The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-01-29
WILSON Is TINKERING.
Light Thrown on TO-Nights Munich
pal Ownership" Meeting.

Under a call issued by John T. Wilson a
meeting of members Of the Municipal own
ership party will be held this evening at
Masonic Hall. corner of Seventh and Mar
ket streets.
This meeting II is believed is in the in
terest OF Mr.. Tinker ana will be largely ct
tended by those who are supporting him.
Wilson. who called the meeting. was oriSi-
manly strong supporter OF Nicholas III.
Bell. After Bell Joined the Tinker forces and
abandoned his own mayoralty canvass, II
is beiieved tnat he arranged to carry his
strength among those fayorfng municipal
ownership of public utilities with him. In
order 10 accomplish this result, the Masonic
Hall needing was arranged. ana II Is ex-
pected TO meet tonight and publicly de-
clare for Tinker.
While Tinker probably will gain some sup
port by this move, IL PROBABLY Will be more
than counterbalanced by the fact that IL
will drive the Meriwether faction OF mu-
nicipal ownership advocates into the Wells
camp. Mertwetner and his followers viii
not admit that this may be the result. but
they do not hesitate to say that the action
OF Wilson has made IL practically impossible
to accomplish much with divided party
and they charge that IL their theories are
Louis. IL VIII be because he divided the
forces at the crucial moment.
Speaking OF the meeting tonight Mr..
Meriwether said:
The headquarters of the Tinkerers will
be temporarily removed tonight from the
Columbia building TO Masonic Hall, corner
of Market and Seventh streets.
This Is not announced by the Tinkerers
themselves; in fact, they don't want it
known, but 1t Is true all the same. Mr..
John T. Wilson. who called the meeting and
who has the habit nowadays Of signing
himself Chairman of the Municipal Own
ership Party issued a letter a few days
ago addressed to all prospective Candidates
for the mayoralty.' That letter propounds
a lot of questions pertaining to the scheme
Tor public ownership OF street railways and
lighting plants.
''As chairman of the Municipal Owner
ship party MIR. Wilson says the candidate
whose reply is most satisfactory Will be
the candidate who will get his party's sup
port. The meeting tonight Is ostensibly TO
receive replies of candidates and decide Up
on the one the Municipal Ownership party
will indorse. Even in spite OF the fact that
the Municipal Ownership party exists only
on paper, this programme might have bad
some influence on few independent voss.
but for the discovery that the whole affair
Is but side show OF the TinkererS. In
other words, the same old push that mas
figured in the Barrett-Lemp machine for
the past two weeks over the Columbia The
ater will figure tonight at Masonic Hall as
the only s1mon-pure, stamp-oioWn-ln-the-
bottle municipal ownership erankS: and as
such they will proceed to indorse Tinker as
the great and only Moses VINO can tax
franchises and take the street railroads
away from the Transit Company.
Its a great scheme. this idea of changing
your name Tor one night only and then in
dorsing yourself under your other name
the only trouble is. the scheme won't work
when its found out And such schemes al
ways are found out. One of the Tinkerers.
In moment Of overbibuious enthusiasm.
gave the whole snap away by saying ar
rangements had been made TO corral the
gang that went recently on the Tinker free
in a body at Masonic Hail to shout for
municipal ownership and Tinker. Another
one said that while they've got Mr.. Wilson
now .hey don't know how long they will be
able to keep him so q motion will be made
tonight to elect new chairman
Their position Is that for tonight at
least they will be as good municipal owner
ship people as anybody. and therefore they
have a perfect right TO elect municipal own
ership officers who Will be a cinch' for
Tinker"