Stassen's Farewell

For a fortnight, the husky, serious, silo-tall young man who was Minnesota's Governor had been working 15 hours a day to clean off his desk. In & out of Harold Stassen's deep-carpeted office in the State Capitol went men on last-minute business: legislators, businessmen, labor leaders, Republican bigwigs. Harold Stassen listened to all of them, between interruptions plugged away at humdrum details. On the floor above the Legislature dragged to a close.

As soon as the Legislature adjourned, Harold Stassen would be free to keep a promise made more than a year ago, before he was elected to his third term as Governor: to go on active naval duty as a lieutenant commander. As a Governor, and an able one, Harold Stassen easily qualified as an essential civilian. As a strapping, active man of 36, he felt otherwise. He had said: "This war will be fought by young men of my age, and I want to be with them."

Legislative adjournment was set for midnight April 20. Came midnight and an apparently hopeless deadlock over taxes; the clocks were stopped. At 6 a.m. the Governor left for a cat nap at his home in South St. Paul. He was back in his office at 10; the Legislature was still wrangling.

Wait and Work. For the next two days, Harold Stassen followed the same routine, working and waiting all day and half the night. He signed and vetoed bills, suggested a tax compromise to top Senators and Representatives. Into his office trooped a group of C.I.O. leaders to demand a veto of certain labor bills (outlawing jurisdictional strikes, calling for union elections at least every four years). Harold Stassen looked at the bills, said he did not think they would hamper "good unions." The conference broke up amicably; said a departing C.I.O. leader: "Sink a few Japs for us, Governor."

After three days, the tax deadlock was broken. The Governor's compromise had won. Harold Stassen drank a glass of milk in celebration. To the Governor's office came tall, husky Lieut. Governor Ed Thye (pronounced "thigh"), Harold Stassen's hand-picked successor. Said Ed Thye: "Governor, if you hadn't staked all your chips on me, I wouldn't be where I am today, and I want you to know I appreciate it." Said Harold Stassen, with proper modesty: "You did it yourself, Ed."

Next day, the Governor took a holiday. In the morning the Stassens went for a long hike along the Mississippi; at night to Good Friday services at Riverview Baptist Church.

This week Mrs. Stassen's mother and sister moved in with the Governor's wife and two children. There was a final testimonial dinner, a last confab with G.O.P. leaders. Then Ed Thye took the oath as Governor. His platform: continue the Stassen administration.

Harold Stassen packed his four Navy uniforms (one blue, one white, two khaki) and entrained for the Great Lakes Naval Training Station in Chicago. He made no promises as to when he would be back. But the political future of shrewd, steady Harold Stassen looked bright, and his action this week in no way dimmed it.

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