The Waterbury Democrat., 1946-11-09
Politics
 -Ln- Passing

waterSurye preemancnce ss a Democratic stronghold in conneci- cut suffered ies most severe blow since the sensational city election of lesg last Tuesday, The Demo- cratic total vote was the lowest in many years, and, coupled with the protest" Socialist vote, gave the Republican Party good cause for rejoicing and for the making oi future plans. On the basis oi the local retrunS it'S easy to understand why COP leaders are now claiming that they will carry Waterbury in the ie47 election. That is a distinct possibility, because there are many factors present in Waterbury poli- tics today that will still be alive a year hence. So fl Democratic leaders manifest signs of uneaSincSs in the months to come. don't be surprised. Not noly must party fences be re- paired. but a lot of missionary work will have to be done among the electorate of the city fl Democrats want to regain their standing in the vote column.
 Democrats cannot win in Water
 bury h a city electl.l with less
 than l4,0O0 votes. That's what they
 boiled this past week; it wasn't
 enough then; it wouldn't be
 enough even if there weren't a lot
 of Socialist or protest" votes in
 the field. Inc normal Democratic
 vote In Waterbury is at least
 1s.O0o. although back in 1888 it did
 drop as low as l2.9l9. But that
 figure was even lower than the
 surprise vote of l3,332 given the
 Socialist ticket that year. In lSS9
 the Democratic vote was l6,SS0;
 l94O, 25.S66; 194l, 20,9O9; l942, l4.-
 sS7; l94S, l5.sS2; 194l. 22.Sls; and
 i94S. l6,SS9. The highest COP vote
 in that same period was l9.52S for
 Dewey two years ago.
 Add it all up and the result seems to be that the Socialist total of 5,46l took away considerably from the Democratic side and must have the protest votes of the various groups that have expressed as opposed to a con- tinuation of Democratic administra- tion here in Waterbury. Whether such a protest" vote can be main- tained remains to be seen. There was a protest" vote of i3.332 back in 1888 after the municipal scandal here, but in 1889 the Scully ticket, after a convincing defeat of the city charter, emerged a winner by 20O0 votes with a Socialist vote of 4,3so also figuring in the final outcome. That Socialist vote dropped off to 2,37S in l942 when Democrats were winning by 2,500 votes, but certainly bounced back this week, much to Democratic consternation and Republican delight.
 state Treasurer William Carroll of TOrringtOn certainly was acc corded Q fine tribute by his home
 town where he ran far ahead of the Democratic ticket. It should
 make party leaders, not only in
 this district. but throughout the state, give some heed to what has been printed in this column on many occasions before, namely, that MT. Carroll is deserving of better things from his party, even though he might not seek them
 himself. There were other such instances, too, of personal pOpul- aFity overcoming party lines. but on the whole Republicans stuck to their candidates, whereas Demo- crats in too many of the larger communities did not.
 There were no visible repercus- sions throughout the Fifth Con- gressional District over failure to place Rep. Joseph E. Talbot on the COP ticket. While an effort was made in the closing days of the campaign to capitalize on this action at the Republican state con- vention it certainly did not make any noticeable headway throughout the Naugatuck Valley nor out in the far-flung reaches of Litchfield County. Such being the case it's hard to see how friends Of the popular congressman can hope to lift him from political oblivion two years hence. although by that time there may be a lot of skirmishing on the part of state Republicans to be in the national spotlight, among whom s sure to be the U. S. Senator -elect. Gov. Raymond E. Baldwin.
 Gov. Baldwin's election Co the United States Senate recalls 1924 Co this writer. That was the year that Lieutenant-g Hiram Bingham was nominated tO suc- ceed Charles E. TempletOn as govern0r and was duly elected to the office, 90 that he was actually lieutenant-gOyeTnOr and governor at one and the same time. In ad- ditiOn, he became the COPS nominee for U. s. Senator when the incumbent, the late Frank Brandgee, died. To this office he was elected in early December and qualified in January after serv- ing as governor of the state for one day. This was such 8 unique pOli- teal set-up that for years 1t was q source of much political am mSEni- for the Democrats and even caused a later shuffle in state legislative circles of the custom 0f allowing a representative or senator to hold a legislative, a judicial, and an executive tOb at the one time.
 Mayor Jasper McLeYy's outburSt