The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-12-26
BIG STEAL
 IS PLI<NED
 --y :. Republicans San to Gust
 Adams. MASS MEETINGS HELD Better Element of Party Con-
 demnS Policy. Controlling the Legislature, Friends of Peabody Intend to Fix Courts and Committees for His

Denver. Col. Dec. 25.--If the fif- teenth General Assembly of Colorado. which is to meet on Wednesday. Janu- ary 5, shall effectuate the plans for mulated by the managers of the Re- publican st-election campaign Gov ernor James H. Peabody, may serve as chief executive of this State for two years more, despite the fact that Alva Adams still has nearly 10000 plurality since the votes of the five Denver pre- cincts were thrown out bodily by or der of the Supreme Court in conse- ouence cf fraud exposed in contempt proceedings against election officials.
 There will be Republican majority of thirty or more in the General As- sembly which will canvass the vote for State officers. It Is proposed to have the General Assembly appoint a spe- cial contest committee of nine to twelve members, to which will be sub mitted the evidence of the wholesale election frauds in Denver. and possibly some other counties which evidence the Republican committees have been collecting ever since the election.
 The Republican managers maintain that with the fraudulent vote of Den yer eliminated. Governor Peabody will have at least 1000 plurality in this County and of 2,000 in the State. These politicians do not intend that the legal votes shall be sifted from the illegal and then counted or that the Legislature shall reject the entire vote of Denver County, because to do this would not accomplish their purpose to reseat Peabody. but they purpose that about 1,S00 Democratic precincts shall be thrown out on the ground of al- 1. Republican precincts shall be counted They assert that the Supreme Court has established a precedent for pro- cedure.
 This radical program Is opposed by some conservative Republican leaders including Judge N. Walton Duxon of Pueblo and Dr.. John Grass of Trini- dad, and until the Legislature meets and takes action. 1t cannot be known certainly whether Peabody or Adams will be Governor for the next two years. The Democratic leaders are preparing to contest vigorously the at- tempt to reseat Peabody. Partisan mass meetings are to be held in Dem yer. Pueblo and other cities, to pro- test against the line of action mapped out for the Legislature by the Repub- lican leaders. The Liberty League. a political organization of union work ing men, is also preparing to take an active part In the efforts that will be made to defeat the attempt to con- tinue Governor Peabody in office.
 The Democratic managers declare that there Is a monstrous conspiracy behind the disclosures of fraud shown in contempt proceedings before the Supreme Court. They say that the punches of spurious ballots, all in one handwriting. found in the boxes from different precincts, could not have been placed in the boxes on election day without having been observed by the watchers and they charge that the boxes have been tempered with since election, legal votes being abstracted and spurious ballots substituted there- for. No proof in support of these as- sertions have been presented, but it is pointed out that the boxes were left unwatched for two days after being delivered to the election commission. and that for another day were in charge of only two Republican watch CTS.