Durango semi-weekly herald., 1902-01-20
last five years. alone have been
reSnnnSihla Az the colo Ranuhlican

senator from this state, every one of
them has been made by my advice.
The position that l held in this re-
gard 1 have abdicated with great
cheerfulness. Since my retirement
from the state have not sent sin
gle letter to the president of the
Unite States. or to any member of
his cabinet, regarding single ap-
pointment.
Objects to the Party Rules
Complaints have been made as to
plants let me say that l most heart
lily and sincerity concur. Four years
ago / begged and pleaded with the
men in charge of the conduct of the
party in this state to change the
rules so that the primaries should be
open and free to every man that was
an avowed Republican in the
state. But while all may join in cen
sure of such methods now applied,
must remember and SO must you
that when these rules wre framed
our opponents were making every eff
fort to control the Republican party
in this state. We worked under the
shawod of obloQuy, unpopularity and
hatred to keep our party organiza-
ton together. Do you remember
that five years ago, when Mckinley
for whom they are now talking CT
naming parks and boulevards-was
nominated for the presidency, we
had to fight our way through the
supreme court of the state before we
were permitted to place Republican
electors on the ballots in this state?
We had to exercise caution in those
dark days. now long passed away
The hostilities then engendered have
long been buried. Men who then
left us have come back. There
should be no cause of complaint that
all of them cannot have the fullest
participation in the management of
the party.
Comprise the Need.
Complaint has been made of the
participation of federal office hold
ers in state affairs. There is ground
for complaint in this but let us re-
member that it is true that 80 per
cent of the members of national and
state committees-they may be
changing it now-but an overwhelm-
ing majority-have been federal or
state officials. In New York state
which you all know is the home
of political purity-the chairman of
the state committee has been, | be-
-lieve, state railway commissioner. In
Massachusetts the chairman has been
the collector of the port of Boston.
1t is true that the men who are in
politics not for personal gain but be-
cause they like to breathe the air of
political life, are likely to press for
ward and take leading part in
party organization.
In discussing the affairs of our
party we must let compromise, and
not insistence, be the rule. We
want to remember. in thinking upon
this subject, that in those dark days
of five years ago less than IL per
cent OF the entire population of the
state was to be found in the Repub-
lican party, and of that II per cent
about one-third was in the county of
III uoo' ANobouy NouiN DC iouhu w ~
was 'willing to dare to defy the OBJ
loquy which would be heaped upon a
man in charge of the Republican or
ganization. Why, in this city of
Denver we wanted to put out Nc
Kinley banner, and in this whole
city of Denver, do you know we
couldn't find property owners. on
opposite sides of the same street
who even dared to let us run the
ropes on their premises. Do you re-
member that we had to get Mckinley
badges by the gross because we
couldn't find merchant that would
dare to have them on sale. 1t was
not unnatural that the men who
would take charge of the affairs of
the party under the guarantee of the
seal of the government that their
business could not be injured nor
they be driven to poverty, stood to
the front to hold our primaries and
helped to conduct our convention.
Struggles of Republicanism
Complaints have been made
about unfit appointments. l will say
that there have been mistakes-a
very few. But you must remember
that when only II per cent OF the
population was left to choose from
it was not always possible to get the
best citizens. Many of the best Re-
publicans did not care to sacrifice
their personal interests to take office
under the conditions. But we did
the best we could-and l will say,
too that of all the federal office
holders now in the state of Colorado
half, if not more, are from those who
in 1896 saw fit to cast their votes
for Bryan.
"The party has seen the great
wave of popular opinion sweep away
from it. leaving it in apparent ruin
and desolation. 1t has seen the
slowly rising tide. and now it sees
the wave coming back again in anoth-
er great sweep. as the old party
comes back to its old principles. 1t
is but natural that under such cir
cumstances there should be some