The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-03-20
SOUTH
 BRITAIN BRIEFS
By BILL iGARRIGUs

By BILL GARRIGUS
 At the edge of Sharon township,
 pust to the right of U. s. 2, is a
 sign that warns all-comers: Road
 Closed. Travel at Your Own Risk per Vote of Town
 Henry Plumber, staunch Demo-
 crat from Purchase HiIl is still eating away at fifty pound
 birthday cake won at the Presi-
 dents Ball in Danbury. Local Re- publicans have been offered a piece of cake, but are reported to
 have refused.
 Modesty boards in the balcony at the Congregational Church
 have hidden many things from
 the audience below. When MT. Bunnell headed the sales force that floated; various securities
 here in the Pomperaug Valley, rumor has it that he always att tended church and sat in the balcony. Watchers from below claim that Bunnell slept most of the time but that when the col- lection box went the rounds. Bunnelps eagle eyes were alert. As sure as anyone dropped more than a two-bit piece in the box, MT. Bunnell, Brother George, or the Deacon would pay a call bright and early on Monday with sure . fire scheme to increase income and deplete bank balances. That was before the day of the s. E. C., in an era when free, unrestrained enterprise ran to the bitter end and the last investor dollar.
 When investors were not pro- tected by law, or not so well pro- tected, we had number of exO- tic stOck-selling schemes here and not a little genuine industry. NO- body had a mOnOply of the labor market. Wages were high, con- sidering the cost of living, and folks enjoyed life. Ruben By Cad hustled around the village about election time, raised little to- baccO, and talked cooperative agriculture. One year, according to court records, MT. Mellon of the railroad company sent in more than $500 at election time. Ex- perts claim that we had about sixty flOaters, (they'd be called independents" tOday), and most votes cost an even two dollars.
 People kept a careful check on campaign costs, After one heated election, a party leader built a new porch on his house and all most immediately the opposition started an investigation. The poli- tician claimed that the donation of party funds had been delivered with the, orders to use the money where it would do the most good" He said that a new porch on his house would do more good in the village than almost any, thing else. It. would raise taxes and keep folks dry on rainy days. Nobody went to jail. The incident was soon forgotten.
 The strangest detailed report of expenditures for election carried many items including one pair of felt boots and two boxes of shot, gun shells. If anything like that happened today, we'd hear from Washington or the F. B. I. Some body would claim that we were buying votes, that elections were mt on the level.
 For awhile, the Democrats had a heavy lead in the village. John Cassidy, local head of the party, owned the very first telephone in South Britain. MT. Cassidy could get the outside news quick ly, much quicker than any Re- publican. He knew where to put on the pressure and he got his advice in time to be of some use. Such an advantage could not last for long. Republicans started in- stalling telephones and things evened up.
 Bakers Priceless Cooker factory ran overtime back there before the government started taking a hand in business. The shop was on the site of Sage's Creamery. Local women bought fireless stew pots and the company enjoyed a lively export trade. That industry did much to Tighten the kitchen slavery. It also resulted in little real technical unemployment. Women with fireless cookers had time to work in the field and help out with the milking. On some farms, the hired man lost his job and had to seek employment in the shop where he made fireless cookers to make housework easier and turn more women loose to take mems jobs. It's lucky that factory finally closed. Lots of hired men would have gone on relief if it had continued production