The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-01-20

sell lot of papers by gaining a protectors" place in the office; by publishing, bit by bit, the pay ments made to city employees, to trucking firms, to contractors, in such a manner as to raise the question of the legitimacy of these payments, approved by the Board of Finance over eight years, or not approved. MT. Pape did not care so much about the money, you know. But he did want to sell some papers.
 Revenue Hit
 Times are hard and when a business recession" hits an or ganization such as MT. Pape's, something more than the usual economy measures is bound to re- suit. With the Democrats at City Hall, there was some restriction on MT. Pape's revenues here and there and one crusade" after another crusade" failed to better the picture.
 Unfortunately for MT. Rowland, he was committed to a matter which his own innateS honesty would not have countenanced, this use of him as source of political Smearing. Before MT. Rowland knew altogether what was hap pening, Controller Rowland was pushed into a political spot which threatened the efficient conduct of his new office. Added to this, he was prone to believe that, no matter what he might do, effi- ciently or otherwise, he was going to be "persecuted" by the admin iStration.
 Expected "The Bee"
 Do not believe for a moment that MT. Rowland is so impractical a person that he was not aware that some return for political sup port was expected from him. But he did not mean to involve the conduct of his office, become in- volved, himself, in so nasty a par tiSan mess.
 He did not know that he would be forced to rush first to MT. Upson's office, thence to the Re- publican American, (when some of the staff took ten minutes out for coffee) to devise 8 statement" concerning the boyish act of un- dertaking personal search in the nighttime Tor the missing books"
 Would it be possible that this could result in MT. RoWland'S re- moval from office? The charter indicates that this is so. But would Mayor Hayes risk the "martyrdom" of Controller Row. land by such a course, if you see what I mean? Doubtful, in fact, doubtful.
 Personal Feelings
 It is, perhaps, an unfortunate aspect of the affair that a former occupant of an office must have his accounts subjected to un- friendly scrutiny by those plan ming to use such accounts in detrimental design. That the present campaign against MT. Rowland's predecessor is embit- tered by personal hatred of Re- publican and Independent Dem- ocratic leaders may have been for gotten by some who read the Re- publican accounts" of the "de- velopmentS".
 Easy does it. Take it easy, as they say in Waterbury. The opin- ion of the public is that tickle fig ment whose chameleon color scenes reflect the hours, the days, but rarely the years. In fact, should someone tell the truth" about the distinctly dirty attempt of a political group to gather prestige for several purposes to cover the Fairfield County stench, to further the ambitions of two individuals for high office next fall, it would be next to impossi- ble to eliminate the curious satis- faction which we humans must ever find in the exposing" of the affairs of our neighbors, even of our friends, be they ever so pro- saic and humble.
 First, there was the $85,000 which was described by MT. Row. lands sponsors as "irregularly paid" by the city. Then there were the "overdrafts," estimated to amount to $30o,000 for eight years. There were the items of truck hire" which formed "copy" for the scandal-mongers willing to believe "the worst.
 Presently, the items have dwindled to mere hundreds of dollars, lesser items in salary pay ments, all, beyond normal doubt, legitimate payment for services lesitimately rendered by those paid.
 For a Time!
 There is no answer which would