Evening star., 1946-02-18

the late Harry Hopkins, the eulog1eS
seem slightly overdone.
For example, the press dwells al
most unanimously on Mr.. Ickes'
Integrity" One would think that
either he was the only honest man
holding high public Office or was
more honest than other honest men.
Neither of these things is true. Mr.
Ickes, of course, is completely honest
in money matters, as are most men.
But he isn't honest enough to be
fair; nor honest enough to avoid
misrepresentation of his opponents,
nor honest enough to justify the
designation of Honest Harold" as
ethough his honesty were of a quail
'1ty superior to that of the ordinary
honest man.
Right on Pauley.
One could go back over Mr.. Ickes'
record and speeches and find proof
of this. However, in his attitude
toward Edwin w. Pauley he is alb
solutely right. Mr.. Pauley ought not
to be confirmed as Undersecretary
of the Navy and Mr.. IckeS' testi-
mony haS-or should have-pretty
we'll ruined his chances. Also, Mr..
IckeS was right when he character
lied as the "rawest proposition" he
ever had made to him, Mr.. Pauley's
proposal (denied by Mr.. Pauley)
that if the Government laid off"
the suit against the tide-water oil
owners, they would contribute $780,
900 to the Democratic campaign
fund.
Beyond doubt, this was an out
rageous proposal which any honest
official would resent. But it should
be recalled that Mr.. Pauley at that
time was collecting money for Mr..
Roosevelt'S fourth-term campaign
and that he had been put in by
Mr.. Roosevelt as the party treasurer.
And it is worth noting that Mr..
1ckes' resentment of this raw prop
osition" did not impel him to pub
licly denounce Mr.. Pauley at the
time.
Perhaps, in the middle of the cam
palgn that was too much to expect
of him. Anyhow, it does seem that
II Mr.. 1ckes and Mr.. Pauley had not
fallen out we would never have
heard of this incident, which Mr..
Ickes kept quiet about for nearly two
years, though it would have fitted
in better with his Honest Harold"
reputation to have expressed his in
dlgnatiOn without delav
-Wingers Critical.
In this connection it is interesting
TO note that conspicuous among the
few papers which did not eulopize
Mr.. Ickes was the New York left
wing daily from which eulogy was
most to be expected. Instead oil
this, this radical journal, whose hero
Is Henry Wallace, was severely criti-
cal of Mr.. Ickes, stressed the fact
that up to a few months ago he and
Mr.. Pauley had been quite close, in
timated that Mr.. Ickes's motives in
denouncing Mr.. Pauley now were not
entirely devoid of personal spleen.
At his press conference Mr.. Ickes,
enthusiastically, denounced this
paper as untruthful and its corre-
spondent as "psychopathic and un-
truthful"
But what this journalistic propon-
ent (along with Mr.. Ickes) of the
New Deal, the CIO and the common
man. has to say against Mr.. Ickes
Is not very important. Whatever his
motives he has performed a public |
service In revealing the raw propo-
sltlon" and thus obstructing the
confirmation of Mr.. Pauley. The
breaSt-beating self-righteousness of
MS letter OF resignation and his OBJ
V1ous effort to hurt Mr.. Truman do
not detract from that fact. Nor do
they tarnish his record for compe-
tency and honesty as an admin
iStrator
However, nothing in the situation
Just1fles the eXtravagant laudation
Which insists that his departure is a
terrible political blow to the Presi-
dent and an irreparable loss to the
Nation.
Injustice to Truman.
The fact that Mr.. Ickes has put
on a typically gaudy show should
not make us lose all sense of pro-
portion. 1t should not, for exam
pie, cause to be overlooked the in
Justice to Mr.. Truman of his catty
remark that he was expected to
commit perjury for the party. No
one suggested or expected him to
n L.
Harold" knows it.
The truth is he is a violent and
vindictive man, with a recognized
talent for vituperation and real
skill in the use of words. But, he
is not a political leader and he has
no personal following. The effects
of his departure are being greatly
exaggerated.
Undoubtedly, before the Pauley
business is over he will LET off