New Britain herald., 1916-10-31
DEMOCRATS CROWD
 RUSSVIN LYCEuM
Great Audience Hears Palmer,
 DOnneIly and Walsh


 RussWin Lyceum last evening when the democrats held the third of their series of mass rallies. Congressman A. Mitchell Palmer of Pennsy lvania, Attorney James F. Donnelly of New ork, a former New Britain boy, and leX-GoVernOr David A. Walsh of Massachusetts were the speakers and between them they aroused a tre- mendous degree of enthusiasm. Charles E. Hart, the oldest native democrat in the city and a party lead CT locally for years, presided and made a hit with the audience. At one time when Governor Walsh was on his way from Hartford while Congressman Palmer was headed to- wards the Capitol City 8 dcarth of speakers developed, but MT Hart made brave effort to keep things go- Ing and succeeded with the aid of the band, managing to hold the big au- dlence until the arrival of MT. Walsh.
 On the platform besides the speak CTS were: G. M. Landers, Attorney F. F. McDonough H. s. TaIlard Dr. J. B. Martin, E. o. Kilbourne, Oscar r. Kraus M. T. Kerwin Councilman w. J. Lenehan, c. 2. Andrews and ex-Councilman Meehan.
 congressman EaEncF.
 Congressman Palmer, the first speaker, made a favorable i'm pressiUIl on his audience from his first utter ance. Both in appearance, manners 'and words he is an ideal speaker and quickly gripped the interest of tl2c big crowd. At the outset he de- clared that he would leave partisan politics aside and talk as man to man and American to American. Con gressman Palmer said he had passed the time in life when he thought all good men wsre democrats or that all bad men are republicans. That idea reminded him of the story of the old Pennsylvania Dutch farmer who had half a hog stolen in the night. In the morning when the farmer discovered his loss, he told his wife that he knew a democrat had stolen it and when she asked for an explanation, the farmer GecIared 1hat if the thief had been a ropub- Ican he would have taken the whole ] hog.
 We are making an appeal this year said the congressman to men of all parties for the dem ocratic platform : stands for the things that all parties l approve. The speaker said it always l pleased him to have a number of re- publ4cans in his audience He liked /. to have an opportunity to convince 1 them that the democrats stood for things that were worthwhile.
 The democratic party, he said, is the party of peace, prosperity and preparedness and no man has yet arisen to condemn the results of three and half years Of democratic rule ] To be sure there are some carping critics who will crticise the methods Hy which these results have been at tained or arise to deny that the demo- crats brought them about
 MT. Hughes has declared that the prosperity of today is due wholly and ! safely to the war but the speaker went on to show that but four billions out of an increase in national wealth of i ,41 billions during the past two years can be attributed to the trade of i Europe in munitions and all other | supplies Tn half of this sum were profit it means that but one-tenth of i our present prosperity can be charged i to the war in Europe. The trouble with the republicans is due to the 1 fact that the patent on the full dn- her pail which Mark Hanna took out tn lS96 has expired and cannot be re- n9Wed, declared MT. Palmer
 War, he said, never brings prosper fty to a country, for if it did Great Br1ta1n and Germany would be the most prosperous countries in the world today, but war brings instead, death, privation and despair And the reason we are not at war is because that great and wise leader of men at Washington, Woodrow Wilson, has -k,s<l
 guided the ship of state across the 1 troubled waters of neutrality to a ] Chrlstlan peace and prosperity.
 Trade Invasion
 Speaking of the danger of g Eu- rOpean trade invasion following the war, which is one of the republican l stock arguments against keeping the | democrats in power, MT. Palmer pointed out clearly to his audience that l 1t will be years before the countries of 1 Europe will be in a position to again 1 compete with us as @ nation. Women 1 and children and old men and men ! manned in the war will be called upon 1 to carry on Europe's industries and i 1t Is a fine compliment to Ameri-1 can genius that they pay when they l declare that such as these will crip- ! pie and ruin our industries.
 Turning to the eight hour law, 1 which the republican leaders are as- i sailing in their cross country tours, l the speaker analysed the whole pro- D 'sition, which he maintained was nothing new. The railroad men of the | country he declared have been fight Ing for fifteen years to obtain a shorter working day. tThe shorter the day, the higher the pay'' is an old slogan and these men fought unavail- {r7c 1TT tn in til last summer. Then they threatened 8a strike and the president knowing scIearly what such a strike would mean EAo the country at large entered into lMD inference with the leaders on both .w%;1ln firaa ll1z fa,.,.ed 1.rith tho