Norwich bulletin., 1916-09-23
cspecial to The Bulletin )

New London, Sept 22.-There are a great many people residing in the city of New London at the present time who can readily recall that pea
 nut politics. campaign inaugurated by the mayor, or perhaps the last Of those who have been honored with that office to respond to the final sum-
 mons. Therefore the name of the good man is not mentioned. He ts- sued an order that all peanut stanos suspend business on Sundays, and the | order spread out into other business l until the lid was practically upon about every thing but booze. This i mayor carried the observance of the conceded to be a postmaster in tht art time when it was not lega1 for rail
 roads to operate on Sunday, and the trolley cars were unknown. This action did not meet with public ap- proval and gradually there was re- taxation in the enforcement, and it became possible to buy peanuts on Sunday. The Sunday business ex- banded and now almost anything wanted can now be purchased on Sunday in New London. To all this l the present mayor and several of his predecessors simply winked the other | eye, and that was about all there was | to it. All this is in violation of laws l both ancient and of recent enactment. When it was suggested that there was to be baseball playing by the lea 1 que teams in the city on Sunday, up went the hands of the mayor in holy | horror, and the state attorney was in voked to step into the arena and put | the Iegal screws against baseball
 garneG, and none were played, but the 1 open stores were not closed nor were 1 the garages and the trolley cars trav- l elled along about on schedule time, with perhaps the mayor, the state at 1 torney, and perhaps a minister or two aboard, as well as a few consistent | Vocate the stric+est enforcement of Sunday, as prescribed by law.
 Quite recently two of the local movie houses permitted animated pie 1 lures to be thrown on the screens Sunday evening and invited the peo | pie to come and see the pictures. No 1 admission fee was charged but all 1 who attended were expected to chip in dime to help defray the expenses. | just as is done in the churches. That | this was popular move by the movie
 men was demonstrated by the hum | dreds of people that f1ocked to the 1 play-houses on Sunday nights, and there was probably not q man or woman among them who was accus- 1 toned to t'ttend evening services in l the churches. Those entertainments l ! dreds an occasion of pleasure that | many could not enjoy at any other i time. But ehe peanut politicians like | these of old. who conducted the fla 1 nous peanut politics" campaign, | perhaps of the more hofier than thou l type, had q side talk with the mayor, l and like that mayor of long ago, he i sent out an order that the curtains l must rise no more in the movie houses i on Sunday evenings.
 | 1t is plain that Sunday laws are en- | forced in New London only in so far | as they relate to baseball and the | moving pictures, for every other line ! business is permitted to continue i without molestation, and there are no | object, nor the state attorney or the 1 local prosecuting attorney. The pub | lie. that is the people, do not want d | tight lid on in New London. It is this 1 squeezing down of the lid on modern | and progressive movements that kept 1 New London so long in the back
 ground among the cities of the state. There was but one entry and one
 starter in the contest for a position
 on the democratic state central com ] nittee to represent the district that
 represents New London and Groton,
 that has been filled for several terms 1 by Honorable Bryan F. Mahan who l has done fully as much as any other
 man in putting New London on the map in conspicuous position. Since 1 his appointment as postmaster he has
 not openly engaged in political work | and cannot be accused of political | activity" and it is said that it was | his intention to resign from member ship on the state central committee
 His oponents in the democratic party | took no stock in the report and head 1 ed by William H. Farrell deputy in-
 ternal revenue collector, with Former | Governor Waller as the tone maker
 some very effective political work was | accomplished without serious opposi- ton and majority of delegates went | from this district opposed to the re-
 tention of Mahan on the state central
 committee. Farrell was the only entry | and starter and won the event with
 ease, and without any effort to make
 a mark. The track and conditions
 were favorable for Farrell to win.
 MT. Farrell ought to be we'll eouip ped for political work, for he was for
 years under the direct tuteIage o4
 Mahan and by some was considered to be the right bower for Mahan and
 euchre and strengthen the winning
 hand. He is of the material that
 constitutes the average politician, but
 If he or any other man in these parts | are or opinion that they can fill Ma ! hans political shoes, they will have tc
 go some and then some more, as he is
 cursions to land here, and this was at
 of politics. The position of state cen | tral committeeman carries with it the
 party leadership of the district, and all
 good democrats will set aside preju- | dices and give MT. Farrell their po-
 litical support. Not that it will have
 any result on the election, but it will l tend to aid MT. Farrell in making a i good political showing with the party
 managers, and that means much to l MT. Farrell their political support l Not that it will have any result on the l election, but it will tend to aid Mir. l Farrell in making a good political | showing with the party managers, and l that means much to Mr. Farrell It is I noted that MT. Farre1Ps mot pro- | nounced supporters were drilled in the
 Mahan squads and therefore know the I points of the political game, as taught | by the chief Dolitician of tHer1 all