Evening star., 1948-11-30
Truman Likely 10 Face
Hard Job in Bringing
Top-F|ight. Aides Here
Left Wineers' Continue
To Snipe at Officials
From Business World
By David Laurence

By David Laurence
President Truman has said from
time to time that his most difficul,
problem is to get persons from the
business world to come to Washing
ton in peacetime and take important
positions of responsibility.
The task is going to be compli-
Gated from now on by the sabotag-
ing tactics of the left wing" from
which has been emanating lately q
continuous sniping at Government
officials formerly in the business
world.
The cry of '"Wall Street" influ-
ence is one that strs up interest in
a political campaign, but when the
elections are over the hard jobs OF
Government must be undertaken by
persons who are competent. It SC
happens that the business and flnan-
cial world puts to the acid test per-
sons of the very same talents as are
required in policymaking branches
of the Government.
Lately the attacks - sometimes
yelled and sometimes open-have
been directed against Robert Lovett
Undersecretary of State, and Will
liam H. Draper, Undersecretary OF
the Army; Secretary of Defense For
restal ard Averell Hartman. Eco
nomic Cooperation Ambassador, all
OF whom have come to the Govern
ment from Wall Street.
LEFT Wing" Idea.
IN none Of these positions is eco
nomic policy made nor is there any
connection with the matters that
affect the ups and downs OF Wall
Street operations. But once man
has spent a few years in Wall Street
in law or finance or business. the
"1eft-wing" idea is that he is there
by disqualified from holding ONCE
in Washington and that somehow 1t
must be inferred that he is lacking
in integrity or in the capacity to ad-
minister public affairs fairly.
The implication is, Of course, alb
surd. Franklin D. Roosevelt started
his law career in a Wall Street ONCE.
Chief Justice Stone, one Of the
liberals of the Supreme Court. was
a partner in prominent Wall Street
law office. There are many other
examples.
The interesting thing which the
public generally does not know Is
that some of the best public servants
have come to Washington from Wall
Street. Even those who are of inde-
pendent financial means sometimes
make better officials than those po-
litical officials who are looking to-
ward Wall Street for their future IN
business or law or finance. Many
former officials of the New Deal are
now active either in law practice or
in business in Wall Street or its
counterpart in Chicago or Boston or
in the financial districts of other big
cities of the country.
1t was Theodore Roosevelt who,
after he left the presidency, wrote
that only man OF independent
means could really make an inde-
pendent public official. He argued
that a man with 100000 estate
one could easily live in those days
on the income from such a sum
would not be dependent on his Gov
ernment salary and only a man who
was ready to resign at any time
would make the kind of decisions
and exercise the kind of judgment
which would make him an invalu-
able servant Of the people.
Real Sacrifice for Some.
Some Of the men who are invited
to Washington from business or
finance come here at a real sacri-
fee. They give up opportunities for
financial gain when they enter the
Government service. Some Of them
came here during the war and have
stayed on because they have become
interested in public service. Instead
of discouraging and driving such
men away they ought to be en-
couraged. For, II the "left-wing"
attack succeeds. 1t will be hard to
interest flrst-class men from the
business or financial world in coming
to Washington. They will not be
willing to take posts that lead to
smears and malignment.
During the last campaign Presi-
dent Truman delivered several
speeches that were wholly un-
necessary to the making of his
case for continuance in office and
one of these was the charge against
Wall Street influence in Govern
ment in the event of a change in
administration. Naturally it BOOM
eranged and caused some comments
that he had in his own encourage
some Wall Street men. 1t was in
ferred that he was inconsistent.
That, same line Of attack has now
risen to plague the President, who
really wants to get the best men
possible to serve the Government no
matter what their background. For
1t is automatic that background In
business or law or finance does not
Of itself determine the integrity or
honesty or the competence Of an
individual, and that no group or
class Of citizens in the country has
any monopoly on the qualities of
honesty and fairness so necessary to
the making Of good public servant.
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