Denver labor bulletin., 1916-10-07
CHARGEEFLAGRANT FRAUD
In HERD-LAWiPETITIONSI
Names Forged, Minors Signed, Jail-Bird
Signatures Are in. Attorney Takes
Drastic Action for Expose of Bill.

Opponents of the so-called "herd law"
initiated by the Denver Post, and its
weekly, THE Great Divide" were not
granted the privilege last week in DEN
yer OF submitting their evidence of
fraud in the petitions, to the district
court. Judge Denison sustained a plea
to quash the mandamus application
brought by Daniel A Lord, farmer OF
of State Ramer putting the bill on the
ballot, depriving J. J. Sullivan, Mr..
Lords attorney, of an opportunity to
present his evidence.
Judge Denison gave no reasons in
handing down his decision. The applica-
tion was fought by Assistant Attorney
General Montgomery, and John 7. Bot
tom, Post attorney, and argued for by
Attorney Sullivan. The last named de.
clared he possessed evidence to prove
fraud and misrepresentation practiced by
circulators hired by the bills hackers,
in obtaining signatures to their petitions,
and asserted that the fight was not yet
ended.
"The evidence we have will indubitably
be used in some manner" he said, "to
expose the rottenness of this measure,
even if we must appeal to the criminal
vestigated the more apparent it is that
it is iniquitous, and that there is sim
lister something back of it which must
be brought to light. We will not stop
fighting until the last cows come home"
Mr. Sullivan claims to have proof that
not only are more than 5000 of the sig
natures on the petitions invalid because
they were not certified legally, but that
evidence of actual fraud in the signing of
the petitions has been found. A diligent
search for the circulators, ! IA in number,
who were paid three cents a name by the
bills hackers to obtain 1900 sigma
lures in Denver in two-day campaign,
discloses that thirty cannot be found, he
declared, and offers it as part proof that
the circulators were not all qualified
electors as they were supposed to be.
Disreputable characters and professional
circulators were among the ia, he
charges, and in many instances they
signed each others petitions in order
to increase their earnings, in violation
of the law. Mr.. Sullivan declares also
that detectives have discovered many OF
the signatures rank forgeries, and that
many fictitious names were used. Names
of inmates of the jails, and minors also
were found in numbers. In a great
many instances persons signed the petit
opposed to the bill, and were led to at
tach their signatures thru misrepresenta-
ton
"And not only are the petitions abso-
lutely illegal because of fraud and ire
gularities, but also because, with the
aid of the secretary OF states office,
they were filed in direct violation of
the law" the attorney charges. "The
statute provides that petitions for ini-
tiated measures must be filed with tn.
secretary of state within four calendar
months Of election. The last day for
filing these petitions within the laws
limit was July @. and they are so re-
corded. But l1,13O names were filed
July 7, and sworn to on that date. The
petitions show it on their face. Secre-
tary of State Ramer. evidently to help
the Post, allowed them to be dated
back n day
July and July Z were the two davs
the hired circulators obtained their 49,
600 names in Dcnver-and prior to that
time. several weeks before, in fact =
1000 names had been procured in the
rural districts. and 1000 in cities and
towns outside Denver. The bills OPP
ponents declare that this fact, the char
acter of the petitions filed, the fact
that the Post is spending money to have
the bill made law, and that newspapers
record in past schemes political and 9TH
erwise, are enough to clothe the measure
in suspicion, without comment on the
bill itself, which threatens to practically
ruin the agricultural industry of the
state. And it promises benefit only to
the railroads. who will be relieved of
] all responsibility for livestock killed md