The Lamar register., 1900-10-17
Introductory.

ministration which has ever dis
graced the state of Colorado. The
state treasury has been systematically
looted; a deficit of 100000 has been
created; state institutions like the Uni
versity, the Soldiers and Sailors Home
and the State Penitentiary have been
supported by borrowing money from
private citizens; much heavier taxa
ton of the people has been recon-
mended; official rottenness of all kinds
has been officially whitewashed; mur-
der and robbery have run riot while
the officers who ought to protect the
people were doing the governors polit-
ical work; and convicts have been let
loose to work for Thomas machine in
Denver.
1t may not be fair to charge all Of
these things directly and personally to
the governor of the state: as will be
seen by some of the figures and names
given below, some of the looting of the
treasury has been done by other state
officials than the governor. on the
whole, however, most of the mai-ad-
ministratlon Is directly chargeable TO
him personally, and has been either di-
rected or permitted by him in order to
secure for himself the political infiu-
ence which he deemed necessary
in order to get himself elected, il pos
sible, to the United States Senate.
Under Governor Waite, whatever
may be said of his encouragement of
anarchistic elements of the state and
Of his violent methods, the state treas
ury at least was not looted to any such
extent as has been the case during the
last two years. The deficit at the end
of his term was only about $4,000.
During the term of Waite's successor,
Governor Mcintyre, whose administra-
ton was not in all respects n model
one, nor one of which Republicans are
especially proud, the financial admins
tration at least was better than under
Populist and Democratic governors,
for at the end of the administration
there was a surplus in the state treas
ury of about $4,000.
Adams on Economy.
Under Governor Adams, whose ad-
| ministration some people assert was
the best Democratic or Popullst admin
istration which has ever been known
in the state of Colorado, there was de-
felt at the end Of the term amounting
to about $4,000. In his message on
retiring from the Governors chair,
Governor Adams wrote rs follows to
the incoming Legislature:
or doubtful expenditure. Retrenchment
is not pleasant, but 1t is honorable, and
40 existing ,circumstnnc nces-- --ne'"s'
The fusion Legislature heard this
statement; the fusion governor read it;
both knew perfectly well the state of
the public treasury; yet the Legislature
Immediately began to pass appropria-
| ton bills. for many of which they
knew perfectly well no funds would be
| available, and nearly all of these ap-
preparation bills Governor Thomas
signed, and when he signed them he
knew that they We're unconstitutional
and void. He has acknowledged over
his own signature that the deficit for
the present biennial period will amount
to as much as $150.OOO; as a matter of
fact the amount will be about 100000
and probably more than that.
As early as June, 1899, it became evil
dent that the revenue was not going to
be equal to the expenditures already
authorized by the Legislature, and then
| the governor wrote:
"If the valuation obtained is large
enough to satisfy me that the revenue
of 1900 will be equal to the public de-
mands of that year, | shall not sum
mon the assembly; if it shall appear in
sufficient, I shall have no alternative
|
No Special Session.
| The valuations were sent in by the
county assessors, and it was at once
evident that the revenues would not
| come anywhere near meeting the de-
mands of the appropriations already
made. The governor intimated that a
special session of the Legislature would
be called December 10Th; it was found
| that this was fifteen days after the
constitutional limit of the terms of Of
| flee of the members of the last general
| assembly. 1t was uncertain, therefore
| whether the governor meant to call an
assembly together which had expired
by law, or to call n new Legislature
which had just been elected. The pro-
tests against an extra session of the
| Legislature which came from oil parts
of the state, were so strong that the
governor decided that it would be i'm
| polite to call the members together. 1t
| was openly alleged by Democrats and
| other fusionists that If the Legislature
were to assemble the financial condi-
| ton of the state would be made much
worse instead of being made better.
| and governor Thomas finally shared
| this view An effort was made to Sc
| cure n reassessment of the property
throughout the state by the fusion state
| board of equalization, so as to raise the
| values to figure which would bring in
the desired revenue. 1t Xas decided by
! the Supreme Court however. that such
| action was not within the power of the
board of equalization, and this method
| therefore failed.
All the other plans having come to
naught the governor finally decided
| that it would be easier for the state
| institutions to take money from banks
and private persons, and issue emer-
| gency warrants, than to raise the mon
| ey in any other way. 1t is charged that
| some of the banks were induced to ad-
| vance money on these emergency war
| rants by a threat of what the Legisla-
| ture, if summoned. might do in the way