The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1911-03-17
NAME FRIDAY;
SEE OCTOPUS
1.-THE SYSTEM" AND THE INTER
ESTs" IN OUR MIDST.
FRIDAY, ALONE, CAN SAVE CITY
In His Nominating Speech, Carl Wilde,
Banker, Sees the Greedy octopus
Lurking Around the Corners in Nor.
folk-Friday 1.-THE Peoples" Hero.

folk-Friday 1.-THE Peoples" Hero.
For mayor, John Friday.
For city clerk, Ed Harter.
For city treasurer, w. j. Stafford.
For police Judge, G. +. lIaase.
For water commissioner, August
Brummund
For board of education, p. j. Staff,
ord, ST., and G. s. Bridge.
Mayor John Friday was nominated
by tho Norfolk democratic city conyen-
tlon last night for fourth term of
the Office which he now holds and
which he is so eager to retain
Resolutions were passed favoring
the voting of bonds with which to o.
tabish "A municipality owned electric
lighting plant, for lighting the streets
and opposing any letting of contract
by the city council to either the cleo
trio light or the gas company, without
calling a special election for the vot.
ers' approval Of the contract.
Carl Almost Forgot Speech.
ton occurred when Carl Wilde, assis.
tant cashier of the Norfolk National
bank and one of the Friday ringlead
ers, got so excited over resolution
that the platform committee had
scratched out, that he all but forgot
his cue when 1t came time for him
to read his carefully prepared speech
Inn ttyp NI0 -,
term. as the champion Of the poor
helpless. downtrodden pee-pul
Carl was fioundering around in his
maximum state of excitement-and
Carl can wax some excited too, when
occasion demands--because the two
cruel men who served with him on
the platform committee had stricken
out one of his most diligently prepar
ed and most choicely worded knocks
upon the present city council
And while Carl was waving his
hands trying to beat his argument in
to his Co-workers' thoughts (but fail
ing), his turn came to deliver thai
fiowery Grafton tC the assembled
throng. When he heard Herman VIM
Carl remembered the oratorical effor
upon which he had spent so mucl
time and thought, and he realized
what a near-tragedy had occurred. Al
instant more and the democrats neve
would have heard that speech.
But the day was saved. Carl re
membered just in time and, rushing
eXcitedly to the speakers desk, h,
addressed the convention, reading hi
Grafton from carefully prepared
manuscript, so that he wouldn't de
prive the gathered masses of TIL
slightest word.
And Carl waxed some eloquent, be
lieve one who heard. His anger at tn
platform committeeman for throwing
into the waste basket one of his resC
buttons, only intensified the eloquenc
that flowed from his earnest lips AM
his speech will live long in the ANIMAL
Of Norfolk politics.
An Octopus in Our Midst.
Carl saw things at night. He paint
ed a picture to the democrats tina
would bring tears to the eyes of
statue. Right here in Norfolk there
great, powerful, unprincipled octopu
-O-C-T-O-P-U-S-ail ready to swallo'
up the poor, downtrodden commo
people. A "system'-a greedy organ
ICED band of "the interests with II
Rockefellers and all the rests lyin
awake nights right here in our mids
doing its devilish plotting to clutc
the throat of "the pee-pul," and Ca
sees in John Friday-here take tim
to dry your eyes, gentle reader-Ca
sees in John Friday noble, uprigh
honest, manly savior of the masses
hero whose name stands out in III
blemished gold and who must be give
a fourth term of that job if Norfolk
to be saved from eternal bow-wows.
1t was terrible. And the way Ca
brought out the horrible things tn;
are lurking about the dark corners
Norfolk, ready to jump out and gra
you when you aren't looking sa
that was enough to make the who
audience afraid to go home in IL
dark.
Well. Carl finished. There was son
applause, but the walls didn't ring.
was too profound a moment for me-
applause. And then the mayor W;
nominated. The mayor wasn't ther
and neither were some of the 9th
democrats.
Here's what Carl said:
The approaching city campai,
promises TO become one of the mo
important struggles the voters of h
city of Norfolk have ever been call
upon.
On the one side is arrayed the
ganized powerful system, backed
Its Rockefellers, its Morgan, its NJ,
phys and it's Crokers; supported by
subsidized press. On the other 81
are the voters and the common peoI
OF Norfolk, in an effort to defend thu
rights to express their wishes thro,l
the ballot which is denied them. T
Issue is squarely raised.
An all powerful socalled syste
selfish in Its very nature, by thref
and other despisable methods has 8,
ceeded to gather on their side a D.
ton of our present city council gu
ficiently strong to thwart the rights
the voters In refusing to allow to
press themselves by ballot on matt,