Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-04-13
After Life's Exciting Battle the
Colorado Assembly is Dead.
A LEGISLATIVE DEBAUCHERY.
The Colorado Lower House Home for the
Yicious-BetrayaI of Public Confidence.
Coin Used to Strengthen the Conviction Of
Doubling Members-T!Ie Work Ac-
complished and the Work
Left Unaccomplished.
AGAIN ADJOURNMENT.

Special Correspondence of the Gazette.
DENVER, Col, April S.-'The Colorado
| Eighth general assembly ended its some
| what erratic career Tuesday afternoon in q
| manner a triiie more becoming the dignity
OF deliberative body than anything in It's
lawless and disorderly opening would natur-
ally warrant. But even this comparatively
calm left considerable latitude for the dis
play of a broad and eXubcrant indlvlGu-
atty. il is rather the result of OvertaXed
nerves on the general safety that follows a
prolonged debauch than any acquired or in
herent sense of the proprietes that are
supposed to accompany the proceedings OF a
legislative body. Even as legislatures 90
in this wild and woody section, the Eighth
general assembly has been something of a
anamoly. II has afforded several new and
interesting attractions. For the first time
even in the history of Colorado the Organi-
Zation of the states law making body has
been accompanied by mob law and
murder. In this respect, us in others, the
present legislature has branched out il i
wild, original way. 1t has only been like
its predecessors in having accomplished
nothing. The last campaign was fought by
both parties largely on the issues that the
state required railroad legislation. The
platforms of the two parties demanded it.
The pretense was still kept even after the
the house was organized. Fault was found
with Speaker Hanna, the caucus nominee
of the Republican majority, on the
ground that his committees were
packed in the railroad interest,
and the dissatisfied Republican and Demo
cratic majority formed combine and voted
the speakers chair vacant. Complete dis
organization followed. and for three weeks
the assembly chamber was filled with
EARNED thugs, hired by the two factions,
who held the place day and nigh, fought
and drank and gambled till the assembly
hall resembled dive in the slumS.
1t was during this period that Police In
spector Hawley
WAS SHOT DOWN
by u notorious character in the employ of
the combine, and u deputy sheriff wounded
in quarrel which grew directly out of one
of the collisions between the armed guards
of the house.
1t was during this period too, that the fine
hand of the monopoly became evident. Mem
berS We're approached with brides on the
floor of the house. Messengers brought
notes 10 members inviting them across the
street to rooms in the Windsor hotel, where
men in high standing offered members
brides. running rs high as $1,000 for single
vote s. open and notorious was their ef-
forts 10 corrupt the few doubtful members
that an Investigation was had which re-
suited in the entire matter being turned
over TO the grand jury Of Arapahoe county,
in order to cover it over and suppress the
popular clamor, which purpose was to all
appearances accomplished.
Then Come period when food
were introduced and fought over
with all possible solemnity-bills to prevent
the spread of weeds, to give monument
makers lien on grave stones, to compel
the support OF wives, for the taxation of
vacant lots and to regulate the laws of
nature. Among this mass two meritous
bills struggled to the surface and were
passed. bill providing for variation of the
Australian ballot system and another Civ
ing Denver a metropolitan police board.
While important and promised legislation
was being neglected
THE MEMBERS WE'RE ENGAGED
over the appointment of clerks and pages
4 large proportion of the former were
ladies. dashing and accommodating in the
extreme But what were they there for
They 'toiled not. neither did they spin -
From time to time some ingenious back
county member would look over the chief
clerk 5 records and find that the attractive
damSelS were visiblv and officially engaged
in nothing beyond filling the cloak rooms
and Hobbies with the auurements of their
presence. Resolutions would be introduced
demanding explanations that never came
Once when toward the close OF the session
a member moved TO increase the force of
unemployed lady clerks by half a dozen
more. the ingenious and inquiSitive men,
Der managed to learn that the alluring dam
sells were enrolled on the house books as
coming from various rural localities that
knew them not, and that they We're in reality
from wicked Denver, Chicago, ST. Louis,
and even Washington and New York and
other pleasure loving
AND EASY GOING CITIES.
But through all this, even questions of
promised legislation would come First,
the momentous railroad bill, providing for
commission with power to regulate fares
and freights. had be disposed Of Its fate
was evident from the start, but several
days were devoted TO the work OF render
ing it harmless and finally killing it out
right During one of the debates the
prominent Democratic leader seriously an
nounced that it was time TO throw over the
.sham platform on which the campaign
had been fought and force theissue sQuarely.
In the interval the representatives of the
railroad interests We're not entirely idle
An oil room consisting of three elegant
apartments was run in the Ernest & Cram
ner block. where everything that the
novice in legislation required to
him, was supplied in abundance
The amount Of coin used in strengthening
the convictions of the wavering, will per-
hans never De made public, although acct
uSAI.i4 NleteSS saw d tu4A VI cOlH dS large as
a five pound powder keg" carried in at
once. Party platforms had also clamored
for irrigation legislation-for something
that would prevent the present practice
of companies contracting TO fur
nish water that could never
be delivered yet collecting pay
whether it was furnished or not. This
effort, too, was put to sleep by methods not
unlike those employed TO dispose of
threatened railroad legislation. On one &C.
casion an ex-state senator openly brandished
a roll of bills in this cause. with the re-
mark that it was what was left of fund
that
BURIED THE RAILROAD BILLS.
These matters disposed of the legislature
made show II attempting to fund the out