United labor bulletin., 1912-05-02
WHAT THE SITUATION MEANS TO WORKERS.

SOME oI ne fcn men OF the city over control OF tne
city for the coming four years. The fight is led
by Thomas NJ. Patterson of the Rocky Mountain
News and Bonfils and Tammen of the Denver Post
against the city administration and the interests
that back of the officials The Post is interested
in the campaign because William G. Evans of the
Tramway company owns the Denver Times of which
Robert w. Speer is editor, and the management of
the Post feels that it must take the administration
of city affairs away from the management owners
of the Times before it successfully be the great
est newspaper and WELD the greatest power in the
city and state.
Ex-senator Patterson is in the campaign be-
cause it has been his ambition in life to live
until r. w Speer and the present machine has been
dethroned from political power. The above are
the two strongest forces in what is known as the
reform or Citizens party movement. Other reform
elements have attached themselves to the movement
because they see IN the campaign a possible chance
to change city government that has not suited the
religious forces of the city.
The Post more than any other thing is re-
sponsjble for the conditions that it is fighting
The management of the Post has supported the city
administration until the last few months Tor until
the recent purchase of the Times), and it was one
of the strong influences behind the election of Simon
Guggenheim to the United States senate but it has
recently found itself caught in the sef-woven web
and it is making fight to release itself The
Post is attacking the bipartisan machine while it
this machine that made the great news
paper possible
The Citizens party is made up of voters drawn
from the Republican and Democratic parties While
the old parties have been sitting idly by the Cti-
zens people through the three newspapers that
supporting the party have attacked everybody and
everything that dared to raise its head in protest
against what is going in the reform ranks.
First the Citizens party is made up of those
that cry progressive. yet this clique that
insulted organized labor by putting Allison Stoeker
on the ticket in a back room in the Albany refused
to allow the people primary to select the candi-
dates. committee of fifteen selected by very
few people. selected the entire ticket. Labor was
not consulted in instance A few laboring
people appeared before the committee in support
of personal friend or in opposition to enemy of
the toilers. but labor was not requested to select
candidate even suggest a name for any office
Otto Thum selected by the Citizens committee
for the place of city clerk, but il only after the
committee split in twain and the Platform
Democrats walked out of the meeting that harmony
was brought about and Patterson forced Heating
and others TO accept Thum for the nominee for city
clerk, the only union labor man the ticket. 1t
should be said In this connection that while the
of Mr.. Thum was not presented by organized labor
but was put on by Patterson to strengthen the
ticket it is good selection of able and
staunch friend of organized labor This place is
the only one given to union labor man. In the
first ward Thomas Auter the organizer for the
Trades and Labor assembly, made effort to have
the Citizens people select him for alderman from
that ward but he was sidetracked for Gene Madden
a saoonkeeper. whom the Citizens people list
q merchant lie runs a saloon at Darlmer and lhlr-
teenth streets.
After sdetracking all laboring men except
Thum the Citizens slated Allison Stocker the pres-
dent of the Chamber of Commerce. for treasurer
Mr.. Stocker is of the general contractors who
made the fight against the Building Trades council
three years ago. AT that time he said he would
break up the council. and he doing
What organized labor think of a move of this
kind after committees from the Building Trades
council protested to the nominating committeeG The
officers of the central labor bodies were not con
suited at any time in regard to the selection be
made for place the ticket. The president of the
Trades assembly called such as Walker.
chairman of the Citizens executive board Mr. COST
gan, Mr.. Gourley and Mr. Heating, previous the
sitting of the committee, but the committee at
time considered organized labor of sufficient impor
tance accept of the proffered services of the
officials
The Citizens party is than the others
in this respect The Republican party gave labor
consideration whatever; but the other hand
the party placed Thomas E. Williams, the man who
fought against the eight-hour day for in the
eighteenth general assembly, the ticket for
sheriff. He should be defeated by the votes of
women and of labor.
The Democratic party has placed in the field
ticket that is headed by many good candidates,
although the tailend of the ticket is rotten The
person that find anything wrong with John b.
Hunter, from labor standpoint, or from the view
point of good citizen is not acquainted with the
record of Mr. Hunter Then we have that ticket
Mrs. Kathryn williamson candidate for the office
of recorder and Hamilton Armstrong. candidate for
reelection to the office of sheriff. But labor
not consulted this ticket. Labor is not
well pleased with the tickets put forward for the
suffrage of the citizens of Denver