USA > New York > Oneida County > History of Oneida County, New York : from 1700 to the present time, Volume I > Part 21
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1903-It was not all harmony in the Republican ranks as they approached their conventions in 1903. Sharp controversies were going on in regard to candidates, but the county convention settled this by the nomination of William T. Binks for sheriff, and for members of assembly, first district, Henry L. Gates; second district, Jay A. Pratt; third district, John C. Evans. The Democrats nominated for sheriff, Samuel H. Jones; for members of assembly, first district, Thomas A. Mortimer; second district, William H. Squires; third district, Charles J. Durr. As is frequently the case some particular candidate upon the ticket concentrates the work of the different parties, which some- times occurs upon an office comparatively insignificant, but in this case they centered upon the office of sheriff, and the result was the election of Jones, the Democratic candidate, by a majority of 1,407; for members of assembly, first district, Mortimer, Dem., received 73 majority; second district, Pratt, Rep., 3 majority ; third district, Evans, Rep., 886 majority.
1904-The administration of President Roosevelt, although disappointing to many Republicans, was of such a character as to commend him for renomi- nation, and he received a unanimous renomination at the Republican national convention, and Charles W. Fairbanks was nominated for vice president. The Republican state convention nominated Lieutenant Governor Frank W. Higgins, for governor, and M. Linn Bruce for lieutenant governor. For representa- tive in Congress James S. Sherman was renominated; for senator, Henry J. Coggeshall again appeared as the nominee of the Republican party; Emerson M. Willis was nominated for district attorney, and the assembly ticket was made up as follows: first district, Henry L. Gates; second district, Jay H. Pratt; third district, John C. Evans. The Democrats nominated for presi- dent Alton B. Parker, and for vice president, Henry Gassaway Davis; for governor, D. Cady Herrick, and for lieutenant governor, Francis Burton Harri-
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son; for representative in Congress, Prof. William H. Squires; for senator, Howard C. Wiggins; for district attorney, P. H. Fitzgerald; for members of assembly, first district, Thomas A. Mortimer; second district, Albert C. Salis- bury; third district, Dwight H. Colgrove. Parker proved to be a weak can- didate, and made some mistakes by public utterances and communications to the press, and Mr. Roosevelt swept the country like a whirlwind. The Repub- licans elected their entire ticket in Oneida county by large pluralities. Mr. Roosevelt carried the county by 5,202; Higgins, for governor, by 2,084; Sher- man, for representative in Congress, 3,591; Coggeshall, for senator, 1,972; Willis, for district attorney, 4,485; members of assembly, first district, Gates, 128; second district, Pratt, 857; third district, Evans, 1,851.
1905-For many years the Prohibition party has had a ticket in the field in Oneida county, sometimes nominating candidates for every office, and at other times nominating only for certain offices. There have been also for a number of years other tickets in the field, but the votes given to the candidates of these minor parties have been so insignificant that it is thought wise not to enter into that question here. The Prohibition vote has decreased instead of increasing, but it is altogether probable that some of the other parties will in- crease in numbers, as, for instance, the Socialistic party, which is a new party in this part of the country, although it is probably destined to cut quite a figure in politics in the future. After the strenuous campaign of 1904, the political energy seemed to have spent itself, and in 1905 but little interest was taken in the election. The Republicans nominated for county clerk, Alfred J. Bromley; for treasurer, Henry W. Roberts; and for members of assembly, first district, Henry L. Gates; second district, Jay H. Pratt; third district, John C. Evans. The Democrats nominated for county clerk, Gervase M. Flower; for treasurer, Robert C. Fehrmann; for members of assembly, first district, Louis F. Vogel; second district, John W. Spring; third district, Willard J. Teelin. It would seem that the Republicans had not forgotten to vote this year, although they took little interest in the election, and they made a clean sweep in the county, electing Bromley clerk by a plurality of 3,743; Roberts treasurer by 3,380; members of assembly, first district, Gates, 571; second district, Pratt, 1,337; third district, Evans, 1,099.
1906-The year 1906 brought to the front a new man in state politics on the Republican side-Charles E. Hughes, a lawyer of New York City, who had been selected to investigate the insurance companies, and had won quite a reputation in his work in that direction. He was Mr. Roosevelt's candidate for governor, and his selection was acquiesced in generally throughout the state, and he received the nomination, with M. Linn Bruce as the candidate for lieutenant governor. The Republicans nominated for justices of the Su- preme Court in the Fifth judicial district Peter B. McClennan of Syracuse, and Pascal C. J. DeAngelis of Utica. Again James S. Sherman was nominated for representative in Congress; John C. Evans was nominated for senator; Fred E. Swancott for sheriff; and for members of assembly, first district, Merwin K. Hart; second district, Ladd J. Lewis, Jr .; third district, A. Grant Blue. The Democratic party in the state was rent asunder by the prominence which had been obtained by William Randolph Hearst, the proprietor of the
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New York American. Many of the better class of Democrats opposed him as an improper man to be nominated for the office of governor, but, with his influence and with his paper at his back he succeeded in capturing the nomi- nation, with Lewis Stuyvesant Chandler as the candidate for lieutenant gov- ernor; for justice of the Supreme Court the Democrats adopted Peter B. Mc- Clennan, because he was already a justice and had served fourteen years; and they nominated against Mr. DeAngelis, Owen M. Reilly; for representative in Congress, James K. O'Connor was nominated; for senator, Joseph C. Ackroyd; for sheriff, Frederick Gilmore; for members of assembly, first district, Louis F. Vogel; second district, John W. Bell; third district, Charles Knight. The canvass was intensely interesting. Mr. Hearst flooded the country with the most extraordinary literature. One of the most eventful circumstances in the campaign occurred at Utica. Mr. Elihu Root, who was secretary of state in the cabinet of President Roosevelt, came to Utica for the purpose of making a political speech. It was understood that Mr. Root voiced the sentiment of the national administration, and his speech was printed, not only in the principal papers of the state, but throughout the entire nation. It was a most extraordi- nary effort, and was such an arraignment of Mr. Hearst that no answer could be made. The plan of Mr. Hearst, in distributing his literature, was to fol- low Republican speakers with his emissaries; this was done in Utica, and his paper, bitterly attacking Republican candidates, the president and Mr. Root, was distributed in the streets by the thousands upon the night that Mr. Root delivered his address. But his methods seemed to work against him instead of in his favor, and were resented by many of the thinking Democrats. The result in the state was to give Hughes a large plurality, and he carried the county of Oneida by 3,420; DeAngelis, for justice of the Supreme Court, received 5,347 plurality; Sherman, for representative in Congress, 2,508 plu- rality; Ackroyd, Dem., for senator, received a plurality of 485; Gilmore, Dem., for sheriff, 529 plurality ; the Republican members of assembly were elected as follows: first district, Hart, 149 plurality; second district, Lewis, 1,555 plurality ; third district, Blue, 1,686 plurality.
1907- In 1907 the political situation had not been changed materially from the year before, and the canvass was carried on in its ordinary way in an off year. The Republicans nominated for district attorney, Emerson M. Willis, and for members of assembly, first district, Merwin K. Hart; second district, Ladd J. Lewis, Jr .; third district, A. Grant Blue. The Democrats nominated for district attorney William M. Arthur; for members of assembly, first district, Monroe C. Teller; second district, Frank T. Watson; third dis- trict, Charles Knight. As the Republican party was united in this election there was little hope for any of the candidates on the Democratic ticket, and Mr. Willis for district attorney carried the county by a plurality of 4,042; for members of assembly the result was as follows: first district, Hart, 1,510; second district, Lewis, 1,834; third district, Blue, 1,066.
1908-Again in 1908 the people were confronted with a presidential elec- tion. On the Republican side there was but one name that was prominent as the probable candidate for this office, and that was William Howard Taft of Ohio. Mr. Taft had served as judge of the circuit court of U. S., and
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presiding judge of the circuit court of appeals; had been governor-general of the Philippine Islands; was secretary of war in President Roosevelt's cabinet, and was in good repute. It cannot be said, however, that his candidacy met with the general approval of the Republicans throughout the country. The Presi- dent, however, had selected him as the candidate, and all the influence of the national administration in the hands of Mr. Roosevelt was used to secure his nomination, and this was accomplished and was accepted by the Repub- licans without serious disappointment. There were many candidates for the vice presidency. It cannot be said, however, that the successful candidate made himself a candidate at any time during the canvass. James S. Sherman of Utica had served five terms as representative in Congress, was among the most effective legislators in the house of representatives, extremely popular with his fellow members, and a majority of the Republicans of the House desired his nomination, although it was not desired by Mr. Roosevelt. The convention in making up the ticket, however, in its wisdom decided that Taft and Sherman would be the strongest combination that could be made, and Mr. Sherman, therefore, was nominated with great enthusiam. On his return to Utica he was received with every mark of respect, Democrats as well as Republicans joining in the great reception tendered him. For Gov- ernor the Republicans renominated Charles E. Hughes, and for lieutenant governor Horace White, of Syracuse; the Republican congressional conven- tion assembled at Herkimer and nominated Charles S. Millington, a banker of Herkimer, for representative in Congress, a man of excellent standing in the community; the Republicans also nominated for senator, Frederick M. Davenport; county clerk, Charles A. G. Scothon; treasurer, James T. Somers; for members of assembly, first district, Merwin K. Hart; second district, Ladd J. Lewis, Jr .; third district, Robert C. Edwards. Again in the Democratic na- tional convention Mr Bryan loomed up as the presidential candidate, and his party, against the judgment of many of its foremost men, were compelled to accept him, with John W. Kern as the candidate for vice president. For gov- ernor the Democrats nominated Lewis Stuyvesant Chanler, with John A. Dix as the candidate for lieutenant governor; for representative in Congress, Cur- tis F. Alliaume; for senator, Joseph C. Ackroyd; for county clerk, John T. Evans; for treasurer, Charles H. Sullivan; for members of assembly, first district, John W. Manley; second district, George Benton; third district, Al- bert Kaufman. During the campaign the county was favored by a visit from the candidate for the presidency on the Republican side, and an immense crowd assembled at the Opera House in Utica to hear him, but it cannot be said that he added to his reputation by his address on that occasion. Mr. Sherman was called upon, and discussed the tariff question in a concise, well worded, short address, and after the meeting had ended the common talk in the audience was that the ticket would have been much stronger had it been reversed. Mr. Bryan also visited the county, spoke in Utica and Rome, and was received with enthusiasm. It must be said of him that he is one of the most effective speakers in the country, and invariably makes an excel- lent impression. The result of the election was a foregone conclusion in the state of New York, because the great industrial interests were disturbed by Vol. I-11
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the policies advocated by Mr. Bryan, and Taft and Sherman carried the county by a plurality of 4,192; Hughes, for governor, by 2,620 plurality; Mill- ington, for representative in Congress, by 3,165; Davenport, Rep., for senator, 2,586; Scothon, Rep., for county clerk, 3,845; Somers, Rep., for treasurer, 5,072; and members of assembly, first district, Manley, Dem., 595; second district, Lewis, Rep., 2,153; third district, Edwards, Rep., 1,566.
1909-The county of Oneida in 1909 was extremely agitated politically over the subject of nominating a justice of the Supreme Court. William E. Scripture had served for fourteen years, and he had given offense to the large corporate interests in the county by what they claimed was bias against their interests. It was also charged against him that he had given too much at- tention to politics, but no one questioned his integrity. A fierce attack, how- ever, was made upon him in the county, and some prominent Republicans bit- terly opposed his nomination. At the county convention held in Rome to elect delegates to the judicial convention Charles A. Miller of Utica made a bitter attack upon Judge Scripture, and threatened that in case he was nominated there would be a bolt of Republicans, and that Scripture would not be sup- ported by the element which he represented. Judge Scripture was nominated by the convention held in Syracuse, but the delegates from the county of Lewis refused to vote to make his nomination unanimous. Edgar S. K. Mer- rell of Lowville was selected as the candidate in opposition to Mr. Scripture, although he had written a letter advocating the renomination of Judge Scrip- ture. It can safely be said that it is the opinion of the bar that Mr. Merrell in no sense was the superior of Judge Scripture. The Republicans also nom- inated for sheriff Daniel P. Becker; for members of assembly, first district, Minard J. Fisher; second district, Herbert E. Allen; third district, James T. Cross. The Democrats nominated for sheriff, James T. Lockhard; for mem- ber of assembly, first district, John W. Manley; no assemblymen were nomin- nated in the second and third districts. The result in the county was that Merrell, candidate for Supreme Court judge, received a plurality of 5,585, and was elected in the judicial district; Becker, Rep., for sheriff a plurality of 2,636; for members of assembly, first district, Manley, Dem., 1,081 plurality; as there was no Democratic candidate against Allen in the second district he received a plurality of 6,786; Cross, in the third district, also having no op- position, received 5,258 plurality.
1910-There were serious divisions in the Republican party in 1910. Vice President Sherman had been prominent in the councils of the party, and had not conceded to certain elements in the party the consideration they thought themselves entitled to, and an organization was effected known as the Republican league. The moving spirits in this league were ex-Attorney General John C. Davies, Hon. William Carey Sanger, Hon. Russell S. John- son, Hon. Merwin K. Hart, and others prominent in Republican local politics. It was claimed that this organization was for the purpose of purifying poli- tics and procuring the passage of a law in favor of direct primary elections. On the other hand, it was claimed that the sole object of the organization was to oppose what was desired politically by the Republican club of Utica. The feeling between these factions was very bitter, and was manifested by the
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league in its opposition to Vice President Sherman and ex-Mayor Wheeler. The Republican state committee met in New York and selected the vice presi- dent as temporary chairman of the approaching state convention at Sara- toga. In this meeting a member proposed that ex-President Roosevelt should be nominated instead of the vice president. This motion was made after the vice president had been nominated. The vote, however, in the committee, was in favor of Mr. Sherman, and Mr. Roosevelt was highly indignant at his de- feat. He instituted a vigorous canvass to procure the election of delegates to the state convention who were favorable to him. It may be said that no more bitter contest for delegates ever occurred in the state of New York than that precipitated by Mr. Roosevelt. He put himself in communication with members of the Republican league in Utica, and sought to prevent the vice president being a delegate in the state convention. This combination placed an opposition ticket in the field in Mr. Sherman's own ward and also in his assembly district. The opposition ticket in the ward consisted of Charles H. Searle, William H. Start, Charles B. Tefft, George W. Miller, William G. Ed- wards, Edmund J. Wager, John P. Williams, George W. Chapman, E. L. Hockridge and Alfred J. Bromley. It was said at the time that many of these opponents to Mr. Sherman took the position they did because, during Mr. Sherman's long service in public life, he had not supported them in their political ambitions. However that may be, there were enough votes against him to carry the vice president's ward against him, and the assembly district convention also contained a sufficient number of opposing delegates to send a delegation to the state convention opposed to the vice president. Mr. Roosevelt, in a telegram, congratulated his supporters in Oneida county at their success. Mr. Sherman was sent as a delegate from the first district, in- stead of from the district in which he resided. When Mr. Sherman left Utica to attend the convention at Saratoga a large number of citizens, calling them- selves "Sherman's Friends" accompanied him, while the opponents of the vice president, calling themselves "Roosevelt's Boomers" went to the con- vention in considerable numbers. On reaching Saratoga the vice president was called upon for a speech, and he spoke to a crowd in the park in a happy vein, declaring himself to be a Republican, and virtually saying that he was willing to abide by a majority vote. Mr. Roosevelt, on his way to the convention, was greeted by a large number of people wherever he stopped, and spoke in bitter terms of his opponents. He declared that he had them "beaten to a frazzle." He also said that he was making the fight against the bosses. In commenting upon this the Utica Daily Observer of August 29, called attention to the fact that a large number of those Mr. Roosevelt called "bosses" had been appointed to the offices which they had filled by Mr. Roosevelt himself. The Observer said that Mr. Barnes was made surveyor of the port of Albany, Mr. Merritt was made postmaster at Washington, D. C., and collector at Niagara Falls, Mr. O'Brien collector at Platsburg, Mr. Hen- dricks superintendent of insurance, Mr. Ward a member of the national Re- publican committee, and Mr. Wadsworth speaker of the assembly by Mr. Roosevelt himself. All of these men were at the convention opposed to Mr. Roosevelt, and he, therefore, denominated them as "bosses." Mr. Roosevelt
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controlled this convention and was elected temporary chairman by a vote of 568 to 443 for Mr. Sherman. It had been charged that when Mr. Sherman was elected by the state committee as the temporary chairman of the conven- tion it was done through some misrepresentation, but at Saratoga, just prior to the meeting of the convention, there was a meeting of the state committee at which it was unanimously determined that such was not the case, and the action of the committee in selecting Mr. Sherman at the prior meeting was re- affirmed by a vote of 22 to 15. Mr. Roosevelt procured the passage of a reso- lution through the convention changing the method of selecting the members of the Republican state committee. Prior to this time it was always accom- plished by the delegates from the congressional district selecting the member of the committee from each district. At Mr. Roosevelt's instigation a resolution was passed giving to the temporary chairman of the convention the right to select a committee from the delegates from each congressional district, which com- mittee was to name the members of the state committee. It was charged by his opponents that of all acts this was the most arbitrary of anything that had ever occurred in a Republican state convention. The selection of the state ticket was dictated entirely by Mr. Roosevelt, and was made up of Henry L. Stimson for governor, and Edward Schoeneck for lieutenant governor. Mr. Roosevelt procured his nephew, Douglass Robinson, whose father has a sum- mer home in Herkimer, to become a candidate for representative in Congress against him at the election. The Republicans nominated for county judge, without serious trouble in the Republican district congressional convention, but it was apparent from the beginning that the Roosevelt influence would be against him at the election. The Republicans nominated for county judge, George E. Pritchard; renominated for senator, Frederick M. Davenport; for district attorney, Bradley Fuller; comptroller, a new office in the county, Charles H. Watters; for members of assembly, first district, John C. Dillon; second district, Herbert E. Allen; third district, James T. Cross. It was ap- parent from the beginning that the Republican party was sadly shattered by what had occurred at the state convention, and the prospects were gloomy for success in the state and in the congressional districts. The Democrats were harmonious, and after many consultations to fix upon a proper candi- date for governor they finally selected' John A. Dix for that office, and for lieutenant governor Thomas F. Conway. They nominated for representa- tive in Congress, Charles A. Talcott; for county judge, Frederick H. Hazard; for senator, T. Harvey Ferris; for district attorney, William S. Mackie; for comptroller, Jeremiah H. Carroll; for members of assembly, first district, John W. Manley; second district, Fred W. Wasmuth; third district, Robert G. Jones. A vigorous campaign was carried on throughout the entire state by both parties. A special effort was made in Oneida county to hold up the Republican vote, but it was uphill work, and, although Mr. Sherman sup- ported the ticket, the feeling of resentment was so great in the county that the Democratic party was substantially successful at the election, carrying the state and most of the congressional districts, and getting a majority in both houses of the legislature. Dix carried the county by a plurality of 882, and Talcott, for representative in Congress, by a plurality of 2,826. It was evi-
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dent that the Republican League supported Mr. Talcott instead of Mr. Mill- ington. Senator Ferris, Dem., received a plurality of 791 against Mr. Daven- port; Hazard, Dem., for county judge, received 580 plurality ; Fuller, Rep., for district attorney carried the county by 919 plurality ; Carroll, Dem., was elected comptroller by 768 plurality; and the members of assembly, first district, Man- ley, Dem., was elected by 1,521 plurality ; second district, Allen, Rep., by 1,106 plurality ; third district, Cross, Rep., by 961 plurality. Mr. Roosevelt's con- gressional district and town gave a majority against his ticket, and when this was determined the Democrats in his own town started the cry, "We have beaten him to a frazzle."
1911-The political situation in the county in this year was more favorable to the Republicans than in 1910. The differences between Vice President Sher- man and ex-President Roosevelt, which divided the party in 1910, were held in abeyance in the fall of 1911. The Republicans held their caucuses and the wing of the party favorable to Mr. Sherman was successful, carrying every town and ward in the county. The county convention was harmonious and made the following nominations: For county clerk, Charles A. G. Scothon, who had served in that office for three years, it being the first instance in many years when a county clerk was renominated. James T. Somers, who had served one term as county treasurer, was renominated; for coroner, Price Lewis. For members of assembly, first district, Ralph Entwistle; second dis- trict, Herbert E. Allen, renominated; third district, James T. Cross, re- nominated.
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