Durango semi-weekly herald., 1904-12-15
THE NEW PUBLIC sENTiMENT
THAT'S CURING DENVER


THAT'S CURING DENVER
1t is now undeniable that even the
most substantial recent Democratic
,majorities in Denver were SO hugely
fraudulent that, with fair ballot and
and honest count. the city would have
gone Republican. not by bare major
ity but by margain as substantial
as the alleged Democratic victories.
Even those who thought they knew
all about the extent OF the frauds
have been surprised by the disclos-
ures. The enormity of the thing is
rendered vastly plain by the ire
sistible realization that fifty precincts
like precinct 10. ward I, would mean
10000 phOny votes-ONLY FIF~T =
PRECINCTS. II all the ballot boxes r
possession of the gang were stuffe
on the mere average of the stuffing
disclosed by the supreme court, there
is no denying that the fake vote is
something like 15,000-the figure that
John w. Springer, candidate for may
or asserted to be the extent of the
frauds in the spring election.
1t was generally believed that the
fake vote, in the city election, did
not exceed 5000. In the recent gen
eral election. the phony ballots were
believed to have been cut down to
$500 or 5000 But the opened ballot
boxes show that the apparently most
exaggerated figures were nearer the
mark 1t was believed that, though the
allot boxes were stuffed against him
nevertheless Springer honestly got the
worst Of the campaign. There can now
be no doubt that he was honestly
elected and that Mayor Speer has no
more right to the mayors chair than
Shaffroth to the seat in congress he
resigned
The only editorial declaration OF
The Post-though its assertions were
called grossly exaggerated-that hit
the full Of the mark, was the repeated
declaration that the counterfeit cleo
tions returns of Denver were the
worst in the land and the most bold |
and brazen public evil in existence.
I; makes no difference what frauds |
were committed elsewhere in the |
state. or for what party, the point |
is that Denver must be purged Of an |
evil that poisoned its public morals |
and civic pride and dragged the city |
down. That is the point
Nothing illustrates better the deg
relation of the thing than the editor /
ial statement of Senator Patterson |
that the Democratic party had with /
held reputation of the crimes for /
the sake of party harmony in sin |
hope that honest methods would be /
quietly substituted" He says it was 4
a great mistake to try and hold tnel
state Democratic through the Den
yer ballot box stufring machine. In
other words, the conditions had come
TO pass that men were willing to ac
cept and hold Office they knew to have
been fraudulently won; they were |
willing to coolly take what did not be-
long to them; indeed. to take stolen |
goods. and feel that they were really /
honorable if they secretly deplored |
the crimes and hoped they would be
bolished-I4ATER-th is. after \
they had benefited 1t is the internal
lying and hypocrisy that was the
worst as, for example, Patterson's /
confession about the frauds. In the
same breath that he admits their
grossness-and that grossness is what /
the opening Of this article outlines
he insists that Adams majority is
lO,O0O-the figures that include the
frauds.
That's politics. And politics has not
some thing for publication because |
the persons of infunece are now on
one side and now on the other. The |
new public sentiment is the cure
the new public sentiment that de-
,mands the cleansing of this city of |
most foul stigma and blight. regard |
less of politics. regardless of anything
except that Denver must be purged of |
the blood poison that has paralyzed
its energies and dulled its spirits
Denver Post.