The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1905-04-27
One Hundred Supporters Of
Mayor Robins Met
AND HAD A GOOD TIME.
Among the Guests Was Mayor Barclay
Who Downed His Rival in the
Election Last Month = Many
Funny Speeches Made.

Defeat seemed to only add TO the
happiness of the hundred men who gath
cred in the granite manufacturers
rooms last evening, or else they masked
their feelings WELL They were the
faithful Of that band Of political war
riors who made valiant assault on
the mayoralty of Barre last March, un-
| der the banner Of John Robins, which
assault was met with a counter attack
by William Barclay in tidy fashion.
You all know the result; how Bar
clay's claymore smote the enemy and
the enemy fell, and the descendant Of
Wallace held the fort. There were 70
votes between Barclay and Robins in
the election; there apparently was moth
ing between them last evening except
good feeling.
1t was termed Qualification meet
ing" 10 the uninitiated it was diff
cult to understand how defeated people
could be jolly, but the crowd which
backed John Robins for mayor showed
| that they were good warriors by the
way they took their defeat last night.
But then, Robins was not the only de-
feated candidate there. Several whose
blood had been stirred to political COM
bat and who had got stung added their
testimony to the pleasures Of defeat.
There was Fred Mudgett, who told how
Barclays claymore had moved him
down. There was Still. Allen (toast-
master Of the Barclay iollifcation,
,,raSnn+ b,y cs.an;ai ;ux,s4af;orN ,,-b, 41iJ
how the combined forces of Harvey
Hersey's spring water and John Cor
don's city water gave him indigestion
Of his political interior. There was
George Swasey who admitted that he
had learned something in Barre politics.
Then there were others who would like
to be mayor, but who hadn't been given
a chance. They all held sort of com.
munion.
Everyone was looking for Gene Sulli-
van to fay the license commissioners,
but Gene didn't show up, whereat there
was disappointment Mayor Barclay
was there at the urgent invitation Of
the committee and took an active part
in the jollifieation over his rivals de-
feat. All in all it was d real cheerful
occasion considering the conditions under
which it was given. r. S. Currier scored
the speakers away with appropriate re-
marks and kept them from breaking very
badly. He admitted that Barclay had
''buried" them with votes but declared
that they were still alive.
Representative G. Herbert Pape got
away from the starting line first and
made an effective speech on "The City
is.f - 4allsrrs - he raI,l N.
progress made during the city's ten
years of history. He lauded John Rob-
ins as faithful and patriotic citizen,
one who had given six years of fine
service to the city as an alderman.
Then Fred Mudgett strolled up the
aisle.
sSh," whispered this Sherlock Holmes,
"I'll tell you why Robins was defeated"
and putting on his most mysterious
look and leaning over as If taking his
hearers into confidence, he said, Because
he didn't have votes enough" The
crowd relaxed and had to admit the
force Of the argument. The speaker
bemoaned the fact that he hadn't voted
for Barclay because if he had Barclay
would have paid more attention to the
water that has been running into one
window of his cellar and out the other.
Then rising to his full height he de
clared, I'm not a defeated candidate.
was trustee of q gang pow once and
got an annual salary of $3.50 for three
years, making $2S.s0.' He scofTed at
the statement Of the POSTMASTER that
he was a defeated candidate He had
the crowd on his side.
The enforcement of the liquor law
was handled by Grand Juror H. W.
Scott, in which he stated that the law
would be enforced in the proportion
that the citizens showed that they want
ed it enforced, that the enforcement
depends largely on the people.
S. D. Allen, another who found conso-
lation in defeat, recalled three.cor-
nered fight in which Harvey Hersey told
the voters that only spring water was
fit to drink, while John Gordon told
them their systems would be filed with
lime if they partook of it, and how he
(Allen) told them they wouldn't have
any water at all in the Goodhue plant,
1t was a painful memory and the speak
er didn't dwell on it long.
George Swasey spoke from the depths
of his heart aud a ripe experience TO
young politicians, Get your ear to the
ground, young man. The speaker set
the crowd to thinking when he declared
that the city ought to go slow in the
giving away of yauable franchises, re-
ferring to the gas company.
The chairman looked for William
Scott, one who had been defeated, but
not finding him, called Phillip Halvosa
as a representative of the SociaIists |
Mr. Halvosa brought out roar when |
he declared that Alderman Frank Burke |
had failed to take out license for |
"shingling his roof Those who know
Alderman Burke by sight saw the joke.
Alderman Mckenzie, chairman of the
street committee, outlined something of |
the work in his department. and Mayor
Barclay told what he hoped to do, pre-
facing his remarks with a good word for J