The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-09-30
PENROSE-FLINN MEETING OPENS
 POLITICAL SORE
Hughes Meets Stumbling Block In Pennsylvania Where
 Old War Wages Anew.

The edifying spectacle of Boies Pen
 bose, Pennsylvania's proud represent
 httve of the Republican Old Guard, as
 master of ceremonies of Candidate \ Hughes's speaking tour in Pennsylva- shiA yesterday, and as joint speaker yNHh the Republican presidential. nom-
 )nee, has had the effect of neticeably
 )ntensifying the old hatred existing
 between the reactienary Republicans ! And Prpgressives.
 z The elaberately staged handshaking
 bp1sode between Boss Penrose and William Fhnn, Pensylvania member bf the Progressive national committee,
 which was designed to signalize in a
 bpectacular manner the complete re- union between the Old Guard forces
 Rnd the Progressives. proved dismal
 failure. '
 As Ia matter .of fact the chief effect
 of the incident was to emphasize the
 hecp-seated feelings of bitterness still
 Dxisting between the two elements in tRennsylvania as elsewhere, and to re-
 N1te the charges and counter-charges ' bft the Roosevelt Taft conflict which
 m4de the campaign of 1912 memorable. rhe Philadelphia North American, Yielding orgaHs of the Progressives, in its report of Hughes Pennsylvania tour makes no effort to disguise the iuttdr mockery Sof the widely-heralded 4reu1ion between Penrose and Film. I f16fdpen1y resent sthe conspicuous part Ipltyed by Boss Penrose, declaring (th2t hist t.heelers'' strove constantly to keep him in the 1imelight. "In fact, !" Z, sayB the North American, "during the !eday Finn remained quietly in the sibaekground, eliminatingshi large fly, willie the Penrose presence set- z tied dbwn like pail throughout the days festivities, despite protests of ,lProgressive Republicans that his .lpresence was making the road the
 candidate was travelling allSfthe hard
 er.''
 Referring to the handsha;king in- 3cident, the North American says:
 ssFlinn went through all the motions
 with entire politeness, but quickly Hound 1t convenient to engage other J Fmenbers of the committee in con- Hversation and the two did not meet again throughout the day."
 XII On the other hand, the$i Philade1- lphia Inquirer, organ of the standpat ,element, refers with undisguised pr1de Ito Boss Penrose's prominent partici- ' lIntipn in the ceremonies and the ma chine followers of the Pennsylvania lAtnator do not conceal their contempt for the disgruntled and plainly disap- pDdlRted adherents of MT. F1inn.
 Ali a campaign spectacle, planned [ in aid of MT. Hughes, the Pennsyl- vania .sreunion" of the Old Guard and ;6he Progressfves has served only to
 emphasize and revive old animosities. , >Alfeady the Penrosd followers are lnuoting no less, an eminent Republican authority than William Howard Taft as to Mr. Flinns political status and tho Progressives are retoring with ex- tracts. from MT. Roosevclt's public opinion of MT. Penrose and other Old Guard leaders, uttered during the last Presidential campaign. A
 .t Quotations are given froms Mir. Taft's s
 speech in Boston, delivered on April f26, 191 g. in which he sa1d:- By his 2tRoosevelts) association with William Flinn of Pittsburgh there is being re-
 stored to power in That city and in ], I,Pennsylvania oneS of the worst muni-
 cipal bosses. that the. history of that
 gtA&e knows"
 s.s WhereuponstheP Progressives call att tention to the scathing denunciation Of Penrose4and the Old Guard bosses hy MT. 4Roosevelt in the same cam Hpaign. They refer. to hissNew York apeech of June 12, 1912,' as being
 pecu1iarly applicable to the present activity of Penrose for Hughes, in (which MT. Roosevelt, said: se
 ssMr Taft assumes and Messrs. Barnes, Penrose, MuMane and com 4 pany assume, that the presidency is to be treated as gift within the be- stowal of the politicians in defiance of the duly expressed wish of the people. Such conduct comes. dangerously near being treason to the whole spirit of our institution; to the whole spirit of | idemocratic free government"
 The Penrose-F1inn fiasco, it is point
 ed out, demonstrates the impossibility Z Of either the reactionary Republicans or the Progressives forgetting or for
 giving the crimes of 1912" AS a forerunner, upon a miniature scale. of
 the widely advertised 'kiss-and-make-
 pp'' meeting between Roosevelt and
 Taft, themselves, scheduled for Oct.