The daily sentinel., 1912-09-05
Denver. Colo,

Denver, Colo,
Sept. |. 1912.
| Walter Walker, Editor Then Sentinel,
Grand Junction, Colo: Fl
Dear Sir-I take the first opportu-
nifty to notice the editorial comment
in your issue of August 29th. Il
Evidently YOU were not at the
meeting and have received your i'm
preston from something printed in
the papers which make their own
reports of what | say without taking
the trouble TO go to hear me. Your
reporter, who evidently attended the
meeting in Grand Junction, holds a
different opinion from that indicated
by the editorial.
l have not at any time "lambasted9
either Ex-Governor Adams or Gov
ernor Shafroth, or said anything of
either which was not true and at the
same time courteous, or which either
of them would have a right to COM
plain of, II present. | have called
attention to the fact that Ex-Governor
Adams has been many times cam
didate for office and has held many
offices. | did not call attention to
the fact that he gave up the govern
orship until his own circular came
d.
spect on different grounds from those
which he took in 1906, when | was
supporting him and spoke from many
platforms with him. Governor
! Adams then said that If again
elected he would not submit under
the same circumstances. He now
| says that in submitting, he did the
only thing which he could have done.
! / have called attention to the in
consistency in these two positions,
and also to the fact that his circular
states that the Judgment against
Z him was fraudulent, which, being
I true, that Judgment was void and he
/ was not bound to respect II, as he
now claims.
have called attention, as ! did in
/ Pueblo In my speech, to the fact that
I Ex-Governor Adams and Governor
! Shafroth struggled, and traded and
dealt for votes in the assembly; to
1 the fact that Governor Shafroth trad
ed and dealt with the Denver machine
politicians, to whom he Is ostensibly
opposed: that he walked out of the
] Denver county assembly and back
/ again: | called attention to the fact
that Governor Shafroth's appointees
were numerous in the assembly, and
7 by virtue OF trades made between him
| and what is ordinarily known as the
Denver machine" ! have called at
| tention to the fact that Governor
Adams is now claiming that the
Pueblo Assembly was representative
of the party because II adopted my
resolution that there should be no
more assemblies, and that for this
reason he is the majority choice OF
the party. 1t seems to me that If
he so felt. he should have supported
my resolution when | asked him to
come upon the platform with me and
declare himself on the subject Nei-
ther he nor Governor Shafroth would
take position at that time. although
/ believe both now admit that | was
right.
/ have called attention to these
facts as illustrating the difference be-
| tween leadership and the courage to
originate, and merely following and
adopting what some one else does.
| have called attention to Govern
or Shafroth's successful oftice-hold-
I ing career as the nominee of divers
| political parties, some still living
and some dead, merely to bring
out in bold relief the difference be-
tween those who had had. and those
who haven't; and l have called at
tention to the difference between his
action as governor and the action OF
our candidate for President under al
most precisely similar circumstances,
and to the weak and inconsequential
message to the legislature on the
subject of platform pledges which
! Governor Shafroth Is now circulating
as one of his campaign documents in
the primary contest.
| ] do not consider anything of this
kind, unaccompanied. as 1t has been,
1 by epithet or any word which could
be considered a reflection upon per-
sonal honor. as "lambasting.'
The purpose of the pre-primary
campaign is to advise the people.and
aid them in their choice among the
candidates. In many Of the pro-
nouncedly democratic states. these
campaigns have aroused as much
bitterness of language as an ordinary
contest between political opponents.
/ determined in the beginning that
so far as | was concerned, 1t should
not be the case here; but. as | said
in my letter to Governor Shafroth in
answer to his declining my invita-
tion to make the pre-primary cam
paign with him, "If discussion of the
public act of a public official can be
called criticism. it is criticism which
every public man should be able to
bear, for public meetings are held
and public discussion is had for the