The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-02-28
Socialists Adopt
 Labor Party Name
Announce Plans to Place Complete Ticket in Coming State Elections Thumbs Down. On Mayor
 Jasper McLevy of Bridgeport

A new element was injected into the 1888 political campaign yester- day, when the Socialist party, U. s. A., Connecticut division, announced through Devere Allen of Wilton, chairman of the party's public af- fairs committee, that it had defl- nitely changed it's name to Labor party of Connecticut and would at- tempt to expand it's organization and run full state ticket in the fall. The part has been incorporated by Allen, Walter E. Davis of Hamden, and Jack c. Bergen of Bridgeport, acting on behalf of the party'S state executive committee and on instruc- tionS voted at state convention held last February 20th at New Ha- ven, at which only party members were admitted. The change, off, cials of the new party declared, was taken with the approval of the nationwide socialist organization to which the labor party will be affiliated, and is arousing enthusi- asm in the rank and file of the movement throughout Connecticut
 Workers Welfare
 Allen, in a statement released from headquarters of the party in Hartford, asserted that the labor party name was taken not only to secure place on the November bal lots but to emphasize the central purpose stated ill our incorporation papers, namely, to promote, uphold and perpetuate principles of gov- ernment consonant with the welfare of the working class" Allen, who himself is a member of the Ameri- can Newspaper guild, the Author s league, and the American Federation of Teachers, said that the slate of candidates which the party would seek to run by petition would be drawn almost entirely from the ranks of union labor.
 What is more natural" Aliens statement declared, than to take the name of Labor party, since we have always struggled for the cause of labor and believe independent political action by labor, free from dominance by the capitalist parties, to be an essential step towards free dom for all workers, manual or pro- fessional? At the same time, we have no intention of dropping our connection with the Socialist party, U. S. A. and such leaders as Nor man Thomas, Powers Hapgood, and Mayor Hoan of Milwaukee. Nor have we in any measure diluted our advocacy of socialist principles and tactics.
 McLevy Not
 Another reason, of course, for the change is the fact that under the Connecticut election laws it has been proved possible for the McLevy party of Bridgeport, which is not recognized as socialist by the nation wide Socialist party, to support a political organization in the country which is hostile to the Socialist party of the U. s. A., and yet to maintain the name of socialist on the ballots in Connecticut. We do not think this is situation that is good for any of the political parties, and we believe it is contradictory to principles of democracy. The pur- pose of the McLevy faction is not to carry out socialist principles, be- cause, as everyone knows, it does not do so; but to deny us by this device the rightful representation on the Connecticut ballot to which our national organization is entitled. II is precisely as if the Democratic party in this state decided to call itself the Republican party, and with 8 majority in a convention