The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1901-11-20
WARD THREE.

Ward three caucus had to close up
business at 8 o'clock last night for
want of ballots, and with the nomina-
ton of municipal delegates hanging in
the air. Five hundred ballots were
used and as that number was all that
were printed for the caucus, SO men
were standing in line and unable to
vote because Edwin p. Crerie and his
friends could not agree with Edward
d. Cunningham on a compromise in
settling the matter. Oscar F. Dodge,
secretary of the Republican City Com
mittee, was present and could have
made out official ballots. Mr.. Cunning
ham had one of the delegations
pledged to support him for alderman
in the Republican convention, and Mr.
Crerie had another delegation pledged
to support him in the field. The Cum
ningham men feel certain they have
landed their man.
Ward three Republican caucuses are
generally opera bouffe affairs in which
the warden gets a chance to hear him
self talk and then a few ballots are
dropped into the box, and everybody
stands around waiting for the warden
to announce the vote. But the caucus of
last night was what would be known
to the Democrats of the ward as the
real thing. From the time the call was
read at o'clock by Warden Fred w
Leavitt until the ballots gave out and
a motion to adjourn for As hours was
made by Horace B. Long, there was
plenty of quiet hustling by friends of
Edward d. Cunningham and Edwin p
Crerie.
The caucus would have been settled
last night but for Mr.. Crerie and his
friends, for Mr. Cunningham was more
than anxious to have the balloting
proceed with ballots written out and
signed by Oscar F. Dodge, secretary of
the Republican City Committee When
it became known that the ballots had
run out, there were II men in line. and
later they increased to SO. Mr.. Cum
ningham asked the warden for permis-
sion to speak and, after getting permits
sion, made a short speech in which he
said he was more than anxious of do
ing anything agreeable to Mr.. Crerie,
to settle the contest.
Mr. Cunningham suggested that Mr.
Crerie suggest some way by which the
caucus could be settled Someone
raised the point as to the right to set
tie the caucus without ballots. A
messenger was dispatched to City
Clerk Towne's office and he sent word
back that the candidates contesting for
places could arrange something salts
factory to themselves and settle the
affair in that way.
1t was finally agreed that Mr.. Dodge
write out the ballots with the names
of Cunningham and Crerie delegates
to the municipal convention on them
and make it official by signing it.. This
was about to be done when Mr. Crerie
conferred with irving E. Bigelow and
A. A. COburn and then he called it off
Some more small talks occurred be-
tween the candidates and, while the
conferences were going on among the
Crerie men, Horace B. Long made a
motion to take a recess of As hours, and
this was carried.
officer James Donahue was then
called to the front and, after the keys
had been delivered TO him, he locked
the ballot box and seized the checklists
and sitting on them babe all a CHEEKY
good night and never did he remove his
avoirdupois from them until the last
Republican had gone out into the cold
atmosphere that pervaded the alleyway
between Station l and the Waldo
House.
officer Donahue then placed the bal
lot box and the check lists in the safe
and now has the keys and everything
official pertaining to the election in his
possession. The candidates who were
nominated beyond a doubt. because
there was no contest are: Common
Council. Michael II. Murphy and Hen
ry A. Rousseau; Ward Committee, Os-
car F. Dodge, Narcisse ]. Lavigne, Jr.,
Henry ]. Martin; School Committee,
David Armitage.
The delegations that caused all the
trouble and brought out the largest
Republican vote ever polled at a Re
publican caucus in the ward are: Fa-
vorable TO Edward D. Cunningham for
alderman, Fred w. Leavitt, Henry W.
Hastings, Joseph A. Blair and Nathan
Kumin favorable to Edwin P. Crerie
for alderman, Walter F. Knowlton.
Ralph D. Lachapelle. Frank X. Lu-
cier and Henry II. Flint.