The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-10-04
Hills Endorsement Sought By Threats
 And Pressure
Facts of His Efforts to Secure 2alI Moose Approval at Recent Convention Just Be- coming Known
Reply is Sent to Danbury Hat terS Who PetitiOned For Hills Endorsement

The extent to Which Congressman E | Hill went to secure an en- doreement from the Bull Moose party. is just becoming gener- ally known in it's true light. Tremend- ous pressure was brought to bear upon men who have enrolled in the Pro- <reSsive party to use their influence 4o secure the coveted endorsement for MT. HHll. It became known yesterday, for the first time, that some of MT. HIirs admirers even went so far as to make threats, and it also became known that Mir Hill made many per soual calls and appeals to secure the endorsement
 George T. Shepard of Bethel, a prominent hat manufacturer and a ~cry ardent and active worker in the new movement, gave intereS ting account yesterday of an effort that had been made by MT. Hill, personally, to secure his influence towards n en- dorsement. He also told how he had been threatened by the hat nanufac- 1urers of Danbury- MT. Shepard ex- of Fourth Congressional District Pro- gressixe delegates who yesterday re- ceived Samuel E. Vincentis formal ac- ceptance of the nomination for Con gress on the Bull Moose ticket. There was a large attendance of the dele gates who nominated MT. Vincent, at the gathering which took place at the Strathe1d. and much surprise was manifest when MT. Shepard explained what SfrOrt had been made 10 VIII him over to MT. Hill.
 At the conclusion of MT. Vincent s acceptance speech there was an ex- Persense Tseting' .,.ss when d tees de1egaoea f,5 the county. which takes in the Fourth District, were called upon to tell of she activities in their respective Ioeali- ties Nr Shepard was the first to speak He said that MT. Hill had call ed upon him personally to secure his tnhuerce toward getting the endorse nsnt Es,d-, Sof Msj E1n enS+,eh at the Progressive
 We had quite a conversation" said Mir. Shepard, in telling of the incident. MT. Hin urged that 1t was wrong for the Progressives to nominate their own candidate as their would be little charce of electing him. and it would nominee MT. HEll asked me if I wouldn't use my influence to get him endorsed by our party He told me that I. as a hat manufacturer, couldn't Rfford to do otherwise if were to con- slider the interests of the hat manufac- turers- I told MT Hill that as I look party against the Republican party , methods and principles, particularly such outrageous doings as character 1zed the Chicago convention. I told him that I had never been in politics before and that had the Republican party done the honorabe1 thing and 1he night thing by the people in it, l probably shouldn't be at this time.'
 Then asked him how he felt about xhe Chicago convention; if he felt that the Republican party had done right. He replied frankly and sincerely that he believed in the Republican party, none the less since the Chicago con Progressive cause at all necessary He urged me to come back into the Republican party He said that he had left the Republican party once long as he lived he would never with draw from that party He said that they couldn't get him out of the Rs- publican party if they used crow bar. I told Mir. Hill that I was. op- posed to the Chicago deal and that all true Progressives were opposed to it and that inasmuci as he felt such a strong affection for the Republican rarty after such deal, I didn't see EisteTltly endorse him, or how any true real Progressive could consis tently work to secure such an endorsement, E told him that I certainly couldn't work for his endorsement and that I wouldn't, and that he shouldn't ex- pect me to.
 Then I was called into a meeting of the hat manufacturers and they asked me what I could do to help se- cure the endorsement of MT. Hill by the Progressive party. I told them just Rs I told MT. Hill, that I opposed to such a deal was pulled off in Chicago by the Republican party, that q wanted to see clean politics, that the Republican party is incapable of play ing clean politics now and that would not and ought not to be ex- speoted to work to secure Mir. Hills endorsement, since MT. Hill islands for just those things I don't stand for One of the matters very indignantly said. If I were you I'd go on record at that convention of the Progressive party as favoring the endorsement of Mir Hill replied, No doubt you would but I shall not
 After that experience the Progres- sive leaders in Bethel and Danbl1r-y got together to see just what the sentiment for MT. Hill's endorsement amounted to. There were about 20 of ahe leaders at the meeting and all were asked to state their candid opin- lon as to the advisability of endorsing Mir HILL and am happy to say that .here wasn't a single man out of that 70 who was favorable to endorsing Mir Hill In fact, they were all very much oppressed to it. I was very glad 70 find this spirit.
 Out of fairness to the hat maniac turers of Danbury I thought only right and proper that we put the mattea. fairly and Squarely before the state convention or the Congressional con xention- l was very glad that the state convention took such action as makes 1t mandatory that no candi- dates for state, national and legisla- i've offices be endorsed by the party That was a splendid way of handling the matter and I was pleased
 IL has previously been reported tn lat Mir. Hill made effort to get local in fuence for his endorsement through Horace H. Jackson
 The petition that the Danbury and IsCthel haters submitted to the Bull Moose Congressional convention, has among members of the Bull Moose party. The convention received the petition after the state convention had passed q resolution making it man. datory that there bs no endorsements As result. however, the convention p----< Ao haSs it's chairman, George E.