The Bolivar County Democrat. (Rosedale, Miss.) 1887-1969, 1916-08-26
ANARCHY IN COLORADO.
(Memphis News.Scimitar J

tue newspapers ABOUT the trouble
between the Rockefeller mine in
terests and their employees in Col
orado in 1914. Much also has been
said about the activity of these
mining interests in politics. But
apparently not all has been told.
The Colorado supreme court re-
Gently handed down a decision in a
suit involving the election of a
sheriff for Huerfano county in
1914. after the date when agents
for Rockefeller's Colorado Fue
and Iron Company had sworn that
political activity had sworn that
political activity had ceased. This
decision is just about the most re.
markable expose of political cor
rupt ion that ever has come to our
notice, and shows the extent to
which anarchy went in that State
two years ago.
In summing up the case, the
court says:
We are unable to find a prece.
u~nA, --L--~ liz -. e;..;io-.~...I:
tions have been considered as in
this case, where private corpora
tions have assumed to deny the
public character of an election, and
| to arbitrarily take charge of and
conduct the same as if 1t were the
sole private business of the npor-
alton. These companies plainly
| connived with te tain county off,
Gals to secure the creation of cleo
| tton prsciucts. bounded 20 as to in
clude theil private property only,
and with lines marked by their
own fences, or guarded by their
own armed men. and within which
were only their own employees
They excluded the public frsm Ell
trance to such election precincts.
labeled the same as private prop
erty, and warned the public that
entrence thereon constituted tres
pass. They denied the right OF
| free public assemblage within
such election precincts, and like
wise the right of free or open dis
cussion of public questions therein,
They denied the right to circulate
election literature or the distribu.
ton of the cards of candidates with.
in such precincts. They secured
lhe selection of their own employ es
exclusively as judges and clerks OF
election: and by the location of
precinct boundaries no other than
their employees could so serve. They
apparently made the registration
lists from their payrolls. They
kept such lists In their private
of business. and in charge of their
employees. They prohibited all
| pnblic investigation within such
election precincts as to the quali6-
cation of the persons so registered
as electors of the precinct. Through
their employees acting as election
officials, they assisted numerous
nou. English speaking persons to
vote by marking their ballots for
them, in plain violation of the law.
They provided other non-English
speaking persons with fraudulent
devic. by which such persons
might be enabled to vote the Re
publican ticket. without being able
to read either the name OF the can
.. didate or the party ticket for which
they SO voted. They coerccd and
intimidated their employees in many
instances. We find no such exam
pie of fraud within the books, aud
must seek the letter and spirit OF
the law in a free government. as
scale Ia which 10 weigh such con-
duct.
: The defense relies not upon
conflicting evidence. but upon the
, contention that the conduct OF the
election was justified as an indus
: trial necessity We have heard
/ much in this State in recent years
as to the denial of Inherent and
constitutional rights of citizens be-
ing justified by military necessity.
bnt this, we believe, is the first
time in our experience when the
. violation Of the fundamental rights