Needham History: The Hottest Meeting Ever Held in Needham

We still have Town Meeting, but without the fistfights.

Eaton’s Livery, Sale, & Boarding Stable, circa 1880. Everett Eaton maintained vehicles of various types for work and personal transportation, and for funerals (horses have to keep busy). The business would eventually become Eaton’s Funeral Home. Eaton’s Barn was on Great Plain Avenue in the train yard, in the area that is now the Needham Bank parking lot. It later became the Town Barn for maintenance vehicles, and was torn down in 1961.

The Hottest Meeting Ever Held in Needham

Regular watchers of Town Meeting (and if you are not, you should be!) know that our Moderator, Michael Fee, has a firm grip on the proceedings and runs the meetings in good order. For the most part, Town Meeting Members abide by the requirement that they do not level attacks on fellow members or town officials – and if they veer off into the personal, they are swiftly brought back into line.

Generally speaking, this was also true of Judge Emery Grover, Moderator for more than 20 years, and a distinguished man who was generally – well – sober as a judge. But sometimes things fall apart.

Town Tumult.
Hottest Meeting Ever Held in Needham.
Everett Eaton Eloquently Defends his Faithful Steeds.
“I will meet that man outside.“ – Then Pandaemonium

The Town Meeting on March 16, 1893 did not go so smoothly. The Boston Globe called it “the hottest meeting ever held in Needham, and noted that “personal abuse was free as air.” The conflict started over the hotly-contested race for Water Commissioner. Incumbent James Mackintosh was challenged for the office by Everett Eaton. Mackintosh was a farmer with land along Great Plain Avenue; Eaton owned a livery stable, and also used his horses and vehicles for freight, roadwork, and funerals.

The initial vote resulted in a 194-194 tie, so the vote had to be taken again; the second time, Mackintosh won by a vote of 250 to 207. Extensive lobbying by both parties to increase their number of voters resulted in lingering resentment, even though the outcome was no longer contested. Even so, tensions began to build, and the Globe noted that “those citizens expecting to see personal tiffs were not disappointed.”

The trouble started when Winthrop Gates stood up and said, “I do not feel confidence in our board of town officers and in the way in which they have expended the town’s money. I think they have been extravagant.” This brought Selectman Aaron Twigg to his feet: “Do you not think the town has confidence in Mr Grover, who has served us as moderator, and who has held public offices for the past 25 years? Have you no confidence in Mr Greenwood, who has been elected our town clerk by acclimation for many succeeding years?” Twigg went on with this litany through the entire roster of town officials. Gates’ response implied that town officials were cheating by bringing in ineligible (non-resident) voters to support their programs, and the meeting erupted in catcalls and cheers.

Once order was restored, Frank Gorse, a mill owner in Needham Heights, rose to defend the town officials and replied to Mr Gates “with vigor,” setting the members off again and forcing Judge Grover to gavel the meeting back to order, as “the remarks were getting decidedly personal, and much ill-feeling was manifesting itself.” At that point the meeting continued more or less peacefully, though there was some slight disagreement over the salary of the fire chief – mill owner and former Selectman William Carter thought that his salary of $50 was sufficient, but Town Meeting raised it to $100.

The trouble really began when Walter Watson rose to propose the following motion – “That the highway surveyors be instructed to receive bids for the [horse-]team work and labor necessary to be done upon the town roads during the coming year.” Town roadwork contracts were lucrative, and the contractors were paid 75 cents a day more for town work than they would earn on private labor. Watson contended that the Superintendent of Highways was directing the contracts to a favored few, rather than allowing other qualified contractors to bid on the work. Everett Eaton, who was one of the favored contractors, took exception and contended that this system saved the town money. At this point Nathaniel Wales produced a record that he had been keeping and argued this was untrue, and that Eaton’s horse teams were “poor outfits at the best.” Eaton would not swallow this insult – “I am willing to meet this gentleman in debate as to the merits of my case in this matter, or if he will come outside, I will meet him in the other way.”

Pandemonium followed this remark, to the extent that Judge Grover declared that the meeting would not continue unless members restricted their comments to Mr Watson’s motion, which was eventually passed. Enos Tucker proposed a motion to adjourn – “I think that it is time such a disgraceful meeting as this is adjourned in order that the citizens may have time to go home and get cooled off.” Despite the efforts of some to keep the arguments going, the meeting was adjourned to reconvene in a few days.

Despite all of the conflict, that Town Meeting did manage to pass some articles, including the annual budget appropriations – $11,000 for the schools, $500 for the police, $500 for the fire department, $2575 for town salaries, $8000 for road work, and $2800 for support of the poor. The ongoing question of whether to convert the town’s few street lights from gaslight to electric was held over to the next session (and yes, they finally did).

Clearly Town Meeting was different in 1893 than it is today. For one thing, it was more intimate – the town population was only about 3400 people, and everyone knew everyone pretty well, so personal grudges were easily carried over into official realms. It was also Open – meaning that any male eligible to vote could show up to participate in Town Meeting (which is how the Water Commissioner vote went from 388 voters to 457 voters a few days later). We now have Representative Town Meeting, meaning that each precinct elects 24 members to represent them, rather than all citizens attending. It is also notable that public contracts are now required to go to bid to prevent the kind of sweetheart dealing that concerned Walter Watson, and that at least three qualified bids must be considered (sorry, Everett!) Concern over the efficiency of municipal spending is an issue that will never go away.

But one thing that has not changed is the passion that Needhamites show for Town Meeting. I know, “passion” is not a word that is frequently associated with municipal meetings, and they usually don’t deteriorate into fistfights anymore. And there are people who will argue that TM is cumbersome and an inefficient way to run a town government. But look around at our neighboring towns – many of which have TMs with vacancies of 40, 50% or more, and many who have abandoned TM for that very reason. Yet Town Meeting is the most direct form of democracy, and for 313 years and counting has given us the greatest voice in the running of our town affairs. And Needhamites show up – it is not uncommon for precincts to have more TM candidates than there are seats, and for citizens (TM reps or not) to have firm opinions on the issues under debate. And if that is not passion, I don’t know what is.

An account of this meeting was in the Boston Globe for March 16, 1893. Many thanks to Brian Keaney, whose article in the Needham Observer brought it to my attention, and who supplied the reference.

The Moseley commercial block, on the corner of Great Plain Avenue and Chestnut Street, circa 1880. From 1881 when Wellesley separated from Needham, until 1903 when the Town Hall was completed, Town Meeting met in rented rooms on the second floor, above Crossman’s General Store.

Gloria Polizzotti Greis is the Executive Director of the Needham History Center & Museum. For more information, please see their website at www.needhamhistory.org.