
of Hoover, which he was not. 1t
made a good-humored man out of
Roosevelt, which he was not.
What it will make out of Truman
Is apt to be more than he is, one
way or another. But such is his
protection that the real picture of
a man once he becomes President is
almost impossible to get. Usually,
the distortion is favorable; some
times the reverse. In Mr.. Trumans
case it is much on the favorable
side and that contributes to his
popularity. s= r
With Mr.. Truman, however, the
factor that has sent his popularity
to the highest point ever attained
by President is one not enjoyed
by any of his predecessors. 1t can
be summed up in four words-"Re-
lief from the RooSevelts." More
than anything else that has made
Mr.. Truman look good to more
people.
For more than IL years the
country had had Mr.. Roosevelt as
President. 1t was too long. In
that time he had accumulated as
many enemies as he had friends.
He was elected to a third and
fourth term because of the war and
the amazing political setup which
he had contrived. Distinctly, it
was not because a majority of the
people wanted him.
In either one of those elections
II the anti-New Deal, anti-Roose-
velt Democrats who reluctantly
voted for him for one reason or
another had been added to the
Republicans and Democrats who
voted against him, there would have
been an adverse majority.
Country Was Tired.
Few informed men will dispute
that. But the combination of job
holders, labor unions, Northern
Negroes, big city bosses, unparal-
leled White House propaganda, plus
the solid Democratic South, was
so potent as to be irresistible. At
least, so it seemed-and so the
Roosevelt political managers be-
lieved.
They felt-and with truth-that
they had devised a combination that
could elect, elect and keep on elect
ing. There seemed no reason he
could not have fifth term and be-
fore he died some of his friends
were talking of just that. And yet
the country was tired of hi-1, tired
of Mrs. Roosevelt; tired of this
family of which there seemed no
way to get rid.
They had been overpraised and
they had overstayed. They had mil
lions of enthusiastic worshipers but