New Britain herald., 1930-08-20
R0RABACK WILL G0,
 PAPE'S PREDICTION
Continued From First Page)

tional right because the citizens of Connecticut have not been exercis- ing it and when a few of us start to do it, quite a few of the rest of you wonder whats the matter with us, anyway. Are we socialists? Have we joined the Reds? Why cant we 1 let things alone and devote our spare time to golf, bridge and set back instead of arguing about the administration of the state govern ment ard the secret of open control of the republican and democratic partiss?
 "Vhe reason is that the great ma jority of the citizens of Connecticut have paid so little attention to the details Of their state government that 1t has been taken away from then. It is being used against theGl. They are being misrepresent- ed and misgoyerned and many of us don't even know it. Some of us do know but say nothing. We pay our taxes and vote the straight ticket and that's that. Instead of speaking freely our sentiments on this sub ject We ignore it.
 Now it isn't exactly crime to think about state and party gov ernment in Connecticut, not legally, not yet, at all events, but it is rap idly becoming so.
 Some of my friends in Water bury profess themselves unable to understand why man like me, al- ways protesting to be a good repub- lican, should raise any awkward questions about the republican par ty. The other day some citizen of Waterbury who appears to have giv- en me fictitious name, called me on the phone and expressed surprise that anybody of good standing Che conceded me thaD should oppose Mir Roraback, Prof. Levitt has been invited to speak in all parts of the state by numerous reputable groups. At least twice he has been de- nounced publicly by defenders of the status quo who try to dismiss him as a mere trouble maker and ask why he doesn't hire a hall. This is not q grievance with him or ne. Personally, 1 think that what this man Levitt has had to say about the Roraback machine and the state government calls for better answer and such answers as these are being noted down by the public. In the United States of America the Levitts cannot be sup pressed. They must be answered. Making row anywhere because Prof. Levitt makes a speech is simply SO much more advertising tor the charges he makes and which arc not rebutted.
 Levitt and P. [. C.
 "A beautiful example Of the way not to sGuelch Prof Levitt was giv- el last year by the chairman of our public utilities commission. Prof. Levitt was a private citizen interest cd in a tragic grade crossing acci- dent which happened near bis home. His wife is a daughter of the late Congressman Ebenezer J. Hill of the Stamford district Forty years ago, while Mir. Hill was in the general assembly, he helped to pass a law still on the statute books, which requires the railroads of this state 10 abolish one grade crossing annually for each fifty miles of track operated. Prof Levitt went to II e., d lao .t l.; Io, vas being enforced. Word passed through the offices of the public utilities commission that some crank who said his name was Levitt was asking questions about the grade crossing law. Whereupon the chairman Of the commission ap- pears to have said. Send him in to me. I, know how to take care Of him
 According to Prof. Levitt's pub lished account Of the interview, which l believe has been unofficial ly admitted to be substantially cor rect, the chairman asked what cor poration or what railroad company he represented. Prof. Levitt said he represented no corporation - he vas a private citizen asking in formation. Then the chairman re- fused to give him any such in formation until he showed that he represented corporation. especial ly a railroad company. and conse- quently had a legitimate interest in knowing about the grade crossing law.
 Now in my mind, that incident raises questions much larger and more important than anything about grade crossings. It raises the question whether the state of Con- necticut is a self-governing repub- lie, as it is supposed to be. It also raises the question as to whether the republican party, which most of the time is entrusted with the state government, is a railroad party or a corporation appendage' of any sort. It would be mighty bad business for this state and this country if the voters should ever be convinced | that this is rich mans country or that the republican party is a rich mans party. It would be equally disastrous if the dem mocratie party. which rrofesses in this state to | represent particularly the interests of the workingman, should ever be convinced of selling him out, par ticularly to an opposition organiza- tion believed to be the kindly rep resentatiye of organized wealth. Such con 1itions might actually pro- duce the 1ocialistic or communistic revolution which defenders of the status quo profess to be afraid "Whom is J. Henry Serying?"
 Now having established my right to speak and your duty to soberly