The Wilmington morning star., 1946-06-17
Fair Enough
BY WESTBROOK PEGLER
Copyright, 1946
By King Features Syndicate. Incl

mi. Spelvln, this is President Truman and I
just called up to get your slant on several
things that have got me leaping, like you take
these union problems and no sooner do I get
some of those bums in line when another bunch
bust out of the stall-gate and it is like trying
to start a derby with a couple of hundred head
all crowded with hop and if it isn't that it is
those clowns on the Supreme Court and then
Russia and meanwhile no meat and some
places not even bread. From my family tree
l believe We are some kind of cousins, be-
cause there was a Spelvin on my old mans
side and sometimes I believe you and I think
alike but in this job you listen to a lot of
wise apples and my idea is mean l want to
know what George Spelvin thinks about it all"
We'll, Mr.. President" George Spelvin said,
1T certainly is a coincidence you called me at
this particular moment because I was just
setting here with the War Department and she
was saying to me. She said, I bet if President
Truman would listen to the Spelvins instead Of
those buns who they don't think of anything
but how they can get reelected and the trou-
BILE is they don't seem to give a damn what
happens to the country just so they can hang
on to their jobs and their power whereas most
of them are going to be dead in 10 years, any
way, so why don't they ever think what is good
for the glorious old United States of A, instead
of being so selfish?' she said.
80" Mr.. Spelvin continued, answering
your questions, why, speaking for George
Spelvin, American, I think you ought to realize
that Roosevelt is dead and quit wearing that
crepe on your hat because you are President
yourself now, so I know you and your old
lady probable burn up when you get alone and
you think Of the mess he left you to clean up,
instead of pulling that long face about our
great departed leader and how you OILY want
to carry out his ideals and all that Malarkey.
We were for you, Mr.. President, and we still
are for you more than we have ever been for
any President because, honest to God, and l
am not just being flip, if you lay an egg it is
going to hurt the Spelvins as much as it hurts
you and that night when Roosevelt died and
you told the reporters, boys, pray for me, and
l mean it, all the Spelvins in the country
really did pray for you for our country's sake,
and I mean that, too.
$50, since you ask ne, why don't you get up
a real speech and l will help you write in
some Spelvin ideas if you like, and tell the
country that We have got to have laws make
it just as bad for unions to interfere with prod
uction and as for the Standard Oil
because you just aren't being honest if you try
to tell me the unions aren't more powerful
than the corporations because they have got
more money and practically no laws. What do
you care whether you get elected again if you
do what your conscience and the Spelvins tell
you is right, although if you do that you can't
help getting reelected.
L ALL SOlly, NnI. 1lCSlucIlt, Out, frankly, l
think you have shown some ki-yi and you are
not kidding the Spelvins when you say we must
take six months to study this out. We know
you are just stalling until after the fall cleo
tons and I would respect you more if you
showed a little more respect for my intellig-
ence and respect for the truth, too. W. have
been studying this for 10 years and now it is
so bad that these %gorillas, and I mean the
Communists, too, have prevented US from re-
COVERING with their rotten strikes and pohoSvi
can get automobiles or clothing or a new
house. l am over so and l grew up in the Mid
die West, myself, like you, but I never saw
a time when the American standard of liv-
ing was so close to hunger and raggedness
and slum conditions in the richest country on
earth and just after winning a war against
two of the greatest fighting power in all his
tory.
Your crowd thought it was funny to talk
about Hoover's bread lines and veterans sell
ing apples but let me tell you my wife went
to the store today and the guy slipped her
three slices of bread under the counter and
charged her a nickel for three slices, get that,
Mr.. Truman, and apples are a quarter a
copy in this wonderful world Of the future that
your old pal, Roosevelt, talked so much about.
Il know We will have awful initiation when
OPA goes off because your union friends and
those buns on the court and those tramps in
Congress won't do anything to prevent the
unions from stopping production, so, there
fore, we will have shortages still and uncon-
trolled prices and it will be every man for
himself and you can thank your great depart
ed leader for that next time you lay a wreath.
Are you still there, Mr.. Truman?" George
Spelvin asked.
Eyes, Mr.. Spelvin, 1 am listening"
We'll, then let me ask you, who gave any,
body the right to collect income taxes from
me and then give my money to other coun-
tries and what am ], anyway, a slave-Worker
supporting France and England and Russia
and all them? And, they say, maybe they will
pay l per cent, although they won't pay any
thing out when I can't get it up on due-day,
why you tag me for 6 per cent in my own coun-
try"
1 don't know what to do about the court
except keep on insulting those ambulance
chasers but about Russia, any time they shoot
up one of our air fields l would shoot up one
of theirs and l would treat them just as rot
ten as they treat our people in Germany and
tell them nothing, if they want a fight now is
the time to fight them and, finally, Mr.. Tru-
man, when it comes to giving them the atom
bomb, you bet your sweet life l would give it
to them, Just like we gave it to the Japs and
then let them try to figure out the secret.
'sThe Spelvins are still praying for you, but
the Lord helps those who help themselves and
it certainly would cheer the Spelvins if you
would for once say the hell with re-election
and show us as much affection and considers.
t1on as we show you. l tell you, Mr.. Truman
...i1 ,,ake Yourself tha obeo1,4.