Durango semi-weekly herald., 1905-03-09
mode from selected materials
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LEVI STRAUSS COOS
OVeTa1lyS

they have changed. front, and hold
that the omission OF the oath is a
mere irregularity. and not an essen
tial matter.
In more than 100 precincts in Den
yer the evidence shows that illIterates
were permitted to vote without TAX
ing the oath-in many cases where
they could read and write. and declar-
ed they did not need assistance, II
was nevertheless thrust upon them,
and their ballots written by some.
one else.
Attention was then turned to the
conspiracy question. Beginning with
the election OF I902-the Bonynge.
sharroth contest-and coming down
through every election since. 1t was
argued that there was an organized
gang which stole the elections, and
committed all sorts OF frauds. The
case OF billy" Green was noted, who
ran the election In Green county" in
1902 and had been in the employ of
the city and in command of the elec.
ton machinery in his district ever
since. Although the national house
of representatives. at the time Of the
Shaffroth resignation, had directed
the attention OF the Denver authori-
ties to what was disclosed by the evi-
dence in that case. not a man had
ever been punished or even indict
ed until a Republican district attor
ney came into office.
II WAS charged thai the Rush bill
was prepared, and the Rush amend
ment adopted by the Democrats as
party measure in furtherance OF the
conspiracy to rivet the cnains of the
machine upon Denver: that the char
Ter was formed, and the officers of It
named in the charter, with the sole
purpose of so solidifyfhg the power
Of the Big Mitt In the two years of
their tenure that 1t never could be
shaken on, Since the appointment
of that commission, said the speaker,
elections in Denver have been simply
matters of bookkeeping.
As to the charter election last
May. the famous News editorial was
read. in which it is directly charged
that the machine is run ny criminals
thieves. ballot box suffers, and such
persons. VINO were instructed to kill
inybody who interferred with them.
and assured OF protection for what
aver crimes they might commit-and
word from Frank Adams would stop
it all.
Can leopard change his spots In
fix months?" asked Mr.. Waldron
If the machine was run by that sort
II monsters in May. how came they
20 be saints in November-for the
\dams answer and the News claim
hat there was no fraud in the fall
lection
Chief Delaney received the next at
tention. the famous meeting in
kopper's hall was mentioned. at
which the chief called a convention
If crooks. and told them to go down
the line on election day, as they had
lone before, and they would be pro-
tected.
Then Frank Adams himself came In
for scoring. The supreme court
had ordered him TO instruct his men
% see that a fair election was held;
Nhe evidence shows that the police as
sisted in many precincts in the COM
mission of crimes against the fran
chise; why has not Frank Adams
come on the stand and explained II,
and told whether he carried out the
mandate of the court. and why, II he
did, those Offenders on the force have
not been dismissed?
A conspiracy extending over sever
al years having been proved. atten-
iion was called next to the fact that
he law was violated in many pre-.
cincts-and In nearly all of the Sc
sought to be saved by the Griffith re
port-in that the judges were not of
different political parties. II was
shown by contestees own evidence
in many cases. that the alleged Re
publican judges were either Demo
Gratis. or Adams partisans who were
even more bitter against Peabody
than the Democrats themselves. In
preparing his report. Mr.. Grifith had
up doubt oyprlDolad tho crna -. v a ~, ~,
alton OF contestees witnesses. which
showed conclusively that in 40 out of
these sc precincts the election was SO