Saturday, August 04, 2012

Today -100: August 4, 1912: With antlers on my forehead and a big stick in my hand


The NYT is surprised and fascinated and aroused by the number of women participating in the NY Bull Moose convention (one-fourth, they say). At any rate, its focus on the women allows the Times to treat the convention with all the condescension in its considerable arsenal. Mary Dreier, president of the New York Women’s Trade Union League (we’ve seen her before helping organize the shirtwaist-makers’ strike), is selected as one of 4 delegates.

The Bull Moose national committee is rejecting the credentials of negro delegates from the South in much the same way that the Republican convention rejected credentials of Roosevelt supporters. This would have been ironic, but I don’t think irony had been invented yet. In Florida, it seems that the party’s national committee told negro Roosevelt supporters that they should meet in St. Augustine – on the same day the state convention was being held in Ocala. In Mississippi they didn’t have to resort to a ruse, because they held the convention in a segregated hotel.

Here, by the way, is what seems to be the party song:
I like to be a Bull Moose
And with the Bull Moose stand,
With antlers on my forehead
And a big stick in my hand.

Don't see comments? Click on the post title to view or post comments.

No comments:

Post a Comment