The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-08-17
LARGE CROWD At
PROGRE SS|VES'
FIRST RALLY
Audience Listens AttentiveIy to
Vigorous Speeches
VIM. H. NICHOLS PRESIDES
Frederick Fosdick of Fltchburg and
Judge Ben Lindsey PROFOUND New
Party Principles.

The local Progressives opened the
campaign last evening with an en-
thusiastic rally in Putnam house
square. The square was solidly
packed with people who listened with
close attention to the remarks of the
speakers, Frederick Fosdick, ex-
mayro of Fitchburg, Mass, a dele
gate to the Republican convention.
and Judge Ben Linsey, magistrate
of the famous boys court OF Denver.
Col, explained the causes for the
birth of new party and gave their
reasons for leaving the old organi-
cations with which both had been
identified for many years. Up to the
time that he decided to cast his for
tunes with the progressive movement
Mr.. Fosdick has been Republican
and Mr. Lindsey Democrat.
At O'Clock the Bennington City
Band marched east over Main street
in an avenue of red lights and fire
works to the newly constructed stand
at the county court house and took
seats on the platform. The two
SPEAKERS and the presiding officer.
William H. Nichols, the member OF
the state progressive party commit
tee for Bennington county, arrived a
few minutes later. Chairman Mich
OILS made a few opening remarks and
introduced the first speaker, Mr.. Fos-
dick
The former mayor of Fitchburg,
referred in his opening remarks to
the historic memories attached to
Bennington and then went on TO
state that there were today before
the people of this country just as big
problems as in 1875 and in 1861.
There was no armed conflict con-
fronting the people at the present
time but the war against special PRIV
ilege by which few men had been
able to heap millions upon millions
was the struggle of the day.
Mr.. Fosdick spoke at length upon
the Chicago Republican convention
which he attended as Roosevelt
delegate. He condemned in vigorous
language the course adopted by DOM
inant organization in it's attitude of
Roosevelt. He stated that he pre-
dicted Is years ago that a new party
would eventually be necessary to re-
lease the people of this country from
the condition of slavery in which they
are held by the privileged class. Ii
was hard, he said, to break away
from the old party, the organization
with which he had been identified for
nearly 80 years, but he was convinc-
ed that he had taken the right course.
Judge Lindsey's speech was a Wig
orous denunciation of the political
bosses in both parties. He referred
repeatedly to Gugguiheim of Colo
RADIO, Barnes of New York and Pen
rose of Pennsylvania and to Murphy
of New York, Sullivan of Illinois and
Of Indiana as the type of
men through whom the captains OF
big business controlled both parties,
enacted tariff legislation that suited
their purposes and strangled laws
that were attempted in the interests
of the masses.
He had allied himself with Roose-
welt, he said. for the reason that for
the first time in the history of poll
tics in this country. party had been
~ oohAASa NAANh al Us
ed the rights of humanity above the
rights of property. The speaker IL
ustrated his remarks with descrip-
lions of incidents that had occurred
IN his administration of the boys
court in Denver. Many of the cases,
IN fact the majority of them, he said,
we're the direct result of a system
which permitted the few to deprive
he children of their rightful herit-
age. Long hours of labor, ineffici-
INT liability laws and the forcing of
mothers into the ranks of industrial
oilers had made the boys who came
before his court what they were.
In speaking of Theodore Roosevelt.
lie said. that the leader of the new
'arty had had all of the honors that
'ould be conferred by the people of
his country but that he had been
rawn into a conflict through a de-
ire TO break the powers Of the poll
icians and the trust magnates who
Fere standing in the way of a gov
rnment by the people. He describ-
d Roosevelt as one OF the greatest
zen of any age and the most thor
ughly Mt and seasoned leader any ma
lon had ever developed
he night was cool, almost too cool
D be out Of doors unless one was
ontinually on the move, but the
lrge audience. estimated at between
thousand and 1900 people, remain
4 TO the end. Il was an intensely
lterested audience. There was not
0 much applause as has character
led some Of the more spectacular
allies held on the square in recent
ears but Il was plainly evident that
he people were in a thinking mood
nd that they were closely following
he arguments Of the speakers.
udge Lindsey is a little fellow, below
he average height and under the av-
rage weight, but he is as full OF en-
rgy as an electric dynamo and he
rove his arguments home with con
incing force. Mr.. Fosdicks descrip-
on OF the Chicago convention was
be most interesting feature Of his
ddress and Il apparently made an
Impression with the audience.