The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1940-04-10

FIRST, 1t was no accident that
he took himself out of the Illinois
Republican primary. L,aGuardia
didn't want to be stamped def
nitely as Republican. AS mat
ter of fact, LaGuardia was first
elected to Congress as a Republic
can, and later was defeated by a
Tammany Democrat. But in his
mayoralty campaigns he has al,
wys received as much support
from Progressive Democrats as
from Republicans.
Actually LaGuardia Is a Roose-
welt New Dealer, and the Presi-
dent has talked to1him about the
possibility of getting on the New
Deal 1910 ticket.
SECOND, LaGuardia has made
peace with Tammany. Or perhaps
it would be more correct to say
that Tammany has made peace
with LaGuardia.
TAMMANY STRATEGY
This is extremely significant.
For seven years Tammany bosses
have been ready to give their eye
teeth to defeat the Little Flower.
He is the last man they want run
ming New York City. Therefore,
they would be delighted to pro
mote" him-make him Vice Presi-
dent of the United States or. even
President, provided only that he
be promoted out of New York City.
So LaGuardia can count upon
the full support of Tammany to
get the vice-presidential nOmin-
alton ON the Democratic ticket
at Chicago next summer.
If the Democrats should NOM
mate Hull or anyone else from the
South or West, they would need
a good strong fastener on the
ticket. LaGuardia probably is the
only man who could carry the
all-important State of New York
against Tom Dewey. g.
NOTE-Not to be lost sight of
Is the fact that Jack Garner and
LaGuardia are old pals, dating
from their association in the
House of Representatives, and
have a genuine affection for each
other. Garner calls the Mayor
"FrijOle", and would deliver his
delegates to him, whereas he
would never deliver them to Bob
Jackson Or another out-and-out
New Dealer.
ROOSEVELT AND HOOVER
FDR is on good terms with many
of the Republican presidential
candidates and party leaders
Gandon, Knox, McNary, Joe Mar
tin, Taft, Vandenberg) but there
still is no great love lost between
him and his Republican prede-
cessor, Herbert Hoover.
Some time ago, Robert r. Gros,
young Democrat leader from Palo
Alto, Calf, went to see the Pres
ident, and Roosevelt, knowing
Gros came from Hoover's home
town, asked how the ex-President
was.
ooh, we're keeping him un-
der control" replied GrOs.
ooh no, you're not" shot back
the President. you're letting
him come east too much"
UNFIT NAVY
The action of the Navy Selection
Board in retiring eleven outstand-'
ing t1yers-when the Admirals
were wailing on Capitol Hill that
there weren't enough pilots to
man planes under the expansion
programmes only one example
of the incomprehensible aberra-
tons of the Nays promotion sys-
tenn. @
In 1888, 1t. Commander Clar-
ence w.. Conlon, aged 80, was
passed over" by the Selection
Board as unfit for promotion.
Conlon was then commanding the
gunboat Monocacy on the Yang
TIE River, coping with Chinese
mineSe and marauders on the sur
face and Japanese bombers in the
air. liz,
So well old Conlon carry out his
delicate mission that on the rec
ommendation of Admiral Harry
E. Yarnell, then commander of
the Asiatic Fleet, he was awarded
the Navy Cross for distinguished
service. Thus it happened that a
few months after the Selection
Board OF brasshats, sitting in
washington, had ruled him unfit
for promotion and thereby marked