National Affairs: Tobin for Truman

No matter how hard he tried, ancient (76) Dan Tobin, boss of the powerful Teamsters’ Union, could not get very excited about next year’s presidential candidates. In last month’s International Teamster, he noted that Ohio’s Bob Taft would probably be the Republican nominee. But his words about labor’s onetime public enemy No. 1 were so amicable (“If Senator Taft gives you his word or promise . . . he will keep that word or that promise”) that the Republican Indianapolis News bannerlined: TEAMSTERS’ TOBIN TOOTS FOR TAFT.

Dan Tobin blasted out a denial, pointed out that he had ended his editorial by saying “Taft . . . is very liable to win unless we can arouse the masses of the working people . . .” (a sentence thoughtfully omitted by the News). Last week Old Dan took up the subject of Harry Truman. “Harry Truman is a clever political leader,” he wrote. “Yes, he lacks a little finesse, as most men do who are surrounded by great responsibilities. To be as charitable as we can, perhaps he is not to blame for the failure of his own party to carry out its pledges to labor . . . Let us give him the benefit of the doubt.” This time nobody leaped to bannerlines, but Dan Tobin’s second and loudest toot seemed to put him definitely, if unenthusiastically, aboard the Truman train.