United labor bulletin., 1910-09-22

Last week the great Democratic party
held its Denver county and state conven-
ton in Denver, and from the Denver
county convention 2S4 votes went to the
state convention at the Auditorium last
Wednesday night pledged to the nomin-
alton of Jefferson as a candidate for
governor. Every Democrat in Denver
was represented as for Jefferson for gov
ernor, when human intelligence will tell
you that the majority want Shafroth.
But the system" worked out by the in
terests'' with the men and money, sent
to the convention majority of the dele
gates in favor of Jefferson and then
pledged the others to support what they
did not want-and what the people did
not want
The writer noticed some trades union
lists sitting with the Denver delegation
and wearing Jefferson badges; and in
quired: why, you're not for Jefferson?"
-Oh, yes; we came instructed by the con-
vention to vote for Jefferson" And some
of our lady unionists sat in the same
tier and were against Shafroth because,
they said, he had not distributed the
patronage fairly among the office-loving
women of the Democratic party.
In nominating Shafroth, Tully Scott
said: What have they got against
Shafroth? They will tell you that he
has not distributed the pie fairly among
the workers That is why he should be
reelected; because he has not bowed to
the whims of petty politicians"
And we said to one trades unionist:
why are you Democrat" and the an
swer was: I have always been a Dem
ocrat: am Democrat first, last and
all the time
When Jefferson took the platform to
thank the delegates for their support
and to tell them that he would never
again be candidate for any office, he
said: Il have always been Democrat
and always expect to be a Democrat" :"
And Colonel Irby said: I speak for
Jefferson because he has always been a
Democrat"
What folly and what nonsense. What
relief it would have been to see some
man rise in his seat and say; MT.
Chairman, l desire 10 second the NOM
inssion of Mr.. So and So because he is
first an American and second a Demo
crat; l desire to second his nomination
because he is first for his county and
second for his party; because when his
party is for his country he is for his
party, and when his country is forsaken
for party he is still for his country"
| But no, it would be political suicide
to take this position in Denver. When
you are a party man you must be par
tisan all the time.
Saturday night the Republican county
convention selected the candidates who
were TO contest for places in the lower
house, and it was done by trading and
6ickering among the ward politicians,
and We don't believe that representative
men and women can be chosen in this
way. But the delegates are bound be-
cause they are following the party and
not the principle. How ridiculous it is
for thinking people to allow politicians
to establish "a code of honor which you
are expected to follow If you are a
staunch partisan. when they exert every
energy in lending the party and its prin-
ciples to the personal ambitions of de
signing capitalists. The way delegates
to conventions are chosen is not such
as to get true representatives of the cit
izen: and We assert that the decent ele
ment should not be pledged" or voted
under the unit system when those who
desire that they be pledged have not
acted fairly in obtaining control Of the
organization that exacts the pledge.
And then came the Young Turks
championed by corporation attorneys and
fusioned with the Evans Republicans