Durango semi-weekly herald., 1904-11-07
FACTS AND
FIGURES BY
N. C. MILLER

| The meeting at the court house last
| evening was a testimonial OF the ap-
probation OF the home people of the
| valued services of Hon n C. Miller.
| tttorney General Republican cand-
date for reelection. home coming
| Of a distinguished citizen whose ser
vices at an opportune time are valued
by the state ind nation.
DR. McEwen presided at the meet.
ing. first introducing Chas. A. John.
son, who announced himself in thor
| ough accord with Governor Peabody
| in the policy which he had shaped
| during the past two years of troublous
times in Colorado. Mr. Johnson said
| he believed that voters at this time
should not he biased by political con.
viction. and that he believed It logi-
al to vote the whole Republican tick.
et. Mr.. Johnson won many plaudits
for his candor Of conviction, and when
he said that Mr. Harris during his four
wears In the state senate might have
better conserved the interests of his
| constituents by establishing a state
school in either La Plata or Montezu-
ma counties there was uproarious and
continued applause. Mr.. Johnson won
he confidence Of the audience at
once, and when he touched on national
'ssues his argument that all western
men should vote for Mr. Roosevelt
was accepted with marked apprecia.
lion. Mr.. Johnson, while candidate
for state senator. modestly waived his
'laims and pleaded for the success of
the national ticket and the election OF
Governor Peabody to n second term.
DR.. McEwen, on the conclusion of
Mr., Johnson's speech. said It would
not he necessary to introduce General
Miller to Durango audience. and Mr.
inner begain In an earnest and lmpas-
stoned manner to tell the people tina
he endorsed Governor Peabody in ms
official action as governor and thar
in the final settling OF the Interstate
water litigations he had won all for
Colorado ard .aiS -clntry. The unfin-
now before the office were dwelt upon
briefly.
garding the military and general ex-
penses OF the state during Governor
Peabodys administration gave a new
light to the utterances of Democratic
| orators in Durango during the past
two weeks Mr. Miller said he had
been in a position where he necessar-
| lily had to know something about these
matters and when he showed bv ac-
tual figures that Governor Peabody's
| administration. including the military
| expense. did not reach the total ex-
pense Of Governor Orman's admins
| tration by three hundred thousand dol
| lars. there was sigh. a hiss and a
| still broken by applause that held
| the speaker.
Mr.. Miller talked in such n candid
manner at his home that he Impress
| ed the people who had known him.
| Some of his hearers might have been
displeased with his utterances regard
ing the Western Federation OF Miners
He did not equivocaie by saying that
he did not know who had murdered
Arthur Collins al Telluride or who
hurled thirteen human beings into
ternity on June 9Th. but said plainly
that the Western Federation stood to
answer Mr. Miller appealed to the
sober sense of his auditors and told
them that Colorado was on trial be
fore the eyes Of the world in the pres
ent campaign; that IT was not ques-
| tion of personality or one 50 much OF
politics as Of one Of the desire OF the
people Of the state of Colorado To
maintain law and order.
Referring to the expense Of govern
ment under Mr.. Peabody's administra
tion General Miller said:
The aggregate value OF taxable
property in Colorado is $3.50. 900 900
The total expense Of the military Is
1853 900. One mill on the dollar viii
yield $350,0O Two mills will raise
100000. Thus you will observe thai
n tax of two mills would pay the debt
off in one year. Now the ordinary farm
in this county Is not valued abov,
$1,000. including all personality
Therefore the average farmer woulc
be compelled to pay only 81 to wipe
out that debt in one year Most farm
ers here would pay less than four dol
lars. The great majority of those VIII,
are talking about the burden are abl'
to figure their share by multiplying
81 by the number of thousand dollar
of valuation. In this argument have
gone upon the theory that the deb
would be paid In one year. AS a matte
of fact IT is funded into bonds and pal,
on gradually. l challenge anyone u
point any fallacy in this statement o
how heavily the debt will fall on eacl
taxpayer"
Edgar Buchanan, Of Sliverton ant
this county was the last speaker. MI
Buchanan begun by appealing to tn
selfishness OF his auditors to induc
them to vote for Theodore Roosevelt
and the Republican ticket. When h
mentioned Roosevelt. as others ha
: done there was one accord In the hous
! as there had been when the ban
: played MY Country" Mr.. Buchana
: did not stop to find better word o
expression when he discussed tn
Western Federation Of Miners. H