Durango semi-weekly herald., 1903-01-01
RUSH AM ENDM ENT.

been filed i'll the suit attacking the
tonstitutlonality oil the Rush bill.
ne points raised are very numer.
Gus and it Will be impossible to give
them all.
Inc Hrst point raised by Senator
Whitford is that few people under
stood the import and extent OF the
Dill, and few even now comprehend it,
a remarkable feature is that 1t con
lers governmental powers In the city
ol Denver, without restriction or lin
itation, while the people OF the state
elsewhere are limited by the constitu-
ton Few people realized that in vo-
ting for this bill. they removed all
barriers to Indebtedness in Denver.
Few people now realize that the Coun-
" and City OF Denver has a voice
In the election OF 15 members of the
legislature to legislate for all Colora-
rado outside OF Denver but who can
e>not !egislate for Denver at all The
Rush bill takes this power from the
: legislature and puts ii exclusively in
the hands of the people OF Denver
Vet this amendment was so construct
ed as to leave Is members to the peo.
pie Of Denver who can say what Du-
range should do, but Durango cannot
have any voice in determining laws
which affect the municipality of Den
YER 1t thus appears that the method
ol submitting the bill was deceptive
ana misleading. 1t was called home
rule, and few people understood that
they We're voting Tor anything beyond
this.
Few people understood that they
were forcing the small towns includ-
ed within the scope of the bill to come
into Denver whether they SO desired
or not, and assume the burden OF the
heavy taxes of Denver Few people
understood that this bill cut off frac-
tions from outside county of jet
ferson and annexed it to Denver, with
out the consent of Jefferson. The
number of constitutional provisions
which the Rush bill changed are four
teen, and hardly voter realized they
were violating the rights OF any per
son in voting home rule for Denver.
Moreover, while the powers of Du-
range are limited and fixed by the leg
islature. the powers OF Denver are un-
limited by the Rush bill. Why can
the people of Denver be trusted with
self-governnent and not the people of
I Durango?
.s Of q arse. the writer of the brief
lCr. nrosr rmean that the criminal and
as'Vil ~ OF the state do not apply
RIO Denver. but he means as to all mu-
xpiTinu1 tl,o nF
city are left wide open to do what
they please, while in every other city
they are circumscribed in power.
Anything like stability in the gov
ernment of Denver is wanting under
the Rush bill. Five per cent OF the
voters can compel the question OF call
ing a new charter convention at any
general election, while ten per cent
can compel the calling OF a special
election at which will be submitted
the question of calling charter con
yention. Now all these new features
OF Denvers government, alter the old
features OF the constitution. The
question is: To how many articles OF
the constitution has the Rush bill
submitted amendments? Do the peo-
pie realize how many they changed
when they voted for it? The referen-
dun as revealed by this bill and its
comprehension by the people is an un-
mitigated fraud. The people voted
for one feature of the bill and cared
little 10 know what merits many 9th
er features possessed. A few catch
words were sufficient to entlce them.
Even the bar of this state did not
comprehend what powers to Denver
we're granted by the amendment. The
whole scheme Of this bill was to get
Denver out OF the control of the rest
OF the state. but to allow Denver fif
teen representatives and four sena-
tors to NEEDLE with the affairs of the
state outside of Denver While the
bill says the mill levy for state pur-
poses aud the laws relating to the
collection OF state taxes shall remain
IN in iqct, 1t says nothing about as
-SmUutS. Home rule was the small
lest feature of the bill. 1t should
have been entitled "A bill to give Den
yer unrestricted power Of municipal
government and an unlimited license
To participate in the affairs OF all
other cities in the state" Whether
this bill is to be attributed to tho
Smooth Thomas Patterson or 10 the
yerdant Senator Rush, may occupy
curious minds. but the solution will
never alter tie fact that the bill
amends at least thirteen important
sections in different articles of the
state constitution. We therefore
have one constitution for Denver, and
another for the rest of the state Did
the pcunle intend this by their vote
and do they even now know what
changes they made for Denver anc
left unchanged rs to every other city
If they do not 50 understand. and it Is
certain they do not-then where is
the hoasted merit in your boasted ref
ornn,!uai"