The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-08-04

Indianapolis, Aug. 4-That the Pro- HTessive party will not have a na- tional ticket in the field this year is practically settled. The delegates in attendance at the national conference here were at variance on this point until late yesterday afternoon, when it was seen that to have third ticket would be impracticable.
 After adopting a ringing resolution repudiating the action of the national committee in indorsing Charles E. Hughes the members in attendance began the work of mapping out the destiny of the party. After a long discussion the following seemed set tied:
 1.-The Progressive National
 organization will be kept intact.
 2-The members of the Ma
 tional Committee who voted to
 indorse Hughes, having by that
 action removed themselves as Ma
 tionaI Committeeman, the mern-
 bers of the party from the re-
 spective states will have the
 power to fill the vacancies.
 3-As a National ticket this
 shall be done as an organization
 to assist the Hughes campaign.
 4NArrangements are to be
 made to concentrate the cam
 paign activities in five or, six
 states to make a strong showing.
 It is the theory that if Presi-
 dcntial 1ectors can be obtained in
 a few states the Progressives may
 hold the balance of power as be-
 tween Hughes and Wilson.
 Will Fight In Some States.
 The plan to concentrate the fight in a few states represented by John M. Parker, the Vice Presidential nom- inee, held the attention of the con- ferees at a night session. It is the intention to seize the Progressive machinery in these states and put up a spirited fight. These states have not been selected, and the choice proba- bly will be left to a national commit tee.
 We face almost insurmountable difficulties" said Bainbridge Colby Of New York. ''Twenty-two states are in the hands of the Hughes contin- gent. We could not get the attention of half the delegates at a national convention. MT. Parker's plan of de- voting all our effort to few states is practical =
 The resolution repudiating the ac- tion of the national committee in in- dorsing Hughes was passed amid loud cheering It was asserted that the in- dorsement was without authority from the members of the party and was ultra wires.
 Two Purposes in Mind.
 About 75 active participants and 100 spectators were in the convention room when the meeting was called to order. Seventeen states, chiefly Gen. tral and Southern, were represented, with New York, New Jersey and Mas sachusetts.
 It was almost noon when the con- ference opened. Matthew Hale of Massachusetts, as acting chairman o1 the national committee during the ab- sence of Victor Murdock, who is in China, was elected to preside. J. A. H Hopkins of New York was chosen sec retary. B. M. Lee, the Indiana state chairman. opened the conference. MT Hale said:
 To show we do not approve of what the reactionary wing did in June last and to show we mean to perpetuate the national party"
 ie asked for a roll call of states tc ascertain the representation. The rep. resentatives were asked to report briefly the situation in their common wea1ths. Reports in person and by proxy showed the party members were anxious to preserve their organization but that they differed on the question of national ticket
 Reports Against Hughes.
 telegram was read from c. E. Fisher of Colorado stating that he fa- vored maintaining the national party organization and that a full state ticket would be put in the field. George S. Obear reported that Ala Ibama Progressives intended to retain their identity by nominating a state ticket
 Burton Vance said that while many Progressives in Kentucky had pledged their support to Hughes, a large num- Iper favored keeping up the fight. A letter was read from National Committeeman A. T. Moon of Utah urging the nomination of J. Frank Haniy or Indiana, nominee of the Prohibition party. as the Progressive Ecandidate for President.
 Harold Noise of Louisiana said that the Progressives of that state had decided to keep up the fight by running full state ticket. John M lParker's name was cheered enthusi- astically when mentioned by repre- sentatives of Southern states in their reports.
 Robert H. Elder of New York told of the recent unsuccessful attempt of George w. Perkins and his friends to have the Progressive organization of that state indorse Hughes.
 A letter was read from former Ma tionaI Committeeman G. ID. Pope of Michigan in which he denied having violated any instructions of the state organization in voting to indorse Hughes.
 Chairman Matthew Hale, in speak ing for assachusetts, said the Pro- gressives had lost their legal identity in that state by failure to cast suf- ficient votes at the last election
 Albert D. Nortoni, for Missouri, said 60 per cent. of the Progressives