The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-12-30
IGNORED.
COuncilnnen
Paddle
THEIR OWN CANOE.
They Refuse to Caucus
With the Aldermen.

Republican members of the board of
aldermen have selected their ticket for
the election of city officials Monday
evening.
The board of aldermen will elect on
the first ballot every city official Mon
cay evening. The republican mem
bers agreed on candidates last evening,
and bound themselves in all honor to
support them on the first ballot.
Such action means an election as far
as the board of aldermen is concerned.
The charter provides that the officials
shall be elected in concurrence, the
board of aldermen acting first Thus
their vote last evening means they will
choose every city official on the first
ballot. He will receive at least six re-
publican votes.
Not only that but they picked out
the men for whom they will cast the
ballot.
they pledged their honor at the eau
Gus not to reveal even to members of
their families the names of the can j.
dates whom they had selected. They
refused absolutely to reveal the names
TO The Spy man.
Their action does not mean, however,
that their choice of candidates will be
the choice of the city council
1t does not mean, either that the
choice last evening will be the ulti-
mate choice of even the board itself.
They are not pledged to support their
nominees first, last and all the time.
The understanding was that they
should elect their nominees in the
boar of aldermen. Should the COM
mon council fail to concur, a JOINT con-
vention will follow. The aldermen did
not pledge themselves to stick to their
nominees in the joint convention.
If the city council goes into joint con-
fention, which is the expectation of
everybody connected with either board,
The aldermen have agreed that on the
first ballot. at least, they will repeat
their vote of their own board, and vote
unanimously for the candidate whom
they Endorsed last evening. If there
failure to elect an a contest, the
understanding was that the aldermen
could vote as they saw fit They are
not to be bound by the result of the
caucus last evening only in their own
session, and in the early part of the
Joint convention.
Such was the information convened
to The Spy man by Alderman John
K. Back in the presence of every other
member of the board except Alderman
Henry Brannon, who rushed from the
city hall Immediately after adjourn
ment in order to catch a car for South
| Worcester He said: 1.-The aldermen
unanimously agreed on candidates for
! the offices of city treasurer, assessor
! city messenger and superintendent OF
1 public buildings. They will vote as a
unit for the men they endorsed when
| they meet for election of city officials
Monday evening. That is all we have
agreed to reveal"
| Does that mean that the board of
| aldermen are pledged to those candi-
dates first, last and all the time?
! asked The Spy man.
| No sir it doesn't" said Alderman
Back, and the others assented 1--WE
| nave bound ourselves in only as much
as l told you. After that every man
can vote for his own candidate
Inc caucus of the aldermen was held
in room 3d. which is known as the com
! mittee room. Every member came ear
! ~. The caucus began several minutes
petore that of the republican members
OF the common council. Janitor Geo
II. SaWin was placed in the corridor 10
| keep away reporters and others who
might be interested in getting inform
alton from the room. The only candi-
date for any office who put in an ap-
! pearance was A. Edwin Enberg of
ward ., who was accompanied by Rep
| resentative-elect John G. Hagberg of
the same ward. They called out one
Or two members of each branch and
then left.
The aldermen We're in session about
! two hours. Previously they had agreed
on their plan of action. 1t was under
STOOD among them that the aldermen
N FAVOR of candidates who did not de-
Velop strength in the early ballots
| should withdraw their men in favor OF
| the strongest candidates in order that
the members could agree on a candi-
date for each position. 1t was also un-
derstood perfectly that the endorse
ment did not mean the members should
| be bound to vote for the candidates ali
the time.
Several ballots were taken in the
choice of candidate for city treas
urer and assessor. In tile early ballot
| ing for assessor, the number of can
| didates simmered down to four. and af-
ter few more ballots, those with the
least number of votes We're withdrawn
and all agreed on one candidate.
There was opposition to Charles H.
Peck for superintendent of public bull
dings. Who the opposing candidate
was, members of the board with whom
| The Spy man talked after the meeting.
refused to divulge.
! Although the aldermen came out of
| their caucus smiling, they were disap-
! pointed. The smiled because thew had
carried out the plan they had agreed
: on, and had successfully disposed of
| the candidates, as far as their board
| is concerned.
! But they were disappointed because
they received no consideration at the
| hands of the common coupcilmen. They
! expected the common counciImen
would suggest conference in regard
| to the selection of city officials and ac-
! tually waited the pleasure of the lower
| body on that point. After a time they
| realized the republican cOuncilmen had
no intention of consulting with them.
and they adjourned. They maintained
after the caucus that the failure of the
couneilmen to consult or consider with
! them, would have no effect on their de-
| cision
Late last evening The Spy man ran
| across a member of the common coun-
ell who had held lengthy ccnversa-
| ton with an alderman. What informa-
! ton he obtained he would not tell, nor
would he say that the alderman had
volunteered any. He made this state
ment, however, which The shy man
noted: Il would not be surprised if
1 the aldermen send notice to tho coun-
| ell that they have elected S. Hamilton
| Coe city treasurer, Thomas Talbot as
| SCISSOR, Charles Marvin city messenger,
and Charles II. Peck superintendent of
public buildings"
What is your reason for that be-
lief?" asked The Spy man
Never mind" was the laconic an
swer, and he walked away.
|
THE COUNCIL CAUCUS.
| Republican members of the cn1nn M ~,