New Britain herald., 1930-03-18
HEWES HAS PLAN
 ID ASSIST PARTY
Man Suggests Demo-
 cratic Organization Change


 Waterbury, March IS (P}-Morc the democratic ranks of Connecticut gathered at the Hotel Elton here this afternoon to hear Thomas Hewes of Pennington prescribe his remedies for the ills of the demo- cratic state organization. He pro- posed a reversal in the party ma chine procedure, so that the gen erar' should choose his own ''priv- ates and officers a policy which, he said, would strengthen the party everywhere, as opposed to the pres ent system whereby the ''privates and officers choose the general"
 Former State Senator Archibald McNeil of Bridgeport spoke on the topic The Part I Took in Woman Suffrage asserting that he had fav- ored the movement at a time when many men in politics occopscd it. Mir McNeil is candidate for demo- cratic national committeeman from Connecticut. His outstanding con- petitor for the post is ex-Mayor Alfred N. Phillips of Stamford.
 Mrs. Weich PreSides
 Mrs. Henry A. Hayden, president of the Waterbury Women's Demo- cratic club, opened the meeting and turned the chair over to the state
 
 of Columbia.
 EX-Mayor Francis P. Guilfoile Of this city, Democratic Town Chair man John H. Crary and Joseph T. St. Louis, secretary to Mayor T. Frank Hayes, were guests of the club.
 Prominent democratic women seated at the speakers table were Mrs. John Kirby, president of the Bridgeport Women's club; Mrs. An drew McQueeny, Fairfield county leader; Miss Martha Moore, New Haven county leader: Mrs. David Mccoy. of New Haven, treasurer of the federation: Mrs. Nora Harris of New Haven. secretary of the feder- atlon; Mrs. Fred Mccarthy of An sonia, corresponding secretary; Mrs. James Curry, Hartford county lead CT; Mrs. John Pettibone, president Of the New Milford WomenS demo- cratic club; Mrs. Robert Thomas, Lltchtield county leader, and Miss Dora Egan, town clerk of Water bl1rN and of bury Women's Democratic club.
 Tt seems to me just matter of common sense," said MT. Hewes, that If party believes strongly enough in what it stands for, it should choose the most effective available means to attain the de- sired end, which is victory.
 Tn some states where this is com- paratlveiy easy, one type of orsan- zation may be suitable. But here in Connecticut where the odds against the party are great, only the best form of organization should be chosen. I have no criticism of our present or past leaders. They have earned and are entitled to the deep gratitude of the party for their un- selfish and determined efforts in our behalf. But 1 think they have been greatly handicapped by the ma chinery available to them. They shave had to rely upon officers and privates in the selection of which they have had no choice
 NrOulb RpyerSp Methods "l propose to you for your con- sideration. but with considerable dif1idence, that we reverse the pro- cedure in the party machine. In stead of privates and officers choos- 1 ing the general, let the general i plan is based on the sound propo- sition that if responsibility for sue cess is placed on man, that man should have the right to select his subordinates.
 The plan is as follows: I suggest that the present state central con- mittee select the national commit | teeman and a state chairman. These persons should be satisfactory to each other. The state chairman with the advice of the national committeeman. should then ap- 1 point one man as the head of each congressional district. These five men, with the other two, would be 1 the executive committee in full charge of the organization. Each | congressional district head would appoint man to be responsible for each senatorial district and with the latter appoint the town chairman. The latter should then appoint their own committees. The only new official in this organization is the congressional district leader.
 T think this element has been sadly missed in the past. Yet the district is the division of the state in which the contest on national is sues is largely fought out.
 Every two years or four years, the towns would elect delegates to senatorial district conventions and each of these conventions would