The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-09-20
l/ (special Ito The Farmer.)


 unparalleled in the memory of the oldest delegate present marked the opening session last night of the Democratic state convention here. Every delegate was ip his place when State Chairman David E. Fltzgerala brought the, convention to order, and the galleries of Music Hall were crowded aln1eststo suffocatfon.
 | A whoop, ,greeted~the state chairman as he took the platform MT. F1tz- gerald briefly 'introdaced former con ! ezressnan Thomas L. Reilly, of Merl- den, as temporary chairman Dele i sa4es cheered MT. tReillyfas he began to speak.
 saaortfy after the convention got un- , der way. Homer S. Cummings, who is tho party.ss choice fors the senatorial n,rrnir,atton, appeared. The conven- t,ou gave him a. mighty welcome and 1 a dozen enthusiastic delegates literally ! 1pkssted hian to a.seat o1a the platform 7l Deseeates were.warm in.their praise uf MT. Real1y.s address. It was a u,asterv argument fort the re-election af Presaaent Woodrow Witsdp and an l ~.rn.st rectral of accomplishments r11dra res,socrafic rule. At its con-
 
 derrpnstratsen for thee speaker
 {, Nr. Reiry.s aAdressafollows- \ ~sGemtJerr,en 1o6 tho Ccrwe1fion- JAPeruft me to express my sfnoerest aurrecSafinr of tho hagh honor con- lferrsdS mpon nae in sefecting mo as | termorarF chairman of this splendidly irernesemtslSy0 cnmvemtionsof Connect itcut Democrats
 --rD be cancsen chzirmansof any Dem orrafio stafe cnmvenfdcn has always been an, honor, but at this particular tfuaD in the. history of QUIT counfIy ana /! or party 1t is not +on1y an honor Dut va distinct pleasnre, bscAnse as Dermo- i cra4s we have 70 many things to DC pleaeed over as members, of thai great \ iconstructfve party and 50 many things to be proud of as Americans
 ~There Is m azsmred pleasure that ,pecple and partdes sUrnetfrnes indulge l4n to hide their real feeHnS-- there is false pride thai goes before fall Our pleasure fs genuine sand our pride h real They are justtfad by record af accomplishment as a party and a Ipscple that must challenge the admir- ation of an fair n1en-men who look ahead and not behind, men who live in the present and not in the past;
 
 1Ave of all and not the welfare of | select few
 sThe pride Of party comes in the 1aithfm keeping of every promiss made regarding national legislation when four years ago we were asking the voters of the country for their fa- ;vcr. The pride of country is in> the fact that though beset with problems of the greatest national and interna- tional moment, situations so critical that a false or in-considered step would mean war; conditions SO acute that only the cafmest and fairest 5udg- ;ment could alleviate. our great nation 1s today at peace with the entire world and that peace has been main ta1ned with untarnished honor. No lingo. big or little. better party man ,fhan pat11ct, has been able to swerve rus from our clearly defined path of simple end equal justice. whether the \situation with which we were dealing lhad to d3 with a eak and sadly dis ltrausht neighbor or powerful world scompetitor. NJ \ Through the great majority of the .Ipeople of this country when they wipe from their eyes the dust of partisan ship will see and admit that the course followed was the wise one, and twill also recognize the fact that were it not for superb direction and peer less leadership this Nnassailable atti- j tude could hever have been preserved I ih the fact of fierce assaults from in- creditable quarters.
 '-The United States is at peace with the world today because providential- ly there had been raised up to guide | its desHnies a man big and just and wise and strong enough to do what he l believed to be right and what he knew to be truly American. A man I who could not be cajoied or forced When the historian of the futeEa, free
 from the turmoil of the present stress ] of war and near war, writes of the ! part the United States played in home and foreign affairs of greatest import; 1 when the rosteA of the men instru mental in keeping a frenzied world l from going to complete destruction is made up; when the names of the 1 great leaders of men are written; !, when the names Nof the most iHus- trieus Presidents are spoken, no name will stand higher on that roster,>nc name will illumine the written page more brightly and no name will be spoken with more fervid patriotism than the name of that great Amerl- ' can, that great President-Woodrow Wilson.
 'In a so-caled keynote speech de- ! 1ivered at the recent Republican state convention in this city United States < Senator Branaegee of this state, who
 has the record of voting against near
 1y all the great progressive measures initiated and passed by the Wilson
 administration ,inaulged in lot of
 criticism and fault finding in line with
 talk that was indulged in by the stand
 pat nominee\of his party on his abor-
 tive transcontinental junket. Like the 100. per candidate, who has disproven
 by his speeches and his biased. unfair
 criticism of the President, that he
 was ever 100 per cent. real justice 4, of the Supreme Court and that what ever has been gained for the cause
 of cheap politics means no material
 loss to the highest judicial tribunal ot
 the country. Senator Brandegee and E other favorite Republican practices in discussing the legislation enacted by
 the Democratic party in the last three
 and half years and the policy of the
 President as it relates to our foreign
 and domestic affairs. Like Mr. Hughes
 he fails to tell the voters of Connecti-
 cut what he would do, if by any
 miracle he should have been in the
 Presidents place.
 "Here is a sample chunk of what
 Senator Erandegee probably thinks is