Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 225, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 September 1912 — THAT SPEECH BY A. J. BEVERIDGE [ARTICLE]

THAT SPEECH BY A. J. BEVERIDGE

Large Audience Heard Former Republican Senator In Espousal Of The New Progressive Party. A large audience, probably consisting of about 800 people, men and women, college and high sehool students, heard the address delivered by former Senator Albert J. Beveridge at the Princess theatre in Rensselaer Wednesday afternoon. Mr. Beveridge is a pleasing speaker, a fine orator and schooled by years of experience in public life to say all those things that sound pleasing to the ears. He mainly sought to show that the republican and democratic parties are so completely controlled by the corrupt corporate interests that they can not possibly accomplish anything for the good of the common people and that it became necessary for himself, a defeated seeker after office within the republican party only two years ago, and Theodore Roosevelt, the defeated candidate for the republican nomination for president three months ago, to start a new party so that the people could get their rights and they could get the offices. Mr. Beveridge employed the big I with frequency and pride. He asked for questions, really challenged them, and promised a respectful and courteous reply. When 'W. C. Gilmore, a well posted young man from near Lee, asked a few questions he answered evasively and when Mr. Gilmore tried to draw out an answer he frogot his pledge of courteous treatment and on one occassion blurted out “Oh, sit down and shut up.” Mr. Gilmore Is given space in The Republican to make reply to Beveridge’s evasion and readers will find that he Is throughly capable of meeting Beveridge in argument. „ The former senator was supplied a copy of The Evening Republican of Tuesday, in which he was charged with having absented himself from Indiana four years ago because he was out of harmony with the issue of county option then uppermost in the state. He related the fact that the national committee had urged him to make a national fight, but he did not say that it was upon his own urgent request that he spent the major part of the campaign in hopelessly democratic Oklahoma and he.did not say a word of defense of 'Sis well-known opposition at that time to the cause of county local option. And he did not deny the statement that he made soon' after the election that it was a “wholesome defeat ” As a campaign orator Mr. Beveridge is surpassed by few men and he can half answer without answering at all better than any man alive. But he is not apt to convince many people that the republican party is debauched and disgraced because of a few things! that it has failed to do which he demanded. As a prelude Rev. A. L. Martin, of Monticello, a minister whose woldly tendencies have -dragged him from the Ipulplt to the political arena, gave a short talk, in which he indorsed John G. Brown, progressive candidate for senator and vouched for the virture and morality of Mr. Beveridge. There may be some donbt about the knowledge that Rev. Martin has about the snbject of his praise, bat the private character of Mr. Beveridge had not been assailed in this community and we could hardly see the cause of his enthusiastic pronouncement When the toes of a minister of the gospel slips to the extent of him running for political office and arguing' that a cause as worthy as that of temperance should be divorced from politics, we begin to wonder whether his endorsements can be taken without a little investigation of the common people. The meeting was presided over by L. H. Hamilton.