The La Jara chronicle., 1909-04-09
How 1t Happened and Why. Patterson. the Great
Democratic Scold. Discredits His Party Always.
BY F. a. McClelIand. Legislative special
writer


writer.
Denver, April Wreckage is
all that is left of the 18th general
assembly and whether it will pay
the Democrats to try and save
some salvage is question. When
the assembly came to an end
Monday night at midnight, the
last of the bills that had been
called the platform pledges of
the Democrats had just been in
tered. Some of these were per-
mitted to exist until the very last
moment, notable the bank guar
antee bill, the primary election
bill and that calling for a more
stringent administration by the
railroad commission. No one had
any real hopes that one of these
measures had the remotest chance
to become a law, life was kept in
them merely as means of occupy
ing the time. Every other bill in
the class of platform promises had
been slaughtered so early-given
so small chance for life, that the
Legislature feared to be too sum-
mary with the three named.
But the fact of the matter is, in
explanation of all the things the
18th general assembly failed to do,
that it did not have right good
chance to do anything. 1t was SO
handicapped from the start, that
predictions of the action on every
bill were possible during the first
week, and many of them were
made What more could be ex-
pected of Speer ticket elected on
"A Patterson platform? That is,
the forces supporting and govern
ed by Mayor Robert Speer of
Denver were in charge of the state
convention of the Democrats last
fall, and they permitted T. Nj.
Patterson to write the platform.
He wrote it in his own way, speak
ing highly of those things he
favors, and the convention good
naturedly adopted the platform.
But at the time the men placed on
the ticket were not in sympathy
with the principles and doctrines
promulgated, nor were they in
sympathy with the man who wrote
them.
All the Patterson publications
after the state convention praised
Mr.. Patterson for his success in
forcing on the convention plat
form that majority of its men,
bers did not wish. At that time
there was no one to peer far
enough into the future to know
what the platform would do to
those elected on the ticket. There
was no one to warn the leaders
that in the April following the
man who wrote the platform would
be trying to read out Of the Dem
ocratic party everyone not in full
accord with it, that he would use
the columns of his paper to abuse
to the utmost those members of
bis own party who were elected on
his own platform. Yet such is
the case. Not only at the close of
the sessions of the assembly, but
through all the days of his life,
Mr.. Patterson has castigated legis-
lators chosen by his own party.
1t is not to be supposed that Re-
publicans would entirely escape,
though Mr.. Patterson was kept
pretty busy by the Democrats.
The whole of the Conejos county
delegation has fallen under the
displeasure of Senator Patterson,
who has no words too strong to
apply y to them. The sum of their
otfense is that they do not agree
with the Senator on many matters
of public concern, and MIR. Patter-
son sees in any opposition to his
views a traitor to the nennle to the