The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-01-24
MONDAY, JANUARY 24, 19
A Thought for Today
Week-End News

So the cancelled checks and invoices were not available for the clrculatlon stunt of the Republican-American, by the controller out of the merit system an- tagonists, the insurgent Democrats and the Republicans What a how'll The Sunday Republican reprinted the Sat urday Americans story; the Monday Re publican reprinted the Saturday Amerl- cans story. What an anti-climax!
 Meanwhile, throughout Waterbury, business men were asking one another, "What is all this shouting about? What difference does the disposal of cancelled checks and invoices make to anyone eX- cept a newspaper which planned usng such material in order to cast reflection on Whomever the checks and bills named? We do not keep our cancelled cheeks and invoices after they are entered III our ledgers. Why, then, should the Republl- can-American howl about this matter un- less the Republican-American is perpe- trating that which it has attempted to deny-a smear campaign?
 The question went unanswered.
 And many prominent members of the Bar Association started to seek action by the grievance committee to learn why such a process of smearing it's members by the innuendo of unexplained fees by the City of Waterbury" should have been instituted by the Republican-Ameri- can. At the next meeting it is reported that resolution will be drawn condemn ing the Republican organization mouth pieces for their part in Smearing, under the guiSe of on-partiSanShip, group of professional men who cannot reply ethically, inasmuch as attorneys must consider their clients business con- fidential.
 Possibly the only impartial aspect of the program started by Controller Sher- wood L. Rowland in December when he asked for $6,C00 for an audit of the con- troller's office accounts, advised" to do so by the Republican organization lieuten- ants, is the audit which will find States Attorney Lawrence l.. Lewis in the com- manding position. MT. Rowland tipped the hand" of the smear plot when he went to the board of finance in December and sought money for the specified audit.
 He indicated, at that time, the power" behind his highly-publicized demand for an audit, carrying through with the pre- arranged plot to the board of aldermen, then the new finance board. Although the charter allowed no such provision, only lone side" of this demand was giv en headlines in the Republican-Ameri- can.
 Can the citizens be fooled about the general intent of this program of high pressure propaganda? Then, if the situ- ation is one which warrants reversion to such primary investigation as islander and innuendo of a partisan group would seek, let us turn back the calendar of city affairs not eight years, not sixteen years, but twenty years and see what we shall find.
 Presently getting good organization be- fore starting any willy-nilly program is group which will grow far beyond the size of the so-called Good Government" asso- citation of the epublican-American.T They have material in preparation to show what the Republicans were able to do for the citizens of Waterbury, not for the whole, unfortunately, but for a group.
 The facts and figures of this interest ing matter will have no taint of "non- partisanship." It will be direct, unmasked, not Communistic nor ypocritical-wh the Democrats know to be the case.