Rocky Ford enterprise., 1905-03-24
ALvA ADAMS ADDRESS
INDUCES IN PLAIN LANGUAGE
Former Governor Declares That He
Was unseated by a Conspiracy.
-Resents Being Robbed.


IA statement of which the following ex'
tracts present the substance:
To The People OF Colorado:
Force has triumphed. 4 brutal ma
jority placed in the governors chair
man the people repudiated, Ninety
fiye per cent. OF Colorado's citizens
know that Peabody was not elected.
All Of those connected with the crime
know II.
Defeated at the polls. tn. conspira-
tors started In November 9Th To seat
the beaten candidate. Every con
scicnc"lcss engine Of corruption and
prossuT" has been used. Foil.d In
their attempt to override tn. consti'
tuition and hold Peabody In his seat.
fake contest was inausuratsd. This
failed OF Its purpose. ar enough R-pub'
iican members would not forfeit their
manhood by voting for man that the
testimony. as well as the election re-
turns. said was not elected. Tn. re-
volt was dangerous: Il was clear that
Peabody could not be seated. \ new
sehcm. must be devised. no that CO.
terie OF Christian utility statesmen.
HcaTnc. Shccdy. Chappcli and Evans.
met In thc Majestic building Wcdncs'
day evening and CAV. birth To the last
plan In tn. ignobl. conspiracy OF steal
Ing the Iovcrnorship. Representatives
Of the anti.Pcabody Republicans wer"
Invited. A resignation Of Peabody was
offered and the voucher OF the political
purity quartet was given that II was
genuine and that he would abide by II.
a man who had held the great Office
Of governor 40 dcbaEcd himself as To
promise To resign Mt command u they
would seat him but for day. This
a m
was not elected: and one that an hon
est man. honestly elected. would rather
dic than give. Peabody In entitled to
the position for two years or h. IN not
entitled to II for one hour. We nrc
given the spectacle Of "a man not
elected being placed In Office for day
that he may resign In favor OF man
who was never a candidate.
The Mcdonald promotion scheme
appealed to few who would not vote
for Peabody. but were reluctant To
aid Democrat.
In the eyes of the nation Colorado
has been disgraccd. We have won the
contempt Of frccmen everywhere. BY
command OF corporations usurpcr
has been placed In the executive chair
IA new record In political infamy has
been made.
The greatest anarchists and the
most dangerous are often the no.party.
no.conscicncc heads OF great corpora
tionS. who use the money and influence
coming from the franchises TINT are
gifts OF the people to control lcgisla.
tion: to dictate the personnel OF
courts and officials. to corrupt the bal.
lot.
They stand high In church and So
cicty: they dronc their prayers with
regularity: they are the holy Willies"
the ''holicr than thou pOliticians-no
publican of old more pious and self
satisfied. They are full OF homilies on
political virtue: they preach morality
and practice treason: their purse IL
open to the church and to the political
corruptionist and lobbyist with equal
libcrnlity.
The investigation proved that. where
under control OF corporate influences.
the outrages against the franchise and
the election law were so gross rs to
make Denver repeating and fraud
seem almost respectable. They pre-
ferred even the disgrace OF an empty
ballot box to the shameless story that
he falsifled books and ballots would
reveal.
Under Gods law. II not mans. the
workman who. to save his job and earn
mand to polluts the ballot. is not half
so guilty and criminal as the employer
who coerces him. enfold more wicked
IS the priest who violates the COM
mandments than Is his lowly follower
who forgets.
am calm and moderate in my
statements. but l do not ueny feel.
ing of intense resentment ut being
robbed. From my soul feel outraged
at being the victim of conspiracy
that has brought ill.fame and discredit
TO Colorado.
To the world I would say that the
majority of the Legislature does not
represent the people of Colorado any
more than falsehood represents truth:
than Lucifer speaks for the angels.
Fearing to offend the great companies
who in this campaign furnished their
party with the largest corruption fund
ever used in the West, the majority of
the Legislature basely surrendered. 1t
was an act of political and moral cow
ardce in which the people had no part.
Had this contest been tried upon
merit and evidence, It would have been
dismissed at the end of the contestor's
phantom testimony. Faith in two
thirds partisan majority was all that
kept it alive. No honest cause should
require the means employed. Their
overwhelming political majority was
a guarantee that had their case been
halfway fair and decent there would
have been no need to employ money,
coeccion, lobbyists. No occasion to
threaten Republican members with SO.
cial ostracism, business ruin. political
oblivion or to present tricky resigna-
tions.
1t was a dishonorable victory dishon-
orably won. Let those responsible look
over the cost in cash and in deed and
see If they dare give the account to the
public eye.
| want to stand an honest man be-
fore the people of Colorado. Better
lundred times n private citizen. than !