Durango semi-weekly herald., 1905-02-27
DENVER lETTERS
-

Denver FeD- 20, 1905.
The contest committee simply met
and adjourned this afternoon. The
attorneys are preparing briefs, or
findings. which may be ready tomor-
row. The evidence Is all in. All that
remain7 Is the preparation OF the
majority and minority reports, which
probably will be based on the find-
lngs as prepared by the attorneys.
Meantime. six NOR. OF the election
crooks have came up In the district
court and plead guilty. That makes
nine that have "fessed up" 30 far.
Among the crimes so confessed have
been: Making false returns, permit
ting and encouraging the casting OF
illegal ballots: repeating, voting on
false registration, and the prepara-
tion beforehand OF large numbers Of
Democratic ballots to be substituted
on election day for the legal ballots
in the boxes.
These confessions throw q light on
part of the Adams answer. Contes-
tee denies that anybody entered into
any conspiracy, either to pad regis
tration lists, make false returns, pre-
pare false ballots, or do anything
wrong. He denies that any repeating
was done for him; that the judges
made any wrong returns; that any
ballots were prepared by anybody be-
forehand; that there WAS an stufiing:
that anybody was paid on his behalf
or on behalf OF tne Democratic par
ty to do anything wrong at all--in
fact alleges that the election In Den
yer was absolutely fair in every re-
spect. Here Is one OF the specifica-
tions in the answer:
Denies that in each or any Of the
precincts set forth In the statement
OF contest. or in any precinct Of the
City and County Of Denver there
were any frauds or illegalities in the
conduct of the said election had or
done by or with the consent, procure
ment and connivance OF the Judges
of election or clerks of election in
charge Of the said election in each or
all or any OF the said precincts or by
any otner person or persons whatso-
ever, or that there were any acts OF
ohcial illegality or fraud or corrup-
| ton upon the part OF said Judges or
clerks OF election. or any OF them, in
the said several precincts OF the City
and County OF Denver or any of the
precincts mentioned In the statement
rect object or view or any view or OBJ
ject Of defrauding the confession or Of
benefiting the contestee"
There are many other allegations in
the answer equally explicit in deny
ing that any form OF wrong-doing
was used on election day. The de-
| nial. II is to be observed. Ia not that
contestee was ignorant Of any wrong
doing; but positively that no wrong
was done for his benent or on his be-
I half or on benalf OF the Democratic
1 party. by any one whatever. In view
of the fact that about nifty crooks
are now in jail. sent there by the su-
preme court and by the district court
and that at least nine Of them have
plead guilty OF confessed, these allie
cations In the Adams answer seem
strange.
Noteworthy also is the further fact
| tnht no eViuehce Whatever Who NJ
tempted to be introduced by the Ad
ans attorneys In regard to ~ pre-
cincts in Denver wherein fraud hat
been charged by the Republicans
Those precincts must be regarded ~
having been owned up to by the Dem
ocrats.
In regard to II other precincts
some evidence was introduced. bu
not enough to convince anybody tina
the election was honest in those pre-
cincts. In other words. fraud ha
been conclusively shown In at leas
Sc precincts In the City OF Denver
fraud Of such character and such
variety. and with sucn clear evidenc
Of coilusion on the part Of the eleS
. ton ofiicials, that II is impossible L