1914-12-29

“The success that attended the efforts of Ald. Chester S. Walters in the judicial probe into the grafting that was going on in the city hall and civic administration is one of the reasons for the strength that he is developing in the mayoral campaign.

Hamilton Herald.     December 29, 1914.

With just a few days left in his campaign for Hamilton’s Mayor for the year 1915, Chester S. Walters must have felt confident.

The Hamilton Herald was a newspaper which unreservedly supported the Walters’ candidacy and the issue of the Herald carried extensive positive coverage of his virtues:

“One point to which special attention is being drawn by some of the people who are supporting Ald. Waters, and who have been spoken to by Herald representatives, is that Ald. Walters has not knocked any person.

“On the other side, he has been knocked in several quarters by the dirtiest tactics that have ever been introduced into a mayoral campaign. It is known by Ald. Walters than an alderman who has sneered at the investigation all year attended a meeting of a lodge of a strong order and told the members that Ald. Walters threatened to clean out the order’s members in the city employ if he was elected.

“This was promptly reported to Ald. Walters by members of the lodge, and they stated that this man did not carry much weight in his lodge. Ald. Walters has made no effort  to refute this to the lodge members, but he states positively that it is a falsehood.”¹

¹ “ Taxpayers Want Man of Deeds in Mayor’s Chair : It is Because of What He Has Already Accomplished Through Civic Investigation That They Are Rallying To the Support of Alderman Walters.”

Hamilton Herald.          December 29, 1914.

Another scurrilous rumour about Ald. Waters that was being disseminated by supporters of his opponent was that he had been paid by city taxpayers for his work in the graft inquiry:

“Far from being paid by the city, he was blocked and hindered in every way by the men who had the power to take things in hand and make payments for any purposes and make the inquiry a success, and his personal expenses were very heavy.

“The only people paid in connection with the inquiry were Judge Snider, M. K. Cowan, K.C., the official stenographer, and several clerks engaged by Ald. Walters, after council had empowered him to do so, because he could not get any assistance from employees in the city hall.”¹

Ratepayers voting in the upcoming election were generally impressed that Walters was not another, “all talk, no action” politician:

“ ‘There are two kinds of men in the city council,’ said one taxpayer. ‘They are the ‘I will’ men and the “Me too” men, and Ald. Walters is a decidedly ‘I Will’ man. He made the threat that dozens have made: That he would clean up that rotten condition in the works department, and instead of falling in line with the ring when he got into council, he made good.’ ”¹

The Herald kept up its relentless promotion of Alerman Walters on December 30, 1914 in a lengthy front page article, carrying a headline which read, in large bold type, “Drive Out the Men Who Are Fattening at the City’s Crib : Ald. Waters’ Work at Civic Investigation Has Done Much to Cut Off Meal Ticket of Those Who Are Described By Ratepayer As Men With ‘Bristles On Their Backs.’ ”

In the article, it was noted that early in the year, Walters “started out with general condemnation from all quarters, and only the support of the Herald,” :

“But he stuck to his guns until he had piled up case after case where the city had been openly and directly robbed for years without any apparent let ot hindreance.”²

²  “Drive Out the Men Who Are Fattening at the City’s Crib : Ald. Waters’ Work at Civic Investigation Has Done Much to Cut Off Meal Ticket of Those Who Are Described By Ratepayer As Men With ‘Bristles On Their Backs.’ ”

Hamilton Herald.     December 30, 1914

It was noted again that Chester Walters had not pursued his attack on malfeasance among city employees for his own political advantage. Indeed, he fully intended to run again for the Board of Control.

However, he came under pressure to change his mind :

“From the time that he announced that he did not care to try for the high honor of becoming mayor until the day when he finally yielded to the demands of the taxpayer, Ald. Waters had an uncomfortable time of it.

“Men from all sections of the city took the trouble, which is something new in municipal elections here for some years, of personally calling on him and urging upon him that it was his duty to serve the citizens; that he had shown that he was fearless and honest, capable and business-like, and able to stand all the bitter attacks and criticisms his actions had aroused, and that a man of his caliber was badly needed to complete the rout among the favored few who were fattening at the city’s crib.”²

The only other candidate for mayor was a member of the Board of Control Charles Gardner. In an extremely lengthy editorial appearing on December 30, 1914, Alderman’s Walters was both lauded in and of himself, but also in contrast to his opponent:

The editorial began as follows :

“These words are not addressed to civic grafters or men who hope to become civic grafters; not to party heelers or even to extreme partizans higher; not to persons with private interests of doubtful character to serve, with personal axes to grind. All such have already made up their minds which of the two mayoralty candidates they are going to vote for. They are not going to vote for Chester S. Walters. They are in the other camp.

“These words are addressed to sober-minded, intelligent citizens who have at heart the welfare of this community. We ask them to compare the personalities, the principles and the records of the two men who are candidates for the mayoralty, to decide which of them is the more likely to give the city faithful and valuable service, and to vote for the better man.”³

³ “Better Be Safe Than Sorry”

Hamilton Herald.  December 30, 1914.

The Herald editorial ended with a detailed comparison between the attributes of Chester Walters and his opponent Charles Gardner as regards their ability to serve as mayor of Hamilton :

“Honestly, is Controller Gardner the man for such serious duty? To associate him with duties that require resolution, assertiveness, the ability to say No and stick to it when to say it is unpleasant, produces a sense of grotesqueness. Charley is built for a cheerful follower; nature never meant him for a leader.

“Mr. Gardner asks for election as a reward for several years of service – service it should be stated, much of which he has been paid for. (Ed. Note, alderman were unpaid, members of the Board of Control did get a salary.)

“If Mr. Walters were asking to be rewarded for service given, he might do so with more assurance than his opponent; for the service which Mr. Walters has done for the city this year far outweighs in value all that Mr. Garner has done as alderman and controller

“But Chester Walters does not ask for election as a reward for what he has done. He has a different conception of public duty and public service. He is not a candidate for the mayoralty because he wanted to be – he would have preferred to have carried out his original intention and been a candidate for the board of control.

“If you help to elect Charley Gardner, the city will have a pleasant chief magistrate, one who will greet all comers  with cheerful smile and outstretched hand and be glad to bestow such personal as may be in his power to bestow. But before the year is out, it is probable that you will be sorry for helping to elect him.

“Better be safe than sorry.

Give your vote to the safe man – Chester S. Walters”³

With this ringing endorsement, Chester Walters continued to prepare himself for the huge political meeting to be held later that day. ‘Charley” Gardner was probably doing the same, but perhaps with less self-assurance.

(To Be Continued)