The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1922-03-30
THE CASE AGAINST
CONNELL

INllE opposition To W dllfE VI Anllfll : re-
election 10 the city commission and the
chief propagandist for the Tinglcy We'll
Walton ticket bring forward but one argument
against Cornell. This is the charge that Con
nell refused 10 confer with city fremcn when
an effort was being made by certain paid or.
ganizerS to form a union within the fire de-
partment.
This allegation is a Misrepresentation Of the
facts. At no time did Counell refuse To confer
with the firemen or any other city employees.
He did refuse TO confer with professional or.
ganizers of labor unions brought here to aid
IN organizing the city firemcn. and he persisted
in that refusal when Magee. through his Jour
nal, demanded that he enter into such a con.
ference with these imported organizers.
The fact that he refused 10 permit Magcc
to bully and intimidate him i, the real griev.
ance the promoter of the Tinglcy- We'll Walton
ticket has against Council
Is that a valid reason why the Magec ticket
should be put in charge of the city government
and Council and the present business admins
tration displaccd'
Connell held that the question at issue in the
attempt to organize the fircmen was wholly
between the people OF Albuquerque. as repre-,
sented by their duly elected representative
and the city's employees, the firemen. lie held
that it was against the city'S interest and III,
public welfare 10 permit city employees to AT,
filiate i'm an organization 10 whirh they would
owe obedience prior to that due their employer
the people Of Albuquerque. In that position
his associates on the commission concurred
So did the people, who sustained the com
missioners by majoritics of 500 or more, in tn,
recall election instigated by the union organ
izers.
The threatening attitude by Magce through
his journal at that time furnished the en-
couragement 10 the half dozen union organ
izers Interested. to initiate the attempted recall
Public sentiment Immediately manifested H.
overwhelming opposition 10 the recall move
ment. 10 one could have failed 10 sense tina
sentiment. Magec srnsed il and switched
through a series Of explanations of lou
position, W 10 support of the commissioner
leaving his associates, the union organizers. t,
finish their hopeless fight as best they could
Arguing in one paragraph against rceogni
tion or Encouragement Of 'class Consciousness
in this city, the principal hacker Of the great
or Magee ticket , deliberately undertakes Onc'
more to foster it by bringing against Connel
the false charge that he refused to confer will
a Large class Of the citizens Of Albuquerque
Council has never refused to confer with an,
"class, - large or mall lie does not r~ecogniz,
the existence of any class in this city. Iii
public record shows that all citizens look alik
to him and that he stands for the welfare O
all, even when he has been threatened by th0s
demanding special privileges. lie refused, 70
example, to recognize IN Magec, armed with
newspaper, any more right to dictate what tn
city government should do. than the right o
any other citizen not so armed. He refused (
be bluffed or bullied by Magce. That is IN
reason for the present bitter fight being wage,
ipon him by the journal.
Tc that a valid roaaop ,rh.- any aistyn, ybnuL
vote against the reelection Of Connell9 Rattle
does not this whole incident furnish convincin
evidence Of Councils rustworthiness am
courage that he took a stand, squarely, firml
and out in the open for what he believed {
be right and for the public welfare, and tina
he refused 10 be hudged from that stand by
threatening newspaper and an imported labo
organizeri
After Magee saw that the recall fight coul
not win he switched the journal to suppoi
of the commissioners He sustained the
position. lie nos contends that Cornell shoul
be defeated for reelection because of this
p%osition. lie says, in effect. that becaus
Connell refused 10 accede TO the journal
orders he should be defeated for re-election,-
because, forsooth, he did what Magee's new
paper said after il switched during the reca
calnpaign, was the right thing for the city.
eve are aroused by a rule or ruin policy,
tbe journal said recently. in one Of It's M
merous complicated positions.
II should have read, I'VE are aroused to
rule or ruin policy"
The above is the whole ease against Con
missioner Connell's reelection. lie wouldn
do what Magee told him 10 do, and Magee
therefore against him, even though Magee a.
mitted then and has admitted since that VIII
connelI did was for the best interests Of II
city.
viii e~ifiixens competent TO do their ow
thinking dismiss a competent commission