The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-09-15
ACTIVE DEMOCRATS,
Skerrett and Mellen
Are Marshalling'
Their Forces.
RYAN MAY RUN IN WARD s.
Sullivan Is Hustling to De-
feat Mclaughlin in
Ward 3.
RYAN MAY RUN IN WARD s.

There are to be no contests, so far as
present signs are worth anything. In
no ward is there more than one set OF
delegates, and so little interest nave
democrats shown in these caucuses,
that some wards failed to file nominal
tions with Chairman John H. Meagher
and Secretary Emil Zaeder of the dem
ocratic city committee, and the ward
committees were forced to fill in lists
of names.
But because there is but little mani
festation of interest in the matter OF
convention delegates, it does not fol-
low that the democrats are Hstless.
The representative caucuses are to be
held Sept rs, and it's safe betting thai
in wards and 4, at least, some of the
hottest times in the history of the dem
ocracy will be seen. Mark N. Skerrett
is up against the old war horse, James
H. Mellen, and is putting up great
battle for the mastery of the situation.
He IS conducting a vigorous campaign
and his friends say that he is bound to
win out
Attempts to make it appear that Mr..
Skerrett will be forced out of the post
office because of his conserving to the
use of his name as candidate against
Mr.. Mellen, do not discourage the young
man. He says that he went into this
contest after careful deliberations, and
looking over the ground and is in the
race to stay until the last ballot is
counted
Already friends of Mr.. Skerrett ara
out with their coats off, working like
Trojans in his behalf, and Monday he
will join them himself and make thor
ough canvass of the ward
Mr. Skerrett is not going to fight Mr..
Mellen after the manner of the guerilla.
He is to meet him In the caucus and
try conclusions with him there.
Some of his friends are urging him
to run at the polls, using the argument
that if beaten in caucus, Mr.. Mellen
would run as an independent. 1t was
said yesterday that if Mr. Skerretr
should not receive the nomination at
the caucus, and should then withdraw,
rather than allow Mr.. Mellen to have a
walk-oyer, M. L. Russell would step in
and measure swords with him.
Mr.. Skerrett told The Spy reporter
yesterday that he has his mind con-
centTated on securing the caucus NOM
nation He does not believe in trying
TO shape events until the occasion arises
to DO so. He has back of him the finest
and eleanest body of men that ever set
out to assist a democratic candidate in
this city, and they are men that are
not afraid of work. He said last night
that the reports he received of the days
canvass made him doubly confident of
the result.
Nothing has been done thus far in re-
gard to ward rallies in ward A. but it is
understood that both candidates will
have meetings before the last gun is
fired
Mr.. Mellen is not idle and yesterday
he had big corps of workers out doing
missionary labor. He told The Spy man
that he felt like a winner. He spoke
in the highest terms of Mr.. Skerrett
personally. He has not yet opened head
quarters, but yesterday his workers
used his office in the Chase building for
meetings.
In ward the democrats are unusual
ly active, for they know that it will be
ike seeing white blackbirds, or a sham
rock growing oman English rose, to de-
teat Sergt. john G. Hagberg, the pres
ent republican representative from the
ward. Mr. Hagberg has only been one
term in the legislature but he has made
a record that will stand all the tests
brought to bear upon 1t. He is a clean
and able young man and has satisfied
battalions of democrats in ward by his
course in the general court.
Yet for all this, and great though the
drawbacks are, the democratic city
committee is not without hope of re-
claiming what was once the banner
democratic ward of the city To The
Spy reporter yesterday Chairman John |
H. Meagher of the democratic CITY com |
mittee said that the committee would |
make special efforts to win ward . back
to the fold.
The latest candidate announced to |
tackle Sergt Hagberg is Councilman
James F. Ryan, the attorney. He has |
lived all his life in the ward and knows |
most of the voters there. Alderman Car |
berry will have nothing to do with the |
contest. His connection with the Daw- |
son Machine Company in which he is |
financially interested has led him to |
take a firm stand against those who |
would tempt him to again seek legisla- |
tive honors in ward 8.
Michael A. O'Rourke would not take
the nomination if the Prince of Wales |
was made chairman of the committee |
sent to wait upon him. Mr.. Ryan is |
assuredly the strongest democrat in the |
ward today, and he would make a great |
fight to Wrest the seat from Sergt. Hag-
berg.
In ward 8 Representative w. l. Nc |
Loughlin and Peter f. Sullivan are at it |
hammer and tongs. Mr.. Mclaughlin |
will get the caucus nomination, as Mr.. |
Sullivan has announced his intention to |
run Independently at the polls. Mr.. Sui |
Ivan has sent to the secretary of state |
for his nomination papers, and when |
they arrive he will set out to secure the |
necessary names. He is to have num- |
Der of runs-together of the voters of the |
ward before the battle royal comes off, |
and yesterday he was confident of win |
ming.
Representative Mclaughlin like Ma |
poleon, is a man of few words, but with !
loads of pent-up energy to draw upon |
and is spending many an hour every |
day at the political woodpile. He told |
The Spy man that he expected to win |
although he does not belittle the
strength of Mr.. Sullivan
Chairman Meagher said yesterday
that he would soon open democratic
headquarters and put clerk in charge.
This will not be for at least 10 days,
however