The Waterbury Democrat., 1936-11-02

By the time this Is read the cafn- paign of 1036 will be practically over. There remains, of course, the necessity of remaining on guard; !; of watching for the last desperate forays of a hemmed-in political foe, who, realizing that defeat is at hand, may make final, forlorn- hope charge which will be as futile as those that have gone before.
 There is also to be looked for some pretty rough work on election day. Those who have made such interruptions preparations for con- trolling the voting are not likely to be less ruthless or unprincipled or, November 3rd than they were when they sought to coerce and blackmail their employees and the public gen. erally into voting their way.
 There is nothing new about duress and pressure as political expedients, but 1t Is doubtful if any campaign since the advent of the secret ballot has witnessed such an effort as ia being made today to force workmen to vote the bosses way. Indeed it was to curb this very process that the present ballot system was final- ly put in force.
 Coercion by Corporations
 A corporation is supposed to be nonpartisan in politics in simple justice to the share- holders who are variously democrats, republicans or whatever they please to be. For this reason corporations arc forbid den by law to make political con- tributionB. It Is hardly an effective law, for those who control the big industries can and do contribute as individuals-which incidentally is not without its bearing on the size of salaries and bonuses to high of- ficials of the companies, that have figured in recent investigations.
 It Is the same general system that Is directed to driving the work peo- pie politically. They would not dare say directly to an employe "Vote for Landon or I'll fire you" But what they do is to stuff the pay roll envelopes with republican pro- paganda and convey in one way or another that If Franklin Roosevelt be not defeated the plant is likely to cloes, and more stuff of that sort. have seen statements along this general line that were delivered by banks with their monthly state- mentsments to depositors. I have even heard of one concern, seeking to instill the fear psychology into the population of the town, that was making Q practice of dismissing a certain number of It's employees every week--ostensibly because of hte fear of Roosevelt being re- elected--and replacing them with hands from outside the town, as tho mill was crowded with orders.
 Stockholders Not Consulted
 It's curious that men, who in the ordinary course of their lives would never dream of terrorizing anybody \ have no scruples when 1t comes to trying to maket heir corporation function politically without regard to how any of their stockholder. may feel about 1t. All this is not going to make any difference on election day, thanks to the secret ballot system, but 1t gives an index to the sort of campaign that has been waged against the president by the very men and institutions who were saved from bankruptcy by the processes of the New Deal.
 A good many of you have, no doubt, liStened at times to the re- publican national committees con- mentator. William Hard, who is an- nounced as giving his impressions Of the political situation without reccmpclse. hc"':. ..sivw whether Mr ";..u IS being paid or not, oi oy whom. but It is strange CO., incidence that he never fails tc broadcast the ln'quitics Of the New Deal and that his "eues." spolEes- men always tall: on inc same s.dc IL is a gfcaie? Coincidence 10 thcGc who have followed Mr. Hard's career in and out of liberalism and party and who happen to remember an article Of his in the Forum about four years ago. In this effort MT