| Show NEWS BEH BEHIND ND THE NEWS Truman l Honeymoon kOver ms k Ov Over r MUtterings on Capito Hi HUi V By ALBERT LEM LEMAN LEl N NTo To an observer returning to Washington after a lapse a of some Borne weeks it Is Immediately apparent that the Truman political politIcal political ical honeymoon Is over The president has been In office of ot- office fice six months for the most part coasting along on Roosevelt policies and being praised by byboth byboth byboth both Republicans and Democrats for his moderation and his sin sin- Now he Is confronting new explosive Issues Issues foreign foreign policy industrial strife demobilization which which he m solve In hi his own way l I 1 Whether he can obtain congressional congressional congressional con con- gressional approval for lor the major part of ot his program is open to serious serious' question Criticism of his brand of leadership leadership leadership lead lead- Is not yet vocal and tests of public sentiment show that he heis heis is 18 still popular in the hinter hinter- lands But on capitol hill in executive executive executive ex ex- ex- ex departments and among bigwigs of various various' blocs there are more and more shak head ings and mutterings The harassed men In charge of or things complain that he is too prone to skip off to clam bakes and county fairs when his presence presence presence pres pres- ence is required here to solve sol the setback in foreign relations and the wave of labor capital rows that are fast becoming a national national na na- na- na scandal Mr Truman Is the sociable type Homespun recreation with him is not a pose He really reany fishing enjoys fishing barbeques barbeques bar- bar poker and other down down- to-earth to diversions which Are close to the hearts of ordinary folk He believes that such activities activities ac ac- will endear him to the people The foundation of ot the presidents president's presidents president's presidents president's dents dent's policy Is to get along with ith congress The b basis is of Roosevelt's Roosevelt's Roose Roose- velt's strategy was to get what he wanted from congress by means of a love feast or a knock- knock down out drag out drag battle In the end F D R obtained a large part part- o of what he sought American history shows that we have had either strong chief chic executives or strong congresses rarely have we had equal part part- I In the days of weak of-weak weak presidents before the Civil war legislators like Webster Calhoun and Clay set the pace A similar thing was true In the Harding era Before action was taken senators and representatives waited to hear what Borah Lodge Johnson Robinson and other capitol hill giants would say lay Powerful presidents like Uke Theodore Theodore Theodore The The- odore Roosevelt Wilson Vilson and Franklin D. D ran the show because be- be cause they had the knack of ot winning support from the majority majority majority ma ma- of our citizens Hoover despite his brilliant achievements achievements achievements achieve achieve- ments abroad and in the cabinet failed because he had neither the congress nor the people with him In the nature of ot things senators senators sen Ben and representatives have sectional outlooks U they ey are elected in geographical divisions of the nation In theory the president president pres pre ident alone represents the entire United States Lawmakers talk a lot about congressional leadership but even while they are thumping their chests a large number of them look from the corners of ot their eyes to the white house hOWle for guidance When a party man follows his hill president he can boast of ot the good things accomplished and in incase incase incase case of kicks he can always explain explain explain ex ex- ex- ex plain that as a loyal Democrat or Republican he merely followed followed followed fol fol- lowed the chief chiet Veterans on capitol hill say privately that the relation between between between be be- tween the legislature and the executive is like that of pupil and teacher If the school m master ter allows the class clas to draw funny pictures on the blackboard in instead instead instead in- in stead o of keeping It glued to the lesson he will be considered a aswell aswell aswell swell teacher by the kids but they no longer have as much re respect respect respect re- re for for- his leadership as for that of ot a sterner disciplinarian Some Som of Mr Truman's origInal original original inal supporters on the hill gripe that he has tossed a legislative program Into their laps but he heI I does not fight for It ft This negative attitude gives cynics the opportunity to whisper whisper whisper whis whis- per he doesn't want the these e things passed hes he's only making a gesture Once after a period of ot whip cracking Mr Roosevelt allowed the reins to fall taU loose Legislation Legislation Legisla Legisla- tion was snarled and the president president president dent called a number of leading senators to the white house one evening to chat over matters When the round or two of drinks had been downed a senator senator senator sen sen- ator from a middle west state I braced himself against a table shook his forefinger under his hosts host's nose and exclaimed Mr President no one can beat you when you are attacking but when the defensive defensive- you are on you stink F D R laughed uproariously But he rarely forgot the com com- ment |
