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Show Harry Truman's Life Story Proves Again 'Cabin-to-White House' Road Is Still Open if ' : 4 , J - J f ' 4 '-I $ with only 7,000 votes to spare, he won the election by a wide margin. Soon after resuming his seat he became be-came interested in reports of extravagance ex-travagance in construction of army, camps. Truman requested funds to set up an investigating committee, with himself as chairman. Within a few months the committee uncovered un-covered widespread waste, excessive exces-sive purchasing, profiteering and inefficiency in-efficiency in military contracts. In the first report the committee attacked at-tacked "needless waste" amounting to $100,000,000 in the army's cantonment can-tonment construction program. Plenty to Investigate. Complaints poured into the committee's com-mittee's headquarters. One concerned con-cerned inferior steel plate in naval construction an investigation disclosed dis-closed a serious situation, which was corrected. The committee brought about a reversal of policy when housewives complained about a shortage of sugar for canning. Thirty-one reports were issued all unanimous on the part of the six Democratic and four Republican members. The committee was instrumental in-strumental in consolidating the various vari-ous and conflicting war agencies into the War Production board. It helped to end bottlenecks in synthetic syn-thetic rubber and aluminum production. produc-tion. It advocated subcontracting to small war plants. "The thing- to do is dig this stuff up now and correct it," Truman declared. "If we run this war program efficiently there won't be any opportunity for some one to undertake a lot of investigations after the war ( and cause a wave of revulsion that will start this country on the 1 downhill road to unprcpared-ness, unprcpared-ness, and put us in another war in 20 years." These famous investigations put the "Truman committee" in the headlines time and again. Senator Truman grew into a national figure. President Roosevelt took mcreas- President Advanced From County Offices To Head of Nation By Elliott Pine Released by Western Newspaper Union. Forty years ago Harry Truman Tru-man was plowing behind a mule on a Missouri farm. Today To-day he is in the White House, in many ways the most powerful power-ful man in the world. The new president was born In Lamar, Mo., May 8, 1884. Four years later his parents, John Anderson Ander-son and Martha Young Truman, returned re-turned to Jackson county, 125 miles north, which was the ancestral home of both. Harry grew up on the 600-acre family farm in Jackson county near Grandview. His mother, still alive at 92, remarked reminis-cently reminis-cently last fall when he was elected to the vice presidency: "That boy could plow the straight-est straight-est row of corn in the county. He could sow wheat so there wouldn't be a bare spot in the whole field. He was a farmer who could do anything any-thing there was to dc just a little bit better than anyone else." During his grade and high school days Harry distinguished himself by his scholarship. He was an omnivorous reader, an earnest stu-dent stu-dent of everything. When he graduated gradu-ated in 1901, he hoped to go to college, col-lege, but, although his father was known as the "best horse and mule trader in the county," family finances would not permit any more education for the eager youth. He won an appointment to West Point, but was rejected for weak yesight. Harry decided to make his fortune for-tune in nearby Kansas City. After a few years at small jobs drug clerk, bundle wrapper on the Kansas Kan-sas City Star, bank clerk, timekeeper timekeep-er on a railroad gang he went back to the family farm at his grandmother's invitation. Went to War. I For the next few years working the big farm took all Harry's time. Then in 1917, he volunteered for the army, and soon became 'a lieutenant lieuten-ant of field artillery. While in training train-ing camp he organized a canteen for the men, and took care of them in many other ways. Later he rose to a captaincy, and led his company com-pany in hard fighting in Saint Mihiel and the Argonne campaigns. On the boat home Harry was commissioned commis-sioned a major. Soon after returning to Missouri, he married his childhood sweetheart, sweet-heart, Elizabeth (Bess) Wallace, granddaughter of the first mayor of Independence, Mo. The ceremony took place in the Episcopal church, Mrs. Truman's sect. In 1919 Truman decided to go into business, so he entered partnership with a man whom he met in army life, and established a haberdash-' haberdash-' -cry store in Kansas City. Harry invested his entire fortune, amounting amount-ing to about $15,000. At first the business prospered but the sharp recession of 1921 brought disaster. Truman did not go into bankruptcy, but chose to pay off his debts as well as he could. In 1934, when elected to the U. S. senate, he was still meeting old bills. Somewhat accidentally, he got Into politics. An army acquaintance who was a nephew of Thomas Pen-dergast, Pen-dergast, then Democratic leader in Kansas City, suggested Harry Truman Tru-man for some small position. The astute Pendergast, discovering that Truman was well known and liked, had the backing of the American Legion, and was anxious for a new career, appointed him a road supervisor. super-visor. In return Harry made occa- v h " v s i ; " $ PRES. HARRY S. TRUMAN sional speeches and assisted in party organization work. The young man's integrity and energy were effective and he was placed on the ticket for county judge In Jackson county. Truman won, and discharged his duties well during his two-year term, 1922-24. He was defeated in his try for reelection, however, how-ever, the only political setback in his career. (The office of comity Judge in Missouri corresponds corre-sponds to county superintendent in other states.) Truman studied law at night during his term of office, and gained admittance to the bar. Then in 1926 he was elected presiding judge of Jackson county which includes Kansas Kan-sas City, and environs. Handled 60 Million Dollars. "I had charge of the spending of $60,000,000 for highways and public buildings," Truman said later. "Nobody ever found anything wrong j with that, and it wasn't because they didn't look, either. We built more miles of paved roads in Jackson Jack-son county than in any other county in the country, with only two exceptions." ex-ceptions." Truman was repeatedly reelected to this office until 1934. He had sought the nomination for governor in 1930, and for county collector in 1932, but party heads advised him to wait a little longer. Then in 1934 came the big chance. Pendergast put Truman on the ticket for the U. S. senate. This was not such a favor as it might seem, for Pendergast Pender-gast did not expect victory in that year. By a peculiar stroke of luck, however, the opposition was divided between two strong candidates, and Truman's own popularity sufficed to win him a seat in the august upper house. During his first term Truman Tru-man remained somewhat obscure, making few speeches, and in general gen-eral following the lead of Missouri's Mis-souri's senior senator, Bennett Clark. With few exceptions, Senator Truman Tru-man supported the party program. He voted for the original agricultural agricul-tural adjustment act, the Wagner labor act, social security, the Tennessee Ten-nessee valley authority, and the joining of the World court. In his second year he voted for the Florida Ship canal and Passamaquoddy dam project. The only measure he opposed op-posed was the President's veto of the bonus payments. In 1938 and ,'39 he supported preparedness appropriations and lend-lease. He was chairman of a subcommittee that investigated investi-gated railroad finance, leading to the Transportation Act of 1940. His work in drafting the Civil Aeronautics authority was outstanding for thoroughness and practicality. In 1940, after squeaking through the Democratic nomination battle The President's mother, Mrs. Martha E. Truman, now 92, still lives in Independence, Mo. ing interest in him. So did Robert Hannegan, national Democratic chairman, who knew Truman in Kansas City. When the dust settled at the convention in Chicago last . summer, Harry S. Truman found himself nominated as vice president. Victory at the polls in November thrust him into the second highest office in the land. ; As vice president Truman had less opportunity to act independently ; than while in the senate, since as presiding officer of the upper house he could - not take sides, as often he wished to do. Unlike his predecessor, prede-cessor, Wallace, he did not travel abroad on any special missions for the President, but remained in Washington close to affairs of state. Shrewd, Practical Man. The new President is considered-a considered-a shrewd and practical man, a middle-of-the-road liberal, with an ability abili-ty to get along with conflicting factions fac-tions and to compromise when necessary. Capital observers think he will rise to the demands of the enormous task ahead as have other vice presidents suddenly called to vast responsibilities. Personally, the new President Is a modest-appearing man of almost al-most 61. He stands 5 feet, 10 inches tall, weighs about 170 pounds, and is trim and well proportioned. Until they entered the White House, he and Mrs. Truman lived in a five-room five-room apartment. They had no house - servants, as Mrs. Truman, who has been her husband's secretary secre-tary for years, also preferred to take care of the apartment herself. The Truman's only child, Mary Margaret, is studying at George Washington university. She is 21, and a junior. Her hopes are for a career in music. All his life President Truman has been a "joiner." Even as a child he often attended the Presbyterian Sunday school, although he is a Baptist. In youth he enlisted in the National Guard, and stayed in service serv-ice for a dozen years until 1917. His fraternal connections include the Elks, the Masons (he was state Grand Master for Missouri in 1940-41) 1940-41) and the Anah Templars. i . - T j " 4 C-Vr ' - ji ' ... .-. jt . Mrs. Bess Truman and her daughter, Mary Margaret, relax in their Washington apartment. Mary Margaret Truman, new "princess" of Washington, is tall, blonde, 21, and a junior at George Washington U. She is a popular member of Pi Beta Phi sorority, and is active in college musical organizations. or-ganizations. Her soprano voice has been heard in summer productions f the Denver Opera company. She is majoring in voice, and hopes for a concert career. It's more than possible that Margaret may be the first White House bride since Wood-row Wood-row Wilson's day. |
