The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-10-24
Lock Issues Cited


 (Continued from Page D
 vote in Q city election ct Q time
 when affalrs seem to be in order.
 In le4i just previous to Pearl
 Harbor, at Q time when most Amer
 jeans believed we wouldn't 60 to
 war, the late Mayor Scully had
 just completed his first term marked
 by outstanding accomplishments as
 openly admitted even by Republican
 opponents! Yet, as stated, there was
 a drop of seven per cent in the
 total votes cast when he was re-
 elected that fall. There were no iEn-
 mediate war issues then for the
 ma Jority of the public, and cer-
 tatnly no local Issues, except the
 ghosts of such as dragged up by
 the COP of that time. All of which
 leads to the conclusion that the
 people weren't quite as interested
 as long as they were getting good government. That year Q total of 3S, 40o votes was cast as the late Mayor ecully defeated Patrick Per. rielio by 6.o6o votes.
 Tn ie4S when Mayor Monagan ran for his first elective term, fol- lowing his succession to the late Mayor by virtue Of his position as President of the Board of Aldermen, a total of but 2T,62i votes was cast or. aS stated, but 50 per cent of the registered electorate. The Mayor de- feated John J. Kearney that year by approximately 4,S64 votes. Mayor Monagan had continued up to that time the precedent Of popular goV- ernment established by his predeceS- sor and had again pledged its con. tinuance aS part Of his platform. Yet the total percentage of votes cast, as stated, was d6 per cent less than two years previous.
 The belief that perhaps the war and its national and globaI issues were paramount to local issues is given cTedence when we observe, that in the ie44 national election c total of WateFbuFy's electorate @ per cent of the city's electorate turned up at the polls, or q per cent more than just the year pre- vious.
 These latter figures also sharply discount the arguments advanced that Q great deal of the low total vote cast in the city election Of ie43 was due to lack of the soldier vote. For the total registered sol. dIer vote in iel4 was small and by no means made up more than about i've per cent Of that N per cent diffeFentiai.
 The total number of registered voters in io4Fs election was ap. pEoximately 6i 070 Of whom 42,6e0 voted. It has always been reasonably safe to assume that about 5000 or 5000 voters won [ appear ct the polls in any event, which leaves us with Q figure of 46,000 who would be apt to vote, As the actual final vote was 42,000, the difference Of the total registered soldier vote is seen to be small even with some per- centage Of that vote counted among the negligent 5000.
 This year we again encounter few # any red hot" local issues and again the trend seems toward . light vote, aiI Of which is giving mary Denocratic leaders some llt. ters, for c light vote would better spell disaster for the incumbenw than for their Republican oppo- ncnts. This the COP is keenly aware | Of and somewhat obiiqueiy many of It's leaders are not forcing the VOte-getting Issue among the party workers e was 90 apparent !aSt | year lFl the state election.
 People Worried
 On the credit side of the voting | public is tho fact that the war years undoubtedly exercised great influence upon the attitude toward city elections. As stated, the Ie44 national election bore out such belief.
 when you are worried. as was the majority of the public during those years, aS to the welfare of loved ones on 0kInaWa and 1n France, Germany and Italy. Burma, lndie end ether worldwide places N was more thar Just difhcult to cossceT" trate on local affairg unless they bore directly on the welfare oI those loved ones.
 Aleo to be considered as . factor toward such political casualties SS the fact thet c somewhat abnormal prosperity resided with most Ot iig during those war years and locaI taxation, unemployment, insecutt.y and ether political factors flad bttle 0F TO actual reality,
 It might be reasoned tnat n0w tine fighting var iS d01e WltH E!SIS will be the election when the in@ crease viii again be noted such iS not necessarily true for the fOl' lowing pEObabIe reasons:
 1, This s SttIi 6 relaxation" per' I0d for the general public from the rigorg and demands Of the war years and local election still savers too mitch Of 6 contest to suit people WIlo ileye jssSt concluded the world z greatest contest ct Q grim cost.
 2, A form Cf prosperity setSll exiS!e among the general public even IT tO some t iS cOmpFieed 0t 10 more tIsan better than usual savings sc-
 :. Ussmpgoyment (from the stand. point Of future security ts stSu ID ElSe Flebul0ts stage, eottenee eo'pes what by the accEued savings Ot Inc war years end the ScnleWnat pUtlmi9tsc belief that t won't Last I0ng ia any form because the "g0v" srnInenE won't permit t. |, q. Hast. end we believe the leaeC aIso. iS flte fact EaaE there gre no acfUai Issues between the Derlo- sTa1E end Republicans ta this cam salgn, R0tlier H gilOtad be said tbefe q 10 iGeue the Republicans caSl polish ID into the appeaFsSce cf