Evening star., 1950-06-18
Trumon's Closest Pal
Is Chairman Boyle
President and Democratic
Boss Enjoy Their Politics
BY Frank Z. Kent

Often these questions are asked:
With whom does Mr.. Truman mostly
consult2 Who has the most influence
with him? Whom does ne see most
frequently. now that Clark Clifford, tbs
gifted young speech writer and CO.
architect with Leon KeySerlingl Of the
Fair Deal. has followed the illustrious
Thomas Corcoran CTommy the Cork
into the highly lucrative legal mases
Of Washington and Is gleefully raking
In the shekels?
The answer to these questions seems
to be William Boyle the $50 00Oo-a-year
chairman Of the Democratic National
Committee. Personally Mr.. Boyle Is
quite the hardeSt-boiled. tin-tacked.
passionately practical politician seen
here in years. An ex-policeman of Kan
sas City. product Of the Pendersast
machine. the Craftsmanship Is q pretty
high post for q man Of his background
and age. Primarily. Of course. 1t Is the
place for a practical politician. But
the point is there has been none In
memory quite as completely saturated
and concentrated upon machine poll
tics Of the strictly old-fashioned type as
he.
The President and the administration
he represents cali themselves liberals"
Mr.. Boyle uses the word in his ghost
written speeches and committee propa-
ganda, but there is nothing liberal"
in the kind of politics ne practices.
II Is the kind he-and Mr. Truman, too
were brought up on in Kansas City.
1t is based on jobs. money and deals
Of one kind and another. In brief. Mr..
Boyle plays the game as 1t was played
before he was born. He knows no other
way. However, two things stand out
One Is that he is personally closer to
his President than any Of his predeces-
sors have been to theirs He is a per-
sonal protege Of Mr. Truman to a degree
no one else in Washington is Brought
on as his secretary when he was elected
Senator, Mr.. Truman later made him
assistant counsel of the Truman In
vestigating Committee. Then. after
briefly practicing law, Mr.. Truman pick
ed him first as assistant and later as
chairman Of the committee.
Thus. he is the most personal chair
man any President ever had, Coming
from the same home town, raised In
the same political atmosphere. they see
alike-and in politics are alike. At
any rate Mr.. Boyle does see the Presi-
dent when he wants. His personal
relations are closer than those Of any
member Of the cabinet.
Mr.. Boyle has the further distinction
Of having achieved a closer intimacy
and understanding with the labor bosses
than either Mr.. Farley, Mr.. McGrath or
the late Mr.. Hannegan. In effect. Mr..
Boyle has turned the Democratic Party
over to these labor bosses and Is largely
running 1t under their direction. One
OF his Journalistic boosters asserts that
MIR. Boyle has cleared the channels
between the White House and the ''po-
litical action arms of the three major
labor groups" Daily, he sees Jack
Kroll Of the CIO-PAC. Joe keenan, Of
the AFL-Labor League and George Har.
rison Of the brotherhoods.
And Mr. Boyle "co-operates" with la
Dor in other ways. Last spring he
spent days in Ohio trying To pressure"
various Democrats to keep out OF the
senatorial primaries so that labor could
get strong farm candidate capable
Of driving Senator Taft out OF public
life" Failing in this. he has Joined
labor in support of Mr.. Ferguson with
the same, objective. In every State he
pursues this kind of cooperation"
Aside from politics, one of the rea-
sons for Mr.. Boyle's influence with Mr..
Truman is that while there Is some
20 years difference in their age. they
understand the same things and talk
the same language. The President Is
vastly happier and more at ease dis
cussing politics with Mr.. Boyle than
discussing foreign policies with Secretary
Acheson, or fiscal policies with Secretary
Snyder, or farm problems with Secre-
tary Brannan, or any other issue with
any other man. When these two Kan
sas City boys get together TO talk poll
itics they just relax and enjoy them