The silver star., 1900-10-26
AN OPEN LETTER
The Editor 81 The Pueblo
Ceurier Speaks BY the Card
Of Mr. Orman y m Employer
(By otto 3. Thum.)

- eS82 - > 194~118 - 1.94 3DAAAZ ZkAV n ~
(By Otto p, Thum.)
The Pueblo Trades Assembly has had
for the past ave years standing com
mittee known as the legislative com.
mittee. This committee has always
been made up with the idea that its
duties were mostly before the city
council, and It has been the custom to
name on 1t only such members Of the
assembly as are property owners and
Taxpayers, as 1t was thought that such
individuals would have more effect
when a demand was made upon the
city council. have been member OF
the legislative committee Of the Trades
Assembly ever since 1t was created,
and have as such committeeman at
tended all meetings Of the Pueblo city
council within that time, except dur
ing the past year. In 1896, when DIR.
King was mayor, the city was doing
considerable work on the levees Of the
Arkansas river. This work was given
out by contract to the lowest bidder,
and It was discovered that the contrac-
tors did not obey the statutory eight
hour lawas applied to public works, and
also paid a very low wage and COM
PEELED all men working on the Job to
board with him (the c0ntractor) In a
tent and sleep with the horses and
mules. The legislative committee re-
ported these things to the Trades As
sembly, and received specific instruc-
tions to remedy these evils, as under
such conditions no man with family
and no man who has home in Pueb-
10, even though taxpayer who needed
work, could find employment on the
public work Of the city. We went to
Mayor King, and he positively refused
to do anything to remedy the evils
complained of. When this was report
ed to the Trades Assembly that body
determined to defeat Mayor King for
reelection, IL possible. When the noln-
nations were made in 1897 the Re-
publicans renominated Mayor King
and the Democrats, through the infiu-
ence of members of the trades unions,
nominated James b. Orman, who is
now Democratic nominee for governor
Of Colorado. Mr.. Orman promised,
among other things, that IL he was
elected, which he was, he would sign
no contracts for public work unless the
contractors agreed to obey the eight
hour law; give preference in employ
ment to citizens Of Pueblo; pay mini.
mum wage of two dollars a day; con-
duct no boarding tent In connection
with the work, and pay the men every
two weeks, just as the city treasurer
paid the contractors. 1 attended all the
meetings Of the city council during the
Orman administration, and as a cOnse-
quence am us familiar with the city
affairs during his regime as though
had been elected to fill one Of the
places Of alderman myself, and l know
for a certainty that Mr.. Orinan carried
out all the promises made to the Trades
Assembly until the end Of his term, In
April, 1880.
Mr.. Orman did more than this. When
the Trades Assembly instructed Its leg
islative committee to prepare data on
the day work system Of doing public
work, and the same was presented by
me to the city council, a resolution was
passed and signed by Mayor Orman or
dering future levee work to the amount
Of $75,OOO to be done by the day,
OF A CONTRACTOR AT ALL. To
this committee from the Pueblo Busl-
ness Mems Association objected, and
they served an injunction ON the mayor
and council restraining them from pro-
ceeding in that direction. But they
had to show Mr.. Orman, and he stuck
to the original day Work plan until =
perpetual injunction was served on him
which prevented . continuance Of the
work by that plan.
Mr.. Orman did more than this. When
the five-year contract For lighting the
city was about to expire he appointed,
ON his own v0lltiOn, a committee Of six
to Investigate the subject Of municipal
lighting. This committe was composed
OF three aldermen and three citizens.
was one Of the citizens who acted on
that committee. and we investigated
the matter very thoroughly, and made
n report OF our findings to the council.
We showed that Pueblo could build
plant. pay for 1t In five years, and give
the city better lights and more Of them
than we had then. all for the same
money that the contractors wanted for
lighting the city for five years, Wig:
100000. Mayor Orman favored the
city lighting plant from the very first,
and had there not been unnecessary
and exasperating delay on the part Of
the council we would to-day most likely
have n public lighting plant In opera
tiOn in this city.
All OF these facts can be easily veri-
fed by reference to the proceedings of
the city council OF this city during the
period covered In this article, and II
this In done one would most likely find
many more reasons why James b. Or
man In naturally In favor Of the very
things which all true laboring men are
striving to have engrafted In the stat
utes Of the state OF Colorado.