The Lamar register., 1912-05-08
The Supreme Court decisions

iOuS opinions delivered Monday by
the Colorado supreme court and
to the fact that wherever law
ture is concerned that law was
held to be constitutional while
the acts of the democrats were
held to be unconstitutional. 1t mere
ly goes to show that the republican
fulfill their platform pledges, while
the democrats juggled the enact
ment of their law so that pledges
would not be fulfilled. The re-
publicans promised the people of
the state a railroad commission
law. Their legislature enacted
such law and republican gov
ernor signed it. The democrats i'm
methiately assailed it as being un-
constitutional and made their
claims that 1t was demonstrations
al; one of the incidents of their
campaign for election. As soon as
they were in office they abandon
stitutionality OF the old law and
amended it to suit their own con-
venience. When the republicans
elected Attorney General Griffith,
he started a fight to sustain the
| constitutionality of the old law.
and yesterday it was sustained in
every particular. even to the pow
er to make and enforce rates. I'm
der the supreme courts decision,
the railroad commission If it now
had that law as its authority would
have as much power as any COM
mission in the United States. As
1t is. the law as amended must
! again be tested.
How different was the result
of the highway commission bill?
The democrats promised that If theJ
were elected the internal improve,
ment fund would be turned oven
to the highway commission for ex,
penditure. They enacted a SOCIAL,
ed law making this transfer. They
got into a fight between the two
factions and they either deliberate,
dy failed to call or else they hired
a clerk to steal the roll call. the
result being that the law is uncon-
stitutional and imperative.
Again the democratic party de-
clared in favor of direct primary
AT the last election the people
chose Sheridan S. Kendall as a
railroad commissioner by big ma.
jority. At the special session pre-
ceding the election the democrats
sought to amend the railroad law
to make the position appointive.
Notwithstanding the fact that the
people had chosen Mr.. Kendall,
Governor Shafroth took advantage
of what he thought would be a
damn technicality" and appoint
ed F. S. Hoag. The senate, for
getful of the fact that the people
had by direct vote selected Ken
dali. confirmed the appointment.
And right there the supreme court
stepped in again. 1t held that the
governor had no power to appoint
Hoag, neither had the senate any
power to confirm the appointment
and the old law as passed by the
republican assembly was declared
the law.
The above are but a few illus
trations showing the difference be-
tween the real redemption of plat
form pledges and a promise to re-
deem them. Republicanism made
good-Democracy fell down. The
failure of the railroad commission
to be able to accomplish any good
for the people this term is due to
the fact that dem ocracy, instead
of trying to sustain the old law,
deliberately tried to knife it and
the failure of the people to have
the expenditure of the Internal i'm
provement fund is due to the de-
liberate acts of both factions
of democracy in trying to double
cross each other.--Pueblo Chief