The Lamar register., 1892-01-30
DENVER GOSSIP.
The Chamber of Commerce Banquet.
and the Convention of County
Commissioners.

pENNEk, SOAOiaGo
Last Tuesday night the members of the
Chamber OF Commerce sat down to their
annual banquet, and having satisfied the
inner man aud listened TO the eloquent |
speeches they rose up to dance. OF course |
the latter part of the program implies that |
their wives were along, which fact ac- |
counts for the absence of the too free use |
of wine which, unfortunately, has charac |
terized some of their banquets in other |
years. 1t is hard TO understand why the
ladies should ever be debarred from shar-
ing in and adding to the pleasures of such
occasions, for as the Rev. Myron Reed
said in responding to the toast to the
ladies:
"To them You owe more than half of
your prosperity and all OF the comforts of
life l could wish the legal equality and
presence of woman in all our public'affairs.
Their presence lifts the tone of manners
and conversation. Mans behavior rises
and sinks with their presence or absence.
Everything in the semblance of humanity
votes except Cinnamon. Utes, idiots and
women
The retiring president Hon. II. A. w.
Tabor, introduced his successor, Judge S,
II Elbert, who spoke of the business in
terests OF Denver and the past and future
opportunities of the Chamber Of Commerce
to forward those interests. The toast,
"The City of Denver" was responded to
by Mayor Platt Rogers in an admirable
address, in the course of which he laid
down some principles for the government
of cities whose truth is coming to be rec
ognized more than it used to be. He said
Municipal government is pure matter
of business. 1t is concerned only with the
details of local affairs. 1t is but an en-
largement of the domestic economy. The
citizens are stockholders, and the concern
is run not for profit but for public and
private comfort. And yet so simple sit
uation seems difficult to control The rad
ical defect lies in this: The administra-
tion of municipal affairs is improperly re
garded as field for the exercise Of politi-
cal activity. In the absence Of a guiding
political creed ii resolves itself into mere
question of spoils. If the administration
is secured under party auspices, it becomes
almost impossible to consider it in any
other light than huge machine, that by
the proper distribution of Offices will keep
the party reorganization active andaggressive.
After nine months experience as mayor OF
the city, l can assert that l have never
found an occasion which called into action
any political principle, nor do see where
in the future is liable TO vary reis expert
euce. 1t is impossible to conceive wherein
the theory of protection will furnish key
to the work of constructing sewers, nor
wherein the doctrine of free trade will
teach US how to dispose OF our garbage"
Forum ately for the best interests of the
State, the commissioners of various coun-
ties have become impressed with the pre-
yailing idea that 1t is wise for people and
officials of q certain class to confer together
as to the best methods of conducting their
business In pursuance of this belief,
commissioners from Arapahoe, Boulder,
Clear Greek, Ebert, Gilpin, Jefferson, Kit
Carson, Larimer, Logan, Park, Summit
and Washington counties met here on
Monday and formed a permanent organiza-
tion which will meet hereafter on the sec
ond Tuesday in December, the next meet
ing to be held in Denver, Resolutions
were adopted in favor Of making collec-
tions for the Worlds Fair, in favor of in.
sisting upon assessors collecting statistical
information as required by law, and urging
the offering of premiums for the best and
largest amount of farm products grown
upon given amount of land.
MIR. c. S. Faurot of Boulder County
made a report for the committee on legis-
lation, which was appointed at an informal
meeting Of county commissioners year
ago. He stated that the present laws
relative to fees, salaries and roads were
far from satisfactory to the committee, as
they were compromise measures. Mr.
Faurot expressed his disappointment that
the bill requiring assessors TO meet once q
year and fix a basis of taxation had been
defeated. He declared that the only way
to obtain satisfactory legislation was by
beginning at the primaries.
Mr.. Twombly of Arapahoe declared
that last year Arapahoe squandered $40, 900
on roads and highways, of which about
$4,000 went to road overseers. The dirt
they moved cost the county from 50 cents
to 81 yard. He said further: ~ am sat
isfied that this county can put out twelve
teams, move dirt for from 7JSc to i2c
yard, work ten months year, and do sat
isfactory work for that time at an expense
we have previously incurred for overseers
alone"
The sensation of the meeting occurred
when Mr.. Peter Magnes, OF Arapahoe in
troduced a resolution urging the enact
meut Of a law creating a new office ''to be
filled by person learned in the law, and
whose duties it shall be mainly to protect
the interests of the Taxpayers in the mat
ters Of excessive levies of taxes, uuwar-
rantable unreasonable and unnecessary
appropriations of the peoples money, and
generally to guard the public interests as
against the acts of the boards OF county
commissioners, where the law as it now
stands makes the conscience the only limit
to its acts and power Some Of the com
missioners felt aGrieved at the proposition, |
and charged the author with casting re-
Elections on the integrity of commissioners |
in general.
Although the proposition was promptly |
voted down, a citizen of Denver who has |
closely watched our board OF county com |
missioners, would not make haste to CON |
denim the plan. Peter Magnes has been |
to the board what "Obiector' Holman of |
Indiana has been TO Congress. Having |
shown his ability 10 successfully manage a |
farm he was elected commissioner several |
years ago aud from the first has been the |
sturdy champion of economy in the expen-
diture of the peoples money. One day
soon after his election when II became
necessary for the board to pay visit of
to the poor farm, two miles