The union times. (New Haven, Conn.) 1941-1948, 1943-03-27
Compton Challenged Here OnH Hobbs Bill
Sen. Geelan Sees
Hungry Assembly

''This particular General Assem-
bly," asserted Sen. James p. Ceelan.
in an interview today with The
Union Times, sis more concerned
with patronage than any previous
General Assembly in a generation.
Having had to share what has been
generally accepted as strict politi-
cal appointments for the past eight
years, the Republicans, in their
greed, are trying to take every.
thing in sight, and are bent on a
policy of rule or ruin.'"
CeeIan, who is business agent
of Local 961, Retail Cigar Sales
men and a delegate to the New
Haven Central Labor Council, was
asked to give his impressions on
the current session of the AS
sembly.
So greedy are the Legislators for
the political plurns harvested by in
coming members of the party of the
majority, that members of the House
of Representatives are considering a
measure that would give them the
power to control the governors ap-
pointments, and to make those ap-
pointments themselves upon failure
of the chief executive to select a
person of their approval, declared
Geelan. This measure, many believe,
is aimed at hamstringing any future
Democratic governor.
He pointed out that this bill first
came up for consideration in 1881,
when Gov. Baldwin was member of
the House The Senator deplored the
fact that the Assembly has been in
session for II weeks and has squan-
dered most of that time on purely
political measures. THE boys must
be taken care of while important
legislation waits" he said.
''No bill aiding labor at all has
yet been acted upon.'
Sen. Ceelan struck out at the
idea of curtailing the length OF the
legislative session under the guise
of cutting expenses. The ordinary
session of the Legislature is five
months, and an average of 1000
measures are poured i'm the hopper.
ne stated.
cit is impossible to carefully
weigh and consider all these meas.
ures in five months. Under present
conditions, with the Governor seek.
ing special wartime powers, and
extraordinary bills being offered
for war emergency conditions, the
General Assembly should move
most carefully and with the utmost
deliberatiOn.
1T must be remembered that the
General Assembly is the elective rep
resentative of the people. They are
sent to Hartford to enact laws in the
best interest of all the people, when
the Governor or anyone else attempts
to hustle them in the name of econ
omy, it's time to ask some very point
ed questions as to the reason for all
this hurry"
Geelan stated that the cost of keep
ing the Assembly in session is minor
when compared with operation of
most departments of the state gov
eminent.
IF in these times there exists need
to save time, it should be saved at
the expense of the purely political
measures, and not wasted upon them
in endless partisan and fractional
wrangling.
cit might be better to retain
certain judges who have proven
their competency and capabilities
to freeze them, as one might say
until the passing of the emer-
gency. This is no time to play
politics. This is time for pa
triOtism, for safeguarding the
peoples democratic rights on the
home front, while our boys are
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