The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-11-14
SPECULATION OVER
 General Assembly of 1889
BY EDWARD J. RYAN

Now that the helter, skelter of the 1899 Connecticut state election is over, MT. and Mrs. John Pub lie are once again back to o,normal. But this same MT. and Mrs Pub lie of which speak has just seen one of the crazieSt elections in the history of this state
 The state, renowned for its Steady Habits did the unexpected and elected a full Republican ticket which only two months ago was considered Joke
 I recall attending the Repub- hcan state convention in New Haven and the difficult time the leaders of the party had to get , candidates who were willing to run on the ticket of the G. O. P.
 Almost anybody could have had a place on the ticket for the ask ing. But there were none who asked. The evening before the nominations were in order there could only be seen 8 futile effort on the part of the leaders, of the organization to Put on front" so to speak. Underneath one could detect charged bitter undercur- rent, a feeling of defeat, in fact the whole entire organization and its delegates had an air of What's the use"
 Unusual Appeal
 The following morning the nominations were made. When 1 examined the names of the can- didates and after had talked with each one of them I was cer- tain that the COP. ticket was one which should not be taken lightly by the Democrats. The candidates had qouth, aggressive ness, intelligence, appeal. Various nationalities were represented on the slate and for the first time in the history of the Republican party in this state an Irish Catho- lie was nominated for the high office of United States senator and for the first time a person or Polish extraction was nominated and for the first time a woman was put on the state ticket.
 The Republican party brought no new issues into the state cam- paign. Right up until the time the machines were opened and the votes counted did any political ex- pert in the state see where or how the Republican party had any chance of sweeping the entire state?
 . Not that the Republican can didates did not campaign hard and earnestly. Indeed not. recall some of the flying trips that I made with some of the G. O. P, candidates had youth, aggressive attend as many as six and seven rallies in one night. On one of these trips I met John A. Dana her, Republican candidate for the United States Senate. liked the manner in which Danaher pre- sented his case, clean and to the point. He was the greatest cam paigner of the group. Next to him came William Monkiewicz of New Britain, candidate for Congress man at large. Everybody who met these candidates liked them and warmed up to them. but even they did not think they could carry the state with such ease.
 The fact remains THEY DID.
 In the three-cornered hectic election the clean cut young Re- publican ticket came out on top. The party increased its member ship in the lower house of the leg islature to POP and in the state senate to 16. Four of the G. O. P. Congressional candidates were elected, five Republican county sheriffs were swept into office and today the fate of the state of Con- necticut rests in the hands of the Republican party
 General Assembly
 And now that the election is over the eyes of the public are focused on the state legislature of