The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-11-16
JUBILANT
At Finding a
Leader.
ANTI-DODGE MEN.
Laying Their Plans to Land
Mr.. Searls.

ton were held tonight, Rufus B. Dodge,
Jr5 would be renominated as the re-
publican candidate for mayor Of Wor-
cester.
But they are two weeks away, and
with two weeks for work, the anti
Dodge republicans of the city hope to
defeat the man for whose nomination
and election year ago most of them
We're the enthusiastic and vigorous
workers.
Today the political tide has set for
Dodge, and there are few of the Searls
men in town but will admit this as
sertion. They refuse, however, to adj
init that there is little enthusiasm
greeting the candidacy of Mr.. Searls,
but the same is almost as evident a fact
as the first proposition.
There are plenty of good Searls men
in Worcester who are sorry that Mr.
Searls has consented to make the run
ming in the republican caucuses against
Mr. Dodge. In fact, some of his closer
friends have been urging him to with
draw from the canvass These men
would be with him heart and soul were
it not for the fact that Mayor Dodge
has been in office but one year and has
done nothing, according to their claim,
that calls for rebuke at the hands of
men who are said to oppose him be-
cause they couldn't work him.
The Searls men claim that their can
didate appeals to the citizens of Wor-
cester because and solely because he
towers above the present mayor as to
ability and fitness for the place. If
this claim is well founded, it took them
some time, it is said to discover it, for
MIR. Searls was the last of several
prominent republicans whom they i'm
vited to become the candidate of the
republicans on account of superior
merit.
And there is a faint suspicion, if the
facts be well founded, that Mr.. Searls
has personal grievance against May
or Dodge, as well the leaders Of the
faction that has drawn him into the
canvass. The charge is made, and it
is only fair to state that it comes from
the Dodge camp, that Mr. Searls
sought Mayor Dodge early in the lat
ter's administration, relative to piece
Of roadway which he alleged was in
dangerous condition.
Mr.. Searls charges that the mayor of
the city paid no attention to the mat
ter and that the roadway remained in
a dangerous condition, in spite of the
efforts to have it remedied. Of course.
1t is small matter but the DODGE
men claim that it is just as large as
the grievances entertained and har-
bored by the leaders of the opposition,
and which We're dWelt upon in these
columns a few days ago.
If the movement for Mr.. Searrs
nomination does not gain momentum
IL is not for the lack of spirit on the
part of the anti-Dodge men. With an
enthusiasm born of final success in Sc
curing a candidate to oppose Mr..
Dodge at the primaries, they have en-
tered the fight with a determination
and vigor that has characterized but
few movements starting from the foun-
dation of personal grievances.
And to say that the opposition is en-
thusiastic at the final success in obtain
ing a leader is no eXaggreation. Sew
eral of their efforts were fruitless.
William 2. Searls of ward ., who
has consented in somewhat condition
al manner to stand as u candidate of
the anti-Dodge republicans, was the
last of several gentlemen approached
on the same subject.
The boom for Hon. A. S. Pinkerton
was not abandoned until last Saturday
night, after the meeting of the friends
Of Mr.. Pinkerton, who We're, incidental
ly all opposed to- Mr.. Dodge's renom-
nation and reelection. The meeting
was held at the Hancock Club, and
there were nearly 20 gentlemen pres
ent.
The two men who have figured more
prominently than any others by virtue
of alleged grievances, were present, and
so was Mr.. Pinkerton. The situation
was thoroughly discussed, and the for
mer senator from Worcester was urged
to make the running He finally con-
Guided not TO do so.
The moment that Mr.. Pnkertons de-
cision was announced, the hunt for an
other man was taken up. Henry F..
Harris, a member of the school board
from ward 2, was asked to be a candi-
date in the caucuses against Mr. Dodge,
but he refused. Pie is said to be one
Of the warmest opponents Of the pres
ent mayor, but he didn't choose to pull
somebody else's cheStnuts out of the
fire on that account.
There were one if not two other gem
tlemen invited TO be the Moses of the
dissatisfied republicans, one of whom
Elelry B. Crane, but he,
too. pushed the tempter aside, as had
others before him.
In the two weeks intervening before
the republican primaries are called to
order, the Searls, or anti-Dodge men,
hope to formulate the plans to accom-
plish the defeat Of the nomination of
the present mayor.
The opposition makes but few claims
at present, but members of the faction
have put wards g 3, 4 and 8 upon their
slate, ana say they are going to carry
| them And there is an interesting point
about the capture of ward 5.
| Wards and have been voting to-
gether so often that many of the re-
tpublicans in town are wondering at IT..
! The ward was doubtless associated
q ! nil dc of
candidates to beat Dodge went to Mr..
Searls and asked him to run. 1t was
/ pointed out to him that and went
| together for Dean as district attorney,
and according to reliable reports, 1t
was represented that the same combi-
nation could be made in the municipal
! canvass.
! While the republicans of the other
wards are wondering, there is class in
| ward that is smiling. It's members
| belong to a political organization that
parades under the somewhat doubtful
| sobriauet of 1.-The Good Government
J Club The club was for Frank l..
Dean for district attorney and the
members undoubtedly got in their fine
| work in ward 5.
Then there was a large number of
Swedes in both wards. There are also
| fraternal Affiliations that have their in
huences, and doubtless cut little ice
in the political combinations that are
! always made in the time of trouble.
1t is said by the Dodge men that
these representations, painted as they
We're in glowing colors, had much TO
do in leading Mr.. Searls to satisfac-
| tory conclusion, from the opposition's
point of view. 1t was tempting bait
| 10 threw at a man, that his chances
Of invading the enemy's own territory
were more than good
1t is also charged by the Dodge men
that the attempt recently made in the
republican city committee to do away