The Lamar register., 1912-10-02
Democratic State Atlnlnlst..t,o.s


tnat the democratic convention OF
isos pledged to The people OF this
state the enactment OF various
laws which afterwards became
known as the Seven Paramounts.""
ON August 8, 1910. Gov. Shafroth.
in a message to the Seventeenth
General Assembly, which he had
called i'm extra session, said:
The fact that the General As
sembIy adjourned without enact
ing a single one of the pledges
upon which its members were elect
ed and the fact that those pledges
could not be enacted at a regular
session constitutes such. an extra
ordinary occasion as justifies the
calling of a special session of the
General Assembly"
And we here point out-th
though the Democratic Legislature
has been in session two hundred
and eighty-four days at an approx
innate cost of one thousand dollars
a day during the Shafroth admin
istration. not one OF the pledges
of the platform of that party, in
1908 or 1910, has been honestly re-
deemed. They have placed upon
the statute books no anti-pass law.
no public utilities law. nor any
effective railroad commission law,
nor any of the other pledged laws
which amount to constructive leg
islation in the Interests of the
people. The only thing which they
have attempted to do n redemp-
ton of their pledges vas to sub
NIT to the people a institutional
amendment providing ;or the fni-
tiative and referendum which Il
crude. cumbersome an expensive.
a primary law which u Democrat
ic party. In Its aasew - .hsz year
condemned and which condemna-
tion the experience of the people
will confirm. and a registration
law which permits by permanent
registration, the re-establishment of
the big Mitt" features which SO
long brought discredit upon Den
yer, and by means of which the
Democratic party so long maintain
ed itself in power.
When Governor Shafroth assum-
ed his present office. there was ap-
proximately five hundred thous-
and dollars ts5o0. .OOO) cash in the
dissipated, together with all other
moneys collected during this ad-
ministration and the state is now
facing deficit of approximately
two million dollars. This in the
face OF the fact that the revenue
of the state. amounting to over
two million eight hundred thous-
and dollars (s2.sOO. 100000, were
larger than in any similar period
In the history OF the state. The
last Democratic legislature appro-
priated nearly two million dollars
in excess of the estimated reve-
nues and the bills were signed by
the governor. Notwithstanding the
fact that he must have known that
the revenues anticipated would
not meet them. The result has
been that the state institutions
have been short of funds and have
been compelled to solicit aid from
private citizens in order to meet
actual expenses and perform the
functions for which they were Gre
ated.
Appropriations
We promise that no appropria-
tions in excess OF revenues to be
anticipated shall be made.
Good Roads
Among the most vital questions
to the people of this state is that
of good roads, and we pledge our
selves to the support and enact
ment of such legislation as will
make for the greatest advance in
the construction OF good roads of
a permanent character within the
state of Colorado. securing a prop