Oxford Democrat., 1916-07-18

THE FIRST GUN FIRED IN OXFORD coUN-
TY. MLLIKEN AND WHITE ADDRESS
TREMENDOUS AUDIENCES AT RUMF0RD.

4 ~@H fAhoi 0ON flhED In OAFOhO .COUc
rY. MLLIKEN AND WHITE ADDREs
TREMENDOUS AUDIENCES AT RUMFoRI
II you have any doubt about this b
ing Republican year you should hav
seen the vast numbers and the enthus
asm at Rumford last Monday night. Th
occasion was the opening Of Republica
headquarters and flag raising, wit
addresses by hon. Carl E. Milliken, Re
publican candidate for Governor, an,
Hon. Wallace II. White Jr., Republica
candidate for Congress in this District
Long before the time advertised for th
affair to begin crowds packed the larg
room in Shaw Block where the Republi
can headquarters are located and still
larger crowds thronged the streets.
was said that never in the history of th
wide-awake town of Rumford had 20
litical meeting aroused 30 much interes
or created so great enthusiasm. 1t wa
estimated that about fifteen huudre,
gathered at this, the first political rail-,
OF the campaign. While most of thos
present were from Rumford and th
towns Immediately surrounding, man,
came from other parts of Oxford County
including Hon. E. Chandler Buzzsll ant
Edward w. Jones of Fryeburg; Alber
d. Park, Walter L. Gray, George NJ
Atwood and Harry D. Cole of Paris, G
w. Q. Perham, James NJ. Day and Car
Dudley of Brysnt's Pond and many 9th
ers.
The very large room at the new Re
publican headquarters could accommo
date only part of the audience and The
committee found it necessary to arrange
fora overflow meeting on the outside
A parade beaded by band started the
festivities. The line of march was along
Congress Street. 1t was q big parade
and the sidewalks on either side were
lined with people. Red fire and Roman
candles blazed and everywhere flags
were in evidence. Judge A. E. Stearns,
formerly prominent Progressive, was
the speaker at the flag raising and in bis
brief address he stated that while this
affair had not been slated at the grand
opening of the Maine campaign, a cam
paign that promised to find a place in
the political history of the state, it had,
quite unexpectedly, assumed a signifi-
canoe through the interest it had created
that entitled it to be considered as the
opening gun.
At the conclusion of bis speech, the
Stars and Stripes were flung to the
breeze amid wild cheering on the part of
the crowd that numbered more than q
thousand. On one side of the flag was q
banner bearing these words, "For Gov
ernor, Carl E. Milliken. For Congress
man, Wallace q. White, Jr."
Following the flag raising the parade
to the new headquarters of the
town committee of which Walter G..
Morse is chairman. Upon its arrival
there it was found that the crowd had
so increased that there was not room
enough to accommodate all those seek
ing admittancs and consequently it was
at once arranged to hold an out of door
meeting simultaneously with the meet
ing indoors.
Frederick R. Dyer of Buckfield, secre-
.ary of the Republican State committee,
presided, and the speakers were Hon.
Carl E. Milliken of Island Falls, candi-
late for Governor; Hon. Frank j. Ham
Of Augusta, chairman of the Republican
state committee; and Wallace q. White,
Jr., of Lewiston, candidate for Congress
rom the Second district. Col. Freder.
ok Hale of Portland, candidate for the
United States Senate, was to have been q
speaker but he was unable to be present
IS he was detained In Portland to meet o
visiting national committeeman. His
and regrets were read to the
When Carl E. Milliken was introduced
he crowd In the hall as one man arose
md chesred. The cheering continued
or some time and when Mr.. Milliken
inally found an opportunity to make
himself heard he spoke briefly, saying
hat he had not come prepared to make
my extended speech as he had been led
% believe that the purpose in inviting
him to Rumford was to give him an op-
to meet the members of the
own committee and to discuss cam
,aigu plans with them. He said that he
vas more than surprised as we'll as
pleased to fiud such crowd gathered
,ere and with the election still nine
weeks away he thought that 1t augured
veil for the prospects of the Republicans
n September. He said that he was par
icularly gratified by the large vote cast
n the primaries as he believed that it
,howed that the Republicans were thor
,ughly aroused and determined to win
n the fall. The primary, he said, was
,lean contest and had left behind no i'll
ceiling on the part of those who failed
If the nominations. He said that he
had received many assurances from the
defeated candidates and their friends
hat their support would be bis. To
him the primaries forsshadowed what
nav be looked for in the state election.
In closing, MIR. Milliken Offered this
election pledge. "If am elected want
% say you'll find me in Augusta on the
OBJ all of the time. The time has come
when the Governor of Maine should give
,is whole attention to the state and its
lffairs."
In presenting Frank Ham, the chair
nan of the meeting said of him that he
vas the man who had done more to se-
,ure a reunion of the Republican party
n this state than any other. Mr.. Ham
,aid that the choice in the coming elec-
ion lies between the Democratic party
md the Republican party, that this
state was Republican and always had
been and that no Democrat bad ever
been elected without the aid OF Republi-
ian votes. he said that the Republican
party of Maine is now united and that it
was going into this campaign solid and
undivided. He stated that while he did
not hesitate to predict the election Of q
Governor, two Republican
senator's, four Republican congressman,
a Republican majority in the Legisla-
ture and a Republican President of the
United States by the largest plurality
aver produced in Maine, be wanted to
warn against over-confdence, as he fully
chat this would be the hottest
cam paign ever waged within the borders
Of the Pine Tree State.
Mr.. Ham said that the Democratic
party In both this state and the country
was making its last dying gasp and was
awake to the realization that If 1t failed
TO win in September and November, 1t
would be out of power for the next 20
wears. He further said that the Democ-
racy was preparing to wage in this state
the hottest kind Of campaign and cited
as an example to support his contention
the election az chairman of the Demo
cratic campaign committee of William
r. Pattangall, whom he characterized as
the brains of the Democratic party in
this state.
He said that the present administra-
tion had been the most partisan of any
ever known. Patronage had been dealt
enA ranardlaas of ability civil service iR.