New Britain herald., 1929-11-30
Brady or Tyler? It's Up to the Common Council.

l iNl Stl Vtl III Iioioi Ol u DItSl-
 dent who, according to contempor-
 ary writers never could be and nevea
 was elected to that high office--hc l became president by succession when Benjamin Harrison died. an l h" was not renOminated by his party is certain to meet the vigorous ob- 1 jection that resulted in withdrawal
 Of the first petition to that end.
 In the first place, Brady avenue l was named in honor Of an esteemed | citizen, the late Senator Thomas ,I. 1 Brady and there are those who feel all honor bestowed on a resident Of 1 this community should not he | erased by a thoughtless action on i the part of any branch of the city | government. Their protest is made 1 the more vehement by d review Of 1 the biography of President John 1 Tyler, showing anything but a last ing impress on the national life of | the country.
 If Brady avenue is 10 continue 10 i bear that name, it will be neceS- sarY for the common council to re- | Ject a recommendation which will 1 be made at the December meeting. DISCUSSION in municipal circles aD- pears to indicate that the resolution is headed in that direction.
 Thomas H. Brady, whose sons now conduct the business of the | Brady Electric Co.,, was on out standing figure in the business life or this community for many years He was member of the first con- mon council, in 1871 and 1872. As water commissioner, he worked hand in hand with the late Philip Corbin. father of New Britains wa ter system" and together they famped many miles of woodland to select places which were to be the future reservoirs of the system, an winch were marked to be the Wa ter sheds capable of collecting SUD- plies to serve community many times larger than they could visual lze at the time.
 In later years. he was member Of the public safety commission. predecessor Of the present police and lire boards, and he completed his pupllc service as member of the upper house of the general assembly.
 Nho was Tyler? That question mas been going the rounds consid- eraDly since the residents of Brady avenue began their campaign for Il chanSe m street name, and if noth- Ing more comes of the endeavOr than brief lesson in United States history, bearing on the lives Of con- partlVely obscure presidents lo harm will have come.
 A native Virginan, Tyler filled various public offices. He was 8 member of the legislature and gov ernor of the state of his birth, after wards going to the United States senate. He was nominated for the Vice presidency by the Whigs, d. though he was a democrat.
 AS to the wisdom of the choice or Tyler for that office, one contcm- porary has written:-
 If those who nominated Tvlar had given q thought to the possib;l- ny ot his succeeding to the chief hlaglstracN. he would have been about the last man they would have chosen for the emergency"
 After writing. 'Tyler belongs among the third and fourth-rate presidents the writer says of him. he was a mediocre country lawyer and a narrow-minded politician, with a gift for getting offices that he had no gift for filing
 When called from his home IT Virginia to go to the White House and fill the presidents chair, history records that it was necessary fos neighbors 10 furnish him with the money to make the trip.
 One historian concluded his story Of the Wings and their domination of Tyler by writing; They had set out to fool the people and in the end they themselves were worse than fooled"
 It was also written that even the name of Tyler became distasteful through the nation to the extent that crippled old women renamed rheu- matte pains, ''Tyler's grip
 While 54 years old and president. Tyler married the 24 years old daug- ter of a deceased cabinet member. After he failed to win nomination for the presidency, he secured en- ployment as road overseer
 In defense of those who would name New Britain street after Tyler, it should be explained that they have not held him up as the ideal citizen and president. but have attempted to establish their locality as a "presidenial district" many other streets in the zone now bear ing the names of deceased presl- dents.
 Tyler's administration seems 10 have shown mp poorly in Compari- son with those of other men who have graced the White House, anI in whose memory streets here have been named. Included are Wash ington, Adams, Madison, Monroa, Harrison, Lincoln. Hayes, Cleveland, Harding and Coolidge.
 In the long list of presidents there Woul seem to be others whose lives might be pointed to with consider able benefit to those who aspire 70 do honor to leaders of the country. Proving That Half the World
 Is Willing to Help Other Half
 Human nature at it's best could