The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-09-17
WILTON, SOCIALIST HURLS CHALLENGE.
Would Like to Meet Rival Nominees for U. s. Sen-
 atOrship in Debate

Local socialists were to-day in- terested in the outcome of a chal- ! lenge to a debate hurled at U. s. Senator F. c. Walcott, republican, of Norfolk, Conn, and Congressman Francis T. Maloney of Mericen, democratic nominee for the na- tional senate, by Devere Allen of Wilton, editor, author and socialist candidate for the Washington post. He called upon them to go be- yond the conventional campaign methods of individual public ad- dresses. urging that at least once and preferably several times during the campaign provision be made for joint debate under neutral aus pices.
 Professor Allen based his appeal upon the need of Ia constructive spirit" and the desirability of af- fording voters of all political faiths an opportunity to size up the respective candidates under mutual criticism and discussion. His let ters to Senator Walcott and Con- gressman Maloney read as fol- lows:
 You will agree with me, feel sure that important issues are in- volved in the 1884 campaign for the office of U. s. senator. The voters of Connecticut have a right to weigh not merely the claims put forward by the candidates individ- ually, but, it seems to me, to eval- uate the candidates and their po- litical principles through the ef- fective contrasts and discussion af- forded by joint debate. Only when the electorate. can thus probe be- meath the conventional platform addresses of conventional politics can our citizens decide intelligently how best to cast their ballots.
 For this reason, I am writing to express the hope that you will consider some practical arrange ment through which, at le;,st once in the, campaign and preferably several times, it will be possible for the candidates for United States senator from all the parties to meet on common platform and, in q constructive spirit, to present under neutral auspices their respective points of view. As- suredly there are organizations within the state which will be glad to avail themselves of the oppor- tunity to serve as hosts on such an occasion from a sense of civic responsibility: but if none is avail able can promise on behalf of my party that we will cooperate fully with you in securing a proper auditorium.
 Frankly I think 1t would be confession to the voters of this state that the republican and dem- ocratic parties. together with their candidates for this important office, are bankrupt of confidence in the integrity of their programs, should they repeat in the campaign of 1894 what happened in 1882. In that year, as nominee of the So- cialist party, found it impossible to persuade the senatorial candi- dates of the republican and dem- ocratic parties to participate in joint discussion. When they were invited to do so by such statewide and partisan organizations as the Connecticut League of Women Voters, they invariably found 1t impossible to be present, either sending substitutes or, in the most sdiscourteous manner, falling to CO., operate at all with the public-spir- tied heads of these organizations In the duty of public education. Not only did this evasiveness prove costly in support among various groups, but 1t constituted an af- front to many of our most thought full citizens"