The Ohio daily-express. (Dayton, Ohio) 1946-1950, 1948-09-22
Looking at Truman
BY PAIGE

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The President of these United States today is a man
named Harry S. Truman. A big job, calling for a big man.
Since Harry S. inherited the job because of the death of
Roosevelt, and since Truman was not elected President
by the American people, how has the man measured up to
a job which many people considered too big for him?
A small town politician from Missouri, a former hab-
erdasher, a henchman of the notorious Pendergast polti-
cal machine, how has Harry Truman made out trying to
fill the shoes of Franklin d. Roosevelt, the man consid-
cred the biggest power in the world?
During his first days in office, Truman alarmed the
ardent followers of the FDR New Deal. He slashed and
sliced New Dealers out Of office. He was badly advised
on many, many points of Importance. He was pulled to
all sides by warning factions. Even in the New Deal, FDR
had to fight off reactionary sections of his Democratic
party. Truman was beset from all sides by selfish persons
within and without the party, all joined in an effort to de-
stroy the New Deal.
1t can pretty safely be said that in those early days,
Truman managed to offend all important blocs of voters
from farmers to organized labor.
Then came a belated change in the man. From OBJ
vious facts, the change began when Truman awakened to
the knowledge that he was being badly advised. Appar-
emily he then decided to take over his own counsel-to be
his own man. Often now, he acted against his advisors.
His tagging Gallup poll began a slow but gradual up
rise. Encouraged, the man from Missouri took more and
yet more courageous action.
Today, Harry S. Truman is at the peak of his popu-
larity with the American voters. Organized labor, with
16, 900, 900 votes, is backing him in his try for election to
the Presidency. This shows that Truman has tried to do
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Truman's veto of the harsh Taft-Hartley law won him
many strong friends among labor ranks.
Perhaps in this year 1913, Truman has entered his
most courageous era. Seems like the little man from Mis-
souri, has said to himself, "When | listened to all these
blankety-blank Advisors, made mistakes. I'll stand on
my own feet and act like a man. And then if the people
don't want me as President, they can act that way"
They tried to discourage him from hunning for the
nomination. They swore he would disrupt the Democratic
party. They insisted he did not have a chance. They de-
manded that he withdraw from the race. Truman stood
his ground, announced his candidacy, went to the Phila-
delphia convention-and found that he got the nomina-
ton without opposition.
The year 1913 saw the famous Truman Civil Rights
pronouncement, which Gale upon the nation to recognize
the Constitutional rights of Negroes as citizens. This not
even FDR dared to do. The Truman courage was working
overtime.
Not set back by the hue and cry arising from the
South over this one, Truman then sent down another regu-
lation, abolishing Jim crow in the United States Army and
in government employment. Two more pieces that required
political courage. Truman met all issues squarely. That
the man has earned the respect of the important Negro
vote by these moves is indisputable. There is much evil
dence that he deserves it.
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