The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-09-16
POORLY ATTENDED.
Few of the Faithful
Attended Democrat
ic Caucuses.
NO CONTEST IN ANY WARD.
Not Enough Interest in
Ward Five to Bring
Voters Out.
NO CONTEST IN ANY WARD.

'Deader than the dead sea" is the
way that a prominent democrat de-
scribed the democratic caucuses
throughout the city last night. These
caucuses were for the election of caucus
officers and delegates to the state, coun-
cilor, senatorial and county conven-
tions. There were no contests and
hardly enough voters assembled in any
of the wards to make a respectable
escorting squad to a corporal
In every instance the machine won
out and the delegates as originally
chosen were elected, although the num-
Der Of votes cast in no case exceeded
the number cast for candidates at the
caucuses of the socialist labor party.
The lack of interest was due to the
absence of even the remotest sugges-
ton of a fight. The various tickets
were elected as easily and with as little
ceremony as would attend the election
of a pound keeper in a suburb of Pax
ton.
In ward 4, now the banner democratic
ward of the city, where the ward room
is generally too small to hold the voters,
but 81 men struggled in and exercised
their great American privilege of the
franchise.
Yet small as this number was, the
highest vote cast for any candidate was
that for James H. Mellen, who received
2S votes as delegate to the state con-
vention.
In ward s. once the proud stronghold
of the democracy, now hopeleSsly lost
to them, and as firmly held by the re-
publicans as Gibraltar by the British
the voters displayed such remarkable
symptoms of political ennui that they
were conspicuously absent by an over
whelming majority, and no caucus was
held.
Save for the light in the window that
held out in the other seven ward rooms
to the limit of time, to give the last
straggler chance to come in and vote,
one would not know that any caucuses
were being held. Without exception
everything went along as smoothly and
quietly as church mouse on the way
to the collection box to MUNICH a green
back.
The story of the caucuses in detail
follows:
WARD ONE.
Ward l democrats held their caucus
under difficulties.
AT the appointed hour the janitor of
the caucus was scheduled to be held,
failed to put in an appearance. officer
Davis and a half dozen voters waited
half an hour and then the telephone
was put in commission in the endeaVor
to find out why the democracy had been
locked out.
superintendent of Public Buildings
Charles H. Peck said the janitor had
been notified and was at loss to I'M
derstand why the ward room was not
open. A messenger was then sent for
the janitor, but he could not be located.
AS a last resort the caucus was called
to order on the sidewalk and adjourned
to nearby building, where it was car
ried through in due form.
John Mcnamara read the call, and
this organization was effected: Ward
en-, John F. Hannah; clerk, Joseph Car
tier; inspectors, Charles S. Moreau,
William Butler, Louis S. Record. P. A.
McGrath. Ballots were distributed.
cast and counted. The total number of
votes announceda as 10 and the delegates
as nominated elected.
WARD TWO.
Ward caucus was called to order at
SIS o'clock in Burrwood hall, Belmont
street. M. j. P. McCafferty was chosen
warden, and P. J. Judge secretary. The
polls were closed at S45, with four votes
cast There were present four voters,
a policeman and two reporters. The
caucus adjourned at o'clock.
WARD THREE.
Fifteen voters turned out in ward 8
10 attend the caucus, and from the time
the polls opened at s o'clock until $50,
when they were declared closed by
Warden John D. Driscoll, there was not
even a difference of opinion in regard
to the fight on in the ward. Peter F
Sullivan was not at the caucus. and his
opponent, William I. Mclaughlin, who
was there, put in some good ticks with
those who attended
John ID. DrIscoll, who has been ward
en- at ward caucuses for years, was
in the same position again last evening,
William r. Mellen was clerk, and Peter
j. Mclaughlin was inspector.
WARD FOUR.
Just 81 votes were cast in Represent
ative James H. Mellens bailiwick. it
was one Of the lightest votes ever re-
corded in this ward, which on some oc-
casions in other years has been the
scene of caucuses attended by some
thing like 700 or 800 voters. That there
was to be no contest kept the great
bulk of the voters away, and even
some of those that attended confessed
that they did so through curiosity
thinking that Representative James H
Mellen and Mark N. Skerrett, who is
opposing him in the legislative fight this
year, would be en- hand. If there is
anything that a ward 4 crowd likes to
see it is opposing candidates election
eering within glad-hand distance of one
another. There was nothing of the
kind at the caucus, however, and the
polls might as well have been closed at
$50 as at $50, to which time they were
kept open.
Mr. Skerrett was not there, but Rep
resentative Mellen was, and everybody
got the hearty grasp of the glad and
happy hand. In the absence of Peter
S. Gallagher. George A. Carpenter was
elected temporary warden. The inspec-
tors were Robert Holloway, Walter w.
Henry, Richard j. Kerwick and Walter
X. Cooney Though 81 votes were cast,
no candidate received the entire num-
Der Mr.. Mellen got the highest vote,
2S, and the vote for the others went
down in a graduated scale as low as
Is.
WARD FIVE
There was no caucus in this ward last
evening, as there were not enough vot-
ers present for a quorum, and the war
den, Patrick Hogan, dismissed the
meeting
WARD SIX.
There was no contest in ward g. and
when the caucus was called to order in
The basement of Freeland-street school
at o'clock five voters were present.
Officer Harper deposited the ballot pun
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