Evening star., 1950-11-02
Assassination ATTEMPT
May Have Important
Effects on Campaign
Publicity and Reaction
Held Likely to Reduce
Portisonship in Speech
By David Lawrence

tCtu @tNSty ~ NSuuSS
Portisonship in Speech
By David Lawrence
WASHINGTON, Nov. 2.-No
matter what happens in or around
the White House, there are always
political effects-and the shoot
ing incident yesterday is no ex-
ception.
It so happens that, while Pres
ident Truman isn't running for Of
flee. he is about to deliver a speech
in behalf Of Democratic candi-
dates for Congress, and the spot
light will be focused more sharply
on him now that there has been
so much sensational publicity
given to the episode in which
White House guards fought in
truders presumably bent on an at
tempt on the Presidents life.
The Democratic campaign COM
mittee had already bought radio
and television time on a more ex-
tenSive network than ever before,
so the Presidents speech is likely
now to be listened to by a wider
and wider audience. 1t may cause
the President to make less of a
partisan speech than he might
otherwise have delivered. For.
after observing the emotional
surge of relief of the country that
Mr.. Truman has escaped injury.
there may come a natural tend
ency on his part to be less po-
lemic and more humble.
Always Free and Easy.
The President has always been
free and easy about his move
ments-he has a habit of taking
long walks with only a few guards
around him. He has also not
been protected as much against
advance publicity about his 60
ings and comings as Presidents
usually are in wartime. It was
known Mr.. Truman was planning
to make a speech and on Wednes-
day afternoon would be leaving
the White House at about a cer-
tain time.
But, as in all these episodes,
the system Of White House pro-
lection ever since President Nc
Kinley was aSsassinated has been
almost foolproof. It was while
Franklin D. Roosevelt was travel
ing in Florida after he became
President-elect that an assassin's
bullet was aimed at him and killed
Mayor Anton Cermak of Chicago
Back in 1912. when Theodore
Roosevelt was campaigning
against President William Howard
Taft and the then Governor Of
New Jersey, Woodrow Wilson, in
a three-cornered contest, shots
were fired at Mr.. Roosevelt as
he stood in front Of a hall where
he was speaking in Milwaukee.
Promptly Gov. Wilson Cancelled all
campaign speeches until the ex-
tent Of Mr.. Roosevelt's oppor-
. tunity to resume campaigning
could be determined. President
Taft wasn't actively campaigning,
anyway.
Normal Reaction.
The political effect usually is In
favor Of the man against whom
an assassination attempt is made.
This is the reaction, too, in local
contests where shooting affrays
have occurred.
The shooting this time could
not by any stretch of the imagi-
nation be linked to any opposing
influence in politics. There will
be widespread comment naturally
about the Puerto Ricari National
lists and their terroristic tactics.
Some Of the Associated Press dis
patches from Puerto Rico have
indicated that, while the Nation
alist party is not a Communist
organization. it follows a line
somewhat parallel to that of the
Communists.
1t is within the realm Of possi-
bility that Communists may have
had something to do with the
militant outbreak in Puerto Rico,
even though there may not have
been any connection between
Communist plotting and the
shooting undertaken by two Puer-
to Rican Nationalists. There evi-
IDENTIFY was enough stimulus any
way from the tactics of violence
practiced by the Puerto Rican Ma
tionalists to cause misguided ele-
ments to plan an attempt on the
Presidents life.
ManiacS do not reason things
out. If they did, in this case they
would have known that guards do
protect the Presidents residence
on all sides and that, in a matter
OF seconds, more than a dozen
men can spring to arms. The idea
that two men could enter Blair
House by shooting their way
through the front door may have
been a criminals theory or, as
they prefer to believe around the
White House, crackpot impulse.
Whatever the cause of the bold
attempt, the Nation is gratified
that Mr.. Truman escaped. AS for
the elections, it may be said that
the Presidents appeal for a Demo-
cratic Congress will get a wider
audience than would otherwise
have been the case and, If his
arguments are persuasive. he may
help considerably the cause Of his
party.