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Show Domestic Problems to .., : Test Truman's Mettle .v, :U Harmonious Relations on Foreign Policy 11, f j Soon to Give Way to Contention Over ''' i Difficulties of Reconversion. I Jj By BAUKHAGE ' News Analyst and Commentator. VVNU Service, Union Trust Building, Washington, D. C. The political armistice in Washington Wash-ington will end shortly after the President's return from' Berlin. The Big Three meeting followed so closely close-ly on the heels of, the San Francisco Fran-cisco conference that foreign affairs have dominated the scene almost to the exclusion of domestic matters, which sooner or later must test the mettle of the new administration. Another' reason, perhaps, why President Truman's honeymoon has been extended is the fact that the main issue before the country, the United Nations charter, has been robbed of Its partisan flavor. This Is largely due to the long and arduous ardu-ous efforts of former Secretary of State Hull. He built up a working understanding on foreign affairs between be-tween the administration and the congress, which resulted in the only a former senator, but a former Supreme court justice. Byrnes provides pro-vides an understanding link with the judicial branch as well as with the legislative. The secretary of the treasury, Fred Vinson, is a former member of congress as well as an ex-judge. Secretary of Agriculture Anderson is not only a former member of congress, but was head of the house food committee, which directed some of the most serious criticism against the former administration's admin-istration's handling of the food situation. situ-ation. This committee is now working work-ing closely with the new cabinet member. While Secretary of Commerce Wallace does not bring to his department de-partment the close associations of the men over whom he presided as president of the senate, the scope and function of his office has been considerably reduced by the reor- NT5 1 , Vice President Truman shortly before his elevation to the presidency discusses politics and artillery shells with Eaukhage. whole-hearted co-operation of most of the leaders of both parties, sturdily stur-dily supported by public opinion. Secretary Hull was able to achieve this harmony because of the .confidence .confi-dence in which his former colleagues held him and also because of his experience ex-perience as a member of the legislative legisla-tive branch of the government. Roosevelt could never have been as successful in this endeavor and, because be-cause he realized that fully, he left the matter largely in Hull's hands. Chief Slill One of the Boys In the first place, President Truman Tru-man stepped directly from the upper up-per house to the vice presidency, and ever since he left the legislative legis-lative branch for the executive, he has been acting as liaison between the two. Shortly before President Roosevelt's Roose-velt's death I had occasion to interview in-terview the then vice president. I talked about the forthcoming San Francisco conference with him (as well as the field artillery, of which we are both alumni). He indicated that he was holding aloof from any public participation in the discussions discus-sions of international affairs but was attempting to carry on and to complement com-plement the work of Secretary Hull in promoting a sympathetic discussion discus-sion of the Dumbarton Oaks agreement agree-ment with members of the senate foreign relations committee, the house committee on foreign affairs and others. gar.ization of the department and so is not a source of friction. In his secretary of labor, President Truman Tru-man has a man who was exceedingly exceed-ingly popular in the senate anotb er judge Lewis Schwellenbach. Fear Influence Of Party Bosses 01 course, when it comes to questions ques-tions like the poll-tax and the fair employment practices act or any other measure in which the race question is involved, the old friction arises with the southern congressmen congress-men and any Republican? they can attract to th'eir cause. Also, while there are those who say that the President is steering a course much farther to the right than President Roosevelt did, he nevertheless is committed to a number of the so-called so-called New Deal "reforms," both because be-cause of his record in the senate and because of his natural leanings. However, since Truman is known to be a strong party man, it will be easier for him to keep the southern Democrats in line. Of course, some of the radical New Dealers are doing a lot of eyebrow eye-brow raising behind the bushes and a remark (perhaps written with tongue in cheek) which appeared in the Wall Street Journal sent shivers shiv-ers down some spines. That newspaper, news-paper, which hardly depends on Democratic support for Its circulation, circula-tion, said recently: "Not since the short-lived administration of Warren Harding has there been the prospect One of his first unorthodox acts was to take lunch with some of his eld colleagues at the Capitol. This was almost as if the king of England were to attempt to enter the City of London without first having a formal parley with the lord mayor. Eut it vas a perfectly natural act on Truman's Tru-man's part like his spontaneous remark re-mark to the effect that there was a certain Chinese restaurant where he vould like to eat while he was on the West coast. On second thought he realized that, as President, he couldn't do such a thing and admitted admit-ted It with a smile. The President's Informal visits to the Capitol haven't hurt him. Nor J-jia formal ones. After his last appearance, ap-pearance, when he delivered the charter, he lingered so long in the senate chamber, shaking hands and patting backs, that an aide had to hint gently that he wasn't a senator any more and must hurry back to his vork. His cabinet appointments are hlgfily significant. Truman's secretary secre-tary of state, James Byrnes, l not of teamwork as exists today. If the results of the Berlin meeting meet-ing are such that they reveal a marked Improvement In Big Three relations and a harmonious settlement settle-ment of some of the difficult international inter-national problems, -the President's prestige will be greatly Increased. However, by that time domestic discontent dis-content will be crystallizing, the honeymoon will be on the wane and the President will need all the "teamwork" he can muster. If the Japanese war should, by any chance, end suddenly before another year it would mean thai reconversion, threats of inflation and unemployment and a hundred other problems will be upon us and President Presi-dent Truman will be stripped of hia protective authority as Commander-in-Chief. Then the slings and arrows ar-rows which even Roosevelt's enemies ene-mies were wont to deflect to congress con-gress und other government agencies agen-cies will be aimed squarely at the man In the White House. Peace will not be too peaceful at 3200 Pennsylvania Penn-sylvania avenue. |
