Democratic Campaigners Hold Curbside Rally
Congress candidate Roscoe M. Drumheller and speaker William Goodyear appeal to Kennewick voters from the seat of an automobile on Second Street.
Roscoe M. Drumheller of Walla Walla, the democratic candidate for congress, visited Kennewick with William Goodyear of Pullman on Monday. Though no formal meeting was scheduled, the pair spent the afternoon introducing themselves to local business owners. At 1:30 p.m., they addressed a crowd gathered on Second Street directly from an automobile. Goodyear, noted for his oratorical skill, campaigned on President Woodrow Wilson’s legislative record, urging support for party candidates Judge Black and Drumheller to ensure the administration's continued success.
“He claimed that the continued success of the administration demanded that men be sent to the senate and the house of representatives who are in sympathy with the administration.”
Street-side stump speeches from automobiles were a common early 20th-century campaign tactic, bridging the gap between old-fashioned town-hall debates and modern mass-media politics. The appeal to party loyalty to ensure the 'administration's' success echoes the partisan pressures seen in congressional elections today.
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