Evening star., 1946-04-03


In the past week President Tru-
man hit the front pages with a
bang. He held his own with the
"denaturing" of plutonium to pro-
vide peaceful atomic energy, and
Russia's threat to walk out on the
current meeting of the United Ma
tions Security Council.
The President first crashed page
l by wearing striped tie with a
dinner jacket. He came right back
with the announcement that he had
decided to take up horseshoe pitch
ing for exercise, and that a horse
shoe court would be installed in the
south grounds Of the White House
World Circles Buzz.
1t is hard to say which of these
stories had the more profound effect
on the capitals of the world. But
judging from the scattered reports
I have had from my contact men
throughout the world, the wearing
OF a striped bow tie with dinner
clothes caused more buzzing in inter-
national circles. Here are a few of
the reports I have had from my
men:
Chungking: Prominent Chinese
talked of little else today. Some
saw the Presidents choice OF neck
wear as a fearless stand on Man.
churian situation, and stocks scared.
Others, however, feared the tie was
symbol Of compromise, and Cancelled
their usual late afternoon rickshaw
rides to stay at home and make gun
powder.
Rome: So cheered was Army by
the Presidents tie that high brass
removed "off limits" sign on coliseum
and allowed G1s to visit historic
ruins.
Moscow: No official reaction pub
lished, but it is believed in informed
quarters that the striped tie marked
the beginning of a break between
England and United States. This
belief based on fact that no English
man would ever wear striped tie
with dinner jacket.
Teheran: Please rush so bucks
due me last six months work.
London: Old School Tie Associa-
ton held indignation meeting in
large punt on Thames. Press was
barred, so no means finding out
what happened.
So much for the results of the
Presidents wearing the striped tie.
Now, what about his turning to
horseshoes for relaxation?
Constitutional Right.
There can be no criticism of that.
Every President has the right (see
the Constitution to choose his own
sport. Washington was a broad
jumper and dollar -across-th -the-river
scaler. Jackson liked to race horses.
Roosevelt the First liked to box and
shoot wild animals in their native
haunts. Wilson relaxed at the the
ater. Harding was a golfer. Cool
idge liked to forget the cares of a
bull market by posing in Indian
bonnets. Hoover was fisherman.
In choosing horseshoe pitching,
Mr.. Truman has added to his stat
ure as a Plain Man, horseshoe
pitching being a plain game. Not
expensive. just buy a horse, take
his shoes off and get to throwing.
1t is game closely associated with
overalls, chewing tobacco and the
barnyard. That is the sort of game
we Americans love. A plain game.
We want as head of our country
Plain Man. I have often thought of
running for the presidency on the
platform that couldn't read or
write, had never tasted richer food
than grits and sow belly bacon, pro-
nounced Italian "Eye-talian," and
had never left my home country,
was born in house with dirt floors
and thought that the best thing you
could say about man was that he
was the salt of the earth"
A man might very well be elected
if he had all these qualifications.
This country still thinks it'll get
another Lincoln-a backwoodsman
with genius enough to lead 1t in the
world of today.
This country would be much bet
ter off If Lincoln had been grad
uate of AndQver, Yale, the Sorbonne,
and had been born with a full set
of silver, not just spoon, in his
mouth.
Lincolns come but one in centu-
ries, but we keep thinking there is
one in every log cabin. The next
Lincoln is still in the woods, and
so are We
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