United labor bulletin., 1912-07-25
THE PLEDGE.

zens' ticket pledged himself as follows:
THE PLEDGE.
We the undersigned do hereby pledge
each for himself or herself, that if elected
to the respective offices for which we have
been nominated we will do everything
within our power to bring about Comnis
SIGN Government for Denver AT THE
EARLIEST possible DATE, and
pledge further that if Commission Govern
rnent be adopted for Denver we will each
of us Immediately upon such adoption of
Commission Government FORTHWITH
RESIGN from the respective Offices to
to which have been severaly elected.
Government BY Commission was the issue upon
which the Citizens party rode into power, and now,
Just two months after the election Mayor Arnold
has declared against the change AT THIS TIME
Why AT THIS TIME, when the pledge of Mayor
Arnold and the other officers read at the earliest
possible date?
The Citizens party is circulating petitions for
an election to give the people chance to vote on
the question of holding charter convention to
establish Government by Commission. If tins
proposition is voted upon favoraby by the people,
then twenty-one delegates will be selected from the
city at large compose the convention. This con-
vention will prepare amendments to the city charter
for establishing Government by Commission, and
the people will then be given opportunity to
adopt or reject the work of the convention.
Recently amendments to the city charter were
submitted to the people in petition and by that
petition the city council was asked to call eler
ton and submit the amendments to vote of tie
people 1t argued by many of the best attor-
neys in the city that the procedure was illegal, and
that charter convention would be necessary where
the form of government was entirely changed The
city council refused TO call the election, and the
Citizens party went into the courts to force the
issue. Judge Teller OF the district court ordered
the city council call the election: but the city
attorney appealed the supreme court OF the state
and that court deadlocked on its decision mem
Der OF that body being out OF the city. The dead
lock threw the matter back in the district court and
gave Judge Teller the power to order an election
held, but the Citizens party manager, after
fully considering the matter, decided not to press
the calling of election. They feared that should
the election be called and the amendments pass that
after election had been held elect officers under
the amended charter the Speer administration
would go into the courts and say that the charter
amendments passed illegally and that success
them had not been elected. This is the
that the former Citizens party amendments we're
not put to vote of the people. Their position was
taken after much deliberation and they decided to
nominate candidates under the old charter for the
MAY election.
Feeling in their position the Citizens
party nominated full ticket, and each candidate
took the pledge printed above The daily papers
that were with the Citizens movement gave much
space the fact that the pledges had been made and
that if the people voted for the Citizens ticket Den
yer would have commission government in nine
months 1t was said of many that opposed the Cit-
zens ticket that they were opposed to the Comulis-
sion Form of Government, hence were friendly to
the corporations.
Many there were in the ranks of Organized
Labor that opposed the proposed amendments to
the city charter for Government by Commission Tor
the reason that the amendments were drawn by but
a few men, and labors interests were not considered
by the writers of the amendments.
But now it is a different proposition. The
petitions in circulation by the Citizens party pro-
pose charter convention to establish Government
by Commission. This will give labor oppor-
tunity to elect men the convention to look alter
labors interests. Labor will have the opportunity
through their delegates in the convention to advo-
cate amendments to the charter that all city work
be done by the city at day labor and not contracted
to individuals and corporations: that the prevailing
rate of wages shall be adhered to; and many other
amendments that will be of inestimable value the
workers OF the city.
The United Labor Bulletin is "for" the charter
convention to establish Government by Commission.
A half dozen petitions in circulation
through the Office of The Bulletin: but we find the
work retarded by the fact that Henry J. Arnold,
mayor of Denver, has declared that he is in favor
of Government by Commission, but NOT JUST
NOW He is not for it JUST NOW because the
interests that put him where he is is not "for it
JUST NOW, either. These interests figure that
they are now in control of the city and if another
election was held some other interests would gain