The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1943-05-22

ItIIldI IllSIlllSIlJeu OllG VI Tic IllOSI
censured episodes of the session-a
Tobin trade with Republicans"
Berkman's article, only one of
many appearing in the state press
of recent weeks, taking the local
senators to task for their efforts in
seeking to have what has been
styled personal legislation enacted
through machine tactics, was cap
toned as follows:
WATERBURY SENATORS
COLLECT ON DEAL
WITH REPUBLICANS
Summa at Closing Session of
Legislature EXults at Success
of Special Measures.
Then followed what is quoted
above, followed by. "Tobin is hos
tile to the Waterbury Democratic
city regime. Summa was elected by
about a half-dozen votes. They de-
cided to join forces and build a po-
litical organization by introducing
bills in behalf of nurses, firemen,
and policemen. The senate Republic
cans were two votes short for en-
forcing suspension of rules. Tobin
agreed to desert his party and vote
with the Republicans, if his bills
were adopted The deal was made
and carried out, to the final min
utes when the two joined Republic
cans in defeating houSe-adopted
bill eliminating the $1,250,000 annual
town tax to the state which would
have saved their city thousands Of
dollars in taxes, but which Republic
can leaders opposed as a drain on
the general fund.
The firms bills, all violations of
the home-rule principle, kept the
house busy eight hours on Tuesday
night.
Republican State Chairman j..
Kenneth Bradley and his organiza-
ton rewarded the firm with these
bills, none providing for a referen-
dunn:
Giving life tenure to Waterbury
public health nurses, with no ban
on political activity. One nurse
was on Tobin's primary ticket.
Increasing the pay of police
men and firemen $500 a year with
out regard to grade or the wishes
of future boards and increasing
the city's payroll by $4,000.
"Giving Martin Sweeney broth
er-in-law Of Summa, permanent
tenure of his job as city purchas-
ing agent.
Promoting a police seargent to
captain of a division by requiring
six years of experience which the
sergeant alone has acquired in
that specialized work.
Changing the method OF ap-
pointing assessors, change ad-
yOcated by William J. Pape, Wa
tcrbury publisher, Town Chairman
Vernon Hall, and former Town
Chairman Warren Epson, who say
il will take the assessors Office
out of politics"
And to add a GROWING touch to
its indictment of the manner in
which the Waterbury bills were
handled by the Republican-dominat-
ed legislature the Times editorial
Thursday night in summing up the
accomplishments CD of this session
said -" A trifling incident-or per-
haps it was not SO trifling-that &C.
CURED on the final days marks what
seems to have been the spirit of the
session. That was Republican State
Chairman Bradley'S whisper to
Speaker Mitchell concerning one of
the Waterbury bills.
Instead of reaching the ear only
Of the speaker, the whisper of the
who is elected to no Office
and who has no proper authority
in connection with legislation, went
into the microphone on the speakers
desk and came out of the loud
speaker system so the whole house
heard him say: We're
going through with this.
I'm the palmy days of Roraback-
ism we do not know that the state
chairman ever issued his orders to
the speaker on the very rostrum of
the house. He issued orders, no
doubt, but 1t was not done thus
-"