The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-10-19
Politics
 -in- Passing
- PAvMoND ,. FITZPATRICK

BY RAYMOND J. FTTzPATRiCA
 4 week ago we suggested that IL ,.,n,,,d he better to withhold Juog- ,...,,t ~Se' m inc effect of Wendell Will ris's Connecticut visit until after tne sT,hseouent Gallup poll results naa a heen announced. Well, the lauess rsaIlup figures have been announceo end if they are, to be believed, VIII ,ia came to this state only 10 nlaAe votes for Roosevelt.
 Tn. Gallup figures for the pe-
 v;od ended october 6 gave the pres
 ;Sert 55 per cent of the popular
 vota in Connecticut and WlllKie
 As uer cent. The normal expectA-
 tion would be that the Republican,
 candidates speeches and han0-
 shaking in this state would have
 at least brought the Roosevelt ng-
 ure down but instead we ma 'naS
 the latest Gallup figures give Ine
 nresident no less than 5S per cent
 of Connecticut's votes.
 Even the most partisan New Dea4- CTS rub their eyes in amazement aC N the latest figures. If electlon uaS .S sbould prove them to be true tneIe will be as many or more Democrats than republicans completely amazed: Sho,,ld Roosevelt get 58 per cent ol fine total vote in the state not olias " would he win the eight electoral @ soveS GFt he would also insure the settnne up of Democratic state aoiilliiS'A" ton in January.
 oue important factor should pc
 considered, and that is the periou
 covered by the latest poll is from
 October 6 to IA. Willkie5s visit nere
 wos nm the 9th and it may be that
 many of the sample voters ques- tioned were queried before they had seen or heard the KepuDhcan
 candidate in person. Even 'nlS ,rcuTd seem to be only small com fort to the Republican leadership ,hut at least it is something. me
 G Q. P. bigwigs probably wouid derive more comfort Out Oi 'ne
 fact that the Democratic state
 chieftains are doing their best to
 have the president visit the
 state before election day. Fms
 wnuIdn't necessarily indicate
 any worry on their part put N
 doesn't speak too highly ot tneir
 confidence.
 politically-minded Waterbury IS ~itnessing 8 strange campaign tnls Hall. with most of the activity penis supplied by the Republican orgain- eation and Republican candidates. The Democrats have been qulescent since their primaries ended, ana IL sesgns strange to see a national elec- tion campaign in which the Demo cratic organization here IS so pasSi'e' Obviously the local Democratic su,panization is relying on the pres stire of President Roosevelt ana on
 the publicity efforts of the sta'e organization, yet it seems strange
 "a zee the old-time Democratic ac-
 tiyity missing here in a campaign .so important as this one. The e'nrincipal campaigning in this sec : tion for the party has been done
 by Congressman J. Joseph Smitn and his campaign committee, who
 are not even officially connecteo with the town committee.
 { The town committees efforts up to now have been concentrated on a fie rally to be held at Buckingham hall next Saturday night, with a street. parade preceding. It is doubt s,Il whether one such gathering has as important an effect as many smaller meetings, when persona rontacts can be made, and It wouio seem that the committee, despite favorable poll figures, could win the marty more votes by more actlvlty' Alter all. election day is little more than two weeks oil.
 s
 ns ThereTl have to be quite a sschange in sentiment and interest for the Socialists to play any inn
 uortant part in this years state Champaign. Two years ago Jasper sMcLevy spoke before a capacity
 crowd at Bushnell Memorial In Hartford; this week he opened his
 campaign in the same hall before @an audience that the Hartford < Courant said numbered 75. Jas uer will have to win more public < attention this year if he is to get
 even a sizeable fraction of the 166,- 1OOO votes that he NpOlled in 1888.
 It's solely because he's loyal party man that Anthony Petrillo isn't talk Ing legal action to have the nomina- .tion of Harold Post as the Repubn- s.can candidate for state senator in the 18th district declared invalid, Tony Knows, as do htis friends and sup sporters, that he had excellen, grounds for contest and would probably be upheld, but he knew that formal protest on his part would Kill Whatever chance the c. O. F. had IT the district.
 " At the 18th district convention, X duly elected alternates were refused sa seats. Instead the places went to . proxy holders. The alternates were < favorable to Petrill0; the proxy n. holders voted for Post. Ergo ' The political game grows stranger e.by the minute. Petrillo only hap Npened to lead the whole Republican Ticket while running for tax collector ea year ago, yet this year he can't gel