Rocky Ford enterprise., 1909-01-01
GINGER .SNHPS
BY 20. II. T."

'~S'~~~SS~"S'~-S'S-s~ s'SNS>>SSSS'SSN>SSN
A Main street merchant who was a
loser in the State Bank stopped me
the other day to ask: "Why don't
you set the Denver Republican right
on its report of your speech at the
Depositors meeting" want to say
that if l had been 80 concerned
about being misunderstood / shouldn't
have opened my mouth in that meet
ing. Life is too short to spend very
much of it explaining yourself. In
the case Of the Republican there was
no wish to understand me: there was
only a wish to twist something of
what ] said into a seeming defense of
the convicted bank president. And
there ist no defense of him possible.
1t was the fair fame of my fellow
citizens of Otcro county that led me
to file gentle protest against oppos-
ing the state Executives elemeney
il he saw fit to exercise it. I paid
tribute to the intelligent forbearanec
of the "eople who have suffered 20
outragcously by Godding's and
Smiths cold-blooded appropriation OF
the pcople's savings. Had they bro
ken into Our houses and carried off
the booty nobody would have been,
blamed for shooting them down with
the loot in their hands. That they
were left to the due process of lsSps
sDcaks much for the people who were
so villainously- -wronged. Perhaps I
was expecting too much when suE-
gcsted that they make no protest
against Godding's pardon. >.
And yet do not see how We can
better putting the state Executive on
his nonor as defender of the COM
mon rights of the people than by
leaving the case in his hands. 1t is
not reasonable to suppose that he is
not well-informcd on the facts. And,
il he is not. it is surely his duty to
inform himself on a matter SO vital
to the moral wcll-bcing of the COM
monwcalth he temporarily rules over.
II We ever had Governor who made
bcrnatorials office, it is the present
Executive. He told US in his cam
paign speeches that he came off his
ministerial pedestal and entered the
low arena Of politics because he felt
it his duty to help purify our political
atmosphere and assist in the square
deal inauguratcd by his much ad-
mired and truly admirable cxcmplar
President Roosevelt. And this is
surely one of the places where he can
get in his work. II he fails to do so
We'll. he will certainly strengthen
the already widespread suspicion that
he represents nothing but the vested
interests Of that oligarchy of wealth
which has combined to make the term
Commonwealth such a misnomcr
for the state of Colorado. He will
~ive.a seeming justification to man
who was hand-and-glov with the men
who used their vast wealth to corrupt
the electorate of this state and there
by pcrpctuatc the special privileges
they enjoy. On the other hand. we
the people OF Otcro county, would do
ourselves credit by standing on our
dignit~. losers though VIC arc. and
leaving the Governor to sustain. on
his own free motion the law and the
justice we have quite calmly (consid
cring the magnitude OF the provoca-
tion) and by due process enforced.
am not insisting that there is any
thin~ seriously wrong in making the
protest against Godding's pardon. 1t
certainly leaves the Governor without
the excuse that he did not know the
facts in the case: but it rather un-
wisely assumes that the Governor has
declared his intention to pardon;
thing that he could hardly do without
giving the depositors fair warning
and formal hearing. On this point
do not recall that we have had
anything but the rumors of the sem
sational dail'' press.
And then it strikes me. too. that
the press has made altogether too
much of the my friend Godding"
phrase. II the Governor ever has
plausible excuse 1t will be the person
al friendship plea: for the partisan
rcss has cvrta.Ily manufactured the
popular iwurcssiun that Godding is
sort OF SiamcSc twin to the Gov
cruor- and il tErrc is anything that
can be made to 90 as justification -.
clcmcncy il i, that admirable quality
Of fidelity 90 friend. We sometime.
admire an uuswcry: ing devotion to
even bad cause. And the Governor