Norwich bulletin., 1920-09-18
Especial to The Bulletin ]

| speech of nomination was that he had ] : lived in the ward five or six years and i p was a member of a fire company The s latter qualification was necessary in order . to insure election in the long ago and it : was generally suprosed that the condi- tions had changed and that it was not 7 necessary to be member of the fire de- ' partment in order to get complimentary or paying place under the city govern ment. Even in the old days it was not openly stated in caucus that q reason why ' any man should be nominated was be- cause of membership in the fire depart , ment- attend the caucus and see to it that their . favorite was nominated, but it was never so stated openly. The plans were laid when the men were seated around the old stove in the fire house and worked out in caucus This was done in the endeavor to remove suspicion that might be to the advantage of the fireman candidate on ! election day.
 There was a time when local politics
 were governed by a certain fire company and members of that particular organiza-
 tion filled about all the public offices. This | game was played for years until ma
 jority of the voters tumbled and put an end to that phase of local politics. The | game has been revived but the players l are more equally distributed among the | several fire companies, but there is lack l ing that combination that brought to
 every fireman nominee success at the polls. Nowadays when a fireman gets | nomination he usually has the other fel- |
 low handicapped by the support he gets |
 from the members of the company with |
 which he happens to be affiliated. Now it |
 is nothing unusual to have fremen com |
 peting for the same office.
 This indicates that there is lack of the l
 unanimity that prevailed in the old days
 when the hremen controlled the working
 of both political parties and made the
 election of firemen cock-sure regardless
 of party By the way, just how many
 city officers are there in office now who
 are not members of some fire organiza- ton, either on the active, the exempt the life or the honorary list? They are very, very few
 , Both political parties have made nom [ nations for aldermen and for the town 7 ! offices; under the consolidated form of n government, the selectmen being mem s bers at large of the court of common O council. with the full privileges of alder d men. There is no doubt as to the result
 and the republicans will continue to have
 q majority in the council. On the repub-
 lican side all was harmony at the eau [. cuses except in the Fifth ward, the repub- q lican stronghold, so strong that for years # the democrats made no nomination from .e that ward, or did so merely as a formal n ity. Tn the Fifth there were fully 13O
 republicans in attendance. while in the ,I other wards there were scarcely enough Ia to i'll the delegation 10 the city conven- m tion.
 "a Selectman Fitzpatrick aspired to be an ,r alderman and he marshaled his forces. in .g the main from the ockford Hose com re pany. He was opposed by Edward Smith, h., who had the backing of the members of ,e a substantial lead. This little contest will 1- have no bearing on election day, as the
 Fifth warders, staunch republicans that he they are. will to a man support the party
 candidate. or the ward leaders will miss h. their guess.
 = Here in New London there is no polit- 'e ical doubt as to the renomination of Rich = ard F. Freeman for congress. and if re- 7 nominated the election will be only g 15 matter of legal form. The only democrat - that has been semi-officially announced 4u as an opposing candidate is former Sena.
 tor Johnson of Montville. and that gentle ' man has not declared himself as to tn, , candidacy. The only other name heard 1T Ia connection with the democratic nomina -Ie tion is Assessor Thomas R. Murray VI Square Deal Tom" and he has not beer
 very SlAouBlg HleUllO0e1. were NOn . gressuan Freeman deputizad to name tn II" democratic nominee, it is fair to presum Il that he would name his distinguishes
 fellow townsman. Freeman is a politica 'e' fighter in his old home town and is no 7ts without experience in that line. It woul -s be a pleasure for Freeman to be pitte hu against Murray. who believes he is tn
 biggest vote-getter in the town. for the @ Freeman would have won victory wort uy while.
 a Murray as candidate for assessor ha sI- on several occasions led his party vot
 for the office, and on one occasion was tn snt only democrat on the ticket elected. Tn
 would tend to show that Murray is just 1. fled in his claim. Murray is really i
 earnest when he says he would like th
 nomination, but claims his chief draw
 back, and an important one, was his 1T o,a ability to furnish the required amount .er help pay the election expenses. There
 where he is handicapped, so he says. Mu
 ray is positive that he could get a m; dry jority over Freeman in New London ain over 400. and that with the money fe;
 ture omitted he could after a tour of Il of district before election win out by sul ,ers stantial majority. It might not be a bs ,or- plan for the democrats to hand the nom
 nation to Murray, just to see what
 would do with it
 ast,
 incl The renomination Of Frank B. Brand cad gee for United States senator is a cor
 pliment deserved by the senaotr and a 1 preciated by his fellow townspeople, m o'. and women and without regard to par ,e,I utilization. It would be more of a COT ."-- pliment if New London were to vo S0N unanimously, or nearly so. for the disti
 guished townsman as a matter of loc mon pride, if for no other reason. Natural the there are democrats here as elsewhel Mae who are so tightly hidebound that tn and, would prefer to vote for the tradition
 in wicked chan sometimes pictured wi y. horns, than to vote for republican. B for these are so infinitesimal that they 3, it not enter into political computation the these liberal times.
 %Il 1I There are democrats in New Lond, 4S99 many of them who voted for Frank De Brandegee six years ago, and will VI
 for him again in the coming election t or time, perhaps, as a matter of local pri 5 in There are some democrats to be pls l on that do not take stock in all that tn Iant- distinguished fellow townie has proclai with ed agains tthe democratic doctrine some propounded by President Wilson, that his not approve of his radical stand agai
 the president and the democratic par rong but they win vote for the reelection rms Frank B. brandegee just the same and their for no other reason than he is a tn .ven- oguhbred New Londoner It is belle .ding that according to voting population ; en- will receive the largest vote in New L V at don ever accorded candidate for of