The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-09-17
Santa Claus Pays Visit
ToG.O.P. Convention
Expectant Candidates Throng Lobby Of Hotel Taft;
BoOms for Pape, Cornell Suffer Complete Collapse
(BY EDWARD J. RYAN,

lne OlQ AIldS rhyme Il was the
night before" could well have been
applied to the Republican state nom
mating convention, which accord
ing to the Republican newspapers
throughout the state was the first
Embossed" convention Of the party
In many years.
BABES in the woods" were what
the delegates seemed, with no moth
er to guide them and they certain
ly appeared not to know where they
were going or where they wanted
to go.
SO they milled around the lobby
Of the Hotel Taft, and amused each
other with stale jokes on the most
part. Sore Of the delegates were
heard telling others just how i'm
portant they are back In their home
towns. Which would lead you to
believe that they were big toads
in a little puddle.
New Deal Assailed
Paul Cornell gave the keynote
speech and assailed the New Deal
and other Roosevelt measures. He
said the people Of the country were
tired Of relief and the WPA, that
what the people wanted was jobs
That's very funny, Mr.. Cornell, be-
cause had the same thought in
mind, when you uttered those words,
I could see great number Of cam
didates, delegates and dangerous,
who had the same idea. But they
wanted political jobs, II you will.
This Embossed" convention OF
yesterday was unlike any that the
late j. Henry Roraback presided
over and controlled. One Of the
old timers told me at the conven-
ton :. "This is a hill of a con-
vention, nobody here knows what
they want, or rather everybody here
wants something, nobody seems to
know what It's all about. We never
had such childish sessions when
Roraback was alive.
I'm safe In saying that this was
the most unusual convention the
Republican party Of this state has
ever held. There was no vim, no
fire, no agitation-no life ....
It gave the indication that the
convention was Embossed" to the
average observer. But while 1t APP
peared to be Stree" Of bossism, 1t
would have been q better conven-
ton II there had been more guild
ance, more advice.
No Support
I have heard and read consider
able about Paul Cornell being men,
toned as the gubernatorial nominee
Of the Republican party. That was
really funny. Perhaps nobody knew
better than Cornell that he had no
chance of securing that coveted
nomination. Following his key
note speech on Thursday evening
someone In the crowd yelled Cor
nell for Governor" that was all, only
one meek, insignificant voice. No
other support.
Cornell's keynote speech failed to
click with the delegates. There was
no wild enthusiasm, no outburst Of
applause to speak Of. He received
his greatest applause when he said,
I'VE are ashamed, this state Is
ashamed, everybody Is ashamed Of
political corruption which has been
revealed In Connecticut. Mr.. Cor
nell should have placed emphasis on
the word, WE, for surely he must
have remembered that the bad light
In which the Republican party finds
itself today is the direct result Of
the grand jury disclosures which he
referred to.
This first Embossed" convention
Of the Republican party was told
who the candidates for the party's
state ticket were going to be, and
they were told to vote for the can
didates who had the approval Of the
organization. And they did, just like
so many Charley McCarthys"
would have done When the leaders
said Jump, they jumped, when they
were told not to jump, they just
didn't jump. Yet they tell you 1t
was an Embossed" convention.
Stop Pape!
From the beginning Of the pre-
convention fight there was a very,
very definite movement underway
TO stop Pape For Governor" and
did they stop himq They not only
stopped him, they threw him for q
ten yard loss. Now he is back where
he started. Pape was told that he
was O "Reformer" and the party
wanted no part Of o reformer, es-
pecially II that reformer's name was
Pape.
It was said that the Republican
party was fed up on 'Pape threat"
and 50 II seemed, my dear readers,
and so II seemed.
When the Republicans sat down
to supper In order TO partake OF
what remains In Connecticut's po-
iitical pantry, they found the cup
board almost bare, for II seems that
= W. u . i wv