The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-11-03
Birth Control Is Major Issue In Massachusetts
Contests For Senator, Governor Will Be Close;
 Women Outnumber Men In Eligible Voters

handsome young veteran of the political wars, U. s. Rep. Joseph E. Casey tD), Clinton neighbor and protege of Massachusetts senior senator, David I. Walsh.
 Opposing Gov. Saltonstall was a man who attended Harvard with him-Mayor Roger Lowell Putnam of Springfield, wealthy industrial
 its, Although Republican leaders foresaw SaStonstallS reelection, Mayor Putnam predicted victory for himself by a plurality of 50,00o. Two years ago Saltonstall's winning mar
 gin was a scant 5000 in a total of
 more than 2,0000o0 votes when he
 was opposed by Former Atty Gen
 Paul A. Dever.
 1 Both Casey and Putnam hoped to benefit indirectly from the birth control referendum. The Catholic Church, led by William Cardinal o'Connell, has vigorously opposed this amendment which would per- init physicians to give contraceptive advice to married persons.
 Most of the Catholic vote is eemo- cratic. and the Democratic platform contains a plank opposing birth control. While Putnam has been out spoken in his opposition to the amendment, Gov. Saitonstall stated merely that he. personally, would vote against it but that it should not be made campaign issue.
 With thousands of Catholics heed ing church pleas to vote down the amendment, the Democratic candi- dates expected segment of strength which otherwise might not be theirs.
 Former Mayor Frederick W. Mansfield. who served as Cardinal O'Connelrs legislative agent dur ing the birth control fight in the Massachusetts legislature, said a sampling of public opinion indicated that the amendment would be de- feated by a 4-to-l ratio. The moth- CTS health committee, sponsoring the amendment. declined to guess the probable outcome but expressed hope that it would be approved to put Massachusetts in line with 46 other states. Tie committee said 57 per cent of the active members of the Massachusetts Medical Society favored the amendment.
 Little change was anticipated in the Massachusetts congressional delegation. now composed of nine Republicans and six Democrats. Through reapportionment of the congressional districts by the 194l Republican legislature, one Demo- cratic seat was eliminated while the eighth district, formerly Democratic, was made strongly Republican. Thus, by these two shifts, the Re- publicans expect to gain one seat, the Democrats to lose one. to make the Republicans majority 10 to 4.
 The Lodge-casey campaign has revolved around Lodges trip to Lib "a as an Army Major several months ago. Casey has charged that this was a junket in which Lodge saw no real action, while Lodge has countered that he went at the be- hest of the Senate Military Affairs committee. Lodge has assailed Casey for twice voting in favor of pen- sions for Congressman.
 Tn his campaign Saltonstall boasted of cutting the state debt from saO.000.0O0 to si2.Oo0! 1000 in the last four years. and asserted that he has cooperated fully in President Roosevelt's war program. both before and since Pearl Harbor Putnam emphasized the hardships | suffered by small business in war time and pledged it his aid if elected.
 All the top office-holders in four other New England States also were l seeking e-elections-Democrats in I Rhode Island and Connecticut and in Vermont and New l Hampshire. Republicans made a clean sweep in Maine in the Sep sember election.