The age-herald., 1900-12-02
Five Active Candidates Want to to be Chief
CHANGE IN THE SITUATION
The Entrance of Weir, Donelson and Martin Into the Race Has Changed Many Plans of the Local PoIi-
 ticians In Coming Contest.
'"The best laid plans of men And mice ganR aft apIee n


 Two weeks ago the local politicians had trained their glasses on the strength of the candidates for Chief of Police and had made calculations on the probable vote of the two sets of aspirants for seats in the police commission. Then, it meant either the election of Austin or Mcdonald on the first ballot, with Weir, Donelson and Mar tiR-as possibilities in case of a "mix-up.'
 Yesterday all sheets of figures were cast to the winds and since the Democratic Elk ecutive Committee said that the people can vote directly for the man they want for chief it is anybodys race an dthe result cannot be even approximately foretod
 Candidates- -wno-had heretofore stood in the back ground rushed to the printing offices yesterday and now the city is flooded with cards bearing the names of C. w. Austin, T. c. Mcdonald, J. S. Donelson, w. E. Wier and Charles J. Martin asking to be elected chief.
 Four of the aspirants have served on the police force and the list contains the names of all the present commissioned off, cers. Charles J. Martin is regarded as an outsider so far as police service is con cerned, but his friends very active and hope to give him the necessary plurality.
 GHeCt or tne Cndn9e.
 Until yesterday it was generally believed that the race for chief of police would narrow down to a straight fight between Mcdonald and Austin, but since the entry of Captain Weir, Lieutenant Donslson and MT. Martin into the contest the vote is liable to be badly split and will no doubt result in the weakening of both factions. Chief Austin and ex-Chief Mcdonald are both still confident of election and neither of them believe that the new candidates can draw enough strength from them to cause defeat.
 Captain Wiers and Lieutenant Donelson ask to be promoted on account of long ser- vice, and neither of them seems to have any fears as to the result Mr. Martins friends are equally as hopeful.
 Possible Complication.
 Under the plan of the executive commit tee an interesting situation may develop after the election According to the Aber- nathy resolution the candidates are to be voted for directly, and the police commIs- sioners will be requested, or possibly pledged, to elect the man designated by the people as their choice. In case the Me Donald commissioners are elected and Aus tin is chosen chief by the voters, the said commissioners will necessarily have to support the man to whom they are op- posed. The same could be true in case the Austin commissioners are elected and Me- Donald is named by the people, Such a complication would put both the chief and the commission in very uncomfortable po- sitions. Neither would likely have the sup port of the other, and if any cause was presented the police commission could turn out the chief they were forced to elect and substitute therefor the man of their choice. This difficulty will not confront the other candidates, and they claim that 1t is a strong point in their favor.
 The candidates for police commissioners who are generally believed to be in favor of Mcdonald for chief w. T. Sim mons and T. w. Gathright. On the other hand, J. E. Scott, J. H. McCary and z. T. Rudolph, who are also candidates for the police commission, are generally accepted as favoring the reelection of Chief Aus tin w. H. Lodge is also a candidate for the police commission, but his choice In the matter of a chief has not been pub licly expressed.
 Ehe contest for chief of police promises to precipitate of the most interesting campaigns ever waged in this city.