Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1912-10-12
BULL MOOSE MEETING
HAD LARGE AUDIENCE
Senator CIapp Delivered Eloquent
Address Last Night.
NO REFERENCE TO WILSON.
But the Speaker Broadly Assailed Taft
and Administration of All
Parties in Crowd.


and AdministratiOn-Voters of All
Parties ia Crowd.
Speaking on THE Genesis of the
Progressive Movement" United
States Senator Moses 4. Clapp, of
Minnesota, in the interest of Col.
Theodore Roosevelt, the presidential
candidate of the "Bull Moose" party,
held an audience of more than 800
persons at rapt attention last night.
The Senator lauded the Colonel to
the skies, calling him the greatest
living American today, and denounced
President Taft and his administration
in the extreme. But it was fact
that has ELECTED much comment that
the speaker made only a passing re-
mark to the Democratic party or its
standard bearer in the impending cam
paign.
1t was the first mass-.neeting held
by any Of the political parties here,
and as weather conditions were fa-
vorable, the speaking was done from
the Main street portico of Hotel
Maryland. This. undoubtedly, was
responsible for the large audience that
gathered.
There were Democrats many of
them, as we'll as Taft Republicans,
and these made up a large majority
of the Senator's auditors, as the Bull
Moose advocates could be readily
singled out by the intervals of ap-
plause as the speaker scored for the
Colonel. There may have been other
Roosevelt followers in the crowd, but
there were scarcely more than forty
who participated in the cheering and
applause. Some of these were col
ored.
But still the speech was of char
acter that held the undivided atten-
tion of those in the crowd. Added
to this is the fact that Senator CIapp
is good campaign talker He has
loud. clear voice and his remarks
could be heard for some distance
around in the stiffness of the night.
An orchestra of the Naval Academy
band played several selections and
helped get the crowd together at the
appointed hours o'clock. Mr.. w.
Hallam Claude, of this city, who has
taken an active interest in behalf of
the Progressives of this vicinity, call
ed the meeting to order, and intro
duced Gen. N. Winslow Williams. for
mer Secretary of State, and inciden-
tally, a Democratic Bull Moose con-
vert, as the first speaker.
General Williams spoke briefly.
He praised Colonel Roosevelt and his
policies, denounced President Taft,
characterized Woodrow Wilson as the
candidate who knows not where he
stands on any question, and predicted
an upheaval at the November election
that would result in the election of
Colonel Roosevelt. General Williams,
when he had finished introduced Sem
ator Clapp as the principal speaker
of the evening.
In his Introductory remarks he spoke
of the public service rendered by the
Senator, who being in close touch with
political conditions of the country, is
thoroughly capable to discuss the is
sues. The Senator lost no time in
wading right into President Taft and
delivered jolt after jolt to him and
his administration. He laid at the
door of Taft and his followers the
loss by the Republicans of number
of Republican states at the election
of 1910 and repudiated the assertions
that Insurgent Republicans were re-
sponslble for the resulting conditions.
He said that the nations Execu-
tive had betrayed the policies of
Roosevelt that had been adopted dur
ing the Roosevelt administration, and
said that no candidate Of any party
could be elected at the coming cleo
tion unless he could convince the
people that he stood for the Roose-
velt Policies" The Roosevelt senti-
ment, he said, is Countrywide, and
the wave will result in the election
of Roosevelt in November.
1t was mastery effort by the
Senator as he tore the alleged achieve
ments or the Taft administration into
shreds. His speech was one contin-
uous round OF denuncations, and he
never lacked, nor hesitated, for what
he would say next. 1t was nearly
$50 o'clock when he concluded and
the strain on him was indicated by
his husky voice.
After the meeting the local follow
ers of the Progressive Party met and
organized by appointing a County
Central Committee of the following
members: w. Hallam Claude, chair
man; Harry S. Miller, secretary:
Wilbur F. Fetherbridge, treasurer.
and Solomon Spears, Henry Lehr,
August Tyler, w. F. Crosby, and
the following named subcommittee
on organization, consisting of w.
Hallam Claude, Wilbur F. Pether-
hr.rlcra and Harm 9 MiIlo-