Show Round Merry By DREW PEARSON and ROBERT S. S A ALLEN LEN WASHINGTON Two Two years ago a gaunt in Balti Balti- tired figure lay in the Marine hospital Rela Relatives more His doctors had given up hope bedside tives were summoned to the crisis came crisis after But miraculously a and d went Doctors marveled at the tenacious fighting lighting spirit that kept the frail body alive When he left the hospital six months later wanted so strongly they said If you hadn't to liv live you ou wouldn't be here now Today Wayne Coy who fought his way out from under the shadow of death is the 37 old administrative boss of the vast defense year year old President machinery a trusted adviser of Roosevelt and an intimate of Harry Hopkins Coy and his mete meteoric ric rise to high place lace in J Washington are unknown to the public But Butas as head of the office of emergency management manage ment the special agency created to handle the administrative functions of the numerous defense defense defense de de- de- de units he is one of the most potent figures in Washington In the inner circle he is rated one of the ablest and most conscientious new deal executives Up With Roosevelt Ten years ago he was an amb ambitious young newspaper man trying to make ends meet with a country paper in the little town of Delphi Ind md Coy got into public life by accident Chiefly out of curiosity he attended a Democratic political rally and afterward made madea a fw Ca rodent ent suggestions on how th the campaign should hod o h-o- d run be be run Impressed party leaders offered of him the job of publicity director of the Democratic state committee The prospects did not appear very promising The Democrats had been out of power for years and the committee was struggling along on a shoe shoe- string But that was the year Franklin D. D Roosevelt ran for president and a dashing university professor Paul V. V McNutt was the Indiana Democratic nominee for governor McNutt spotted Coy soon after the campaign campaign cam earn began and before it was over the young newsman was the candidates candidate's chief brain brain- truster Indiana Boy Scout Within two years Coy had become a behind- behind the-scenes the power in the rough and tumble arena of Indiana politics much to the disgust of certain old line politicos who scornfully referred referred referred re re- re- re to him as the Boy Scout Coy made his first personal contacts with new deal insiders while he was Indiana W P A administrator He became acquainted with Hopkins then W P A boss and soon won his high regard Hopkins told the president Coys a top youngster Hes Heis a good man to o keep in in n mind 1 j r s 's v- v How good Hopkins wa wasp 9 earn earn sev several ral years later at the third term v convention in n Chicago 1 q T 4 fr frAs McNutt l vs VI Wallace As the presidents president's personal representative Hopkins no expert at the hectic game of politics was in a chaotic state when the restless restless rest rest- less convention got down to the vice presidency Ro Roosevelt sevelt had sent word that Wallace was his choice Certain state leaders had other ideas ideas ideas- among them Frank McHale boss boss' of the McNutt McNutt Mc Me- MeI I Nutt machine McHale insisted that McNutt disregard Roosevelt and go on the convention floor to towage towage towage wage a personal fight for the second place nomination Only a few insiders know it but it was Coy who was chiefly responsible for prevailing on M Mutt McNutt to veto vet McHale's plan Hostile Social Agencies When McNutt came to Washington as federal fed eral ral security administrator he brought Coy with him as administrative assistant Coy found himself confronted with a hostile atmos atmos- phere Some of the heads of the agencies grouped under McNutt were suspicious of him and his energetic lieutenant Coy quickly disarmed them by proving he understood welfare problems had had a long- long range social viewpoint and was interested in one thing thing results Today his biggest boosters boost boost- ers are the social security people Hes He's won a reputation for assimilating new problems In his stride and for driving at a furious pace Race often working 15 to 20 hours a day Soon after Roosevelt picked him out for forthe forthe forthe the bi big defense job a friend asked Coy Wayne doe doesn't nt your new job sort of frighten you I guess it would if I stopped to think about it he replied So I dont don't think about it Distributed by United Feature Syndicate |