Honest Ave on the Hustings

An old New Dealer was busy last week learning a new part. Mutual Security Administrator W. Averell Harriman, whose 18 years as an Administration trouble-shooter have made him a familiar figure in the government offices of the world, was trying hard to become something more than a name to the voters. He flashed ear-splitting grins as the television cameras swung his way. He began treating news photographers with a new deference. And he paused to shake hands which he would hardly have noticed before.

In his first major appearance as a presidential candidate, Harriman was subjected to the public boo. At a televised League of Women Voters convention in Cincinnati, an angry chorus welled up when he said he does not think taxes too high. But there was applause when he added: "Of course, taxes are too high for normal times. If we vigorously carry forward our security programs now, we can hope to cut back taxes in a few years."

Harriman's speeches began to expand from the mutual security theme to a broader political line. In Cincinnati, he said there should be a Government "inspector general" to root out corruption. Before a conference of the National Jewish Welfare Board in Detroit, he called for the enactment of a new labor law "which protects the legitimate interests of labor as well as management." He dwelled lovingly on one of the Democrats' biggest campaign arguments: prosperity. Said he: "The average American can buy 40% more today than he could in 1939, and this is after taxes and allowing for increased prices."

As the Democrats' "tame millionaire" began testing his campaign legs, it became obvious that Candidate Harriman would be subjected to a more critical eye than Diplomat Harriman ever was. One newsman commented dryly that Harriman's habit of being often too busy to get things done in an orderly way is obviously going to carry into his campaign, which is still having trouble getting off the ground. Others began to recall some Harriman nicknames which reflect his air of preoccupation and his passion for detail. One of them: "Misty Bill." Another: "Honest Ave, the hairsplitter."

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