La Junta tribune., 1900-11-03
Mr.. COATES OPINIONS
SELEC CTlONS FROM THE OFFICIAL ORGAN
OF THE FUSION CANDIDATE
What He Thinks of the Supreme Court Of Colorado Calls
.. 1t Criminal-His Opinions Of Governor Thomas Mayor
Johnson. Senator 3arela and Other Fusionists With
Whom He h Now Working IN Harmony.

"A Since the year OF 1896. MIR. David g.
Coates, now candidate for lieutenant
governor on the fusion ticket. has
been one Of the proprietorx OF weekly
paper in Pueblo called the Pueblo
Courier. At the head Of the editorial
page, Thuin & Coates ure advertised as
proprietors. and ID. c. Contes ms bust
Hess manager II II fair TO presume.
therefore. that the original articles I'm
the paper reflect the opinion OF Mr..
Coates. The following are articles
from this paper with the dates append
ed. giving Mr.. Coates opinion OF the
Supreme Court OF Colorado. OF Cover
SVor Thomas. Of fusion as u principle. OF
Mayor johnson Of Denver, and Of
Wales bloody bri:llcs" speech.
Mr.. Coates opinion OF the Supreme
Court is worthy OF note Mt this time In
View Of the fact that lie may, II elect
hsl. he at any time the acting governor
Of the state. His opinions Of Governor
Thomas and other leading Democrats
with whom ne Ii now associating are
chiefly Of Interest as showing what n
wide diversity Of opinion mny he
brought into the most beautiful har-
mony by the process " fusion:
A Criminal Supreme Court.
Another great crime against the pro-
ducers of wealth was committed last
~ Monday when the Supreme Court of
. Coi0rado declared the law passed by
thelate Legislature providing that eight
hours shall be the period OF employ
incnt in underground mines, smclters
and other institutions for the reduction
and refining Of ores and metals" with
out giving an opinion for the same.
wholly unconstitutional and void A
<..t,~ aV.f. -
testifes that tile protection OF property
is more sacred than protection to the
life and happiness OF the individual,
and once more has the cruel announce
ment been made by n court supreme In
= its power that the Individual is not to
be considered where the sacredness OF
property is disputed. a crime-yes, For
this decision will allow conditions to
exist which have robbed. and will con-
tinue to rob. men OF their very lives.
and leave at the mercy OF the evcr-ir-
creasing hardness. heartlessness and
cruelty OF the world many widows and
children. A crime-yes. For in the
opinion OF the best and foremost law
yers In the state there ix nothing in law
TO justify the decision Of the court, and.
in our opinion. there Is nothing In COM
mon Justice between man and man
which warrants Il. A crime res! For
II has robbed mea of their faith In the
courts. and cast them adrift a. rneh
hopeless OF justice where their inter
ests are measured alongside OF the
almighty dollar. A crime-yes! In n
thousand different ways was crime
committed by the three Justices (?) who
set themselves higher In authority in
determining what shall be law and
what shan't than the law-makiny
bodies OF the state elected as the rep
resentatives Of the people and to car
ry out the wishes Of the people. A
crime-yes! To many there appears 70
have been n crime committed in infiu-
encing the decision announced
That the Supreme Court of Colorado
could give such decision In the face
OF contrary opinions by the United
States Supreme Court and the Su-
preme Courts Of Utah and Massachu-
sctts. ls beyond comprehension, espe-
cially In the absence Cf the opinion OF
the court, and though II may be possi-
BILE for the three Judges to satisfy them
selves that they did right. the mass Of
Colorado citizens will never believe that
the decision was based ON law. right or
justive. Precendent. the sentiment Of
the people and the rendjusfment OF all
institutions coming under the law, with
the seSe exception Of the smelling
plants of the trust. to its provisions.
Were all In favor Of the law being mp
held But No! Either by technical
reasoning prohibition was found In feh
constitution or other lnAnence guided
. decision against the law. and to-day
the workers In these unbealthy aud
dangefUus avocat1ons stand stripped Of
afl aid from the state In lettering the
condition which capitalistjc greed has
made almost unbeafable for the human
lssnE
To say we were disnppointesi In the
decis5en b putting II mild. We were
utterly stnnDed-dumbfounz .
court supposed to contain 9 majority
OF MoObers who profess and
are suppesed to he abroad OF
the progress of the state. could have
annoanced such ilecision. And we
were not alone In this, for very few
perso1s who have given the subject
thought were prepared to see such \
stand taken. moreover, the opinion OF
the &urEeme Court OF the United States
was - prunouncedIy and clearly in IA
vor Of the passase OF this identical law
By tie stn1a that laymen felt perfect
y Sccure q the belief that the position
OF tie hlRheat tribunal in the land
would have great weight with and have
been TIE gutding star for the Colorado
court.
Bat a1l h not lost! There win be
good come ont Of the courts work. The
nienty per cent. of the people who IA
vored the law (only Tie ten Per cent
ers were against ~ win have their
thoughts and actions stirred - tbey
sever were before, and means 70 free
d. from absolute domination of The
etnf4 b. two or three men viii be
fs9A1: n early amendmeaf to the con-.
se1t6o m be forthcomiuk and per
hnpe e41r VII . eOvernusent BY the
: lep1@e eoqe ~ = resuit Of the decision