The Caucus Chaos
A local political meeting descends into a shouting match, resulting in two competing tickets for city council.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The caucus which was called to nominate a city ticket last evening turned out to be a double-headed affair. The meeting was called to order by City Clerk C. E. Clay, whereupon R. P. Porter placed C. J. Coghlan in nomination for chairman. The clerk put the motion and declared it carried, and the chairman-elect took the chair and asked for the nomination of a secretary. J. K. Porter was nominated for that position by C. E. Redfield and was elected by a viva voce vote. At this juncture, the opposition broke loose and Marion Veysey, a gentleman noted chiefly for his powers of disturbance, nominated M. Nodine for chairman, put the motion and declared it carried amid a babel of confusion. Nodine mounted the platform and judiciously took a seat at some distance from the table and the regularly elected chairman. Then pandemonium reigned for a few minutes, and it being impossible to restore order, C. E. Redfield moved that the regularly organized caucus adjourn to the council chambers, which motion prevailed and the disturbers were left in possession of the hall. The regular caucus then met at the council chambers and nominated the following ticket: Mayor—O. A. Sherwood; Councilmen—Robert Paul, V. Wattier and H. A. Clarke.
“Marion Veysey, a gentleman noted chiefly for his powers of disturbance, nominated M. Nodine for chairman, put the motion and declared it carried amid a babel of confusion.”
Local political infighting and 'caucus' dramas are as old as the town itself, reminding us that civic governance has always been prone to noisy, personality-driven splits. While our current methods of party nomination are more structured, the foundational tension between 'regular' party business and disruptive grassroots factions remains a familiar feature of Aberdeen politics.
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