The Glenwood post., 1912-07-06
PRINTERS FAVOR
STATE EcoNatY
Continued from page one)

| direct leg islation possible could not
have been passed, is the Direct Legis-
lation league, otherwise and more prop
erly termed Shafroth's Direct Agita
! tion league. This league is composed
| OF little band of disgruntled Denver
politicians, fathered and boosted by
the present governor Of the state and
in reality organized for the purpose of
landing "Honestjohn" in the United
| States senate.
This little band Of patriots evolved
the bright" scheme of giving the
people publicity concerning all initiat-
ed and referred bills by means Of the
pamphlet system, thus doing away
with all newspaper notices and expend-
ing the vast amount of state money
with one firm of Denver printers in
stead of allowing it to be divided up
and portion of it spent with the
newspapers of each county, thus find
ing its way into the channels of trade
throughout the state. 1t is openly
charged that prominent in the mem
bership Of this league are number Of
the big Denver job printers who, by
reason of their claims that they are
the only ones who have the facilities
for the speedy execution of SO large
pamphlet job as would be required
would make strong demand for this
pamphlet work.
Last January the state editorial as
sociation (non-partisan) met in Denver
and took steps to clip the wings Of
this organization of self f-styled bene-
factors of the people. The first plan
of the editors was to initiate bill
providing for the publication of all
initiated and referred laws twice in
two papers in each county. This plan,
it was found upon investigation, would
| probably cost little more than the
plan proposed by Shafroth's mutual
admiration society although it would
give a much better publicity.
However, the editors wanted to he
| fair and reasonable and show their op-
ponents that when it came down 20
brass tacks and a question of philan-
thropy they were some shakes them
selves. Consequently they authorized
a committee to prepare bill to be in
| itiated at the coming election providing
for the publication of all initiated and
referred bills ONE TINE in two pa
pers of opposite political belief III
each county This will make the cost
to the taxpayers much less than by the
proposed almanac plan of Shafroth :
Busybodies and besides will give these
measures twice the publicity, but as to
publicity that is something which ap-
parently the Denver crowd wishes to
avoid.
At all events the newspaper men
have filed with the secretary of state
the necessary petitions providing Tor
the publication of measures in two
papers only in each county and in only
one issue of said papers.
One of these petitions was circulat-
ed in Glenwood the past week and the
Post man found only two people who
refused to sign it. One of these is a
socialist who wants the most possible
for everything he does and yet be
grudges everyone else, especially the
printer, decent compensation for what
he may be called upon to do for the
public. The other is man who be-
lieves that legislation should come
through elected legislatures and who
every one Of the proposed laws and
therefore and for this reason only has
not signed any of the numerous petit
tions that have been presented having
to do with what is called direct iegis-
lation.
The Post has every reason for pre-
dieting that the petition initiated by
the newspaper men will carry at the
coming election, first because the
slight recompense it provides is but
| simple justice or rather it is less than
! justice to the representatives of th'
press to whom every community in the
state is greatly indebted and second,
because the plan proposed by the edit
ors will work a great saving to the
| taxpayers over the other plan pro
posed and third, because it provides
for greater and better publicity and
distributes the money of the state in
the different communities instead of
giving it to one gigantic printing com
bine in the city of Denver.