Word: railroads
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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Cambridge of this day had entered the Gilded Age. Along with other modern conveniences, rail transportation had come to the city. The Union Railroad was the first to enter the market, and had established itself as the prime form of mass transportation. In 1881, however, Charles E. Raymond put together some capital and a Board of Directors, and formed the Charles River Railway Company to get a piece of the burgeoning market...
...Cambridge selected its leaders by wards. Non-partisan conventions would nominate candidates for each of the five wards; the top vote-getters would win one of the ten seats. In its December 3rd issue, the Chronicle reported the proceedings of the nominating process under the headlines "POLITICAL!" "Charles River Railroad vs. The People...League Made with the Prohibitionists...
...storm which has been brewing for the past fortnight fell with a crash upon the Cambridge political field last Monday evening. No such fight has ever been seen here since Cambridge was a city, or is likely ever to be seen again. The combined forces of the Charles River Railroad Company with their treasury filled under the last assessment, and the fanatical no-license men went into the caucuses and succeeded in getting enough out of the whole to do about as they pleased. Already another ticket is in the field, however, and the fight is transferred to Tuesday next...
Each of the ward conventions was filled, many people attracted by mass mailed post cards announcing the Union Railway intended to pack the meetings. Pamphlets were distributed with the slogan "UNION RAILWAY VS. THE PEOPLE." Actually, Charles Railroad interests allied with no-license (prohibitionists) forces stacked each of the ward conventions, accepting or rejecting candidates on the basis of their stands for the railroad and against liquor...
...lone dissenter on the vote to grant C.R.R. the extension permit lost his chair. The outcome of the liquor license question was unclear--the tally on the referendum changed with each recount--but five aldermen elected were considered anti-license. "Cambridge is to be given prophibition by the railroad, this is the result and the only result of last Tuesday's election," the paper declared...