Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-07-17
C0L0RAD01 POLITICS
Prospect That Senator E. 0. Wolcott
Will Be Defeated.
his FINANCIAL VIEWS THE CAUSE
Gov Thomas and, Editor Patterson
Democratic Probabilities.
STRIKE AT THE SHELTERS
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.

| C4NINE al LII Il ON LL CISS
| Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.
| DENVER, Col, July 10, 1899.
| Nearly every political indication at this
time points to the defeat of United States
Senator E. o. Wolcott for reelection by
the legislature which is to be elected next
year. Senator Wolcott, once the idol of
Colorado, now finds himself followed by a
| meager minority, backed almost entirely
| by the federal patronage of the state.
| The senator, however, has the satisfac-
ton of knowing that he has not deserted
his party Per contra, his party in Colo
| RADIO deserted him because he tried to stand
| by the national platform. When the de-
| mocracy or the popocracy sprung it's plat
| form at Chicago the republican party of
| Colorado disappeared as if by magic, for
| the people honestly believed that the adop
! ton of free and unlimited coinage of sill
| yer at ratio of 1G to i would bring great
| prosperity to the country in general and
Colorado In particular. Their own beloved
| Senator Teller himself had said it, and
| Bryan in a hurricane of language was
| trying to say something like it,, so every
| body broke and ran to get the bait. Those
| who stood their ground were few died-in-
! the-wooi republicans, including Senator
|
| bimetallism, but could not swallow the
| free, unlimited and Independent dose So
! the new democracy swallowed up Colorado
! and all the parties therein except a few
bimetaliSts.
| Result of Last Election.
| At the state election last fall the demo-
cratic candidate was elected by an over
whelming majority, nearly three to one,
| although Senator Wolcott's brother, Henry
| WOlcOtt. was ne candidate of the OppOSi-
| ton There is one hope for Senator VOL
| colt, however: there is going to be such a
scramble for his shoes among the demo-
Gratis that during the melee the present
senator may run off with the prize.
There are several democrats who, like the
| eldest son, while wearing sanctimonious
| faces, are keeping their eyes on the pile,
but the indications now are that the strug-
gle will be between Governor Charles S.
| Thomas and Mr.. Thomas NJ. Patterson
| Mr.. Patterson Is the principal owner of the
Rocky Mountain News, published at Den
yer, and the most widely circulated news
| paper in Colorado. He dictates personally
| the policy of the paper, and it is in this
| manner that he is just now very much in
the public eye. Ever since the great smelter
| strike began, about a month ago, Mr.. Pat
tersons paper sided With the strikers, and
| it has lambasted numerically the smelter
/ owners, which it calls The Trust in big
| type every time the words are used through
| out the paper. Mr.. Patterson is himself a
rich man, and that is ordinarily fatal to
| those who try to befrfend labor; but he has
so consistently fought their fights that they
| are seemingly overlooking this fault, and
accept him their Moses He is a great
| lawyer, indefatigable, thorough. learned,
| and is winner in his legal battles. In
| this capacity he has been the greatest
| friend of labor, In all of their numerous
| litigations growing out of their strikes he
! has been their counsel, and his influence
with the courts is very great. Conse-
+ quenty, is very natural to suppose, he
rhIX-
| are in vast majority in this state, for it
| is covered with mines and they are filled
| with miners. 1t would seem, therefore, that
| Mr.. Patterson would succeed Senator VOL
! Thomas Has Big Following.
| Governor Thomas nevertheless has big
| following in the state, especially among the
| business men, merchants, stockmen, farm
| ers and professional men, who will give him
| their votes and, what is better, will contrib
| ute their means for him. The governor,
however, will have a handicap from which
| Mr.. Patterson is free. This handicap is in
| the form of a record which he is making as
| the chief executive While some of his mis-
| takes may have been trifieS light as air
| when made, yet time, the great developer,
| working into the hands of his enemies is
| making them like mountains The greatest
| of these grew cut of the recent legislature
| which he had on his hands. This legislature
| from best reports, must have been the most
| imbecile conglOmerauOn OF irresponsible
| and irrepressible hOodlums ever gotten to-
gether since the reign of terror. Their sins
| of omission and commission will fill a big
| book and now there are none so poor as to
give them praise. Not a single one of them
| can be found who ever voted for bad
| measure. There were few recorded votes
| and it is hard to get the dots on them
| Their sins of commission constitute Cover
nor Thomas great handicap. In the con-
| fusion he signed some of these bad bills and
| allowed others to become laws without his
| signature. The most notorious of these is
| what is known as the prize fighting bill
| over which the women are lamenting at
| their aclub meetings. This measure permits
prize fights under certain stringent condi
| tons and soon as 1t had become law
| and the culprits having gone to their homes
| making it too late to repair it the women
! became shocked and WaXed hysterical in
| their denuncation. The governor was i'm
| portuned by the women and some prodish
men TO call an extra session of the legiSla-
| tura to repeal the law, and the poor fellow
with visions of his senatorship vanishing in
| the air, was weak enough to actually con-
| slider it, but his friends laughed him out of
legislature tried to readjust the tax sys-
TEN of the state. and made such botch of
| it that the state is rendered hopeleSSy in
solvent, with millions of natural wealth at
her command. The charitable institutions
| of the state were not provided for, and the
| friends of the friendless are bowling too
| So the governor is beset by foes within and
! without, which, like the noble six hundred
| are volleying and laundering. And the
| News, Mr.. Patterson's paper, which is the
only state administration organ, is not los
| ing any subscribers in a patriotic effort in
the said illustrations behalf.
! Women Have Influence.
BY the way. the women of Colorado con-
stitrte a political factor not to be sneezed
at. Ex-Gov. Waite, he of bloody bridles'
fame, admits that they were the cause of
his defeat which fact alone is princely
compensation for those men who gave
them suffrage. It is. almost impossible for
an aspirant who is generally opposed by
| the women to win. Fhey seem to hold the
| balance of power, rand when they are
aroused many of the best of them turn out
| and vote in great mimi hers