Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-02-17
Sees Trumon Dispensing
old Phonus Bolognus'
Writer Says President Locks
Copoeib for Fronkness
BY BRONX R. Kent

& 4 Z
Capacity for Fronkness
By Fronk R. Kent
\ It has been truthfully said that the
glamor of the White House Is so great
that once it envelopes man 1t is diff
dcult to see him clearly thereafter.
Often baseless legends grow I'D around
the President and the presidency.
Despite the evidence, two Of these
are so firmly established that nothing
seems to shake their permanency. One
Is that the presidency Is killing Job
and that those who die Of illness while
holding 1t Cor shortly thereafter) have
given their lives for their country. Tho
other Is that. weary Of the great burden
OF responsibility, the incumbent always
Is eager to get back to private life and
accepts denomination only at great
sacrifice" Of his personal desires. In.
terests and welfare. Various Presidents
Of both parties have personally con.
tributed to these legends. "a
Some have themselves come to believe
In them, though certainly there never
has been any medical testimony to sus-
cause of fatal presidential illneSs--even
in those Presidents who wrote their own
speeches, messages and state papers.
Incidentally. we have not had Presi.
dent Of that kind in 20 years. The
truth is that this notion Of our Presi-
dents being worked to death is as big q
piece of humbug as the notion that
against their individual wish at great
personal sacrifice" they permit them
selves to be drafted" for additional
terms.
Years ago the late Admiral Cary r.
Grayson, who knew more Presidents
more intimately than any other man
Of his time, made this sage and sincere
remark: mo President" he said, lever
left the White House without severe
nostalgia pain deep in his heart which
no doctor ever could ameliorate and
which lasted the rest Of his life" Ger
tainly, the correctness Of DR.. Graysorl's
diagnosis can easily be confirmed by
review Of our Presidents Of the past so
years. OF course, 1t Is easy for parti.-
sans Of some Of these to enter denials,
but bolstering these denials with the
facts is~a very different story. indeed.
However. 1t would be pleasant to ind
one President about to leave the White
House, who. discarding all pretense and
pomposity, would candidly admit that
he had greatly enjoyed being President,
that his health. II anything. Is better
than before he was elected; that, II Il
seemed he could win he would very much
like reelection.
It was made plain last week that no
such exhibition Of candor Is going to be
given the American people by this
President. On the contrary. In reply to
q question as to when he would an
nounce himself. President Truman told
Representative SABBATH, Democrat, Of
Illinois. that the presidency was
killing" job; that he yearned to get
out Of it: that he would not run again
unless II actually feel can bring peace
to America and the world" In that
case he would be willing to "sacriflce''
himself and shorten my life expect
ancy." All Of which. as the late Alfred
E. Smith used to say, Is the "old phonus
bolognus"
Although Mr.. Truman knew perfectly
well that Representative SABBATH was,
going to repeat his words to the watt
ing reporters, this does not imply that
MIR. Truman is q conscious humbug.
But, after man has been President
Few years he has to be an extremely
strong man not to become an uncon.
scious humbug. For years he has had to
pretend that the public interests and
his personal interests are inseparahly
linked. In the end they seem 50 iden.
tical that he is incapable of complete
frankneSS about either. Certainly. that
was true Of the late Mr.. Roosevelt and
1t seems increasingly true Of Mr.,
Truman.
For example, Mr.. Truman might
have replied to Mr.. Sabath's question
BY saying: "See here. Adolph, Of course.
would like to be President again but
as an experienced politician you ought
to know why am not going to run.
In 1913 I barely squeaked through.
Clearly. in the last four years I have
become weaker. For one thing, there
Is the intensified and increased Demo-
cratic opposition In the South. For
another, there is the revealed corrup-
ton and ineficiency in the Justice and
treasury departments. For another.
there Is the Hiss conviction and the
feeling against Dean Acheson.. For an
other. there IL the fact that inevitably
party In power for twenty years en-.
genders greater hostility than one in
power Tor sixteen years. There are
otner reasons but these are enough"