The herald., 1897-09-11
HOW HE GOT THE PLACE
Nominated by a Blunder and Grew
Rich on the Fees of Office

In the stormy and riotous and tenn
pestuous days of Leadville, when for
tunes were made in a day and squan-
dered in night the great body of the
people gave little attention to the selec-
tion of public servants, and the profess
sional politicians held full sway. Coun-
ty, municipal and township offices were
SinecureS, and the struggle for posses
sion of them was confined to the gang
that was in and the gang that wanted to
get in. The office of county clerk was
worth to the incumbent from $50 900 to
$50, 900 year, sheriff from $25, 900 to $685.
900, and so on through the list. The fees
of a justice of the peace exceeded the
salary paid to the governor of the state
or the chief justice Of the supreme court.
In view Of this fact the intensity of the
contest for the plums may be easily un-
derstood. But this will answer as pre-
face to a story propose telling about
heated contest for the Republican nomi-
nation for justice of the peace, a nomi-
nation being then equivalent to an cleo
ton. The rival claimants were De Mat
tos, now a resident of one of the sound
cities, and Thomas, the present prose-
cutting attorney of Lake county. Each
claimed to have received the nomination
of the convention, and neither showed
the slightest disposition to yield to the
other. The election was approaching
and from the party standpoint it was
deemed essential that their differences
should be settled, since if both entered the
contest the Democrat would carry off the
plum. The contestants finally agreed
to leave the dispute to the county central
committee and abide by its decision.
The committee held an executive ses-
sion and after going over the testimony
decided unanimously that Thomas was
entitled to have his name printed on the
party ticket, and that the De Mattos
had no standing whatever 1t was sug-
gested, however, that in the interest of
harmony, the matter should be taken up
in open session of the committee, just
as if it had not been considered and de-
termined in secret, and then when the
ballot should be taken two or three mem
bers should vote for De Mattos. to show
him that it was not cut-and-dried at
fair, but an inevitable difference of opin-
ion, likely to occur at any time and to-
anybody. With this understanding the
doors were thrown open, the rabble ad-
mltteQ ana the COuLeSL OL lnOLdS vs..
De Mattos taken up as a new proposi-
ton. The evidence was gone over again,
a discussion of it's merits followed, and
a vote by ballot ordered. To the amaze
ment and chagrin of the chairman and
tellers and all of the members of the
committee, every vote cast bore the
name of De Mattos. Each had remem-
bered the agreement that a few votes
should be cast for him and each thought
the others might forget to do it, and the
consequence was that the man really en-
titled to the nomination did not get a
single vote. The cause of the miscar-
riage of justice was, of course, instantly
understood by all the members of the
committee, but it was too late to rectify
the blunder without causing a hopeless
breach in the party ranks, and so the de-
cision was allowed to stand. De Mattos
ran, was elected, qualified and filled out
his term of office, growing rich from the
fees, and probably to this day does not
know how the nomination happened to
be awarded to him.-Denver Times.