The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-01-14

republican party, never voted or
 took part in tits primaries, did vote
 for a republican president and 3e-
 long to the Union League, social
 club in Philadelphia. the charter. of
 which provides that member
 must believe in our republican form
 of government. It does not provide
 member must be a repucli ran.
 When I was elected a member. the.
 membership committee were told I
 voted for President Wilson. and my
 resignation has not been requested
 by reason of being chairman of the
 democratic national committee, or otherwise. Furthermore, a substan-
 tial number of it's membership for president in 1928, and an even greater number voted for Mir Hemp
 hill for governor of Pennsylvania
 last November.
 "There is no apology needed for any man whose convictions are
 changed on any subject. Gossip
 has 1t that MT Hoover was formerly a democrat It was his right to
 change his opinion and his politics. but when your article infers that I was a republican and changed to the democratic party because of my religion and because Alfred l.. Smith is a Roman Catholic, you are merely joining that strong group In the republican national committee that has been fomenting religious. and class hatreds during the last two years and prostituting the re- publican party to gain ballots from guided public. Seeds of hatred sown
 wildly in times of depression and posterity fall on soil made very fer tile for weedy growth by hunger
 and suffering in times like these. If the consequences thereof could be
 visited on those guilty of sowing the
 seed, no one would complain. But 1t is the poor and innocent public. ignorant of the facts. that must suf- fer the consequences. Because -of an depreciation of its responsibility the democratic national committee has
 conducted clean campaigns devoid
 of nefarious practices despite the artifices of it's adversaries. Shame
 on the man who in such circum-
 stances, masquerading as a member of the party. should pervert his tal- ents to such improper usages and
 make himself part and parcel of the
 campaign of bigotry and intolerance
 in which the republican party Is en- gaged.
 Tells Needs of Unsel!lsh Service Never in it's history has our
 country had greater need for pure,
 unselfish, patriotic service than now.
 My lack of education in political
 matters makes politics rdificult- and unattractive to me. ". However.
 whens drafted into service through
 the ckairmapship of the democrat
 ic national committee, I responded
 to the call confident in the belief
 that it Is only through the demo- cratic, party that we can quickly re-. turn 10 the Hberai form of govern
 ment established bv the founders of our government when they adopted ithe Constftution of the United States. I accepted my position with the dis-s tinct understanding that desired no public office and would consider
 unfair any attempt to draft me fur- ther into public service.
 "Thes democratic party is not and will not be controlled by any man or. small group of men. Nominations for president and vice-presfdent will be mdae by the democratic national convention and not dictated by any clique. When this great party bows to the control of one man or small group of men. as does the republi-
 can party. 1t will cease to be demo-
 not have me. atfrue liberal in every
 sense of the word. as its national chairman .t wE ~ esq
 i ' "Unselfsh. patriotic service to ones. country can. easily be viewed
 by selfish. suspicious people as
 prize paradox; but. thank God! the country Is oxerfowing. with unseI- fish, patriotic. citizens who are only awaiting the-1932 national elections
 to follow tleader carrying their banner. f''f" '%
 "As your article was p,Iblished m | the front page of The Baltimore
 Sun Of January 6. am giving this
 letter to the press for sthe inSorma. ton of the people of the country. "Very truly yours.
 "JOHN J. RASKOB, "Chairman Democratic National ] l,se Committed" ,,s