Show GOP Sweep Frees Truman Of Burdensome Program 4 r J By BAUKHAGE News and Commentator Analyst I. I L 1 NU Service 1616 Eye Street N. N NW W. W Washington D. D C. C There Is feel II 1 WASHINGTON a of Christmas in the Washington air nir which is prompted by more than the evanescence of the joyous spirit of Noel just try L to get onto a v y Connecticut avenue avenue ave ave- y nue flue car headed 1 4 for the F street k shopping district district- The White House House House 7 presents its usual decor of pine and wreath 4 And at this writing writing writing writ writ- ing the chief tenant tenant ten ten- J Jant ant is I believe x to b dreaming of a Missouri Christmas Christmas Christmas Christ Christ- i mas among his friends Baukhage Whether n ne e spends the holiday beneath his own rooftree or the one which Uncle Sam Sarr so generously provides it can be said that it will be a n far merrier occasion than a year ago He will he among his friends as well as ns his family and as one of his official circle put it with his professed enemies the opposite party In power pow pow- er his unprofessed enemies officially officially om- om his friends having no further opportunity to toss brickbats or bandy threats about his head I recall another crisp cool winter day last February a n year ago when Swe we wended our way to the Presidents President's Presidents President's Presidents President's dents dent's weekly press and radio con coil ference Bemused pansies I recorded recorded recorded re re- corded in this space showed frostbitten frostbitten frostbitten frost frost- bitten faces In the gard garden n of the White House grounds We were discussing the difficulties and differences which President Truman already was encountering at the hands of his own party in congress Con Congress ess has to be realistic inan in inan inan an election year year r I quoted someone someone someone some some- one as saying They are facing real issues And the Presidents President's program pro program pro pro- oJ gram Isn't realistic Whether or not It Is realistic another member of the group replied replIed replied re re- plied it isn't his program He inherited in inherited inherited in- in it Its It's New Deal and New Deal is Old Hat now It doesn't represent represent rep rep- resent Harry Truman's Ideas at all but he has to go through with it it I s- s As we look back it is plain I enough bat whether it was New Deal or what what it was the program of the President was one that the people rejected on election day the moral obligations of the past the effect effect ef ef- feet of the pressure groups the ukase of the party of bigwigs were swept away and Harry Truman who didn't want the job that was thrust upon him when death commanded com com- com commanded om- om was made a free man The Presidents President's satisfaction springs not from any spirit of I told you so hurled at his alleged supporters not from any lack of loyalty to a cause well lost It was simply the weary wenry but happy flood of rel relief f of a man who having attempted attempt attempt- I I ed what he knew mew was an impossible task saw that task ended and friend and foe forced fairly into the open War Terminated Honeymoon With Congress My mind goes back to another scene shortly before the death of President Roosevelt I sat in the office office of of- fice flee of the vice president talking of days when the caissons went rolling ng along and both of us many miles apart rode beside them We talked also of the then forthcoming San Francisco conference of the United Nations and Mr Truman's I theme was what he felt to be his function Paradoxically enough enough enough-as as asIt 1 It turned out later later later-it it was helping establish liaison between congress and the White House complementing complement complement- ing frig the highly successful effort of Secretary of State Hull which resulted resulted re re- suIted in the forging of a bi bi parti partisan I san foreign policy And In so short a time after Mr Truman became President that liaison between Capitol Hill and 1600 Pennsylvania avenue snapped in twain never tobe to tobe tobe be reunited Three months after the President took I recorded The h cal armistice i in n Washington will end shortly after the Presidents President's i Truman's return from Berlini Berlin Berlin- r i by at time domestic discontent 4 3 will be crystallizing the honeymoon r- r will be on the wane An And I the then had the temerity to toi i 0 predict that if the Japanese or jf y i war should end within the year President Truman will j be stripped of the protecting armor of the Commander In Then the slings and arrows which even I Roosevelt's enemies were wont to deflect to congress and md other government government government gov gov- I agencies will be aimed I squarely at the man in the White WhiteHouse House That prophesy required no gift ift of the occult Mr Truman knew It then then then-or or I wouldn't have From now on the President is his own man mm The legislation he offers offers offers of of- fers whatever its fate may be willbe will willbe willbe be to suit his own hearts heart's i desire He has fought the fight to I Ithe the best of his ability assailed from the right and the left and the rear as well as the front Now he will write his own ticket be it good or I I Ian bad Few Presidents have had such an opportunity or faced a more severe test I Presidential Bee i Hums In Capitol Dome I Washington withdraws from official official ofil I cial activity for the holidays without without without with with- out getting any real impact of the advent of the new regime Thera There I has been the preliminary hurly- hurly I burly of reorganization on Capitol i Hill HilI but the same old faces are evident and the same old voices speak The active Republican leaders leaders leaders lead lead- ers in both houses of congress have been so much in in the limelight for forthe forthe I Ithe the last year anyhow that they merely appear to be stepping up I rather than stepping in It all seems quite routine and casual There was just a touch of the excitement of the beginning of a anew anew anew new era when house and senate steering committees had their first II meetings and made their first om f r. r r C y iI h p 4 f Jr i Y 7 Y YIn In Y ry f I q F 4 4 aal J Jr d r C p 4 r Senator Taft Politically Cautious cial statements concerning legislation legislation legislation legisla legisla- tion and policy Most l of the steps had been foreshadowed and the change of venue was not The last 14 years make up the longest longest period of lean years that any party has suffered I 1 witnessed the end of two year 12 through which the Democrats thirsted thirst thirst- ed close of the one that began with William McKinley and ended with William Howard Taft when Wilson accompanied the new freedom freedom freedom free free- dom to the White House And the next another year 12 period when the New Deal followed Hoovers Hoover's exit The Democrats had only a short Interlude at the pie-counter pie between Taft and Harding and their return in 1933 came in the midst of such sucha a domestic crisis with the mad days of the following on the heels of the bank holiday that our I attention was diverted from poll poll- ics But what the Democrats did to the Republican officeholders good as one Republican put it recently He added We are going to do the same for them Congress begins with the Republican Republican lican liean Presidential plum w within thin easier easier easier ier reach than any which have dangled dangled dangled dan dan- in many a year and it is no wonder many hands are reaching hopefully for it In Senator early sounded the warning that more thoughts should be concentrated on the responsibilities I following the victory of 48 46 and I Iless less on on the possibilities of 48 8 for forthe forthe forthe forI I the good of all concerned The battle between the and the anti began even before election and the Ohio senator senator senator sena sena- tor himself is so determined that this time he will win the nomination nomination nomination nomina nomina- tion that he leans over backward to avoid criticism He refused to togo togo togo go on a broadcast for even a three- three minute statement of at Republican policy and he took off for Central America shortly thereafter |