The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1914-05-20
Member of the Associated Press,
WEDNESDAY. MAY 20, 1914.
CoLoRADo's DISGRACE.

Some governors. by their force OF char
actor, their intelligence in recognizing
public needs. and their influence with
other men, perform great and lasting ser
vices for their states. Other sEcalled
chief executives simply get by. doing
nothing exceptional, but meeting the rou-
tine requirements of then Offices without
attracting any particular attention Then
reward comes mainly in the inscriptions
ON their tombstoues. Occasionally GOV
ernors are called upon to face a trying
emergency. Some governors have made
history and have won lasting respect by
the way they have proved their califc
in meeting an unexpected duty. Other
governors. III the face Of urgent necessity.
shift and wabble and demonstrate their IN
competence OF even impotence. Coy.
Ammons OF Colorado is now IN the public
eye as man OF gutta percha backbone
through the terrible botch. which he and
his Democratic Clique have made of the
strike situation in Colorado.
Instead OF facing the situation frankly.
he is manoeuvIing 50 as to dodge respon-
sibity and steer Il shifty middle course.
between the conflicting demands of the
labor unions and the mine operators
TO make the federal government pay
/ the cost and assume the odium OF dis
armament and pacificaton in the strike
districts would be an ideal solution from
the Ammons point of view With the aid
OF the Denver Democratic machine the
governor has held both houses of the legis
: iature in check and has. prevented the pas
sage OF legislation which a self-rcspectn2
state would have considered essential it
such crisis, Everything possible ha,
been done to prolong the stay of the fed
eral troops and delay the resumption l.,
the state Of its constitutional duty.
President Wilson was vexed at the pro
4 ,cIastmatIng antics of Coy. Ammons an,
sent him caustic rebuEe which the Colo
RADIO governor has answered unconvincing
ly. President Wilson has sent Gov. Am
i mons Just the kind OF warning that Prcsi
) dent Roosevelt served ON Gov Sparks 0
4 Nevada 50 effectively not very man,
Z years ago.
q President Wilson strove to stir tn
= pride of Colorado and OF Colorado's exc,
Z utivc. He teIcgraphed to Gov Ammon
4 that his constitutional obligations wit
3 regard to the maintenance of order i
4 Colorado are not to be indefinitely contil
ucd by the inactiou of the state egi~l,
Y turc.'
I 4
:, buster and whine Officially he talkc
big in return telegram of the ST 10000
bond issues Of the saloon-cosing law, I'll
fire arms law and the state committee q
mediation. But to the newspapers |
said; Il hope that before the fedcp
soldiers are withdrawn the federal govern
mcnt will help It's to procure an adu~tmc,
OF the strike controversy"
Il cannot conceive, said Prcsidel
Wilson's DESPATCH that the state is wi
ing to forcgo her sovereignty or to thro
herself entirely upon the government
the United States.
Yet that is just what CoIorados wca
. knecd governor proposes Law and ord
went bankrupt and a federal receiver w
iappontcd Gov Ammons does not a
acst a reorganization; he invites the
ccivcr to carry on the business. He Is
Jp accustomed to foregoing the sovereign
Of the state" first to the miuc-owne
now to the federal government, that
Y boldcr course seems unnecessary and I
- natural
.