The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-01-13
The Same Old Story

Reading what republican legislators
had to say in Hartford Monday when an
effort was being made to organize both
houses of the Legislature along orderly
and fair lines we we're impressed with
the thought that despite the changing
times in Connecticut, the cop. solons
have not changed with them. Pious were
the utterances coming from the lips OF
their leaders and speakers as they re-
buked democrats for daring to ask for
something that no good republican ever
heretofore considered. Such mealy-
mouthed sayings, though, are so much
mouth wash to most people.
For example House Leader Noah
Swayne of Darien said after Representa-
tive John D. Thoms of Waterbury had
made a plea for democratic representa-
ton on the joint committees in the pro-
portion demanded by the party's showing
in the vote last fall and in the past few
state elections, 1.-THE remarks of my COL
league from Waterbury are found largely
upon misunderstanding of history, the
constitution and the effect of committee
appointments The rules in the past have
The last sentence was the payroll. It
largely reveals republican philosophy OF
government in Connecticut
For years republicans by dint of their
j overwhelming majorities in all branches
Of state and federal government built up
, q machine that brooked no opposition.
It moved down everything in it's path
, whether or not it was for the best in
terests of the people. Gradually the
party came to believe that it was ordained
to rule and other parties ordained to fol-
! low and to accept morsels dropped from
the legislative table. When this state OF
affairs came to an end, as all such AFRO
i CANT oligarchies do, there were many who
refused to accept the dictate. Legislators,
who make such remarks as Representative
Swayne did Monday are included in this
latter class.
They fail to realize that the democratic
party is the dominant and majority party
in Connecticut today. They still think
that their high-handed methods of other
years in which democratic legislators
were insulted by being ignored for COM
mittee assignments or else shunted to the
background can be continued and the
proclamation will be accepted meekly and
with thanks for the crumbs. They don'c
Ln1nK eVlQenCly L1dI QeInOCIdCS are Cap
able of filling the committee assignments
to which they aspire. The sooner the
republicans of the Legislature lose this
high-and-mighty attitude, the better off
the entire state will be.
Democrats do not intend to play the
whole-hog- or-none game. 1t was from the
democrats that the offer for compromise
came. Republicans actually made no
move to aid in organizing the House and
Senate in such way that both parties
would have fair and equal representation.
Therefore it cannot be held against the
democrats that they are now attempting
to do what republicans have done for
years grab everything in the Legislature
regardless of what the electorate indicates
by its vote.
Republican speakers Monday said they
were doing only what the towns OF the
state wanted them to do in demanding
organization of the joint committees with
the republicans in complete control OF
each and every one. If that is SO, then
the figures of last November lie. BY their
failure to get together with democrats
the republicans of the 1887 Legislature
force the state into needless expense and
may prolong the legislative session into
an extra one. This is no credit to party
already badly discredited.