Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1881-10-18
For the SPECTATOR.
Letter from Colorado.
DENVER. Col. Oc

Eds. Spectator mo one can fully un-
derstand or appreciate the life, energy,
and vim, the restless activity, and the
wonderful capabilities of the American
people, until he stands. as do to-day,
within the corporate limits of typical
Western town. Denver is q magnificent
monument to the business sagacity and
commercial enterprise Of the Anglo
Saxon race. It Is city of forty thou
sand inhabitants, situated in the North
elm portion OF Colorado, on an elevated
plane, fourteen miles East of the Rocky
mountains. Its broad and well shaded
avenues are laid out with mathematical
precision, and need no artificial aids to
make them firm and smooth. Itspublic
buildings have been erected with q fin
them to be regarded as architectural or
naments in any city of the Union. It's
numerous hotels In dimensions and
equipment compare favorably with any
in the East. Its churches challenge the
admiration Of transient visitors, and
many benevolent institutiOns evoke ia
vorable comment from strangers. The
Grand Opera House is the pride of the
city, having been erected at q cost of
six hundred thousand dollars. It is q
stately and imposing building, and
merits more than local admiration-
The Union Depot Is an edifice which
would delight the eye of an artist. It is
well proportioned, commodious and ele-
CANT. 1t is composed, almost entirely,
of stone, iron and glass, and, at night,
is brilliantly lighted by electricity. It's
interior arrangements, to the minutest
details, are convenient, comfortable,
and original. The crowded business
thorough-fares of the city are well pro-
vided with street cars, Herdic coaches
and 'busses. The Press is ably repre-
sented by five daily papers, each of
which is double the size of the Rich,
ns0nd Dispatch. The building mania
keeps pace with business development
and commercial prosperity, and q fren-
zied excitement seems to pervade all
classes who are engaged In the fierce
struggle for wealth.
It is difficult for temporary soiourn-
er In q bustling trade centre to get any
thing more than superficial knowledge
of the place. have encountered this
obstacle, and though myself only way
farer. 1 have seized every opportunity
to understand the method Of thought
and manner Of life pursued by the citi-
zens OF Denver have arrived at the
conclusion that there is an unhealthy
activity in manyof the departments of
business. That wild and unreasoning
spirit OF speculation is abroad. That q
thoughtleas confidence in q problematic
future threatens an ultimate, il not i'm
mediate, financial crisis. AS mining
cslamities have over taken many indi-
v1duals. who were lured by the unsup
ported statements of glittering pros
N Inv
VIII prostrate many credulous dupes Of
the real estate agents, whose sanguine
temperaments lead them to conf0und
future hopes with present facts, The
people are too fond of capitalizing aspi-
ratiens, and of using brag as q valuable
asset. It Is great city for rings and
cliques, and most business is transacted
by cooperative effort. The magnificent
public buildings, while testifying to the
admirable taste of the local architects
would seem to indicate an extravagant
II not criminal, expenditure of the mu-
n1cfpal revenues. Profuseness, howev.
er, seems to characterize the people
Many men who have, through the me-
dunn of profitable silver mines, risen
from abject poverty to fabulous wealth
have located permanently in this city
and the palatial private residences which
have sprung up on every hand attest the
fact that they are willing to identify
their pecuniary interests with the pros
perity of the place. In common with
most frontier towns, Denver is cursed
by numerous lawless and depraved citi
zens. Many Of these men are fugitives
from justice, or unconvicted despera-
does. They have no reverence for wO
manhood or for God. No fear of hell
no dread of an hereafter. No religion
save the worship Of self; no divinity
but the almighty dollar. The best par
of their manhood lies dormant in theil
greedy struggle for gain, and their high
est mental aspiration is to possess 1
pocket book Of unlimited purchasing
power. A large majority are unmar-
ried. because they do not choose to ham
per Themselves by domestic ties "Con
nubial felicity" is to them an ironica
expression. or course the presence O
this class, which has irretrievably lapset
into vulgarity, moral degradation, ant
corruption, brings its attendant evils
The saloons, theatres comique, gambling
halls, and palaces Of pleasure, are fre