The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-12-22

Waterbury members of the 1889 General Assembly were boiled today by various persons interested in the projected bill calling for a referen- dunn on the matter of city man. ager- council charter for this city.
 But most of the representatives who would discuss their attitudes to the proposal that they work for passage of such bill remarked that they would wait until they had scrutinized the contents of the bill In brief, their attitude was that they could not agree to press for pass age of a measure about which they had no real information.
 S15!0OO Approved
 The Citizens Good Government association announced yesterday that a budget of $15,O00 has been approved for the campaign of the association to have a city manager form of government presented for vote of the people of Waterbury. Chairman J. Warren Upson of the Republican town committee, said that Republican representatives to tn" legislature would support pass- age of the referendum calling for such vote in Waterbury on the city manager charter. But added that the Republicans here would take no part one way or the other in such an election, leaving it to the individual voter to decide wheth- CT he would cast a ballot in the projected special election in the spring.
 Chairman J. Francis Smith of the Democratic state central committee, had no comment to make on the announcements of Chairman Upson and the Good Government aSsocia- tion.
 Nom COmmittal
 Other Democrats pointed out that even the Republican candidates in Waterbury had declined to commit themselves on, the same proposition during the recent campaign, The Republican candidates and the Dem- ocratic, with one exception, informed the Good Government association that they could not agree to sup port passage of a bill which had not been drafted.
 Such is the present circumstance of the matter. Waterbury'S represen- tatives to the General Assembly, al- though reportedfy willing to back legislation for which citizens here have expressed desire, feel that they cannot, in good faith, agree to vote for bill which they have not seen.
 Another matter takes precedence in the legislative scheme which VIII OCCUPY some of the first sessions ot the General Assembly, in all proba- bility. This is the direct primary bill, matter which was included in platforms of both the Republican and Democratic parties. By these commitments, the major parties are expected to devise passage ot the measure early in the session thus taking Connecticut from the po- sition of being one of two states in the country still holding to the convention system of nominations.
 Two Elections
 Thus, will pass one picturesque portion of the political campaigns of many years, the meeting of dele gates to name the tickets on which the voters will cast ballots weeks later. By tEc direct primary, the voters actually will take part in two elections, that of nominating can didates by ballot and the election contest between the candidates of opposing parties.
 This direct primary bill will re- quire referendum, it is supposed, which would mean that possibly the matter of change of the Waterbury charter might, in Waterbury, be voted on at the same time, pro