The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1940-09-28
Politics
Passing
BIZ RAYMOND J. FITzPATRICK

By RAYMOND J. FITZPATRICK
one Of the strangest things
about politics is the taboos placed
against discussion Of issues and
prejudices that most people will
talk about anyway. An instance
is the way in which Democratic
campaign managers for Connecti-
cut make no mention of their be-
lief that principal obstacle to
the election of Works Commits
sioner Robert A. Hurley as gov
ernor is the fact that he is of
Irish descent, and a Catholic.
Likewise, nothing but loud ST.
lence is heard from the Republic
can side on the same point though
the G. o. P. leaders know that
they can count on many votes
going to their candidates because
of it.
It is true that racial and re-
ligiOus prejudice is not a nice sub
ject to talk about in a campaign;
it might be poor judgment to
point it out and call it what it is;
it might offend many Sensibili-
ties. But wouldn't it be better to
call a spade a shovel than to let
the subject be talked about in
whispers and perhaps be exag-
gerated in the re-telling?
This is no attempt to inject a
new issue into the campaign, for
leaders of both parties will tell
you that Hurley will lose votes,
particularly in some rural areas,
because of his racial origin and his
religion. A stock objection to his
nomination for governor was the
much-repeated. 1.-The small town
never let an Irish Catholic be gov
ernor of the state" This was
heard long before DR.. Cross an
nounced his candidacy for the
nomination. Then, when Hurley
was nominated, the wiseacreS
shook their heads again and ex-
pressed sympathy.
Fortunately, much of the preju-
dice in Connecticut has disap-
peared, but there are many evil
denceS that a great deal remains.
And anyone who doubts that feel
ing against one race and one faith
can influence election results need
look back only IL years to Alfred
T.. Smiths campaign for the pres
idency when many hundreds of
thousands of votes were cast
against the Happy Warrior" not
because he was less qualified than
his rival, but simply because he
was a Catholic. Nor do voters in
Waterbury and Connecticut have
to look far for displays of preju-
dice against not only Irishmen
and Catholics but also Jews, Ital-
ians, yankees" and others.
Both sides know that votes
nlotivated by the fact that Hurley
is an Irish Cathode will have
much to do with the outcome of
the election in November, but both
go along as if blissfully unaware
that any such issue existed. So,
the rumors grow and the propa-
g&nda increases.
Meantime, Hurley is doing very
well for himself in the campaign.
In the early stages of his cam
paign he has been aggressive,
f0rceful and direct. He has kept
the Republicans on the defensive;
he has backed his claims with
facts. Even if it were purely a
state campaign, he would, as Of
today, necessarily be given good
chance of winning. Fortunately
for him, it is also presidential
year and the Roosevelt magic at
the polls should bring the Demo-
cratic candidate many votes that
he would not get in an "off year"
election.
The. latest Gallup poll results
giving Roosevelt Sc per cent of the
Connecticut votes as against "A per
cent for Willkie, caught the Re-
publican leadership unprepared. II
did serve to shake them out of their
earlier complacency and shock
them into action. The poll figures
made it plain to the G. o. P. that
If Willkie and Baldwin are to carry
the state, they will do so only after
q hard fight, not by the astronom-
zeal figures that were being talked
about when Willkie was nominated
Paul Cornell, who is the G. O.
P.'s "white hope" as the candi-
date for u. S. Senator, came to
Waterbury Thursday with an
deliberately equipped trailer
boosting the state ticket, but
no one was more surprised to
see him here than Town Chair
man Vernon Hall and other
Republican bigwigs. The sched-
ule called for Cornell to meet
the trailer in WATERFOWL and go
to Bridgeport, via the Nauga-
tuck Valley, to meet the folks
But plans got crossed up, and
the trailer came to Waterbury
while Cornell waited patiently
IN Watert0wn. Finally someone
got word to the Washington
schOOlmaster of the mix-up and
he Joined the trailer at Water
bury, smiling and beaming as
II nothing had happened.
The anti-C Cornell Republicans
who have been claiming that he was
brought to the fore as a candidate
through New York influence, had
their chance for a dig when the
snow-white trailer, which carried
signs urging Connecticut to vote for
Baldwin and Cornell, was found to
bear New York markers. So..
Should Gov. BaIdwin's illness
keep him out Of the campaign
for any length of time, Cornell
may have to bear the brunt Of
the ball-carrying for the Re-
publieans. AS 1t happens, he's
probably q better campaigner
than the governor and would be
. good man to act as the party's
leading spokesman from now 10