New Britain herald., 1926-10-21

"Of course, it goes without saying that we democrats cannot provide the people with all the thrills and inducements that our republican friends can furnish. We have no such enormous 'slush funds as were in evidence in the recent senatorial primaries in Illinois and Pennsyl- vania, and we have no hope of rais- ing one. If we had the power to raise such fund, and should do so, we ought to be defeated. Unlike Senator Fall, unlike Attorney Gen. eral Daugherty and unlike our own Gilpatric., we still believe with Grover Cleveland that public office is a public trust And when it comes to buying an election. we say as Tom Waller told the people of Connecticut more than forty years ago, let him who cannot vote for me without pay, vote against me-
 Before the campaign is over, we shall probably hear from our op- ponents that all patriotic citizens IluSL NOlt 4ul CtllclOl l1llI lleiLl, III order to back up President Coolidge. My reaction to that suggestion is that if any democrat cannot follow the president more closely than some senators who call themselves republicans have followed him on important questions during the last three years, such a democrat ought to be defeated.
 Tt certainly will not be difficult for any democrat to stand by the president on the question of local f-government and state rights, for that has been good democratic doc Urine ever since Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independ- ence. And many of us believe that we would never have found ourselves in such a mess on the prohibition question, if we had only left the regulation of the liquor traffic to the states, where it rightfully be- longs. No one saw that point more clearly before we passed the prohi- bition amendment than our town governor at tIldt tiIh0r 1iIii|oH '1' Baldwin.
 Tt is truly remarkable what love and affection the republican party and its distinguished members in- cluding the two senators from this state, are beginning to acquire for that formerly detested doctrine of state rights!
 "As for the farmers of the coun- try, the president has no greater personal interest in their welfare than have, for I have lived on a New England farm longer than he has, and I am still on the job Wait till you see me dressed in overalls in farmer style, with hay rake in my hand, pictured in the Sunday newspapers. I know some Of the wants of the farmers from personal knowledge and I feel confident that neither the president nor Senator Bingham has anything on me in the agricultural line.
 q am one of those old fashioned democrats who has never considered it his religious or patriotic duty to ioin the republican party in order to get into office. Ever since 1 was old enough to vote, it has been my fxel opinion that there is room In this great country of ours for two principal political parties; that the country is governed best when the | two principal parties are most even- lv balanced: that it is the duty Of i good citizens to support the minority party. if they believe in it's princi- | plcs. even at the risk of never ob- taining office under that party. For 1 the stronger the minority party ls' i the less corrupt will be the domlnent party, and the better for the state itself.
 q have no sympathy or patience with the large number of voters who cast their votes for a party only because they think that party is go- ing to win, and they wish to be on the hand wagon. To my mind, the overwhelming power of the domi- nant party in this state for the last | thirty years has not been for the hest interests of either the repunll- can party or of the state of Connec- ticut. An oligarchy, or even benevolent despotism, is no more desirable today than it was two or three thousand years ago. It has no proper place in the civilization Of the twentieth century. Now, as al- ways, eternal vigilance is the price of liberty
 And it will never harm the state of Connecticut to have it's two prin- cipal parties so evenly balanced that a nomination by either party does not necessarily mean the cleo tion of such nominee.
 My friends, the fathers handed down to us glorious heritage. Let us be worthy of it, and get out to the polls, and do our duty in No- vember."