Evening star., 1946-11-02
president Continues
Hands s-0ff Policy on
Missouri Ba||oting
By Joseph A. Fox
Stor Staff Correspondent

KANSAS CITY, Mo-, Nov. g.
President Truman stuck to the side
lines today as his fellow Democrats
In Missouri-in common with those
in the rest of the country-were
making their closing appeal to the
voters for support in Tuesdays elec-
ton.
Continuing to maintain hands
Off attitude on the balloting which
will determine if the Democrats are
to retain control of Senate and
House, the President, back home in
nearby independence to exercise his
right of franchise, had only a single
engagement scheduled today-a din
ner here this evening with his old
World War buddies of Battery D,
129th Field Artillery.
Ordinarily, when at the family
home in Independence, the Presi-
dent rides 16 miles into Kansas
City to spend a few hours in the
Office kept at his disposal in the
Federal Building, where he handles
any paper work forwarded from the
White House and greets old friends.
This routine was discarded in Au-
gust, however, when the President
came out here to vote in the
primary, and according to Press
Secretary Charles G. Ross, Mr.. Tru-
man will not come downtown today.
Independence Hears Rayburn.
The President told newsmen when
he arrived here by special train late
yesterday, after 25-hour trip from
Washington, that he planned an
early morning walk today. The re-
mainder of the day presumably will
be spent in the sprawling white
frame house in Independence which
the Trumans call home.
The citizens of Independence
turned out last night for political
rally in the American Legion Me-
mortal Building, where Representa-
tive Rayburn of Texas, Speaker of
the House, delivered the principal
address, and warned of the con-
fusion in government that would
flow from the division of authority
If the Republicans capture Senate
or House-or both.
Curbstone chroniclers said the
President hadn't missed one of these
rallies-which are biennial events
in % years. Mr.. Truman, however,
skipped the oratory and spent the
evening at Grandview, with his 93-
year-old mother and other members
of the family.
The Legion Hall seats about 1900
persons and some 1000 were on hand
for the rally. Mr.. Rayburn put in a
plug for Representative Bell, Demo-
crat of the 5th Missouri district.
which includes Independence, and
for Enos Axtell, candidate from the
4th district, whom President Tru-
man backed against Representative
Slaughter, the Democratic incum-
bent, in the primaries.
Calls for Support of Truman.
Kansas City gossip is that Mr..
Axtell will have tough fight. The
same holds true for Senator Briggs,
who also has gotten the specific
Endorsements of the President.
Speaker Rayburn pointedly made
support of President Truman an
issue in his speech.
He recalled how attention used
to be focused on the Dutchess
County IN. " vote, because 1t was
the home Of President Roosevelt,
and wondered what they will think
In England, France, Germany and
Japan" If Missouri goes Republican.
The Presidents family was to-
gether in independence for the first
time in several months. Mrs. Thu
man travelled from Washington with
the President, and when their train
reached Lees Summit, IL miles from
home, yesterday, it made an un-
scheduled stop to permit their
daughter Margaret to come aboard.
The Presidents special made
three other stops in Missouri-St.
Louis, Jefferson City and Sedalia-
but a handshaking levee was the
Presidents nearest approach to
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