Durango semi-weekly herald. (Durango, Colo.) 1899-1907, 1903-10-15

supposed to be studying too hard for
his health. A slim. frail. bright little
girl, not In the least like the Prescott
damsel. Well. like the squire's son
in the English ballad.
when he had been gone seven long
long years.
And never his soul did see.
She has cost me many tear he
said.
Who never thinks of me- -
So he went home and married Miss
Bessie r.. Herbst. and settled down to
spend the rest OF his days in Pitts
burg, which is coming to be known
as the Pueblo of the east. He went
Into business there-I think 1t had
something to do with gas. and this
may account for the fact that he
shares Won Moltke's ability to keep ST
lent in seven different languages
When 1893 hit Plttsburg 1t hit II hard
or than 1t did its western prototype.
People starved to death there, and
Rider made up his mind he'd rather
die where there was more room, and
he came west again. Since 1896 he
has been voting at Rico. and has TAX
en- an active part in politics Living
in territory, he cast his first vote at
presidential election in 1883 when he
went back to Pittsburg. and he natur-
ally feels that he has lot of lost
time TO make up for. and / believe 1t
was in Pittsburg that he got lean
ing toward the Republican band wag-
on. In the days of his youth he had
been Democrat. and carried a torch
light which somehow failed to light
Seymour and Blair into the White
House. but-''a man loves the meat
in his youth that he cannot endure in
his age" and like Benedick, at the
mature age of seven or thereabout he
did not think to live to be Republi-
can Singularly enough, and not very
logically, he left the Democratic par
ty after the adoption of the Chicago
platform, though he was then. is now
and always expects to be silver man.
But he was convinced that even in
the event of the election of Bryan,
nothing could or would be done look
ing toward the reconciliation of
silver, and in this. he was probably
quite correct. He believes that the
only hope for the white metal lies in
an international agreement, and has
been doing his noble best to bear out
every argument of the silver people
by increasing the volume OF money in
the world
He made his choice between the
tttt No. h.N .,fI
experience east and west. The Demo-
crazy seemed to make an appeal 10
the disconnected and unsuccessful.
The Republican party seemed to offer
prosperity and to promise It's contlnu-
ance and he decided to cast his lot
with IL.
Rico is. believe, the county seat of
Dolores county. 1t is south of Ophir
where the railroad runs over tracks
laid crosswise of altitude, and the
nervous traveller sees his finish every
second for quarter of an hour.
above those walls the crags lean
over,
Below they dip to the rivers bed;
Between, fierce winged creatures
hover.
Beyond. the plains wild waste is
spread"
1t is in the center of what Stanley
Wood calls the sad Southwest" and
while | have heretofore pointed out
the fact that the western slope is to
be reckoned with in all political plans
hereafter, the southwest is good deal
more insistent upon this point than
the middle or northwest.
Not to mince matters, the Republi-
cans from that section say not only
that the Western slope is to have, the
next governor but they say also that
Percy Rider is to be the man He has
served a term as county superintend-
ent. which is an office that pays the
princely salary of 500 in Dolores
county, and he has been elected may
or of Rico several times. AS mayor
he appoints all the heads of depart
ments, and has control of the fire
and police and street cleaning bri-
gade and there is no civil service,
In 1900 he was given the nomination
for lieutenant governor. an empty
honor at best, and In that year 1t
amounted to nothing but an oppor-
tunity to pay an assessment. A year
ago he might have had the same nom
ination-if he had l wonder how the
senatorial siege would have been con-
ducted-but he is not an office seek
er. nor perennial candidate. He
isn't out cunning for the gubernatorial
nomination. and would probably dread
campaign, but he knows he can have
the support of pretty much the whole
of Colorado from Chama up to Grand
Junction for anything he wants, and
that section wants him to want the
governors chair.
He is classed with the anti-Wolcott
Republicans, though it does not seem
to me he belongs there. His position
is the very antithesis of Senator De
Longs, who is called Wolcott man.
with no personal leaning toward the
ex-senator, Rider admires Wolcott
immensely. and thinks of him as the
greatest leader the Republicans have
had; nevertheless, he supported the
Farley branch in the sensational fra
cas-, while saying all the time that
Wolcott had perfect right to be
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