The Idaho Springs siftings-news. (Idaho Springs, Colo.) 1905-19??, 1908-09-26
1t was q situation in which there


on the side Of law and order. but the
Democratic party as party. desiring
the votes which might be controlled
by the leaders Of the Western Fedora
ton was willing to compound with vio-
lence. intimidation. murder and the use
OF dynamite In order to elect their
candidates. When therefore the Su-
preme Court interfered and upheld the
governor OF the state in the exercise
of his constitutional rights, violent
assault was made upon him and upon
the Republican party by the Demo-
cratic press, and the Democratic party
ever since that time has held a griev-
ance against the Supreme Court for its
action in that affair.
The Big Mitt Suppressed.
Prior to the election OF 1904, 1t had
been customary in the city Of Denver
for a certain political and criminal or
ganization known as the big Mitt,"
which included a number Of the city
officials, to manipulate the ballot boxes
in that city in such a way as to show
large majority Gas large as might be
necessary for the Democratic party.
The first official exposure of the op-
erations of this criminal organization
was made in the contested election
case Of Bonynge against Shafroth be-
fore the House of Representatives in
Washington. 1t was evident that the
same methods which had been used in
1902 in that case and in 1903 in the
election for Supreme Court justice
would be repeated in 1904 unless effrc
tual methods to prevent it were EN-
ployed. Although the evidence In the
Bonynge-Shafroth contest had been
published there had been no punish
ment of the perpetrators Of the out
RACES. They had come to believe them
selves immune. and were prepared to
repeat their performances at the cleo
tons In 1904.
In this state Of affairs 1t was de-
cided that an appeal to the Supreme
Court was the only remedy. The idea
Of such an appeal had been suggested
the previous spring and its legality
vouched for by Senator Thomas M.
Patterson, who was then, through his
newspapers, supporting the Republi-
can candidate for mayor Of Denver and
who then suggested that the Supreme
Court should take jurisdiction OF the
election and should prevent the frauds
which were expected and which, in
fact, occurred on the part OF the Demo-
Gratis. The Republicans appeared be-
fore the Supreme Court a week before
election; their petition rehearsed the
political history of this state during the
preceding two years, including the
Shafroth case and the Speer election :
1904 and the fact that no ballot box
suffer or thief had ever yet been pun
ished. 1t alleged an existing conspir-
acy among the various defendants to
repeat these frauds and asked for an
Injunction directed to the several re-
spondents comprising the judges OF
election In various precincts, the fire
and police board. the sheriff. the chief
OF the fire department, the members Of
the election commission, the chairman
OF the Democratic central committee Of
the city and county OF Denver. and the
chairman Of the Democratic state CEN
trail committee, ordering them to allow
q free and fair election. to allow Re-
publican judges, challengers and clerks
to act In the several capacities given
them by the law, and, finally, to allow
two officers appointed by the Supreme
Court at the nomination Of the petition
er to attend at each polling place and
to report to the Supreme Court what
occurred at the polling place during the
day. The Supreme Court granted the
petition, and in accordance with 1t two
watchers were appointed for each Of
the suspected precincts.
- Big Stick for the Big Nit.
Notwithstanding these precautions
the criminal organization known as the
big Mitt" went through Its ordinary
performances, intimidated voters,
stuffed ballot boxes, voted gangs OF
repeaters, and committed many other
kinds OF frauds. The watchers ap
pointed by the Supreme Court duly re-
ported these matters and the court
ordered the boxes from eleven pre-
cincts to be opened and examined in
its presence. The result of this exam
ination showed that in these eleven
precincts at least 1866 fraudulent bal
lots had been cast, and the returns from
these precincts were ordered by the
court to be thrown out OF the count.