Wallace holds inside track for Jones’ job
Roosevelt, however, remains silent
Washington (UP) –
Vice President Henry A. Wallace, turning over his job and title to Harry S. Truman today, became the mystery man of the hour.
With Mr. Truman’s future taken care of for the next four years, what everyone around here wants to know for certain is, what will the ex-Vice President’s next job be?
When John Nance Garner stepped out of the Vice Presidency four years ago, he went home. Mr. Wallace has no such intention. He wants – and there is considerable evidence that he may get – Jesse H. Jones’ job as Secretary of Commerce.
Nothing definite
But thus far, it has been impossible to get anything definite on Mr. Wallace’s fate, either from him or from the man in whose charge it appears to be, President Roosevelt.
Nothing definite, that is, except the assurance given by Mr. Roosevelt at his news conference yesterday that he did not think Mr. Wallace would starve; and subsequent hints that Mr. Wallace would continue to sit in Cabinet meetings.
Not starving, in the lexicon of official Washington, doesn’t mean merely that; it means having a big job in the government – a job, it would seem in this case, of Cabinet rank.
What about Jones?
The way Mr. Jones’ Texas friend have been running around lately would appear to indicate that whatever the President’s intention, Mr. Wallace has definitely drawn a bead on the Commerce post.
If Mr. Wallace bags his game, interest would switch immediately in Mr. Jones’ future. One possibility is that he would be kept in charge of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation and the other lending and subsidizing agencies over which he now presides.
But friends of Mr. Wallace believe he will succeed Mr. Jones not only as Secretary of Commerce but also as chairman of the RFC.
Mr. Wallace and Mr. Jones sat at the head table – nine seats apart – at a presidential inaugural dinner given last night by members of the Electoral College.
Introduces Truman
Mr. Wallace introduced Mr. Truman in a brief, unrevealing speech during which he continually smiled and chuckled as if something pleased him very much.
Mr. Jones didn’t make a speech. But he was observed to drink a furtive champagne toast of mysterious significance with Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins, two seats away.
Miss Perkins is reportedly on her way out, too.
Thousand Club has big day
Washington (UP) –
Some 300 members of the One Thousand Club, each of whom paid $1,000 into Democratic Party coffees in the recent campaign, hied themselves over to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue today to see and hear the fellow club member, Franklin D., begin his fourth term as President.
Mr. Roosevelt gave $1,000, too.
In addition to appearing at all the official inaugural sessions, including the inaugural ceremony, buffet luncheon afterward as well as tea and reception later in the afternoon, they planned a gala banquet for the evening at which singer Frank Sinatra, comedian George Jessel and screen star Orson Welles will appear.
At the banquet some 500 additional guests will be dined with part of the nearly $52,000 reportedly remaining in club coffers as the balance of the $252,000 collected in the campaign.
It was reported that a number of $1,000 contributors to other Democratic bodies were irked at the failure to get club membership and the Democratic High Command was said to have suggested the dinner as a means of smoothing their ruffled feelings.