Like most American men, Harry Truman loves a stag party. He also loves the Democratic Party. Last week the President brought the two loves together for a gala two days of eating, drinking, ribbing, horseshoe-pitching and politicking. The picnic grounds were the Jefferson Islands Club, three dots of green in the middle of Chesapeake Bay, a sumptuous hideaway dedicated to simon-pure Democracy. The President's playmates: more than 200 Democrats—Congressmen and Cabinet members, a few business bigwigs, a few tried & true old friends.
Somebody in Washington had thought it was high time that the President and his Democratic majority had a high old time together. Congress was showing signs of going into a fractious mood. Last week, it had sawed down the President's unemployment compensation plan, and it was testing its temper against more controversial measures coming up. By all factions in Congress Harry Truman was still one of the best liked of all Presidents, but he had undeniably lost some of his early acceptance on the Hill. It was time for the pouring of oil on waters and of water on bourbon.
Man at Work. The President had had another busy week, and he had zipped through it in the decisive style that is now recognized as typically Truman. In one terse, five-minute press conference (see PRESS), he made the week's biggest news. He made his first appointment to the Supreme Court. He made tough-minded Robert Patterson his Secretary of War, gave his kudos and the Distinguished Service Medal to retiring Old Soldier-Elder Statesman Henry L. Stimson. With one hurried stroke he had put the scattered war labor-relations bureaus under Labor Secretary Lewis B. Schwellenbach. With one brusque stroke he had cut Economic Stabilizer William H. Davis' job out from under him.
The rest of the week was the same—nothing earthshaking, but everything brisk. The President named State Department Careerist Maxwell M. Hamilton to be Minister to Finland. He saw a long list of visitors, assured a group of Democratic and Republican women that he favors the equal-rights Constitutional amendment. Now for the outing.
Man at Play. A warm, cloudless Saturday found the President in sparkling fettle for the weekend's fun. In a light grey suit and soft tan hat he was off from the White House at 8:40 a.m., behind a motorcycle escort. His car companions: Senate Secretary Leslie Biffle, former presidential press secretary Steve Early (now of Pullman Co.), Reconversion Boss John W. Snyder, gabby Brigadier General Harry Vaughan, the President's aide.
At Annapolis, aboard a dingy, tub-shaped, ancient icebreaker, now a Navy pilot craft, the President found about 75 thirsting party men. He went to the boat's top deck and yelled hearty gibes at Congressmen and others as they came dockside. One was James M. Barnes, former Illinois Congressman and one of Franklin Roosevelt's "secret six" assistants. Jim Barnes's imminent departure from Washington was the excuse for the get-together. He was the guest of honor; the President was merely another guest of Russell M. Arundel, Washington attorney, who signed the check at the club.