The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1902-10-04
Perfltly o. a state Omcial

the exponent.
Perfldy OK u State Onlcial.
Whether fusion should or should not
have prevailed at the late Democratic
stste convention has been decided in
the negative in al unlocked for, yet
emphatic manner.
Since Secretary Of State Mills indie
fenslble action regarding the letting of
the constitutional amendments. We be-
lave there Is no doubt in honest mems
minds that the convention acted wisely
ard with providential foresight in alien
atang Democracy from such question:
bie company as Mr. Mills or any that
woas,d uphold him.
By the grace OF Democratic votes,
Secretary Mills is now .dishon0ring u
high state office. II fusion had been
brought about he would almost certain
ly have been named to the same position
and gone on covering up his spots.
One Of the worst features Of fusion
was the dificulty in fixing individual or
party responsibility. With honest men
such u contingency would be minimized.
II not utterly absent, hut we cannot al-
ways reckon on the highest grade Of
conscience In public officials.
For many years MIR. Mills has fed 1t
the public crib, ostensibly l'optlist.
really Republican. and help to place
by Democratic votes through the alIi-
ancs of the silver forces. When nomi-
mated for secretary Of state, 1t was under
the pledge that the patronage of his
0(lce should be distributed among Pop
ultsts, Democrats or their allies.
The printing OF the constitutional
amendments involves HI outlay Of about
81. QUO. distributed to one newspaper in
each county. Secretary Mills was In
honor bound to give these to the fusion
papers. lie had pledged himself to do
10 when nominated and only a few
months ago reiterated that declaration
to committee OF Democratic editors.
+ The fact that fusion was not cOnsum-
mated would have made no difference
with an official holding the slightest re-
gard for his word or endowed with the
faIntest conception Of common honesty.
NJ. Mills chose to take the action of the
oonvention as q personal affrOnt and. In
Hder to revenge himself. broke his
p1edge and handed out the patronage to
hspubiiczn newspapers.
1t has been clearly established that a
portion Of the money received by these
Republican newspapers for the promot-
ing of the amendments is tO be paid into
the Republican campaign fund. Wheth-
er Mr.. Mills receives "divvy" from
this deponent saith not. but 1t would be
in keeping with his other actions.
Mr.. Mills is now a Republican. open
and avowed, and is assisting that party
with state funds to wage a campaign
against the two parties which elected
him to the Office he now holds. Never
theless his name appears on the Popu-
list state ticket for secretary OF state
and it will be interesting to know If
that party proposes to keep him there.
II SO, it will be an admission by the
Populist organization that its state tick
ct is used as decoy to deceive and di-
vert Populist voters.
The candidates on the Populist state
ticket. with the exception of Secretary
Mills, are, beyond question, conscien-
tious men and women who cannot hold
to his peculiar code Of morals. They
cannot afford to have their names asso-
ciated with him and should Insist that
it be removed.
II they fail to do this, the Populist
voters-not the Republican, but really
Populist-w know their ground and
will govern themselves accordingly.