Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1946-08-16
What's
New?
By
DUCK
Representative
2>B
UAW,CIO
WEAK SISTER

yOul SdlS hilOShNd Oll WITCH
fisticuffs appear to be in the
offing is to acknowledge fear
or weakness. If there is any
doubt in the other guys mind
it flies out the window when
you begin to apologize or beg
for m ercy. That attitude,
among other things, ruined
the chances of a lad named
Conn a short time ago.
Harmless Harry Truman, a
genial gentleman of slight sta
ture, politically speaking, lit
orally apologized to the voters
of America when Franklin D.
Roosevelt passed away. He
hadn't exactly pined for the
opportunity of taking over the
reins, and he wasted little
time in sending out peace feel
ers to his various political OPP
ponents.
How some of them must
have chuckled we'll leave to
the imagination. But picture
Honest Robert Taft slapping
Homer Ramey on the back
and saying, ooh, brother,
we've been waiting a long
time for something like thisl
He didn't want the job in the
first place, huh? Let's give
him the business, Homer!"
HE DOOD 1T
They didn't necessarily need
to give him "the business"
He did a fine job on himself
when he begged for unity in
a voice that implied peace at
any price. Every reactionary
northerner, every narrow
minded southerner, every en-
emy Of the common man ev-
erywhere realized that Tru-
man was on the ropes before
he began TO fight, And they
each failed away with both
hands. The battle royal was
on.
Lacking the personality OF
his predecessor, the ability to
h o ! d factions together, the
popular appeal to the masses,
the craftsmanship and orator
ical skill of Roosevelt, he could
not effectively carry the fight
to the people of America via
the stump and the fireside
chat.
Harry Truman is a little
man in a big job. A very big
job. He didn't need to ask for
sympathy. He already had it
the moment he became eligi-
BILE for the post. Americans
knew he was lacking in lead
ership ability, but d e c n I
Americans respected II AIRY
Truman for his straightfor-
wardness, sincerity and devo-
tion TO the principles and pro-
gram Of the man he succeeded,
a platform founded on a de-
sire to help the common man.
His enemies realized his
shortcomings. They knew they
could weaken him with pres
sure of various kinds. Tru-
man had been an honest, con-
scientious Congressional lead
er, but he hadn't experienced
the pressure exerted on the
man in top leadership. AS
vice-president he had not the
occasion TO face situations so
serious as those which con-
front the president.
The war was almost over
when Truma a n took office.
However, even the wars end
did not lessen the composite
problem appreciably. Recon-
version and postwar economic
and political problems were
to be faced, and the peace was
yet to be written.
VEXED
VeXed with the failure of
Americas S industrial problems
to be satisfactorily worked
out by capital and labor, Tru-
man lost his patience and his
temper as we'll when the rail
road dispute climaxed a series
of wage disputes.
The railroad interests, rs
we'll as other monopolists,
knew they had Truman over
the barrel. He felt his respon-
sibility more than they felt
theirs 49, which in their case
was not at all, Still, for some
reason, he did not apparently
make as great an effort
toward finding the solution as
he could have made. His dis
play of tantrums and his pro-
pos e d anti-strike legislation
cost the Democratic party the
loss of much support from or
ganized labor.
In a foolish attempt to APP
pease the southern faction of
his party, Truman has filled
many an appointive berth with
an unheard of, homespun,
southern nonentity. In other
posts of economic importance
he has placed representatives
OF big business whose allegi-
ance would seem to be toward
the supposed enemies Of the