The Lamar register., 1900-10-03
DENVER LETTER.
DISGRACE OF COLORADO BY DEMOCRATIC RI
OTERS IN VICTOR AND SAIIDA.
Outside of These Two Places Roosevelt Trip Through the
State Was Continued Ovation, end Great Good Has
Been Done-Other Speakers Coming to Colorado.

cncc. in the state has been
talking of the tour of Governor Roose-
welt. aSd everybody has been talking
of the disgrace brought upon the state
by the rutfians in Victor and Salida,
who attempted to break up his meet
ings In those places, and in Victor
made an assault upon him and his par
ty, which was only prevented from do
ing them serious bodily harm by the va
liant fight put up against the rioters
by ROosevelts Rough Rider guard. The
most remarkable part of the thing, and
the most disgraceful to Colorado, Is
that the assaults have been virtually
approved by Governor Thomas and the
Rocky Mountain News. Thomas be-
gan by publishing an insulting open
letter" to Governor Roosevelt and the
News says that Roosevelt could eX-
pect nothing else when he went with
Senator Wolcott. In this sort of talk
the News is thoroughly at home. One
of Its specialtles for years has been In
citing men to riot. In this case, 1t i'm
plies. If 1t does not say directly, that
such treatment rs was accorded to Mr..
Rooseyelt's party in Victor would have
been perfectly proper If applied to-
Senator Wolcott alone. In other
words. 1t believes. not in giving to
your opponent n fair hearing, but in
and running him out of town If pOssi-
bic. Everybody is aware that these are
Democratic methods of campaigning
In some states, but it is unusual to
hear and see them endorsed as proper
by high Democratic authority.
But this Is only a repetition of the
treatment of four years ago. There
We're not n dozen towns of any size in
the state. in 1896. where n Republican
would have been permitted to make
speech without personal assault. 1t
was common expression, heard all
over the st,tte, and just as much in the
streets of Denver as in the back coun-
ties, that any man who would vote for
Mckinley ought to be run out of the
state. 1t is an indication of the great
change that has come over Colorado in
four years that there were only two
places In which that feeling apparently
now exists. Governor Thomas and Il.
NJ. Patterson have been doing their ut
most to stir up the lawless spirit again.
but they have not yet succeeded as
doubtless they had hoped to.
AS for Governor Roosevelt himself.
he bore the assault with the firmness
and courage which have always been
among the strongest attributes of his
character. Mr.. ii. l. Cleveland of the
Chicago Times Herald. who is one of
the journalists on the Roosevelt train,
secured the following statement from
the vice presidential candidate after
the assault:
Those poor. misguided men at Vie
tor are more to he pitied than con-
demned. Law-breaking is never good
political game. l can stand all this
kind of thing they choose to give. It's
the very sort of thing that | am fight
ing against as candidate for office
reason and patriotism against the rule
of the mob"
Senator Henry Cabot Lodge tells the
facts very plainly in his statement pub
lished in the Boston Journal, rs fol-
lows:
Il was in the crowd at Victor, both
going and coming from the hall, and
was in the hall. on the platform, dur
ing the entire meeting. The meeting
was broken up by a large body of dis
orderly men. who went there for that
purpose. They shouted and made such
n disturbance that it was impossible
for anyone to speak. l have never wit
messed such n scene in aAy public
meeting in the United States. General
Hale. who commanded the Colorado
troops in the Philippines. and is dis
tinguished soldier. was hissed when he
was Introduced as n soldier. and was
w Itll iie
an appeal for the flag, upon which he
laid his hand. he was hooted. and there
We're cries of Occur d 'Alene' and Bull
pen.' 1t was directed. not against the
man. but against the flag and the uni
form of the United States which he
represented.
'.The disorder in the streets was very
great. There was an element present,
evidently determined on trouble. They
struck at Governor Roosevelt with the
poles of the Bryan banners. and stoned
the car on which the governor stood as
the train drew out.
1.-The statement of Governor Thomas
that the disturbance was directed
against Senator Wolcott. is absolutely
false. The attack, such as it was. was
made OH Governor Roosevelt. and the
purpose of the roughs who engaged in
it was to break up the Republican
meeting and not permit us to be heard
l believe from very sufficient evidence
that the whole attack was deliberately
planned by the Bryan leaders in this
state. There are no better people any
where than the people of Colorado, and
| this attack on Governor Roosevelt has
created widespread Indignation among
| men of all parties. 1t will contribute
powerfully to the redemption of the
| state, which now seems very probable
| from the control of the fusion leaders,
| who are capable of such outrnges up
-, nx..l H.,