The Waterbury Democrat., 1946-10-26

III you want Q full house. Demo-
 crats learned that some years
 back and have discarded the big
 rally in favor of the smaller sec
 tional or racial one.
 One thing did come out of the McLevy party here in Waterbury The Bridgeport mayor was critical of the ocratic-Republican coal ition in his home town that was devised this Fall to win legislative seats for both parties and to make the going tougher for the Socialist candidate for governor. However, on the same platform with Mayor McIevy was Atty. Miles McNiff who, even before he received the COP. nomination for judge of pro- bate, was given both Socialist and Taxpayers support. MT. McNiff made 1t plain, however, that he was . Republican, but would not refuse the endorsement of the other parties. If Mayor McIevy was con- Ststent he should have criticized the local coalition efforts just as heart fly as he does those in his own city of Bridgeport.
 And further proof that Bridge
 p0rt k not the municipal
 'sheeven" that outsiders have been
 given to believe was added in Wa
 terbury this week at 8 non-poIi-
 ucal gathering at which the prin-
 ctpal speaker was State Comanis-
 Saoner of Education Grace. While
 the talk centered on educational
 matters pertaining to Waterbury
 and other Connecticut cities,
 Com Grace included in his re-
 marks many laudatory ones for
 tho efforts locally of Mayor John
 5. Monagan to improve the edu-
 oadonal set-up. He did not speak
 se highly of Bridgeports mayor,
 but referred to the pay for
 Bridgeport teachers as among the
 lowest in the state-it's $1, 200
 starting pay being picked out for
 particular criticism.
 Right now Waterbury officials are wrestling with problems of teachers pay. as well as that of other city employees. The knottiest problem for the hudget-makers will be to arrive at a wage figure for all concerned that will be satisfactory to the re- ctpient and at the same time not constitute an added burden on the local taxpayer. If the Board of Finance can come up with satsifac- tory salary schedules for every city department it will have done some thing that entities it to everlasting praise. However, that won't be forthcoming, for no matter what schedules are arrived at and passed along to the Board of Aldermen for approval. there is bound to be criti- ctsm and objection from many sources, both within and without the city government. There are re- classification problems at hand; {; there is the teachers single salary proposal; there is 8 cost-of- living adjustment to be met; there are countless merit raises due. All amount to a staggering total, mean ing mills of the tax rate. On top of that put a pension system that is now established on an actuarial basis and any economies achieved in the budget of recent years are immediately wiped out.
 A few Republicans who have
 long had the best interest of Rep.
 Joseph E. Talbot at heart have
 been wondering of recent weeks
 what the Democrats were going to
 do about the peculiar situation in
 the Fifth District. The nOmina-
 ton of TorringtOn's Thomas Rad
 1evich was followed by a period
 of calm along the political front.
 Now Mir. Radzevich is cruising
 quietly through the district, in-
 terviewing Democratic leaders,
 endeavoring to insure DemOcra-
 tic support in their strong nghOlds.
 In Waterbury he admitted that he
 cOa1ad not carry the district with
 out complete organization back
 ing. That he'll get this goes
 without saying, but Republican
 discontent over the Talbot defeat
 still shoulders. It could be capi-
 talked upon and there are certain
 to be many who will remember
 what Ray Baldwin did to Joe
 Talbot in September.
 All sorts of predictions as to the outcome of the November 5th vot- ing in Waterbury can be heard these days. One Democrat was heard to claim that the Socialists would poll heavy vote here, some- thing like they did in 1888 in the McLevy landslide. On the other hand another Democrat and one not too closely associated with the local administration forces main- tains that the Democrats will carry Waterbury by between four and five thousand majority. What effect the minority tickets are going to have on the normal COP. or Democra- tic vote is hard to say. It would be natural to assume they'd be of ex- tyeme nuisance value in an off, year election, yet issues are so con- fused today and people are in such . confused state of mind by virtue of everyday conditions that there's