The Durant news. (Durant, Miss.) 1882-1985, 1948-04-29
THROUGH
HAZEL
EYES
BY Hdxel Brannon
Hotel Statler

press conference at the White House
Thursday (22nd) was struck with
the difference in Mr.. Truman's at
titude toward the press as compared
with that of the late President
Roosevelt.
Everyone had good time at Mr..
Roosevelt's press conferences .es-
pecially MIR. Roosevelt. He joked and
carried on in spirited exchange Of
wits with the best of them and usu-
ally came out ahead. On occasion Mr..
Roosevelt was known to swear and
be quite defiant with the newsmen
attending his conferences usually
held twice weekly but he was
never timid or afraid. The afternoon
session could almost always be de-
pended upon to be interesting and
colorful if not downright exciting. E.
dominated as they were with the
brilliant Roosevelt personality.
With Mr.. Truman it is different.
Even in the most casual question
rendered the President Thursday we
detected defensive note in his an
swers. He appears to be on the de-
fensive, or nursing sore spot. He
seems to have the attitude Of the
small boy who knows he has to take
a dose OF medicine a necessary
evil to be dispatched as speedily as
possible. That's the way Mr.. Truman
appears to feel about his press con-
ferences.
/ can't blame him too much for
that matter. Personally I would hate
very much to be President of the
United States and have two or three
hundred reporters in my office at one
time and have any and all of them
firing questions at me about any and
everything of public interest :.
knowing that any mistake l might
make would be headlighted in every
daily newspaper in the country.
Attending press conference at the
White House represents more effort
than just telling a Washington taxi
driver to take you to the White
House.
You have to get your credentials
cleared with the White House Presi-
Dental Secretary Charlie Ross and
have your name on the guest list for
the day. Besides the hundreds of re-
gular Washington correspondents
who attend the Presidents press con-
ferences regularly there are usually
scores of visitors from all over the
United States who want to get in
Every person is checked and has to
be vouched for at the gate before you
even get inside the grounds After
entering the White House you are
checked again by the press secreta
rial staff as well as the secret service.
Then If you are visitor you are
directed to room next to the Pre-
sidents oval room office where the
conference is held. There you stay
until the President is ready When
the signal is given the door Of the
room you are in Is opened and the
two hundred or more men and wo-
men who comprise the working press
an Washington come running through
all trying to get in the front line
closest to the President in his office.
The guests fill in the rear where you
are lucky if you get glimpse of
the President. don't remember just
how / managed but in the one Roose
welt conference l attended l was in
the very front next to his desk
even if l was only visiting country
editor
A friend introduced me to Mr..
Truman after the conference. We
chatted briefly about a mutual friend
whom the President remembered.
Mr.. Truman looks in the best of
health and is apparently none the
worse for all of the things said about
him in the South during the past few
months. He is pleasant, kindly look
ing man who smiles easily but who
also. on occasion, has been known
to show some temper.
After the mob left the room Mr..
Truman seemed to relax and rather
enjoy himself.
Some Democratic party leaders
mere privately predict Truman won't
be candidate. But they won't say
who they think will take his place
on the Democratic ticket
Texas will vote for the nominee
of the Democratic party for presi-
dent whoever it is was the opinion
voiced by former House Speaker
Sam Rayburn.
Mr.. Rayburn made this statement
TO me after asked him what Texas
was going to do on the States Rights
movement.
After a lengthy and somewhat in
volved conversation with Mr.. Ray
burn l came to the conclusion that
he along with possible others on the
Washington political scene have no
idea of how the people in the south
feel about the Presidents proposed
Civil Rights program. They seem to
think it is still a question of boil