MAYOR CRITTENDEN
NOT A CANDIDATE.
Makes Formal Statement
That He Will Not Accept
a Renomination.
"I shall not be a candidate for mayor." -- Mayor Crittenden.
This terse and positive statement, stripped of all provisos and conditions, was made yesterday by Mayor T. T. Crittenden.
"I have made up my mind and there is no changing it," he told Alderman James Pendergast, with whom he had a conference. Alderman Pendergast labored long and unsuccessfully in an effort to get the mayor to reconsider his attitude. The same declaration had gone to J. B. Shannon and other leaders of the Democratic party a few days ago and the mayor turned a deaf ear to their pleading to again be a candidate. Men representing civic and commercial bodies also petitioned the mayor to withhold his letter of declination until February 1, but he kindly yet with much emphasis said there was no use.
"I shall not be a candidate for mayor," he repeated and thereupon dictated the following statement:
THE MAYOR SAYS NO.
"No, I shall not be a candidate for mayor. I would not accept the office if it were tendered me without opposition. It is a distinguished honor and should be passed around, and then I can no longer afford to remain away from my business. I have given the city two of the best years of my life. I have worked ceaselessly day and night for the people of Kansas City, at a great financial sacrifice to myself. I have done my duty as I have served without prejudice or favor.
"I did not seek the nomination and only accepted it at the solicitation of friends. When I entered upon my high duties I was ambitious to keep faith with my pledges and make a fight for the upbuilding of Kansas City, and today I can look the world in the face and say that I have kept the faith and fought the fight. No man can truthfully say that I have violated a single political pledge and the work I have accomplished will speak for itself."
