The silver lance., 1899-07-07
GOSSIP FROM DENVER
AND THE STATE CAPITOL.

sidering plans 10 construct large ar
mory in Denver and pay OIL the COST Ill
installments from moneys which
would otherwise be paid for rent of
halls.
A telegram received at the offices of
the Colorado Fuel 4 Iron company
states that the mines of the company
at Coal Creek and Rockvale, employ
ing GO men, will resume work Mon
day. The men will go back entirely on
their own volition at the same scale
as that formerly paid. working by the
hour. This leaves idle only two of the
twenty-six mines owned by the COM
pany. 1t Is expected that these will
soon be working again. The iron
works and all other plants of the Colo
RADIO Fuel & Iron company are all still
in active operation, with no signs of
trouble.
1.-The miners seem either to be against
the eight-hour law or fast coming to
that view. They say they never asked
for 1t and that if an extra session We're
called would send men down here to
Denver to demand its repeal" said
Dairy Commissioner Munson, who re
turned from Central City Friday. Il
did not find a man favorable to the
eight-hour law. Most of them were
working only nine hours before the
Jaw came along, and some of them
We're not working as long as that. The
miners were hit hard by the law and
the act intended to help them will in
the long run hurt them. How it is
with the smelter men I don't know so
well, but the future may prove the law
will not be of any material benefit to
them"
In reply to the denunciations hurled
at him by the State Federation Of
Labor, General Merriam. in an inter
view, says: 'The chief bitterness
that has expressed itself, originated
from the fact that the people, and
perhaps the press, fail to realize that
my position was subordinate entirely.
1t was the governors martial law and
the governors campaign to restore
the state functions in the rebellious
county. My function was simply to
maintain order and protect the state
authorities in the discharge of their
duty. | did not make and did not
order single arrest, nor have l had
anything whatever to do with the
prisoners. except to guard them and
prevent their escape. Their shelter
support and medical attendance, like
their arrest. was wholly in the con
troll of the state authorities. The same
is true, absolutely, with reference to
the conditions fixed by the state au-
thorities for the employment of miners
l do not now understand that any
union miner is refused permit for
employment provided he can declare
his own innocence of the crimes
which have been committed in the
district, and the innocence of his
union"
After the attack of tine assessors on
| the State Board of Equalization, be
| cause of the low valuation it has
placed on railroad property, the rail
roads have voluntarily come forward
to offer assistance to the state to help
it meet the 100000 deficiency. The
state levy is 4 mills on the dollar, and
is limited by constitutional provision.
The railroads yesterday offered volun-
tarily to ignore the constitutional limi-
tatiOn and pay g mills on the dollar as
state tax If the county commission
ers throughout the state agree to
make a similar levy on all other prop
erty. The offer was made by Tax
Agent Pollard of the Burlington sys-
tenn, In behalf of all the Colorado
roads. Pollard is chairman of the Tax
|
agreed upon by the commissioners. the
increase of 2 mills on the tax will be
more than enough to meet the def
| cheney. Secretary of State Beckwith
thinks the plan can be put through
and Governor Thomas also Is hopeful
although" he says, ''the action is
merely voluntary and cannot be en-
forced" He seems. however. to think
that the people will agree to the in
crease in taxes to save the state from
practical bankruptcy. the condition
which now confronts 1t.
Three millions-not S75,O00 O00-is
the amount of increase proba BILE in the
| entire valuation of state property this
year after the State Board of Equaliza-
ton finishes its work of equalization
in September. The latter is the amount
of increase needed in valuations to
avoid a deficit. The almost daily secret
sessions of the state board are bearing
| fruit, but the board considers itself
handicapped. 1t has been practically
decided by the board to equalize all the
valuations of the state this fall. to &c
| into every county so to do. But the law
| provides that not more than a pei
cent. aggregate of increase can be
made, and, although Arapahoe valua-
| tions will go up. valuations in some of
the other counties must necessarily
come down in order to balance the ag-
gregate. The state board realizes that
its efforts to make the aggregate valu-
ations larger will be handicapped by
the reduction of $1O,0OO.OOO announced
to take place in Arapahoe county
Railroad valuations will go up. They
are being forced up on a rising scale
| 4
| about $10,OOO.000 on railroad valua
tions in the state. So far as the totals
are concerned in making comparison
with last year, the increased railroad
valuations will balance the Arapahoe
reduction and the S3.OOOO00 increase
| in the total state valuations, 1t is
| calculated will come frnm voluntary