The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-10-29
KNOWLTON DECIDES.
In Increasing the City
Committee the Law
Settles 1t.
SPECIAL MEETING MONDAY.
The Question Of Enlarging
the Ward Delegations
VIII be Settled.
SPECIAL MEETING MONDAY.

To expand or not to expand is the
question which will occupy the minds
Of members of the republican city COM
mittee at special meeting to be held
Wednesday night.
The last municipal convention de-
creed on recommendation Of last years
city committee that the number from
each ward in the city should be in
creased from three to five. Since that
time a law has become operative which
places matters relative to fixing the
number of the committee in the hands
of the city committee
Some doubt has existed in the minds
of members as to whether the action of
last years convention or the law which
has become operative since that time
should take precedence. Chairman
Partridge was satisfied in mis- own mind
that action of the committee should be
governed by the law, but in order to
make certain he addressed a COM
munication to Attorney General Hosea
M. Knowlton, asking for an opinion on
the matter. The decision of the attor-
ney general is that the law takes
precedence, and in consequence the ex-
pansionists and anti-expansionists will
have chance to settle the matter by
vote at the special meeting.
The meeting is called primarily to de-
eide matters in connection with the
state election Nov. Z, relative to hack
hire and election day work. The date
of the republican municipal caucuses
will also be decided at this time, and
arrangements made for issuing the
call. AS this document embodies the
number of men to be chosen from each
ward for the city committee, it is ap-
parent that the matter must be set
! tied at once.
Just how the matter of expansion
will CO. remains for the meeting to de-
termine. The general opinion at head
| quarters last night was that the COM
mittee would vote to increase in con-
| formity with the action of last year S
municipal convention.
Chairman Partridge does not hesitate
to say, in the words of Senator Frye,
Il am an expansiOnist." He believes
that the city committee would do bet
ter and more effective work with a
larger membership With the number
increased to five, each precinct could
be represented and taken care of in
much better manner than at present.
| The work of individual members of the
committee would be lightened, and the
results derived from work of the COM
mittee as a whole would be far more
effective, in his opinion. Another thing
to be taken into consideration is the
t4act that some hundreds of dollars
could be saved in the course of a year
as the additional members would take
care of work that has been paid for in
the past.
| William j. Bragg. candidate for the
|. common council from ward 5, is another
| who is for expansion first, last and all
the time. Mr. Bragg considers the en-
| largement of the committee is especial
| ly desirable in ward 5, where there MS q
| big territory to cover and constant work
| is necessary, for the present at least, if
| it is hoped to keep the ward in the re-
publican column.
| Others on the committee say that
several OF the new members do not un-
| derStand the matter thoroughly, and
| that when the matter is explained they
will see the wisdom of the course of ac-
| ton laid down by men who served on
| the committee last year.
The ward delegation is solid in OPP
| position to the proposed enlargement,
and according to a prominent member
of the committee from the second ward,
will vote against expansion to a man.
There ere others of the same opiS ion,
but taken as a whole it is believed that
the committee will vote to expand.
While the date of municipal caGSuses
remains to be decided at Wednesday
evenings meeting, Nov. 81 will prob
ably be fixed on Already members of
the committee are figuring out the var
lous dates on which acton relative TO
election must be taken. According to
the law. FL nomination certificates
must be flied with the city clerk on the
second Wednesday previous to the date
of election, which takes place this year
on Tuesday, Dec. -. This would make
the day for filing such certificates Nov.
49,. 1t is also prescribed that certif-
Gates must be filed within Is hours
after the convention, which would fix
the date Of convention on Monday, Nov
u, and as at least four days must in
tervene between the date of the con-
vention and the date of the caucuses,
members of the committee have prac-
tically settled on the caucus date as
Nov 81.
AS the board of aldermen must be
notified Of the caucuses and asked to
provide places for holding them, at
least ten days previous to the caucus
es, it is imperative that the matter
should receive immediate attention. 1t
has been the intention of certain mem
bers of the board to adjourn for two
weeks after the meeting tomorrow
night, which would bring the date of
the next meeting to Nov. Is, but in
case Of this sort a special meeting
would be necessary on or before Nov.
II, in order that the necessary ten days
between issuance Of the call and the
days of the caucuses may elapse.
Last year the caucuses were held
Nov. rs, and, providing the date is fixed
for Nov. 21. the preliminaries will be
several days earlier. There will be an
other special meeting of the committee
previous to election day to make final
arrangements for taking care of any