The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1901-12-04
Is Reelected Mayor of the City
by Small Plurality Of a Spirited
Fiqht From a Field of Four
Strong Candidates
CITY GOES LICENSE
BY MAJORITY OF 80
The Board of Aldermen Is Dr.
vided Between Citizens, Tenn
peranCe and Independent Cit
izens--Make Up of Common
Council and School Board

special to Inc spy.
Fitchburg, Dec. 3.-Fitchburg went
politically mad today despite the
weather that faced the voters this
morning. Never before in the history
of the city has there been such cam
paign waged as the various factions
have been busying themselves about
the past few weeks, and the result to-
day was that every available voter was
gotten out to do his duty that could be
POSSIBLY found.
The polls opened at Z a. M, and there
was an eager rush Of voters who were
| in a hurry to get to their work. For
the accommodation of the $50 voters
at the East Fitchburg car shops, Mayor
Babbitt provided three special cars
which left the polling places of Wards
one and six at 7.90. This was COM
pliment that was doubtless appreciated
and perhaps added a few votes to the
Mayors total.
So close was the vote figured out be-
forehand, that at 3 p. M, one hour be-
fore the polls closed, the supporters of
! Mayor Rabbit announced that every
Rabbit voter in the city could be ac-
counted for and the only one that had
not voted was a man too sick to come
out.
If this was the case in this instance
it is fair to assume that the other can
didates were not far behind in the hus-
tie to capture the city. All available
hacks and teams were in commission
and men were taken from their work
bench counter, office and factory and
persuaded to give a little of their time
to help one side or the other.
When the old campaigners opened
their eyes this morning it was on a
drizzling rain, and their hopes Of a
large vote was dampened. But the best
of prophets are apt to be mistaken, and
it was proven so in many of the wards
where some Of the largest totals on
record resulted.
There We're many large bets on the
result, the most popular form of this
diversion was whether or not Mayor
Rabbit the Independent candidate
would poll more votes than his friend
III. H. Mcmahon, the regular nominee
of the Independent party. At the con-
vention it was anything to beat Bah
bitt, and at the polls it was anything
to beat Babbitt and elect Mcmahon,
but not to elect Woodward This of
lcourse was one side, and the temper
lance people of course were sure of their
man.
Guy Woods was the only candidate
for aldermen to run on nomination
papers and this was from Ward six,
and as will be seen by his total vote,
lhe surprised somebody. Many a poll
tician is wondering where he is at to-
night and the IT told you SOS" are out
in force. There are many surprised
candidates who supposed that their
fences were all up, but something went
wrong, and they are on the shelf.
The returns came in slowly, and the
| impatient crowds that braved the biz
card grew impatient as time went on
and the result was not known. When
four wards of the six had been re-
turned, however, the result could be
forecasted, and it was seen that Mayor
Babbitt who ran on nomination papers
had been elected, and that the city had
| Topped over into the license column
| again. AS a matter of fact, the city
went license by 80 votes against a ma
jority of 292 for no license last year.
Mayor Rabbit is highly elated over
| his victory, and was happy when a re-
porter for The Spy called upon him.
To the committee of 10 who urged him
to run, he is especially grateful, and
last but not least the voters Of the city
who endorsed his actions of the past
year. The city voted by a vote Of 1856
to 1897 to make the city clerks term
of office three years.