Show n 11 town Tit R in WASHINGTON By Walter Shead Nw Washington Bureau Burtia lilt 1616 Ere Eft E St St. N N. W w. Truman Gained Stature During Ills His First Year JUST about all an the newspapers and magazines in the country have had their say at appraising President Harry S. S S Truman after his first year in office Your Home Town Reporter has been able during this past year to watch the President his policies and the operation of at his adminis administration from tram a more or less de de' detached tacked viewpoint Luckily when 1 attend the Presidents President's press confer canter conferences it is not necessary for tor me to rush to a phone or to my typewriter and hurriedly dash off a story oi of my impressions for tor in covering for forthe forI forthe I the weekly newspapers 1 I have suf sufficient time to deliberate over whal what has happened President Truman entered the White House as an average Amer American ican scan without too impressive a rec ree record ord behind him at anything He had done his stint at farming at running a haberdashery store and at politics and in the latter he was more successful As chairman ol of the senate war Investigating com com- committee committee he made a real contribution contribution tion to the successful culmination ol of the war But when he was wag catapulted into the presidency by the death of ot his predecessor he was untried as a statesman unknown as to his abili abili- abilities abilities abilities ties and he faced the heaviest re To responsibilities responsibilities any man had ever evet been called upon to face lie He didn't want the job and confessed his shortcomings his average Ameri Amerl- The average American back hack in inthe inthe inthe the home towns of at the country like Ilka and are proud of our democracy be because cause it gives them as average citi citi- citizens tens zens zens the chance to Improve and ad advance vance socially economically and in intellectually intellectually it gives them a chance to grow and better their standards of ot living President nt Has HO Grown Crown This reporter believes that in the I year the President has been in the tha White House he has grown grown as any other average Amer American ican lean man would have grown in his proficiency to cope with the most powerful office in the world grown in his ability to Judge men and their capabilities grown under the pressure of enormous events better to make decisions grown n in his contacts with other othet world leaders laders But in this growth of at the President President dent he has built up no halos balos no traditions no myths no superman he remains an average American who is growing up to his Ms job During our incumbency down here in Washington we have seep se g successful business men with tabu fabulous lous Taus ous reputations as leaders In their fields tycoons of Industry come to Washington to take part in govern government ment and make miserable fail tall failures ures Your Home Town Reporter does not believe bellee the President has made madea a miserable failure He Is not a brilliant statesman nor is he hea a great orator nor a great socialite His voice on the radio lacks the human appeal which was wasso wasso wasso so apparent in that of his predecessor sor SOl but his speeches in cold type matched speech for speech with the public utterances of the late President Roosevelt do not suffer by comparison He has failed in his bis efforts to woo the operation co-operation of ot his old col colleagues leagues in congress Our observation observation tion has been however since the first few tew days of ot the honeymoon were over congress has been b n more concerned with showing the President President dent who was boss than in giving him operation co or considering the welfare of at the American people And that state of affairs has come about largely through reaction to the years when congress either went along willingly with President Roosevelt or grudgingly when he used the big stick slick to bludgeon them thern into giving the people his progressive save sive program Innate Democracy Much has been made of President President President dent Truman's rep oft oft pleas for help from tram the people from tram in in- industry industry industry from tram labor from ture twe He has said again and again that he be cannot do his job alone This has bas been interpreted by some as a weakness But in this columns column's opinion it is merely an expression of at his innate democracy since de do- democracy democracy after all is only k a huge operative co governed by a majority major major- majority ity opinion President Truman has made mis mis- mistakes mistakes mistake's mistakes takes take's mistakes of the heart rather than the head in nam nam- naming namIng naming ing some advisors and in leaning upon their advice he has con can confessed confessed his mistakes he has faced defeats seen his administration program emasculated and beaten Sven en ignored by congress Today he be is less naive less humble gray gray- grayer er r. r more dignified more assertive than when he went to the White douse in April a little more than a arear year rear ago His smile is sun still spon spon- spontaneous spontaneous spontaneous and disarmingly human |