The Glenwood post., 1916-04-01
CAPITAL CORRESPONDENCE


reading is confined to the Denver
dailies must have come to the conclu-
sion that the Republicans of this city
have been thrown into panic by the
attempt of Mr.. Speer to again become
mayor. This is very far from being
the case. The Republicans would much
have preferred not to have a city cam
paign this spring, believing that state
and national issues would furnish ali
the political excitement necessary for
one year. But as for fearing Mr.. Speer
there is nothing to it.
Mr.. Speer has been holding office
almost continuously ever since he came
to Colorado thirty years ago, and yet
he was never honestly elected to an
office in his life. Most of the positions
he has filled have been appointive.
Both times he ran for mayor he had
absolute control of the election COM
mission and of the fire and police
board. He had the support of all che
utility corporations and Of the saloon
and gambling element. In his first
campaign the same ballot box stuffing
was indulged in that led to the resigna-
tion of Mr.. Shafroth to his seat in cor
gress and to the assumption by Mr..
Speer of all the campaign expenses of
his opponent, Mr.. Springer, if he would
refrain from making contest. In his
second campaign, with the same influ-
ences behind him, on the face of tho
returns he received plurality Of some
1000 votes over Mr.. Phelps, but no
we'll informed man doubts that there
were at least 5000 fraudulent votes
cast for him.
This year the fire and police depart
ment are controlled by Republicans.
and there will be no repeating or ballot
box stuffing. The election commission
is Republican and there will be no
juggling of returns by election officials.
At least two of the big utility corpora
tions are out of politics and the others
realize that they are being kept tab
upon and that the public will not stand
for anything raw from them.
Under these circumstances, the Re-
publicans welcome the opportunity 20
retire Mr.. speer permanently from pub
lie life. In this praiseworthy effort
they will be helped by Mr. Patterson
and his followers who rejoice at the
opportunity to get even for the knitting
their ticket received in the fall Of
1914.
No man stands higher in the commu.
nifty than Mr.. w. W. Booth, whom the
Republicans have selected to head their
ticket. He has been state senator;
member of the board of public works,
and mayor of Highlands before that
suburb was consolidated with Denver.
He is the western manager of the
Equitable Insurance company and
member of the executive committee Of
the Anti-Saloon League. He is also
prominent in Christian Science circles,
having been at one time the reader in
their most prominent church. And, by
the way, Mr.. Speer is very friendly TO
this church, having presided at a re-
cent big meeting at the Auditorium
when one of their leading orators from
the east was the speaker.
The campaign will be short, but no
doubt will interfere considerably with
the thought that should be given to the
selection of the right kind of delegates
to the Chicago convention. The proba-
bility is still strong that they will go
uninstructed, but it looks now as though
their vote would be cast for either Root
or Roosevelt.
It is generally believed that the ap-
pointment of Brandies to the supreme
bench makes it necessary that Justice
Hughes should retain his seat on that
court. The country cannot afford to
take the chances of another appoint
ment like that of Mr.. Brandies, and
there is no other member of the cou,t
who would have the confidence of the
people to SO great degree in resisting
the socialistic and cratic tendencies
of Brandies.