The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1938-10-22

VaCaNg DIV Lllc QS1tkl Va SuovASS
Cardoza remains untitled.
Labor VS. Business
Murphys political fate now
hangs upon the outcome Of one
Of the toughest battles In the
country. The United Automobile
Workers are leading the CAM
paign to reflect him. Business
men, on the other hand, both
large and small are determined to
get" him.
No one can predict the result.
At present IL looks like 30
80 fight, with almost anything
capable Of turning the balance.
It is particularly significant,
however, that the A. F. of L. and
the @. /. o. are working In COM
plete harmony for Murphy's re-
election, even spendig money for
Joint newspaper advertisements.
Since these fractional wounds OF
labor were healed, Murphy'S po-
litical stocks has gone up from the
prospect Of certain defeat to o
chance for reelection.
Judge Murphy
Had Frank Murphy accepted the
Presidents intimation that he step
up to the Supreme Court. the
Eight Old Men would have been
augmented by one Of the fairest
and most painstaking juristS In
the country. When Murphy was
Judge of the Recorders Court, he
kept a little cardboard placard
behind his desk where only he
could see 1t. 1t read:"If You must
err, err on the side Of Ieniency.
Explaining this to friends who
saw the little sign, Murphy said:
"A judges decisions depend
ON his mood, his temper or his
digestion. So whenever I'm
not feeling well, or got up on
the wrong side Of the bed, !
take out this sign and keep 1t
In front Of me-"
Further to prevent error, Muir
ply also attached to his court a
doctor, a psychiatrist, and a So
cial worker, who examined every
criminal before Murphy passed
sentence. Frequently they dug out
facts in the past life Of the ac-
cused which helped Murphy to
pass Judgment more intelligently
Murphy also called every convict
into chambers and privately told
him In advance what his sentence
would be and why. He hated to
see q man stand In open court
and get the sudden shock OF a
sentence without advance prepar-
alton.
Broad Tolerance
Governor Murphy is a devout
Catholic, attends mass regularly.
Even his critics give him credit for
broad tolerance. Once when he
was q Judge, Q Negro doctor
moved into q white district in
Detroit and crowd gathered out
side his house threatening TO lynch
him. The Negro fired, killed a
man, and Judge Murphy acquitted
him on the ground that every
mans house Is his castle and the
crowd had no right to attempt
entrance.
This tolerance toward white and
black, Jew and gentle, Murphy
got from his mother.
"As we sat ut our window"
Murphy says, land . cOl0red
man Of our town would 60 by,
she would tell sne what high
class citizen he was. Across the
street from our home lived
Jewish merchant named Jacobs,
rnd I remember that mother
would point out to me what a
fine, friendly fellow he was, how
he looked after his children.
"As l look back, can see now
that my mother was deliberately
teaching me racial and religious
tolerance"
SitdOwn Strikes
As Governor. Murphy has been
chiefly criticized for his handling
of the sitdown strikes. Michigan
business men assert that his fall
ure to evict the strikers started
an epidemic Of strikes all over
the country.
Undoubtedly this criticism will
cut deeply into the governors votes
on election day. His reply, how
ever, is that II he had used troops,
blood would have flowed through
out industrial Michigan, that his
more tolerant handling brought
about a settlement without the
loss Of one life.
This is one Of the basic char
acteristics Of Frank Murphy. He
abhors hloodshed. Another char
acteristic is his fighting sympathy
for the underdog. He is frank
ly, definitely, enthusiastically pro-
labor, believes that relations be-
tween capital and labor constitute
the nations most difficult prob
lem.
Furthermore, he believes that
the capitalistic system as 1t once
flourished In this country Is fin
ished.
"The old order is gone" he
says. 1--WE had best forget Il
and start rebuilding the new"
Perhaps more than In any other
state election this fall. that will
be the issue in Michigan on Mo-
vernber 8.
downright, 1898, by United