The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-10-07


 have addressed you as an American whose interest in the civic and political affairs of our city and of our nation is as great as that of any of you listeners, and it was not my intention or purpose to make an issue of the particular interest of those in the community who are of my race and blood, or of any other race and blood. But I was surprised, to say the least, when I found, on the editorial page of last Friday evenings Waterbury American that the management and editors of that newspaper have decided to make that an issue. Surprised, because not so long ago, when those twin newspapers published the statements of that morpholo- gist, Professor East, to the effect that people of the Latin blood were spawns and dregs of the vat, those same editors expressed themselves in their editorial col- umns as being practically in &C., cord with the statement. Sur prised also, because time and again the American press has en- deavored to impress upon the people of this country that this is vast melting pot, and that we should be true Americans. I am not so interested in the diStribu- tion of lucrative jobs as am in the treatment of people of any race and blood in fair and de- cent manner, and without favor or discrimination on account of race or creed. This treatment has been accorded by the democratic party to all races, mine included, and during the few years that the democrats have been in office, either nationwide, stateWise, or citywise, we find for the first time adequate representation in all the departments of civic government by people of my race and other races.
 Rubber Stamps
 am sorry that Fred Palomba and Pasquale DeCicco have be- come so warped and gullible as to believe that they have been given special honor and distinction, be- cause they know and I know, and those of you who are acquainted with the inner workings of the re- publican party know, that they are merely rubber stamps and will always be rubber stamps so long as they are in the clutches of people who use them for their own convenience. MT. Palomba, as chairman of the republican party, should have some prerog- atives, but it is quite evident that he, in that capacity, has been stripped and shorn of every pre- rogative of authority, so that when the ticket was made up, he was forced to take that which was showed down his throat, and like it.
 A tax collector must perform his duty according to law, for which he is paid. It is purely a routine job and does not permit the exercise of any great amount of discretion or of original thought, and there is no opportu- nity afforded one holding that office, to help to shape the poli- cies of the city government or of any of its departments. Now, the republicans two years ago did elect person of Italian blood to an office where there was, and all ways will be an opportunity to have something to say about the affairs of 8 very important part or our civic life. Mrs. Gertrude Bowes, a worthy lady of Italian blood, who is the daughter of the late John Siricas has been a mem Der of our board of education as a republican. No one will deny that our board of education, al- though its members receive no salary, is one of the most impor- tant boards in our city, because it controls the education, welfare and destiny of our children, our future citizens, whose duties in later generation will be to bear the burden of our city's political economic and social problems. A member of that board has 8 chance to express himself or her self in open meeting. and a per- son of originality and of ideas can therefore, be an important factor in shaping the will and action Of the board as a whole. And l will say right here, although Mrs. Bowes is a member of the repub- lican party, she proved herself to be 8 woman of intelligence, cour- age and sound discretion, and many times she championed wise and judicious policies for the ben- eft of our children, which were put into execution by the board in a great number of instances. For some unknown reason she has been dropped as a candidate. Knowing the conditions, why didn't MT. Palomba insist upon placing another person of Italian extraction in her place on the ticket? The answer is that he could not.
 Foreigners?
 When the matter of appointing men for the police department by the board of safety recently came LID for attention, and the names of persons of foreign extraction, particularly Italians, were pre- sented as possible appointees, the republican members of that board objected by saying: We have enough foreigners on the police department" Why did not MT. Palomba at that time protest to those republican members of the board who opposed such appoint ments by telling those members that the test was not the name or nationality, but the ability of such men to assume such positions? Another evidence of the discrim- inatory policy of the republican party.