The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-10-03

be known, I met the situation by
reconstructing the board of
trustees in way to give the
democratic members eventually
majority.
Workers Protected
On further study was forced
to conclude that the department
of labor was a dismal joke. The
reports and statistics which it
had been issuing annually were
utterly unreliable. For several
years the department had been
reservoir for lame political
ducks. The commissioner who
belonged to the inner circle of
the republican organization re-
signed and has since been pro-
vided with place in the insur-
ance department, where the
character of his labors is un-
known to the governor and to
the general public. They cannot,
however, be too exacting. The
democratic commissioner whom
I appointed in his place has built
UP an outstanding department Of
labor, comparable to the best in
the other states of the union, A
republican general assembly i'm,
mediately cut the new commits
sioner's budget by a third, and
at the same time transferred to
the pond of another department
six of the lame ducks. For the
first time in several years work.
ers in factories now h a We the
protection to which they are en-
titled under the law.
Measures Defeated
The session of the general
assembly at the beginning Of my
second administration gave me
the support of democratic
majority of one in the senate.
This situation prevented any at
tempt to take the governor for
another ride. Many bills which
had failed two years before were
again introduced and passed in
the senate but as a rule t h ey
were PROMPTLY defeated in the
house. In this way fourteen out
of twenty-five welfare measures
went to the wall. Behind one of
these bills there is a curious
history. The general assembly of
1891 authorized the governor to
appoint a commission to study
the question of old age relief and
to report a bill on the subject.
No appropriation, however, was
made for the ordinary expenses
Of such a commission. Against
republican opposition, it took me
full year to find the ten thou.
sand dollars necessary for the
investigation. The commission
reported an excellent bill which
was overwhelmingly defeated in
the republican house.
Bank Emergency
The same fate awaited public
utility measures, a bill to reduce
motor vehicle registration fees
and operators fees, and amend
ments to the constitution to give
the governor veto power over
legislation and to remove the
minor courts from the arena of
politics. Early in the session l
was confronted with the neces-
sity of emergency legislation to
protect Connecticut banks and
insurance companies, during, and
after the bank holiday. An at
tempt was made at delay. How
ever, l quickly obtained the
necessary legislation after a
threat to act without express
authority of the general as
sembly under the clause in the
state constitution declaring that
1.-THE supreme executive power of
the state shall be vested in the
governor"
State Liquor Control
After delay of several weeks
the general assembly grantee
me authority to appoint a COM
mission on the subject of liquor
control. That commission duly
made a report which met with
a hostile reception by the repub-
lican majority in the Judiciary
committee. Then came a glori-
Gus fight on whether the control
of the manufacture and sale of
alcoholic liquors should be vest
ed In a state commission or in
local boards of some sort, either
county or town. Eventually state
control, as recommended by the
governor and the commission
won in both houses of the gen.
eral assembly against the fierce
opposition of the republican ma
chine.
1t was perfectly clear that the
Liquor Control Act as passed
needed clarification in places and
certain revisions. but the repub-
lican majority in the judiciary
committee declined to make any
study OF the bill with q view to
revisIons. After the failure of
repeated private requests, l sent
a special message to the general
assembly on the day before adj
journment urging that the bill
be amended so as to permit no.
tells and restaurants to serve beer
and wine. BY a strict party vote
the bill, which was introduced bv
the democratic leader of the SEN
ate, failed. However. this and
some other amendments were
brought In by Senator Bergin
representing the liquor control
commission on the last day OF
the session and were passed.
These amendments. however. did
not make. M ] desired. the bill
workable In some respects.
Politics ". Liquor
You are. Of course, aware that
the republican platform chargrp
the governor with objecfing ~
any changes whatever in.the lnR.
1hls statement u utterly false.