It was almost 100 years ago when Teddy Roosevelt came to Lewiston for a visit that was then called “the greatest demonstration ever accorded any person in any political campaign in Maine.”
Of course, there was no television coverage of such events in those days. There was no radio — not even electronic amplification for the speeches. You had to be there in person — and events such as a visiting celebrity brought out throngs of Lewiston-Auburn spectators.
The visit by former president Theodore Roosevelt, who had served in that office from 1901 to 1909, took place on Aug. 31, 1916. Roosevelt was campaigning on behalf of Republican presidential candidate Charles Evans Hughes, who would lose narrowly several weeks later to incumbent President Woodrow Wilson.
The festivities began with a procession said to be a mile and a half long. Lewiston City Hall was packed with spectators, and the crowd overflow filled the Empire Theatre and the Union Square Theatre. They were hoping to see the hugely popular ex-president, but he wasn’t able to fit those extra stops into his schedule.
The parade included bands and drum corps from Portland, Rumford, Farmington, Augusta and Bath.
“The streets were illuminated by thousands of torch lights, red fire and other fireworks,” according to Page 1 in the next morning’s Lewiston Daily Sun. “Just one thing marred the effect of the marching men,” the report said. “All along the line of march, the heavy smoke from the countless kerosene torches and red fire (chemical flame similar to road flares) hung close to the street, and at times, it was impossible to see for any distance along the line of march.
“Only a single incident occurred to dampen the enthusiasm that was everywhere evident,” the news story said. That was “the sudden death” of a leader of the drum corps, who was escorting the Westbrook delegation.
Roosevelt watched much of the parade from a reviewing stand erected on Ash Street. It took 35 minutes for the parade to pass, and Roosevelt went into City Hall as the marchers continued on a long route through Lewiston and Auburn streets while the guest of honor and many dignitaries waited. The former president had arrived via trolley from Portland not long after 6 p.m., and it was nearing 9:30 p.m. before his speech began.
“Every inch of space in City Hall was taken,” the newspaper story said. “The galleries had been thrown open to the public, but seats in the body of the hall had been reserved for marchers. The platform seats, over 400, were for committeemen and their guests. After the marchers had been seated, the main doors were flung open and the waiting crowds outside surged through until there was not standing room for one more. Both theatres were also filled to the doors by the overflow.”
Roosevelt’s speech was printed in full in the morning paper, taking up an entire newspaper page in small print. But he had actually been obliged to cut a large part of the speech because of the event’s late start and his train connections.
Today’s political speeches, such as a State of the Union address, are televised, allowing immediate rebuttal by the opposing party. There was a similar follow-up by local Democrats to Roosevelt’s Lewiston speech, but it took place a day later at Auburn Hall.
That gathering also started with a torch-lit procession with fireworks, and began in New Auburn. About 150 marchers took part.
Roosevelt’s speech included some scathing criticism of President Wilson’s policies. The response in Auburn called the Roosevelt address a failed attempt “to sell the bull moose on the hoof.” One of the speakers characterized the paraders for Roosevelt as “dolled up Augusta bums.”
There have been other memorable political visitors to the Twin Cities in the not-so-distant past, who also drew big crowds. Many people recall President Lyndon Baines Johnson’s appearance before thousands of people at Kennedy Park in 1966. I was pleased to be part of the Lewiston Daily Sun’s coverage of that address.
There was another notable talk there on Nov. 6, 1960. It was close to midnight and bitterly cold when 12,000 residents of the Twin Cities greeted John F. Kennedy. Just ten weeks later, JFK would stand on the Capitol steps for his inauguration as he told the nation, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”
Dave Sargent is a freelance writer and a native of Auburn. He can be reached by email at davidsargent607@gmail.com.
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