The Washington herald., 1910-10-31
BY WILLIS ]. ABBOT.

Indianapolis, Oct. S0-Indana is still
seething with the passions. the antag-
onisms, the enthusiasms. and the hatreds
bred OF the recent Roosevelt visit to this
pivotal State His last contribution TO
the cause of Republican harmony was
his reported attack upon Judge Ander-
son, who had denied the application of
the government for the trial in Wash
ington OF the editor of the Indianapolis
News. 1T was the decision of a iackass
and a crook" the ex-President is report
ed as having said in a public place in
Indianapolis. AS yet he has not denied
the use of this language. which after all
is not so much stronger in spirit, though
it is in the letter. than some he has ap-
piled TO the United states Supreme Court
Is Roosevelt Popularity Waning.
Did Roosevelts victory at Saratoga,
the price Of which in part at least was
his acquiescence in an unqualified plat
form Endorsement Of the Payne Aldrich
tariff bill and the Taft administration,
mark the beginning of the ebb tide In
the extraordinary popularity of the
mighty Teddy? Level-headed feeling con-
corning his trimming at Saratoga, and
the Indianapolis incident above mem
toned. as well as other recent develop
ments, give point 10 the query
For instance. my observation OF the
reception given Roosevelt at Indianapolis
convinced me that curiosity rather than
any deeper emotion animated the great
throng that gathered there TO hear him.
The capital city Of Indiana Is sin
gularly well fitted for "a great political
demonstration Certainly 1t gave TO Mr..
Theodore Roosevelt as fine welcome as
could have been given to any man In
public life to-day. At the same time /
recall the throng which greeted Mr.. Bry-
an Immediately after the convention of
1900 when he came here To deliver his
speech Of acceptance speech which was
one of the best he ever made The
Roosevelt crowd did not compare with
the Bryan crowd at that time, although
the Bryan speech was delivered in the
outskirts OF the city and RoOsevelts
speech in the very center of the town.
indianapolis Crowd Chilly.
Furthermore. it appeared to me that
there was very little enthusiasm in the
Roosevelt audience Ali men are fallible
In their judgment, and l am. perhaps.
more so than many. / sat on the speak
ers' stand for a while during Mr.. Roose-
velt's speech. 1 was unable TO find any
evidence on the part of the audience OF
enthusiasm. There was no cheer and
hardly one hand clap So. leaving the
stand, l circulated among the throng. Il
WAS certainly a great crowd The In
dlanapolis papers said there were $1,000
people there That. OF course is a gross
exaggeration. There were probably. To-
600 or 1000. But they were there from
curiosity rather than from devotion l
found few men in that gathering who
were enthusiastic about either Roosevelt
or Beveridge. It was essentially a sight
seeing crowd. the individuals in which
cared little about either candidate. but
had come through curiosity 10 see the
tremendous Teddy. They did not cheer
they did not enthuse
Crowd Trimmed Rapidly.
When Mr.. Roosevelt was fairly en-
barked upon his speech the crowo began
TO thin. The Circle has four streets
leading away from H. Those streets were
crowded with men and women leaving
the scene Of the ex-Presidential ora
tory. When Nj. Roosevelt had finished
there We're not more than half as many
people listening TO him as when he be-
gan. This did not really mean hostility
TO Roosevelt personally. II simply meant
that Ike Bryan in the gorgeous DAYS
Of 1896, Mr. Roosevelt is to-day the Do
Hucal curiosity TO whose exposition all
men. and host of women. flock. They
want 10 see him. He has the name of
great political character and he is get
ting great audiences all over the United
States lie got the audience here in
Indianapolis, but after talking with as
many men as l might possibly interview
] did not find that he is likely 10 get
The votes.
Later IN the afternoon Mr.. Roosevelt
came back in an automobile 10 have
luncheon or dinner at the Columbia
Club. Merely by accident I happened TO
be in the Circle. ] don't believe there
we're 20 people there. The ex-President
jumped up ia his seat in the motor car.
waved his slouch hat 10 an Indifferent
thOng. and. as a matter of fact. there
wasn't any throng-there We're only those
people whose business took them into the
central point of Indianapolis they