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Show Merry-Co-Round By DREW PEARSON aad ROBERT 8. ALLEN (Rdltar'a Note Teday'a article hands tha Brans King t Harry Hopkins, new Neeretary f wtimrrn and former W P A chief. It la gaad fee an free ride aa tha Waahingtea M ry-Ge-Reund.) WASHINGTON Business haa received a lot of surprisea from tha Roosevelt administration during the past six years most of them disagreeable. dis-agreeable. But none is quite so odd as that handed hand-ed them by the new secretary of commerce and this time it looks agreeable. The surprise is that most of the business men who have met Hopkins to date come away singing sing-ing his praises. They appreciate the fact that when he speaks, he speaks as tha man closest to the White House. It hai been a long time not sine Hoover waa In Hopkins' shoes that business had a secretary of commerce who could get what he wanted from the White House. Even when Hoover was president he began to strip his once favorite department of its old-time tower. And under Roper this deterioration continued at an accelerated pace. The commerce department today is but a shell. This terribly grieved Uncle Dan Roper. But not Hopkins. "Now we can begin building from the ground up," Hopkins says. "Harold (Ickea) ran have , the fisheries. They don't hava anything to do avith business. And the labor department ran hava the census, if it wants it. I Just want three things: First, the transoortation problem, and by that I mean not merely the railroads, but the buses, the waterways and the airlines, all of which comprise about the biggest economic problem in thia country. Second, the employers' employ-ers' viewpoint regarding labor and there is an employers' viewpoint. And third. South American Amer-ican trade. That is where our great future lies." Key Poaitioa To get the import of Harry Hopkins' key position, po-sition, you hava to remember first that no one else is closer to the president except for hit son, Jimmy. Hopkins dines with Roosevelt two and three times a week, confers with him almost daily, is a freauent visitor at Hyde Park. Roosevelt Roose-velt likes his humor, trusts his judgment, consults con-sults with, him on almost everything. Hopkins can accomplish things at the While House which nobody else can. and it is a safe bet that if business once sells an idea to the new secretary of commence, he will have no trouble getting it to the White House. Another important factor in Hopkins' make-tin make-tin is that he is not afraid of business. The knees of some Washington politicians shake an vigorously vig-orously when confronted with big business representatives rep-resentatives that either they promise more than they can deliver, or else get frightened and refuse re-fuse to talk at all. Hopkins, however, is both frank and unfrlghtened. Business will alwayi know where it atanda with him. Timely Appointment Finally, and perhaps most Important, Hopkins' Hop-kins' present appointment comes at a time when business generally hai realized that it can't overturn the social and economic reforms of the new deal, while the new deal haa decided that reforms will work only if there is recovery. In this situation, the commerce department mav have a real opportunity. Secretary Hopkins probably never will "go big business" lock, stock and barrel. His background back-ground ia too firmly identified with the underdog. un-derdog. Personal Life Harry Hopkins is a verv unaffected, rather kindly soul. He lives simply in a small house in Georgetown next to several houses occupied by negroei. Harry's two boys are married and away at school, so his 8-year-old daughter, Diana, ia Harry's chief pride and joy. Ha has been both mother and father to her since the death of Mrs. Hopkins. Son of a midwest harness maker, Harry waa born in Sioux City, Iowa, just 48 years ago, and graduated from Grinnell college. After graduation, Harry waa about to take up farm journalism, when on of his professors urged him to take up social service. Going to New York, he got a job at $43 a week checking applicants ap-plicants at Bowery flop houses. He haa been in relief work ever since. . Hopkins is a great mixer, likes to attend horse races, mix a cocktail. He consorts with many people who consider Roosevelt a "traitor to hia class." His fondnesa for people, plus hia frank personality, haa endeared Harry to many Roosevelt critics, including Jack Garner, Senator Sen-ator Byrnes of South Carolina, and Pat Harrison Harri-son of Mississippi. In fact, Garner is so fond of Hopkina that he tried to get Republican aenate leaders to agree not to attack his appointment as secretary of commerce. (Copyright, 1939, for The Telegram) i |