The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-08-10
Not An Ingrate

Not An Ingrate
 Another reason why no one should get all sweated up over the possibility of Senator Lonergan being denied renominatlon Is the fact that so far as his opposition to President Roosevelt on the court question Is concerned his record is clean. He was not dragged into office on Mir. ROOse- velt's coat tails. He did not cam- palgM on the Issue Vote for me because ! am with the President all the way down the llne." He did not solicit votes under false pretenses. He won on his own which is something few of the Presidents Democratic opponents in the Senate can assert with any degree of truth. He cannot with justice be labelled an ingrate, The members of his party in the state, even those who disagreed with his opposition, recognize that fact and appreciate 1t at It's proper value. What Is An Ingrate?
 On this question of political gratitude 1t seems there is consid- erable loose thinking. For exarn- pie man who without solicitation on his part is asked to run for office by . party organization and who accepts the invitation with the understanding that he is tO be given an absolutely free hand if he Is elected, cannot be accused of ingratitude # he refuses to obey party organization instructions later. But the man who begs for Q nomination from . party organ. iSation and who agrees, if given lt. 10 do exactly what he Is asked Co Ho by that organization later Is an ingrate plus if he renigs on his promise and welches on hls agree. ment. He has placed himself n hook by begging for e nomination. He has pawned his independence of action and mortgages hls free- dom Of thought In advance. When, as, and if the mortgage becomes due he has no right to avoid pay. ment. His refusal to pay the pawn ticket or his denial of his debt marks him as one who ought to be penalized for his weiching and also entitled to no sympathy if the penalty is exacted. No one can have hls pie and his penny too. That is q law of life as well as of politics.
 No Significance
 can sec no political Slgnif- icance whatever in Mir. MacNeils lawn fete for Governor Murphy. At least for Mir. MacNeil. Cover nor Murphy may have e bee in his bonnet which he thinks Mir. Mac. Neil can help about, either In get. ting rid Of 1t or turning it Into Q butterfly. Just how the former Democratic national committee man might Do of service to Gov. ernor Murphy l cannot imagine. No more can 1 imagine what good Governor Murphy could do for Mir. MacNeil's hypothetical senatorial yen. Much less can l translate Into political meaning the pres. ence at Archies Scamper for GOV. ernor Murphy of "0ardenia orov. CT" Whalen. boss of New York'S' prospective Worlds Fair, erstwhile Police Commissioner of the Five Boroughs, and until recently sprinter for the Democratic may. orally nomination of "Bagdad on the Subway" Now if "0enlai James" Farley had been Che guest of honor last Saturday instead of Governor Murphy there might Dc some sense in trying to figure what the gathering was all about. That would have provided material for Republican editorial fit.throwing for weeks to come.
 Possible Explanations
 There are two possible expiana. tons for the MaeNeil soiree. One is that Archie the Scotsman ,b smoking up opposition to Jasper the Scotsman and had Governor Murphy in to tell him how the st. down-Strike weapon could be used most effectively against Mayor McLevy. Another explanation n that it was only 6 meeting to talk over the respective headaches Of the host. the guest of honor, and "0ardenia Grover" Archie could tell about the one he contracted at the last state convention when he retired" aS c candidate for the Democratic National Committee: Frank could tell about the piper. inos he got from the Q. 1. O., the United Automobile Workers. Mir. Sloan of General Motors. John L. Lewis, and the Michigan state legislature; and "dardenia Gro. yer" could exhibit c dome still throbbing with pain as e result of running q Worlds Fair and \ nayoraity nomination campaign at one and the same time.
  Okay With Me .
 About most of the other guests at the party l have no doubts at all. I would be willing to bet my right eye against raindrop that they went, like the hack occupant At the strange funeral, JUST FOR THE RIDE" For that 1 re- fuse to hold them responsible. Any kind of z ;rty, provided 1t had certain features including plenty of ice, would have been acceptable